Premium Essay

Fahrenheit 9/11 Analysis

In: English and Literature

Submitted By apples789
Words 1416
Pages 6
The documentary genre allows filmmakers to put forward a biased account of events. Michael Moore is one such filmmaker that has exploited this genre. In his latest documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore presents a biased recount of the Iraq war. Analysis of Fahrenheit 9/11, in particular chapter eight, demonstrates the subjective nature of the documentary genre. Moore exploits a toolkit of persuasive techniques to position viewers to accept his own values and beliefs regarding the war. Moore creates three distinct, biased representations in the chapter; he represents George Bush and his administration as deceitful warmongers, Iraq as a sovereign nation suffering at the hands of US oppression and American soldiers as both unsympathetic idiots and as mere pawns that are experiencing the horror of war. Together, these representations uphold Moore's political agenda of the time; to discredit Bush and his administration, to depict the US decision to invade Iraq as a foreign policy abomination, all with the ultimate goal to sway the public from re-electing Bush in 2004.
Chapter eight opens with a shot of bombs being readied for deployment, immediately followed by Bush receiving attention to his hair. The alternation between wartime preparations and the cheeky smile of the president continues until Bush addresses his nation. By juxtaposing the serious subject-matter of war with a president who is apparently more concerned with appearances, Moore represents Bush as being superficial and underhanded. It can be seen that Moore wastes no time in this chapter and immediately sets out to discredit Bush. The Bush administration is directly discredited later in the chapter when Donald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defence at the time, comments on the impressive accuracy of US bombings. His claims of great "care and humanity" that go into the bombings are starkly contrasted with the

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Moore's Movie Paper

...# 2) Statistic source:The montage continues (with martial music playing under Michael Moore’s voice-over.  Then he goes on to wonder about all the people in other countries—they go bowling, they listen to rock music, they watch violent movies, play violent video games, etc.  Now he really gets wound up.  Is it poverty?  Is it our Western tradition of clearing the land and destroying indigenous people?  But wait—look at other countries and the violence they have wrought.  Cut to Hitler as a graphic on the screen says, “Germans exterminate 12 million,” and “Japanese occupation of China,” and “French massacre in Algiers,” and “British slaughter in India.”  His voice-over: In spite of all this, how many people are killed by guns each year?  As he recounts the figures, the graphics pop up on the screen (across images from movies, tourist travel films of the countries, and other archival footage: 381 in Germany, 255 in France, 165 in Canada, 68 in the UK, 65 in Australia, 39 in Japan, and 11,127 in the USA.  this particular source strengths Moore's position because he shows actual statistics on the screen.   Interview source: Michael Moore uses interviews as a source for his film. He keeps the cinema verite style moving: we keep seeing the people he is interviewing and hear him ask the questions before they answer them.  He finds two people in bars and asks them if they lock their doors.  Nope.  He learns that both of them have suffered break-ins.  But do they lock their doors...

Words: 1543 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Fahrenheit 9/11

...Fahrenheit 9/11 This is a film that will make U.S. citizens really think about what actually happened on September 11th, 2001 and what is still happening with our country. Whether viewers of this film are fans of Michael Moore’s work or not, he keeps viewers guessing throughout about what he is going too pursued upon them next. It is almost hard as a first time viewer of this documentary to believe everything that is provided throughout the film. Moore has ways of convincing his viewers into what he exactly wants them to believe but sometimes he is lacking the credibility of where this information is coming from. Obviously there are parts of the film that viewers cannot argue with, in cases where there is footage of political officials or general public talking on a certain subject. But at the same time Moore usually doesn’t include what he is always asking the interviewee, so once again is he just showing his audience what is needed to be heard in part will make the viewer believe in what he wants them to. One of the most catching parts of the film as a viewer is Moore’s choice of music in particular scenes. While showing live clips he would play songs that take the scene to another level. He makes the viewer really focus on what he is trying to impose through the music playing in the background. As a viewer it is easy to see that when Moore is using a specific song in the scene it is simply adding to the situation that is being viewed. In all the cases whether it is some...

Words: 1523 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Analysis Of The Idiot Wall In Fahrenheit 451

...Sydney Nelesen 13 September 2016 The Idiot Wall In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the government-controlled television shows are catered towards a society of conformists with short attention spans and no desire for any substance or meaning. There is a show in which people randomly yell at each other for no reason other than that they are in some sort of argument. Mildred watches this show, and when asked by Guy what it is about, she has trouble trying to explain it. Guy prompts her with questions about the people arguing and she struggles remembering. Mildred watches her television shows and does not comprehend what is going on because the shows are very nonsensical. She is not bothered by the lack of sense, though. All she cares...

