In many cases, consumers are not aware of the negative effects of the food that is right in front of their eyes, and how truly unhealthy and poisoning the substances they are intaking into their body can be. Most of the time, these foods are an easier option because they are cheaper and less of a process to obtain. In Wendell Berry’s “Pleasures of Eating,” he develops the theme in many effective and persuasive ways. He aspires that his audience will finish reading with a clear and better understanding of the food industry and all it entails. With various influencing elements within his writing, he forms a better understanding to the reader. By looking at imagery, word choice, and the style of Berry’s essay, we can see how he gets the point across that people have the wrong perception of enjoying a meal. Also, what it means to truly enjoy something you are ingesting, which most people do not see. This is important because without the use of these elements, the reader would not truly be influenced and want to make a change with their dietary habits and truly enjoy a pleasant, healthy meal the way it is intended. 

An important element that stands out in this short story to help contribute to the theme is imagery and how unhealthy food is processed to look appealing to the human eye. In one sentence, he explains that “the passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared or fast food, confronts a platter covered with inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, died, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to and part of any creature that ever lived” (Pg. 3). The reason for using these descriptive words is not just to take up space in his essay, but rather to give purpose. When one reads these words, it is easier to convince their minds that what Berry is saying is true. He is trying to make the reader truly understand that food these days is nowhere near natural, and that what humans are consuming is just a part of the commercialized food industry. Although it is “prettified,” none of it is contributing to your health nor is it good for people, even though the media tells consumers otherwise. What we call “food,” has been molded and processed before it ever actually reaches our plates. 

Words like “makeup” and “processed” bring attention to the audience that word choice is another theme that Berry is trying to get across. He explains, “When food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with farming and with the land, then the eaters are suffering a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous” (Pg. 2). By using strong words like “dangerous”, it makes the reader more aware of how serious the subject is. He is trying to get people to open their eyes, and the only way to do so is to frighten someone by revealing the truth although it may sound brutal. He also states how “food wears as much makeup as the actors.” (Pg. 3). This statement also illustrates to the readers how unnatural the food being consumed is. By comparing food to an actor, it gives it a sense of how truly fake and misleading it could be. Everyone knows that in magazines, movies and pictures, the actor is portrayed as a perfect person, although that may not always be the case. It is similar in the food industry situation as well when it comes to an object appearing to be something it is not. Although the cheeseburger sitting right in front of you looks perfectly crafted, the bun might be bleached, the meat might not all be natural, and so on. All these word choices build a foundation to the argument that not everything is what it seems, and that the food industry can easily manipulate those who are not informed of what goes on within it. 

Berry uses many different effective styles to add to the fact that the people should make smart choices about the things they consume. In one sentence, he states that “these domestic creatures are in diverse ways attractive” (Pg. 4). By saying that they are attractive and adding onto the human-like characteristics, it gives the reader a greater sense of guilt. If you are eating a living creature and not appreciating it for what it is, then it should be something that makes the reader feel terrible. Humans no longer have a connection between what they are consuming and themselves. In another claim, he sets the mood to make the reader upset with their inconsiderate eating choices by explaining that he is not being bias, but simply sharing his emotions on the subject: “Though I am by no means a vegetarian, I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me” (Pg. 4). This sentence gives his essay a greater meaning, he is creating an image of suffering. Although he does not follow a vegetarian diet, he still has a sense of guilt, like all humans instinctively should, and understands the pain and suffering that these animals go through. Another way he makes the reader feel bad for the animal is by stating, “It would not do for the consumer to know that the hamburger she is eating came from a steer who spent much of his life standing deep in his own excrement in a feedlot, or that the calf that yielded the veal cutlet on her plate spent its life in a box in which it did not have room to turn around.” By showing the situation from the animal’s perspective and how it must live for a person to eventually be eating it on their plate makes the reader feel like they have been treating what they brush off as an everyday meal so poorly. This style stand out for the fact that it is so effective, and any person thinking otherwise must be inhumane. After understanding this, people will hopefully open their eyes and make them want to change not only their ways, but the ways of the industry. Not only does that animal suffer, but we suffer from eating what has been entirely processed and not anywhere close to what began as a natural animal. Berry’s style of writing is very neutral and unbiased, which then lets the reader form their own opinions without feeling like they were convinced or pressured.

It is obvious that the world we live in is very ignorant when it comes to the food industry and what it has turned into. Berry convinces the readers that what his happening with food is not in any means positive, and that we all need to open our eyes and realize the reality of it. Once the reader considers the meaning of the essay, they begin to understand the point and lesson that is being made. He sets the mood to be slightly depressing to form a feeling of guilt and awareness. The essay not only convinces the consumer to change their ways, but does so in such an educational and factual manner. Everything Berry says can be backed up with evidence, which he does as unbiased as possible.  Berry uses imagery, word choice, and style to get the point across that people have the wrong perception of enjoying a meal, which most people do not see. This is important because without the use of these elements, the reader would have never opened their eyes into the real world of the food industry, and learned all the negative effects that come with it.
