Abstract
Super Size Me (SSM) and Fat Head (FH) are documentary films that make arguments about responsibility in America's obesity epidemic. Drawing on Kenneth Burke's pentadic elements of agent and scene, we argue that the filmmakers' bodies served as synecdochal sites for testing claims about the causes of obesity. The pentad informs how visuals support the film's ideological preferences: SSM emphasized the environment (i.e., the scene) and FH emphasized the individual (i.e., the agent). The change in Spurlock's body in SSM argued visually through juxtaposition to refute discursive arguments that questioned the effects of fast food on health. In FH, Naughton engaged in the parody form, allowing for argument by analogy, but rejecting visuals as valid grounds for health arguments. We argue that all visuals can junction as synecdoche and argue for universality and understanding without needing the verbal. This inquiry illuminates an ongoing issue of deliberation over national health, explores the combination of argument andBurkean theories, and proposes juxtaposition as a type of visual argument.
Published Version
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