Words: 482 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Technology In The Pedestrian By Ray Bradbury

...In Ray Bradbury’s futuristic short story “The Pedestrian” the protagonist, Leonard Mead struggles against society’s norms. In a society where everyone is attached to technology, Leonard Mead is different from everyone else. The society does not consider him normal because he writes books instead of sitting in front of a tv screen all day. On top of that, he goes on walks at night while people are in their houses. Using the setting of a dystopian future, the author conveys the theme that technology poses as a threat to society. The setting of Mead’s society demonstrates how technology threatens the future. In the year of 2053, Leonard Mead feels as if he is “alone in the world” because no one is ever outside (1). Mead feels lonely in his world...

Words: 284 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Columbine

...Bowling for Columbine This movie is a documentary of what the narrator Michael Moore believes is the cause for the Massacre in Columbine high school in 1999. This movie was written and released in 2002. The Massacre in Columbine high school was committed by two students: Dyan Klebold and Eric Harris. These two students attended classes for bowling and were absent from school the day they murdered 12 students and a teacher. This also left 21 people injured at the scene. The narrator Moore starts off the documentary talking about “bowling” in Massachusetts could be a big factor in these two seniors’ students committing this crime. “Bowling” is when shooters use bowling pins as their targets and helps target vital points on the human body in case you ever had to shoot one. Furthermore, Moore went through out the documentary assuming that anger and being in the suburban environment when bomb making etc. is very popular could have caused the very shocking murder act. Therefore, Moore believes the problem in America’s society is that guns and weapons are too easy assessable, shown early on in the documentary by the use of a skit from Chris Rocks standup comedy saying “the price of bullets should be increased because there would be a smaller killing rate and less innocent by standers”. This quote reveals that Moore agrees with Chris rocks point and it conveys messages that if you are going to keep guns so easily accessed then at least have the decent to increase the prices. Although...

Words: 333 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Michael Moore

...Review Bowling for Columbine: -by Kasper Jørgensen Rating: Michael Moore’s documentary “Bowling for Columbine” is inspired by the school massacre at Columbine High School back in 1999. The film explores what Michael Moore suggests could be the reasons behind such a tragedy. An early scene of the movie shows how Michael Moore gets his hands on a hunting rifle, simply by opening a bank account (!) Just before leaving the bank, Moore asks, "Don’t you think it's a little dangerous handing out guns at a bank?" A clear indication of his point of view, so early in the documentary. Michael Moore uses several effects to affect us, the whole setup of the movie is so messy and cleverly cut, that you have to be a true-blood American and blissfully unaware about things around you, not to feel that he has a point with this documentary. He uses the shock effect many times, best illustrated by the video montage of some of the awful American foreign policy decisions. Along with this montage of video footage, the song: What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong is playing, which of course is ironic as hell. His strongest argument for all the gun violence in the U.S.A. is the fear that gets thrown at the Americans, throughout their entire lives, all broadcasted by the media. He also shows the American history, through a hilarious animated movie, with a bullet as the narrator. All in all, if you want a good laugh, try to understand other countries mentality or just want some possible...

Words: 280 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Bowling for Columbine

...Bowling for Columbine – Documentary or Fiction? In the text bowling for Columbine – documentary or fiction? David T. Hardy argues that the film is deceptive. 1: On what ground does he base this claim? David T Hardy uses a lot of facts. By using fact substantiate David T. Hardy his arguments. David T. Hardy means Bowling for columbine is fiction even though it has won an Oscar for the best documentary. “Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" won the Oscar for best documentary. Unfortunately, it is not a documentary; by the Academy's own definition He means Bowling for Columbine makes its points by misleading the viewer and the statements the film is made which are false. “The point is not that Bowling is biased. No, the point is that Bowling is deliberately, seriously, and consistently deceptive.” David T. Hardy mean that Bowling for Columbine is deliberately and seriously but he also mean that the documentary differently are deceptive. To deceptive someone is to give someone the wrong perceptions by tricking them or give them false information. Hardy means Michael Moore differently give us wrong information. This argues Hardy by telling us that Michael Moore for example have changed in Heston’s statements. Michael Moore has taken audio of seven, from five different parts of the speech. Actually is one section giving in different speech. It is first after the weeping victims, Moore using the quoted “I have only five words for you…. Cold dead hands” David T. Hardy...

