SUNY Geneseo Department of Computer Science

Summarizing

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Summarizing

Reading re summary from They Say, I Say

Summary needs to accurately reflect source, while focusing on elements pertinent to your argument. Beware of “list summaries” that catalog source’s statements with no evident purpose. Choose verbs to capture feeling of source as well as content.

• What do you think of this relative to They Say, I Say?
  • Bland. Needs to say more that helps someone write summaries.
    • Should draw in more interesting points vis a vis what “They say” vs “I say,” where I’m going from summary
    • Should mentions tips for paraphrase w/o plagiarizing (but are these really in the reading being summarized? If not they belong somewhere else)
  • Stay neutral
  • It’s a list summary. Yuck.
  • No overall reason or context for summary

Summary exercise 2 (write summaries of “Don’t Blame the Eater” example that could either (a) be used in an essay arguing that healthy food is cheaply and easily available, or (b) be used in an essay arguing that obesity is a cultural construct rather than a medical condition)

Zinczenko argues that fast food options are the main cause of the rising rates of child obesity. Because the alternatives to fast food are too expensive for adolescents to afford, a large portion of the younger generation turns to eating unhealthily. However, though healthier foods may be more expensive, eating healthily is more cost beneficial for the long term. Zinczenko makes a point that fast food companies are misleading because nutrition information is not readily available for consumers. This makes it difficult for children to make informed decisions about the food they eat. In addition, Zinczenko reminds us that many American families are also dealing with obesity, though often they are preoccupied with financial problems.

1) Zinczenko’s essay Don’t Blame the Eater offers a sympathetic viewpoint towards the youth affected by the fast food crisis in America. This response comes in light of a recent lawsuit by teenagers against McDonalds for “making them fat.” Although he believes in personal accountability, he relates to them based on his own childhood experience in which fast food seemed to be the only option available. Zinczenko argues that in America it is easier to find a fast food meal than it is to find a grapefruit. In addition, he complains about the difficulty in finding out the exact nutritional information of fast food menu options.

2) Obesity in America has been a growing problem; this can be strongly correlated to fast food restaurant growth in the country. However, there are alternatives to a daily meal at McDonald’s or Burger King. An example of one is to easily go to a grocery store after planning a week of meals. Following the purchase, it is easy to prepare all of the food prior to the week so that meals are easily cooked on the days. Most people argue that grocery store food is much more expensive but the truth is that buying in bulk and preparing these meals is actually a cheaper and healthier option to the typical Big Mac. Another inexpensive option is to have an at-home garden so it is easy to go to the backyard and pick up vegetables. This saves a lot of money when it comes to buying vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and peppers.

3) Obesity is definitely a growing medical problem in the country today. It is not that obesity itself is the problem but all that it leads to. Examples of this include diabetes, heart disease, immobility and many others. Though diabetes may not be as common of a disease among obese patients, there are still several other problems that are proven to be a result of obesity. The area of medicine in the United States, has slowly transitioned to help the several patients that suffer from obesity. On the contrary, it can be deduced that obesity is a result of our ongoing stereotype as Americans go to McDonalds for dinner casually. Our culture through past generations have turned to fast food chains as a result of advertisements and the pure simplicity of picking up a quick meal. Over the years, that has developed into our cultural stereotype. In conclusion, it is not just one over another but the fact that cultural stereotypes and the medical problems with obesity are tied together in a way.

In his essay “Don’t Blame the Eater” Zinczenko argues that obesity is not the fault of the people eating but in fact a product of misinformation and lack of alternatives. When this essay was written, there wasn’t adequate labeling on the fast food people were consuming. However, now all food must be labeled and the obesity epidemic is still continuing. According to Zinczenko, in 1994 only 5% of all cases of diabetes were Type 2 caused by obesity, but in the recent years this number has gone up to 30% and is continuing to grow. Additionally, although he argues that there aren’t many places to buy healthy foods, walk into any grocery store and there is an abundance of produce that isn’t all that expensive. Healthy food isn’t terribly difficult to come by, it’s simply a personal choice that needs to be made.

Zinczenko stresses that blame for obesity should not be placed on the obese public but rather on the fast food industry. Fast food is becoming increasingly cheap and available as compared to healthier options. Twenty years ago type two diabetes represented five percent of all childhood diabetes cases, now it represents at least thirty percent. Zinczenko not only blames the availability of fast food for this epidemic, but also the lack of warnings and health information presented at these restaurants. While people are aware that fast food is unhealthy, many are not aware of the true magnitude of the choices they are making, according to Zinczenko.

David Zinczenko argues in “Don’t Blame the Eater” that the fast food industries are to blame for the increasing obesity problem facing children. These restaurants are ubiquitous and hard for individuals, especially those in a pinch for time, to avoid. It is expected that an individual would know better than to eat two meals at a fast-food restaurant, because of the increasing health problems emerging. Yet, because one may see a fast-food restaurant, it does not necessarily mean he or she should immediately purchase food from the restaurant. Healthy and inexpensive opportunities exist, but it means that the consumer must search actively, instead of eating at the first restaurant they see. Although the food labeling and nutritional information may be hard to interpret, it is possible, and should provide more of a reason to search for alternatives. If healthy alternatives didn’t exist, fast-food restaurants would have less of a reason to advertise and promote their products. It is important to recognize that individuals who feel they can sue the fast-food industry, may not be being active in their search for healthy alternatives.

Discussion

• Generally easy to tell which kind of essay each summary was written for, i.e., these summaries generally do choose what to say and how to say it according to their purpose
• Be careful that summary of someone else’s position doesn’t turn into a miniature statement of, or argument for, your own
• These do show signs of using some of They Say, I Say’s templates and language. Those are good places to start.

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Peer critiques of draft Poe essays

Bring 3 printed copies