I have watched and annotated Michael Moore’s documentary Where to Invade Next. In this blog post I will be summarizing the film and analyzing the rhetorical concepts that Moore employs throughout the production.
In the documentary Where to Invade Next, Michael Moore visits nine countries throughout Europe to examine how these nations handle a variety of social and economic issues. Moore compares these ideals with the current politics in the United States to highlight how different America is from the rest of the world. The film examines labor rights, school meals, sex education, women’s rights, decriminalized drugs and low recidivism. In Italy, law mandates that workers are given ample time off from work including time off after getting married and parental leave. Many Italians understand that stress causes sickness and the government keeps these mandates in place to greatly improve the quality of life for all workers while maintaining productivity and overall happiness in the workplace. Schools in France have very high standards for student meals. Students are provided with healthy nutritional food and lunch periods are an hour long and are approached as an educational tool to teach children proper etiquette and to show the importance of a healthy well balanced diet. Daycare is subsidized by the government and is free for all parents. College is also publicly funded and is practically free. The French government is able to provide these necessities while keeping the tax rate slightly higher that the taxes in the United States. The education system in Finland is ranked as one of the highest in the world. Decades ago it was as bad as American education. Today Finland has one of the shortest school days and shortest school years in the western world. Students are required to complete very little homework and college is practically free. It is illegal in Finland to charge fees for the education system. In Slovenia it is essentially free to go to university. There were large protests when it was proposed that universities would begin charging tuition. Many laws and standard practices were put into effect to protect workers in Germany. German workers are required to work only 36 hours a week. In 1976 a law was passed that required supervisory boards for large companies to include at least fifty percent workers. It is also against the law in Germany to contact an employee while they are on vacation. The Portuguese government has decriminalized all drug use. Posessin is considered a minor misdemeanor. As a result, drug use has declined by fifty percent. The Norwegian government believes that prisoners should retain basic human rights while in prison and also after a prison sentence has been completed. The idea of maintaining the dignity of sentenced criminals has reduced the recidivism rate to twenty percent in Norway, compared to eighty percent in the United States. Tunisian women have been protesting and fighting for their rights since the late 1960’s and played a key role in the Tunisian revolution. Today women’s rights are guaranteed by the constitution and it is considered one of the most progressive in the Arab world. Iceland became the first country to democratically elect a female president in 1980. By law, women must make up forty percent of company boards. It has been proven that when women are more involved in executive roles, corporate governance is greatly improved. It has been noted that companies with three or more women on the board of directors exhibit stronger performance. The overall message of the film is to compare the progressive governance of these countries to the more conservative, profit driven practices in the United States. Government intervention increases quality of life, provides a better standard of living, maintains efficient productivity and generally allows all citizens to lead a more fulfilling and stress free lifestyle. It begs the question, what is preventing us from living by these principles in “the greatest country on Earth”? Rhetorical Analysis How does Michael Moore establish ethos? Moore’s confidence throughout the film provides the viewer with a sense that he is experienced and well versed in the topics of discussion. Moore wasn’t afraid to ask controversial questions or intentionally make one-sided remarks. It shows his dedication and willingness to see things from multiple points of view. Near the end of the film he talks about his past experiences in Germany and that he personally witnessed the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of the cold war when he was young. It is evident that he has immersed himself in world politics for most of his adult life. How does Michael Moore use logos? Logos is apparent throughout the film in the use of factual information that is backed by credible sources. Information is presented in a clear and consistent way and it is evident that much research was done to bolster the viewpoints expressed in the production. How does Michael Moore appeal to pathos? Throughout the film, media coverage is often displayed. Moore uses these images to connect the audience emotionally with the discussions. It evokes a feeling of reality that the viewers can relate with because these issues are universal and everyone can relate personally in some way. What is Michael Moore’s telos? The purpose of this film is to inform and persuade. Moore makes us aware of political and social issues in the United States. He then gives us examples of how governments throughout the western world are able to conquer these issues. I think he wants viewers to be “awakened” and realize that life in America is not as great as many view and there are so many ways to improve it. What is the kairos of this film? The film highlights several major controversies discussed regularly in current media. These are issues that millions of Americans are exposed to every single day. Moore takes advantage of current displays of social injustice, inequality, racism, corruption and human degradation. He wants us to see what’s happening around us every day and stand up to make a difference not only for the benefit of our nation but for the good of humanity in its entirety.
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Writing the life-choice memoir was a challenging but exciting process. I found it challenging to write in a narrative rhetorical mode because I am so accustomed to expository writing. It was difficult to compose sentences that use mainly description but I feel like I eventually got it figured out. I am writing this blog to reflect on my process and to learn from it and improve my writing. Watching the Reflective Writing video offered a lot of insight on reflective writing. I hope to use those methods for this blog post to grow as a writer.
Who did you work with to compose your life-choice memoir? Was this a good approach? I wasn’t sure of my topic was something that I should write about because it happened only about 6 months ago and thought maybe the subject was to sensitive to use for a memoir. I consulted my sister because she went through the experience with me. She told me that it would be fine to write about and to not worry about it. I felt somewhat selfish writing a story about it because so many other people were affected by the situation. She assured me that it was fine as long as I was comfortable sharing my experience. I also talked to her about some of the emotions that she felt. This helped me use more description when writing about the emotions in my memoir. I felt much more confidence about writing the memoir after we talked. When did you write this project? Good approach? I wrote the project mostly in mornings on the weekend. We learned in class that people are the most productive in the morning so decided that I will try to do most of my writing then. It seems to work well for me as long as I eat breakfast and have a cup of coffee first. It feels easier to write when my mind is fresh after a good sleep. Where did you write this project? Good approach? I did all of the writing at home at my desk. I think I would like to do some writing at the library instead. Household chores seem to be distracting at times and I think I could benefit from different surroundings. Being in a quiet studious space sounds like it could be beneficial. Getting out of the house early will probably help me feel more productive too. Why did you choose to write about your chosen topic? Good choice? I began writing about one topic and ended up changing to a different topic and starting over. I was hesitant to write about the new topic because it was a very emotional event and I was fearful that it would bring back bad feelings. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I actually enjoyed the writing a lot and it was nice to reflect on the situation even though it was emotionally draining. Once I started writing I felt inspired because there were so many details that I remembered. Using description was much easier because the memories were so clear. How did it feel to write this narrative ("during, after, and since")? Do you have any "if only" moments that can help you revise the draft? While I was writing I felt inspired or even propelled to tell the story. It was exciting to tell the story in my own way and to recreate the scenes on paper. I did find it difficult to write in a narrative rhetorical mode at first but it became easier as I put more effort into it. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment after I had finished. I am kind of amazed that I was able to write something from scratch that reads like a novel. Since writing the draft I would like to go back and change a few things to make the story more showing and less telling. (I’m still getting a feel for this style of writing). How will you revise your narrative? I think I could make the story feel more fluid if I changed some of the descriptions. Adding more dialogue may help the story by giving a better point of view. |
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