Words: 500 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Film Analysis: The Columbine High School Massacre

...The Columbine High School massacre in Littleton Colorado will always be remembered as an unforgettable horrific event that still leaves a mark on the town today. The controversial filmmaker Michael Moore took his take on it and ventured into the creation of events that took place that day. The documentary that was produced, directed, and written by Moore deconstructs the events of this particular decimation and uses his techniques to compose a use of visuals, sounds, editing, and political messages. He portrays his viewpoints as well as cultural perspectives through archival footage, interviews and intertextuality. He makes sure to have a purpose for each shot to leave a harsh yet defying impression in our minds. "In Moore’s eyes, the Columbine...

Words: 446 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Bowling For Columbine Essay

...The setting of the movie, “Bowling for Columbine” takes place in a little town country. Two boys are having a game of bowling when suddenly a pretty faced girl appears wielding an M-16 type of assault weapon. It is just a normal typical morning in America. Even though, the scenery is bombarded with ruins of buildings demolished after the bombing approval by the president. The USA is recording high numbers of people killed by small firearms and yet there is no civil war at present. Michael Moore then sets out to explore this phenomenon and why it is in play. Within our society today, media and stereotyping takes over human loves, people fear different ethnic races, children are growing to be more violent and America is growing to be more corrupt. His answers reveal strange and shocking findings, there is a very easy availability of shotguns and light firearms, which results to a rampant all over the States. America’s national history also proves to contain and entail a violent form of culture-imprinted into people’s way of thinking. Forms of entertainment are also partly to blame as they give the viewer a certain incitement including poverty levels, they are also to blame for this way of living but all these factors are not the real reason why he carries the study. Moore believes that this bloodshed has a deeper hidden truth that is not clear to ordinary folks. The powerful and elite class of people needs to be interrogated as to how their operations lead to the rise of many...

Words: 1104 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Theme Of Censorship In Fahrenheit 451

...Censorship is the practice of officially inspecting books, movies, and etc. and concealing unacceptable parts. In the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, tells the story of a man named Guy Montag who first loved his profession as a fireman but later on, he starts to question his way of life. The book’s dystopian society is immersed with technology and they avoid having deep or meaningful conversations. Bradbury shows how banning books and removing complex thinking can change society’s views. Censorship is the main theme of Fahrenheit 451 because the government controls how the people think and feel. The first reason why censorship is the main topic of the novel was their reliance on technology. The people spent a huge amount of time on their television that was wall-size sets and also listen to ‘Seashell Radio’ that’s attached to their ears. Bradbury writes, “...his wife stretched on the bed...in her ears, the little seashells, the thimble radios...electronic ocean sound of music and...

Words: 564 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Michael Moore

...Michael Moore a man that when people mention his name draws instantly, great controversy. In many cases people choose to either love or hate him. Today in the great many pages of information on Michael Moore it is hard to find the plain truth. The question lies to the truth of Mr. Moore’s editing and ethical interviewing styles. It seems more and more readers are swamped with loads of blogs, reports and satire from the arm-chair news rooms of the local coffee shops about how this or that is better than he or she. It is harder to sit down ask a question and get the “who what when and where” of a story that is actual fact. Michael Moore presents himself as a person of the people His very nature is that of an unassuming common man, from his oversized clothes to his frumpy walk to the typical ball cap, Michael Moore seems like a person that anyone could know from his or hers’ own neighborhood. (Wilshire, 2004) The man takes pride in making sure that he states he is one of the people and claims to represent the people. On the contrary Mr. Moore makes sure that he tells people he meets for the first time that he is from Flint Michigan. Actually Mr. Moore is from a little town close to flint called Davison Michigan a sleepy suburb of the run down city of Flint Michigan. (Spence, 2010) In the movie bowling for Columbine Mr. Moore portrays all Americans as a gun wilding, violent and heartless as a society with no care for the common person. Mr. Moore targets Charlton Heston...

