Well-Worded and Digestible

When looking at the formatting of both these articles, it's important to keep in mind the respective lengths of these pieces. The first essay, Fat Is a Feminist Issue, is a mere four pages long, but I think is structured rather well. The opening two paragraphs (mostly the second) start the reader off with comments which many might find jarring or over-the-top. Many haven't considered the viewpoint of fat as a feminist issue, and these strong, definite statements at the beginning of the article can have one of two effects: either it leaves the reader defensive and likely unwilling to listen to what's said in the rest of the article, or it leaves the reader shocked and curious to see how these discussion points, which they may find radical, are reinforced. Overall, though, I think that Orbach does a good job of starting things off strongly (at the very least it's good at grabbing attention) and subsequently transitioning from her forceful introduction into a smooth and cohesive piece, which brings together all of the information she needs to back up her points and drive everything home. Furthermore, I'm even a fan of the structure used in the second article, Having It His Way. My personal opinions aside, the article is laid out in a manner conducive to getting their point across- everything is categorized clearly and labeled appropriately. In the introduction, the authors introduce what they're going to talk about and why. Some may call this simplistic, which it is, but I think, more than anything, it is effective. It is especially important when considering an audience of The Average Reader. This average reader is someone who they are trying to convince- to persuade them to change their ways or help society change its ways with regards to all the topics they discuss in the article. For this reason, I think it's a smart idea to lay out and format this article as they have. The article is then more easily digestible (sorry) and will have a greater chance to make a real impact with readers. This is especially necessary in an academic paper regarding social justice, where many become defensive and feel aggravated towards both the messages and the language used to convey said messages.