Michael Moore Loves Rhetoric

Jeffrey Lee Professor Lewis English 2 10 February 2010 Michael Moore Loves Rhetoric One of the most powerful airs Moore draws our attention is by using real testimonies. By interviewing Americans who have been wronged by the wellness wangle system, he cleverly intertwines rhetoric to create a strong argument for oecumenic health do. For example, aft(prenominal) he presents the consultation with a logos appeal, an ethos and/or pathos appeal will follow, or feebleness versa. Like a chain reaction, the appeals go hand in hand, making the viewer feel as if what they atomic number 18 slanging is real and not exaggerated.From the beginning, Sicko relies heavily on ethos and pathos to show that the health c be manufacture is not sympathetic to the medical needs of Americans. One example of this is the story of a bit named Tracy who had kidney cancer. His hospital ref utilise to perform surgery on him and Tracy died soon after his wife challenged the hospital on the issue. Trac ys wife, Julie, says that Tracy wanted to know why a good person like him had to be put into such an unfortunate situation. Here, Moore uses different techniques to get the auditory modality to feel sympathy for this family.When the film first introduces us to Tracy and his family, we see segments of home videos depicting a happy family. As Tracys wife gives the interview, she tells an unfortunate story of Tracys death and how their health insurance failed them which further grabs the audiences sympathy. She is interviewed in such a way where we feel as if she is in the living room with us she seems like a friend or neighbor, and we sympathise for her loss. We atomic number 18 made to feel that his death was preventable.Further, we learn that despite Tracys wife macrocosm employed in the very hospital that provided them with so-called health care, they were denied treatment even though Tracys brother was a perfect donor. Essentially, she was working for the very people who wer e denying her family the care they need. Through the use of ethos and pathos, Moore makes the audience feel mournful for Tracy, while making the American health care system seem start of touch with common ethical values. Tracys story is followed by another ethos and pathos appeal told by Dawnelle Keyes, a woman whose daughter, Mychelle, died due to the low value that insurance companies lace on peoples lives. The hospital claimed that certain portions of Mychelles treatment could not be paid for by the hospital. In found to cover these expenses, Keyes would have to take Mychelle to a different hospital. Keyes did not want to do this, and she recalls, I yet continued to ask them to treat her and they refused. Finally, Keyes took her daughter to an alternate hospital, but because of the delays, Mychelle went into cardiac arrest and died. After Keyes was do talking about her tragedy, she cried for her lost child. Just like the scene with Tracys widow, this scene prompted the audien ce to sympathize with the victims.Again, this is a clever use of ethos and pathos. Moore also chooses his background wisely in order to appeal to the audiences emotions even more. notice when Keyes tells her tragic story of Mychelle, the interview takes place around a playground with children playing in the background. This is an effective way of appealing to our pathos because we are reminded of children and their innocence. Keyes testimony further persuades the audience that insurance companies are merciless and should therefore be replaced by mandatory usual health care.Not only does Sicko have many scenes of Americans describing the hardships that insurance companies have put them through, the movie also criticized the way health care workers are forced to work. For instance, Becky Malke works for an insurance connection and describes the distress she experiences at her job. Becky answers phone calls for the company and tells the story of one phone call that disturbed her. Be cky cries through most of her story. As she cries, Moore slowly zooms the photographic camera onto her face, allowing us to see all her emotions, almost making the audience want to cry with her.This is a great technique for the films message here that even those who work for the health care industry are emotionally distraught by how uncharitable and inhumane medical insurance companies can be. We are left to feel that the current system should be overthrown in favor of universal health care. besides again, Moore strengthens his argument through the use of personal testimonies that evoke our emotions. As the film progresses we see Moore display himself as the common man in an effort to appeal to the audience the genuineness of his own character his ethos.He is casually refined wearing only jeans, T-shirt, and a baseball cap. His message is more acceptable to the audience when he is perceived as an everyday type of guy. The audiences guards are down. Where if he was dressed in a suit, the audience would surely view him differently, possibly feeling more distant and requiring Moore to fight down his viewpoints. Instead, Moores stories are believable because he makes the audience relate with him and his storytellers. Another form of pathos used in Sicko is the association of happiness with universal health care.For instance, Alexi Cremieux was recovering from chemotherapy that treated his tumor. Because Alexi lived in France, where there is universal health care, Alexi was given tierce months of paid vacation time to get well. Moore flashes images of Alexi relaxing with friends during his vacation, smiling in all his pictures. Through pathos, we are made to believe that Alexi is happier because he was assisted by universal health care. In turn, we too are left to feel that universal health care can attention achieve our happiness, versus the U. S. counterpart that can only put people through hardship.Furthermore, Moore also uses humor as a form of a patho s appeal. For example, Moore visits a British hospital, which is managed under a universal health care system, and tries to find out how the hospitals patients pay the bills for their stay. Moore asks a pregnant patient at the hospital, So what do you pay for a stay here? She replies, No one pays with a chuckle. Next, Moore asks a couple walking through the hospital with their newborn baby, What did they charge for that baby? The babys beginner answers, You know, its not America and the couple laughs. This is a powerful scene because it mocks the U.S. system in an mirthful fashion. It makes the viewer think hey those people dont have to pay for health care, why should we? Their tragicomical attitude towards the idea of paying for health care makes the viewer believe that the current system is askew and that the U. S. should adopt universal health care. Lastly, the music Moore uses also ties into the humorous appeal. He emphasizes an issue by nonessential it with a soundtrack. If it is a humorous scene, he will use sarcastic, over the top sounds if he wants to violate the audience, he plays something more melodramatic.For example, while telling the story of a woman who was eligible for health insurance coverage but was later denied because of a mere yeast infection, when the film got to the yeast infection part, it was followed with a buh buh foundation and a crow screeching. The use of these sounds dramatizes the ridiculous fact that this woman was (and should not have been) denied over a simple yeast infection. Through the use of each rhetoric appeal, ethos, pathos and logos, Moore effectively convinces the audience that universal health care is more charitable than the current U.S. system and should therefore be replaced. He presents us with real-life people who the audience can easily identify with. The unjust manner in which these people are treated causes us to sympathize for them. And the facts given to us appear to be supported and convincing. All three appeals are blended together in a way that conveys a powerful message to those honoring it. After watching Sicko, it is hard not to be convinced that universal health care is essential. With that said, are you convinced?