Words: 623 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Bowling For Columbine Rhetoric

...plane. Moore claims “The plaque underneath it proudly proclaims that this plane killed Vietnamese people on Christmas Eve 1972.” (Moore, Michael) Moore’s phrasing implies that the plaque praises the deaths of civilians, however the truth behind the plaque is a different story. When Michael Moore was criticized for his inaccurate paraphrasing of the plaque, his response was: “I was making a point about the carpet-bombing of Vietnam during the 1972 Christmas offensive. I did not say exactly what the plaque said but was paraphrasing.” (Moore, Michael) Moore misleads the audience and deliberately keeps the plaque hidden off screen so he could get away with the deception. Moore was insinuating that it was America’s own fault for the attack on 9/11.What seems to be another solid point starts to crumble after finding that Osama had not used any ‘CIA Training’ on September 11th, Moore was simply just reminding the audience that CIA had some sort of dealing with Osama in an attempt at concreting his...

Words: 920 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

What Are Montag's Attitudes In Fahrenheit 451

...at me’... ‘you looked at the moon’... ‘ others would never do that’... ‘others would walk off’” states that Montag does what other people would not do. The section of the quote ‘others would never do that’ emphasizes the fact that Montag is indeed different from the others because he looks at Clarisse when she talks and he interacts with the things she says. This shows that Montag is being influenced by what Clarisse thinks and Montag eventually changes in the book to where he completely understands how the books can change everything that he thinks about. Additional support for Montag’s newfound divergent attitude is found on page 63 where Montag is found to state, “I want to look at them, at least once”. Most people in the society of Fahrenheit 451 don’t seem to understand the importance of the books that they don’t care about and they don't tend to worry about whether they should look at the books or not they just, don’t. Although, Montag does want to look at the books, his brain is sparked by the information that Clarisse told him so he wants to look at the books. In the beginning of the fictional novel, Montag is incognizant to the knowledge that the books can provide so he just takes the job to “burn ‘em to ashes” (6), but throughout the story, Montag changes. He shifts from incognizant to dissimilar to his society because he learns that the books can help when Clarisse tells Montag “you’re not like the others” (21) and that makes Montag different in a way from society....

Words: 551 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

911 Debunked

...Professor Dana English 1101 March 30, 2016 9/11 Conspiracy Debunked Most people in a disturbed and extremely instable state of mind often will want to believe things that may or may not have actually happened in real time. The year was 2009, a moment that shook Americans grounds so drastically and changed so many peoples lives was September 11, at 8:45 am in New York City. In the blink of an eye, one of Americas most loved cities was attacked and reawakened to the real world. Conspiracy theorists have tried to debunk the theories and misconceptions about the horrific morning of 9/11. Fortunately, after 7 years of analysis and research we figured out that the conspiracy is true, science has undoubtedly debunked this mystery and everything finally makes sense. On September 11, at 8:45 am on a clear Tuesday morning, an American airliner Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City near the 80th floor. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology the North tower was completely obliterated by a single commercial Boeing airliner jet. While studies show that the height of the impacts on the North tower to cause it to collapse is a complete fallacy. The truth is that the top 20 floors could not have possibly disemboweled the remaining sturdy 90 floors. Even though the Boeing was transporting 20,000 gallons of fuel, which certainly caused plenty of damage and fire to the initial impact...

Words: 1322 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Descriptive Statistics

...Descriptive Statistics kWh 1st Hour Operational Day This data set has a p-value of much less than .05 so it is classified as skewed, or not normally distributed. In this case the Median and the IQR are better indicators of the distribution. Central Tendency: Mean = 113.76; Median = 108; Mode = 128 Dispersion: Standard Deviation = 39.05; IQR = 60; Range = 169 Number: n = 147 Min/Max: 53/222 Overnight Low OAT in F° This data set is distributed normally. Central Tendency: Mean = 66.3; Median = 65.3; Mode = 67.8 Dispersion: Standard Deviation = 7.9; IQR = 11.7; Range = 36.9 Number: n = 147 Min/Max: 48.9/85.8 Confidence Interval: Lower = 65.04; Upper = 67.62 OAT Strata OAT < 70; OAT ≥ 70 Descriptive Statistics Interpretation kWh 1st Hour Operational Day The 60 minutes from 7:00a – 7:59a combine to make the first hour of the operational day for this school. The number of kWh consumed as measured by the electric meter and collected by the website, MYPVDATA.com, are tabulated for each day in the time period, August 1 through October 31. This data is taken from each of these time periods over three years, 2012 through 2014. This gives us a sample of 147 individual electric meter readings for the electricity consumed in the 7:00a hour on operational days. The kWh is a measurement of electrical demand. Things that consume electricity are for instance, air conditioners and heaters, lights and other peripheral equipment. The electricity consumed...

Words: 944 - Pages: 4