Fahrenheit 9/11 - Essay Example

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a documentary film that offers a critical insight into the presidency of George W. Bush and the war on terror including its coverage in the media. The film was written and directed by Michael Moore and was produced in 2004. The film is politically high-toned because of the manner in which it presents its main theme. The title of the film is created from a mix of Francois Truffaut’s film and Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. The film specifically indicts the Middle East policies initiated by the Bush administration before and after September 2001.

The film features footage of abuse on Iraqi captives who are publicly by the United States Army soldiers. Moore’s film is an excellent piece because of the manner in which it presents its theme. Moore has used footage and interviews as part of his evidence in the film. For instance, in the film, a soldier admitted to Moore’s field team that if Donald Rumsfeld, the Defense Secretary, would be in Iraq, the soldier would have asked him for his resignation. Moore brings forth the idea that the Bush administration involved itself with the collusion of large corporations and bad governance in order to exploit the working class both in and outside the U.S., for their own benefits and to deny citizens of their liberties (Moore).

Moore asserts that the Iraq policy by the Bush administration was handmade in the sense that Bush and his father had experienced a long profitable relationship with the ruling families in Saudi Arabia. He interviews Craig Unger, the author of House of Bush, House of Saud, and estimates that the ruling families of Saudi Arabia have made the families of Bush and their close allies to a tune of up to 1.4 billion dollars. In the movie, Blaine Ober who is the president of an armored motor company tells Moore in an interview that the Iraqi adventure is good for business and bad for the people, especially of Iraq. Moore adds that it is also bad for Americans. Moore brings forward the notion that the 9/11 attack was a tragedy for American citizens but was a career advantage for Bush. The attack gave Bush an upper hand in Congress, in the advocacy for restrictive laws that would have never been passed into legislation. Moore has also included two quotes from Bush that show the repression of the American people (Moore).

Ethos has been used in the film. In most cases, the speaker is talking during a voice-over. Images are shown on the screen while the narrator discusses what is happening. For instance, Moore speaks with a sarcastic tone when showing scenes of Al Gore, highlights from Election Day, and articles that consent with the opinion Moore puts forth. In the Florida recount case, Moore speaks sarcastically of opinions that are not similar to his. Moore uses satirical and funny comments to create a lively tone in the film. For instance, when showing the sun burnt soldiers in Iraq, Moore says that they play a good song like Let the bodies hit the Floor, to motivate them when in a tank ready for combat fight (Moore).

Moore also used Pathos in the film. Pathos deals with emotions. Moore uses a multicultural family and troops to show the audience the effect that war brings on people. He also demonstrates that poor people are the ones who are used to fighting wars while rich people start the wars. This is shown in the scene where the young children in Flint, MI have no work and join the army to fight. On the other hand, children from rich families go to colleges so as not to fight in wars (Moore).

Logos has also been used in the film, to show the manner in which the war in Afghanistan was fought because of an illegal pipeline for the purpose of money instead of terrorism. This is seen in the scene where Clinton refused to grant the Enron Corporation the right to negotiate with Afghanistan, to set up a pipeline because of the UN-sanctioned Afghanistan. Moore has also used statistics about the cost of living that the U.S. has paid in Iraq. He has also used race, religion, and gender to convince the audience of the argument he puts forth about unnecessary war (Moore).

In conclusion, Moore has used evidence that includes interviews, video clips, and newspaper articles to support the argument he puts forth in the film. He has used pathos, logos, and ethos to help create emotion, influence thought, and convince the audience about the subject of the film.