Blog Post #16: Consider the Lobster

What genres of writing can you identify in Consider the Lobster?

I would argue that there are many types on genres used in Consider the Lobster as it is made up a series of essays, overall it is a non-ficton genre piece. One could also argue that there are narrative genres identified throughout.

What's so important about footnotes in this article? Be specific. Give an example of how David Foster Wallace uses footnotes. 

The footnotes are essential to the story and the reader's understanding of the piece. They sometimes contained so much information crucial to the piece that they took up half a page because they were main topics to consider and understand.The footnotes also helps the reader to really understand the author's personal reactions and emotions towards the topic. “They come up alive in the traps, are placed in containers of seawater…” He adds this to explain and elaborate his opinion on the inhumane practices involved. Without this, the reader may not get the overall message as well.

Does this article shift topics? In what ways?

Yes, the article starts out by discussing MLF in detail and eventually talks about the lobster and how inhumane it is to eat lobsters.

What does David Foster Wallace mean when he says "Consider the Lobster?" 

“Be conscious about your decisions! Don’t just eat those lobsters! Think about them! Think about your actions! Consider the Lobster!!” Clearly, he is displaying his option of people eating lobster. Whether it is morally right or wrong to consume these creatures, and to consider, and think about the lobster before you eat.