Michael Moore's Idiot Nation
Idiot Nation
In his essay, “Idiot Nation”, Michael Moore takes on education in America. As per usual, Mr. Moore uses sarcasm and hyperbole to emphasize his points. His writing style, while extremely one sided, is always humorous and thought provoking. Mr. Moore makes some excellent points and the essay is an easy read, one just has to remember to take everything he says with a grain of salt. One of the biggest problems with Mr. Moore’s essay is that he doesn’t have a clearly defined purpose. He has an opinion, no doubt, but the purpose of the essay is somewhat unclear. Throughout the essay, it seems as if Mr. Moore is trying to educate the reader about the problems of the American education system and who is to blame for those problems. But then near the end of the essay, Mr. Moore addresses high school students and provides specific direction on what they can do to “stir it up”. While this section is humorous, it doesn’t seem to go along with the essay and is not a good enough ending to tie everything together. …show more content…
Moore uses several different and effective techniques to get his points across. The most prevalent and effective is humor. Humor is sometimes overlooked in terms of writing techniques, but is very powerful, especially among young adults. There are several different types of humor within the essay. Mr. Moore uses shock humor, a favorite among America’s youth, when he calls the former President “Our Idiot-in-Chief” (134). Even the title, “Idiot Nation” is intended to create a reaction from the reader. Sarcasm is used heavily throughout the essay, Mr. Moore pokes fun at the Corporate world’s generosity by calling them , “…..a group that cares deeply about what kinds of students with enter the adult world….”(143) Adding humor into the writing not only makes the reader chuckle and keep reading, but it also makes the reader feel more connected to the
In his essay, “Idiot Nation”, Michael Moore takes on education in America. As per usual, Mr. Moore uses sarcasm and hyperbole to emphasize his points. His writing style, while extremely one sided, is always humorous and thought provoking. Mr. Moore makes some excellent points and the essay is an easy read, one just has to remember to take everything he says with a grain of salt. One of the biggest problems with Mr. Moore’s essay is that he doesn’t have a clearly defined purpose. He has an opinion, no doubt, but the purpose of the essay is somewhat unclear. Throughout the essay, it seems as if Mr. Moore is trying to educate the reader about the problems of the American education system and who is to blame for those problems. But then near the end of the essay, Mr. Moore addresses high school students and provides specific direction on what they can do to “stir it up”. While this section is humorous, it doesn’t seem to go along with the essay and is not a good enough ending to tie everything together. …show more content…
Moore uses several different and effective techniques to get his points across. The most prevalent and effective is humor. Humor is sometimes overlooked in terms of writing techniques, but is very powerful, especially among young adults. There are several different types of humor within the essay. Mr. Moore uses shock humor, a favorite among America’s youth, when he calls the former President “Our Idiot-in-Chief” (134). Even the title, “Idiot Nation” is intended to create a reaction from the reader. Sarcasm is used heavily throughout the essay, Mr. Moore pokes fun at the Corporate world’s generosity by calling them , “…..a group that cares deeply about what kinds of students with enter the adult world….”(143) Adding humor into the writing not only makes the reader chuckle and keep reading, but it also makes the reader feel more connected to the