Kaison Denton

Connie Douglas, English 1102-93

May 1st, 2014

Dear Reader, Thank you for taking the time to look over my Multi Genre Project. The line of inquiry that I chose to research and become an expert on this semester is the issue of obesity. Obesity is a very controversial issue in the United States mainly due to the increased health problems associated with it. This is the reason I chose the clip art that I did as my repetend. The clip art is a cartoon of an obese individual that has an American flag shirt on, which symbolizes the very immense problem that obesity is in the United States. The health issues involved with obesity are actually what make the topic so controversial. There are several debates arguing the classification of obesity as a disease. In 2012, the AMA (American Medical Association) declared obesity a chronic disease. This decision had no legal standings, and was not set in stone. Therefore doctors, citizens, and insurance companies continue to argue that it should not be considered a disease. Along the doctors, citizens and insurance companies arguing that it is a disease, there are other voices, including these three, who agree with the classification. These arguments range from the inaccuracy of the BMI (Body Mass Index) scale all the way to the cost of Healthcare for an obese individual versus a healthy/non-obese individual. These arguments will be more clearly defined through my Multi-Genre Project as well as my English portfolio. My thought process for choosing this topic was not very comprehensive. I realized how big of an issue obesity is in the United States, and realized that there were a countless amount of arguments pertaining to this topic. I identified these arguments because we had been talking about and observing them in my Health and Quality of Life Class. I immediately became very interested because I love a good argument. So when Ms. Douglas told us to pick a controversial topic, I knew right away that Id choose obesity. It was very easy for me to find sources as well as valuable sources because we were talking about the same thing in my Health and Quality of Life class. This also made my life much easier thinking about the same thing in two classes. I even sometimes got some of the arguments confused. I am very pleased with my decision to choose this topic because it opened my eyes to the world of argument, but not only argument, but arguments on obesity, which I am very interested in. I learned so much from this line of inquiry. I learned that different doctors have different views on obesity as well as insurance companies. I didnt realize that insurance companies were so involved in these arguments. They were the bulk of the sources I used. According to insurance companies, obesity collectively costs $150 billion per year, which blew my mind when I read this. I already knew obesity was an enormous issue, but I did not know it was that enormous. I could go on all day telling you what I learned, but youll just have to check out my project to hear the rest! Sincerely, Kaison Craig Denton

Genre 1: Collage

Genre 1: Collage Rationale

My line of inquiry is obesity. I decided to make a collage of examples of obesity that I found while pursuing my daily routine. This collage is just a portion of an outrageous amount of examples of obesity found in the United States. I took these pictures while walking around campus, down the streets, and around the mall. All together, to snap all of these pictures it took me about 15 minutes. I chose to do this to express how great the issue of obesity is in America. If I took all these pictures in just 15 minutes, imagine how many I could find in a day. There needs to be something done about this. Obesity is a growing problem in the United States, and continues to grow, making it a very controversial topic that involves many arguments and voices. *The faces in these pictures are hidden to protect the identity of those photographed.*

Genre 2: Poster Rationale

This genre explains the inaccuracy of the BMI (Body Mass Index) scale in the act of measuring obesity. It explains the way to use the BMI scale, which is to identify the line with your height and weight and find their intersection point. From there, whatever category you are in is your classification. It also identifies the various reasons why the BMI scale is not accurate in measuring obesity. I chose to present this in the form of a poster in order to catch ones attention and make them read it. I used very vibrant colors and colorful pictures to aid in capturing the attention of the reader. Posters are always informative, so I thought it would be appropriate to use a poster to present this information because the information is very important. If someone measured himself or herself from the BMI scale, they may have an inaccurate classification of their health.

Genre 3: Persuasive Essay

*hard copy of persuasive essay will be handed in*

Genre 3: Persuasive Essay Rationale

This genre is an essay written with the purpose of persuading an individual that obesity should indeed be classified as a disease. It attempts to persuade them by giving valid reasons why the classification would be beneficial to the United States. The reasons include; the definition of a disease, the development of obesity drugs, and the positive impact on the image of the United States. I chose to present this genre in this way due to the fact that there are two sides to my line of inquiry. I chose the side that I support and decided to attempt to persuade the reader to feel the same way. Sources used: Pollack, Andrew. A.M.A. Recognizes Obesity as a Disease. The New York Times. New York Times Company., 19 Jun. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014

Dear Reader, This Multi-Genre Project forced me to go really in depth with the research Ive done on obesity. It has given me a better overall idea of the main arguments and I hope it has done the same for you. As I began my research for this project, I originally was under the impression that obesity had not yet been classified as a disease. Shortly after I began, I realized that it had been, but it had no legal bindings. I then decided to research the different voices as well as the actual definition of obesity. To begin the project, I disagreed with the classification but as I progressed throughout the research, I eventually changed my mind. There was much more valid information posed by the pro-classification side, which was the turning point for me. I personally came to the conclusion that it should be a disease, but that doesnt mean it is the right choice. Every person has different opinions and different views. My purpose for this entire project was to inform you of how vast the issue of obesity is in America. I also reflected on the arguments being posed by each side of the issue. I also identified the different voices that are active in the arguments. These voices include; the insurance companies, the pro/con classification, and the concerned citizens. I hope that you have learned and have a better grasp of the overall most important arguments related to obesity. I enjoyed using the Multi-Genre medium for this project because it allowed me to present the information in more creative and unique ways. It was much more fun to work on than a traditional Multi-Genre paper. I am a very visual learner, so it was entertaining for me to create visuals that teach my audience the importance and the impact of obesity in the United States. Sincerely, Kaison Denton