Essay: Once Upon a Shop by British writer Jeanette Winterson

There is something special about local shops. Something beautiful and charming, familiar and irreplaceable. Anyhow, larger supermarket chains are outmatching these local shops and even worse; it is because of us. We accept the rules the government sets out. This issue is discussed in the article “Once upon a shop”.
Once Upon a Shop is an article, written by a British writer; Jeanette Winterson. The essay was first published in “The Observer” the 13th of June 2010. Throughout the whole text Jeanette Winterson writes about her point of view on politics of food. She declares how she took over a little shop in Spitalfields and made it in to a food shop of healthy veg and Italian coffee. She points out some of her and the stores main principles, which also gives a very precise description of how the author is as a person: small, sustainable, ethical, modestly, profitable, local and cooperative.
Jeanette Winterson compares throughout the whole article her message about the positive things that come along with small local shops. Furthermore, she does a comparison to the huge supermarket chains, and how the government treats the small shops, like the one she owns. ”If we want the delightful sustainable small shops we all adore in France or Italy, we have to persuade government to be realistic about the rates.” (ll. 182-185) This is a great example of the message Winterson is trying to state, where she contradicts the government and highlights her own opinion. She also uses the word “we” for committing to the readers, for instance: “that we all love”. When the author is using such words, it is to assure the readers, that she knows what is best for them and herself, and to unite the readers with her. She is speaking for all of them. Another example where the author specifically expresses her own opinion is when she talks about things she likes and things she does not like. “I like a neighbourhood – and that is not the same as a road leading to a supermarket.” (ll. 206-208) In addition, she does not like the “chilly world of corporate retail”. In contrast to this, she prefers individuality, eccentricity and self-determination. She also prefers neighbourhood and being local. The author wants her message to go through to the government, to make it clear that if they still want all the delightful sustainably small shops to survive, they will have to be more realistic about the rates, and the fact that the small shops have to pay the same as an estate agent or a mobile phone outlet is foolish.
The essay brings up history multiply times, the title, “once upon a shop”, can be related to the well known quote; once upon a time. The fact that she is using this old popular sentence, makes the readers even more curious. Why say it in past and not present? Are there no shops anymore? Moreover, it is a provoking quote because she implicitly says that today there are no more shops – at least not like they used to be in the past.
She also includes history by describing the place where her shop is placed.
“Spitalfields – named after the Priory hospital for lepers that stood on the market site in the middle Ages – was outside the old city wall, and something of a lawless land.” (ll. 18-20) She begins describing the place where her shop is located. This makes it familiar, and easier for the readers to follow and support the author’s opinion about the situation.
The author has a huge urge of getting her message out. She criticizes the government for making the small shops paying the same rates as the supermarket chains. Throughout the article she tries to convince the readers to join her in the resistance against the supermarket chains and the government, in the believing that this is what she truly thinks is best for everyone.
Winterson takes use of an informal and simple language. In this way she manage to speak more directly to the readers, because there are no formal conditions that separates her from the readers. When writing informal, you can almost imagine Winterson saying it directly to you.
She uses a personal and subjective style “ (…) it was the wrong coffee and the wrong politics” (ll. 74-74) this style helps the readers to understand how the author really feels and it helps them to sympathize with the author.
Winterson also includes the readers by asking rhetorical questions, which sharpens the curiousness and creates an eager to read along: “What is the point of being human if you cannot live your own life in your way?” (Ll. 276-278). The questions finds place for getting a directly connection between author and reader, and it makes the readers read even more. In the beginning she talks about concrete things but then she lifts it up at a more abstract and philosophizing level, which brings food for thought to the readers.
She likes to engage the readers, and make them think about the condition as well; “What can we do?” (P10,l 248) Here she does two things. She asks a question again for engage the readers, but also, she uses the word “we”. The reason why she would use a word like ‘we’, is because she is trying to build a sort of solidarity between her and the readers.
All in all Jeanette Winterson tries due to her own opinions and experiences to make the community stand up with her and support the small local shops. She takes use of pathos by using her own case and an easy English language to make herself clear, and to get a better connection to the readers. It is unpredictable to say if she is going to have the readers to fight with her, and the fact that her arguments, don’t have any real ethos, makes the article much weaker.