A Lean & Hungry Look Analysis

“That Lean and Hungry Look” – Suzanne Britt Jordan Julius Caesar stated “Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look, he thinks too much; such men are dangerous.” Cassius’ “lean and hungry look” unsettled Julius Caesar, who preferred the company of fat, contented men whom he believed were more trustworthy and appreciative. When we think of heavier people, we think that they are nice because they have nothing to be mean about and typical thin people will be stuck up and rude to the heavier person because they do not see that heavier person for who he really is. This is a stereotype; heavier people are not necessarily jolly, and thin people are not necessarily mean or stuck up. Stereotypical attributes have had a negative effect on society, since the way we form impressions of others has been based on news, media and music. These superficial aspects have told us how one should look and how one should dress, so when we see someone who does not accept and follow society’s standards we criticize and judge them. These setbacks in society prompts, writer, Suzanne Britt Jordan, to write the informal argument “That Lean and Hungry Look” which effectively reverses a well-established cultural stereotype and judges the thin person rather than the fat person, to prove that there is a benefit to being heavier and that heavier people are more fun to be around than thin people. The overall theme of this argument is the importance of happiness; you do not have to be thin to be happy, and you do not have to be heavy to be happy. Happiness should come from whatever you decide makes you happy, whether it is a sundae or jogging around the block. The strengths of this engaging argument lie in its appeal to the audience, effectiveness of humor, comparison-contrast, connotations, language, relevance, as well as biases. To begin with, the predominant tone of Jordan’s article is one of humor. This humor is the most important and significant aspect of the article because, it allows Jordan to