Nothing To Spare, By Michael Moore

Every text, written or visual, exists within a system of values which ‘underpins’ it. These values create a viewpoint, which is presented through the use of numerous techniques. Biographies use convention such as narrative and point of view, as well as language and selection of detail. Documentaries also use language and selection of details and conventions such as interviews, juxtapostion, camerawork and dramatic music. Since we all have different values, all texts will have a different viewpoint and therefore never be completely neutral. Theses notions will be discussed further with reference to the texts “My Place” by Sally Morgan, “Nothing to Spare” by Jan Carter and Sicko by Michael Moore.

The purpose of a text is a reflection of its
This results in a different viewpoint from the producer and a change of purpose in the text. Therefore what one culture may consider ‘truthful’, another may consider completely wrong. We think of “My Place” to be an accurate text because, like Sally Morgan, we value equality. But in the time era “My Place” is set, it would have been considered inaccurate due to their culture’s lack of value towards equality. This example exhibits that different cultures certainly do have different values and viewpoints, resulting in a different perception of ‘true’ and ‘untrue’. Due to this difference in perception a text will never but neutral but will be supportive of an argument or
To do this he interviews people who have had a bad experierence with the health care system, emphasising the emotive situations where family members have died due to not being able to get a payout from their insurance company. While he’s interviewing a person, he zooms in with the camera in order to show the emotion on their face. The use of juxaposition with the healthcare systems from other countries is sensational. For example, he interviews a mum whose baby daughter had a fever in the middle of the night, so she called an ambulance to take her daughter to hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital wouln’t treat her daughter because they had the wrong insurance and the daughter died. This is compared with a similar situation where a baby had similar symptoms so the mother took her to hospital where she stayed for three days, just so the hospital could keep and eye on her. All this was free of charge because this family lived in France, not America. The use of dramatic and sarcastic music creates an ironic tone. All these techniques emphasise Moore’s point that not having socialised medicine in a developed country is ironic