Brad Zimmerman
Zimmerman1
Brad Zimmerman
Eng. 111
Prof. Hopp
An Inconvenient Truth: Rhetorical Analysis The global warming debate is a very hot topic. Some believe that it is real, while others do not. Even on the side of the people who think it is a real thing there is debate. Some people think that it is a naturally occurring event while others think that it is manmade. Those who believe it is manmade think that too much carbon output is the cause. This is the stand that former vice president/presidential candidate Al Gore takes in his academy award winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. It is no wonder that Al Gore was chosen as the face of global warming. With his political background he is a very well-known individual. Another reason that he was chosen is his ability to argue his point effectively. Al Gore, like most politicians, is very effective at using the rhetorical triangle with his argument. He demonstrates how effective the use of ethos, logos, and pathos can be in the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore uses pathos in his documentary as an emotional appeal to the audience, drawing on their heart strings. He starts the documentary out with a pristine picture of a lake and a view of the earth from space as he talks about how beautiful earth is. He then uses pathos to draw a sympathetic response by talking about his sons’ horrific accident. The point behind this has nothing to do with global warming, but it shows the audience that he had a devastating moment in his life that lead to a change in his thinking. It also shows the audience that he is a caring father with a vested interest in protecting the generations to come. The next emotional response that Al Gore uses is pictures of the events of Hurricane Katrina. One picture that he uses is a
Zimmerman2
person that is standing on the roof of their house waiting to be rescued. His point of using this is that he knows most people feel horrible for what happened there. He also says the reason it
Brad Zimmerman
Eng. 111
Prof. Hopp
An Inconvenient Truth: Rhetorical Analysis The global warming debate is a very hot topic. Some believe that it is real, while others do not. Even on the side of the people who think it is a real thing there is debate. Some people think that it is a naturally occurring event while others think that it is manmade. Those who believe it is manmade think that too much carbon output is the cause. This is the stand that former vice president/presidential candidate Al Gore takes in his academy award winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. It is no wonder that Al Gore was chosen as the face of global warming. With his political background he is a very well-known individual. Another reason that he was chosen is his ability to argue his point effectively. Al Gore, like most politicians, is very effective at using the rhetorical triangle with his argument. He demonstrates how effective the use of ethos, logos, and pathos can be in the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore uses pathos in his documentary as an emotional appeal to the audience, drawing on their heart strings. He starts the documentary out with a pristine picture of a lake and a view of the earth from space as he talks about how beautiful earth is. He then uses pathos to draw a sympathetic response by talking about his sons’ horrific accident. The point behind this has nothing to do with global warming, but it shows the audience that he had a devastating moment in his life that lead to a change in his thinking. It also shows the audience that he is a caring father with a vested interest in protecting the generations to come. The next emotional response that Al Gore uses is pictures of the events of Hurricane Katrina. One picture that he uses is a
Zimmerman2
person that is standing on the roof of their house waiting to be rescued. His point of using this is that he knows most people feel horrible for what happened there. He also says the reason it
Cited: An Inconvenient Truth: A Global Warning. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. Paramount, 2006.