Essay --

My Year of Meats (Ozeki) tells the story of two women in two very different parts of the world, and their tumultuous, life-changing journey with meat over the course of a year. Both characters come face to face with situations that test their beliefs and morals, as well as their resolve. There are many themes and lessons that come out of the two women’s’ journey regarding the media, meat products and capitalism, but one of the majors themes that is present in all aspects of the story is the idea of how ideals are carried through society. At one point or another, both women are faced with a choice to either continue on the path their life is currently on, or go against society and change their course. Ruth Ozeki supports the idea in her book that in order to be truly happy and have a less stereotypical society, each individual member of society must be willing to look at their own lives and change it themselves; otherwise, true change will never happen, and society will never be able to move past its limiting views. Jane Takagi-Little is the first of the main characters to be introduced, and in the beginning of the story she very bluntly points out that, â€Å"One requisite of a good documentarian: you must shamelessly take what is available† (Ozeki 33); however her opinion of what a documentarian should be showing changes and evolves the more she films and interacts with different families. When Jane is asked to write a proposal for a show, My American Wife!, that is sponsored by a major beef corporation called BEEF-EX, Jane does not turn down the opportunity given her tough financial situation (7). Each week the show would look at a different traditional, wholesome American family from around the country, and feature a delicious me... ...er. In the end, My Year of Meats (Ozeki) was the yearlong journey of two different women who decided to go against society and try to make it a better place by changing themselves, finding their own happiness and influencing others to do the same along the way. The purpose of Ozeki carrying this theme through the book is to show that change is possible, but every person needs to start with their own lives as society changes one person at a time, not all at once. Ignorance of problems only leads to the problems becoming worse, and possibly more problems appearing, so it is important to realize and fix them when they are present. This is a very important lesson to be learned from the characters of My Year of Meats (Ozeki), and it is likely a problem that will persist, but through time and effort, society can change, even if it can only be done one person at a time.