Rhetorical Analysis Assignment: Documentary Film The word ‘Rhetoric’ refers to the use of symbolic artifacts (including words, phrases, images, gestures, performances) to influence and persuade an audience. A rhetorical analysis breaks down the artifacts used by an author or speaker into parts and then explains how the parts work together to persuade an audience. This is accomplished, in part, by examining traditional rhetorical appeals, which include the use of ethos, pathos and logos. These rhetorical appeals are often utilized in documentary films to influence and persuade the audience. This assignment asks you to view a documentary film and to analyze the rhetorical strategies employed by the filmmaker in the construction of the film’s argument. The paper should not be a summary of the film, nor should it be a review based on your personal reaction to it. The aim of the project is to identify the film’s argument, and to analyze the rhetorical strategies used to develop the film’s specific purpose i.e. thesis. The paper will be 3 to 5 full pages in length with an additional works cited page that includes the documentary and any other sources you may use. The paper will follow the guidelines of MLA. Once the paper is written, submit a copy to turnitin.com and print off a hard copy. *3 to 5 full pages; meaning at minimum 3 full pages and one sentence on the fourth page. The assignment is worth 50 points and will not be accepted late. For those who are unable to provide a printed copy the day the assignment is due, email submissions timestamped before the begging of class will be accepted. If the assignment is emailed, please bring a printed copy to the following class session. Select a documentary from the following list: https://1drv.ms/w/s!AN5tr8vH-2qfwyw The paper will include the following: • A brief summary of the basic plot of the film; summarized in your own words and not copied and pasted from the internet. • The documentaries specific purpose i.e. thesis; what claim is it making (what it is trying to persuade us to do). • Specific examples of rhetorical theory used to influence and persuade the audience; including: o Ethos: Credibility of the documentary’s character. ▪ ▪ Competency: • Exterior influences found outside of the film: the documentarian’s reputation, experience, background. • Internal influences found inside the film: the credible sources used i.e. the experts interviewed and what makes them an authority on the subject as witnessed in the film, which could include their reputation, experience, and background. Character: • ▪ How the documentary displayed its intentions and concern it has for the audience. How the documentary appeared trustworthy, objective, honest, and similar to the audience. Were any of the fallacies discussed in the textbook evident? Is so what effect did they have on the ethos of the film. How the film handed opposing views (if applicable). Charisma: • Personality and likeability of the documentary and or documentarian. Consider the tone of the documentary; the way the subject matter, audience, Americans, etc. are portrayed. o Pathos: Emotional appeals ▪ Use of emotional narratives (stories) that creates sympathy that attempts to affect the audience’s attitudes, values beliefs, and or behaviors. ▪ The films use of images, words, sounds, music, set design, camera angles, and other various film techniques as tools to affect audience’s emotions. o Logos: Logical appeals ▪ Statistics, facts, and expert testimonies presented in the film. • You need to use the terms ethos, pathos, and logos in your writing. • Conclude by making a judgment about the film’s rhetorical effectiveness. Kevin Dockter Professor Bates Communication Studies 101 11 December 2014 Analysis of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in the Documentary “Milk?” Ethos is the audience’s perception of a speaker’s credibility. In the case of “Milk?”, the documentarian, Sebastian Howard, uses a wide variety of farmers, doctors, scientists, and nutritionists to argue for a number of different perspectives on cow’s milk • • • • • • • • • • • • Use of Robert Cohen, author of Milk the Deadly Poison, as an opponent of all types of cow’s milk Use of Arthur Hill PhD, food scientist, as a supporter of pasteurized non-hormone milk for its complete list of essential nutrients Use of Lisa Rutledge, nutritionist, as a supporter of pasteurized non-hormone milk consumption for its calcium content Use of Peter Hardin, Senior Editor and Publisher of “Milkweed”- a monthly paper that analyzes the economics, marketing, and politics of the U.S. and global dairy industries – as a supporter of non-hormone pasteurized milk for its nutrient content Use of John Pagel, owner of one of the largest dairy farms in the U.S., as a supporter of pasteurized milk Use of Jim Goodman, owner of Northwood Organic Farms, as a supporter of raw organic milk, but a seller of organic pasteurized milk Use of Tom Frizzle, of the sizeable dairy farm Larry Mead, as a supporter of raw milk, but a seller of pasteurized milk Use of Neil Barnard M.D., physician and clinical researcher as an opponent of all types of cow’s milk, citing that the proteins in milk have been shown to cause cancer growth in test tube studies Use of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell as an opponent to all types of cow’s milk, citing the same argument as Neil Barnard Use of Michael Schmidt, producer and seller of raw cow’s milk, as a supporter of raw milk Use of Ron Schmid N.D., author of Untold Story of Milk, as a supporter of raw milk Use of Cezar Khursigura PhD, microbiologist, as an acknowledger of the potential health benefits of raw, organic, milk Pathos is an emotional appeal made to the audience. In “Milk?”, Howard relies on nostalgia – commercials and generalities invoking memories of the viewer’s childhood – as well as a mixture of music and visuals. • Credits spelled out with alphabet cereal in a bowl of milk with a sparse solo cello playing in a minor tonality • • • • • • • • • • 1986 milk commercial with documentarian voice over about remembering how important milk was during childhood Shots of slowly spilling milk with voice over questioning its healthfulness Interviewing average people on the street about whether or not they drink milk Wide shots of the grazing fields with slow solo banjo playing over Shots of domesticated cats drinking from bowls of fresh milk in the milking areas 1956 commercial of husband and wife sipping milk together Documentarian takes cold milk bath in his own bathtub Documentarian ponders the current controversial nature of milk over shots of his long, snowy, drive to Quebec Footage of a mother breastfeeding her baby after raw dairy farmer Michael Schmidt describes milk as being “crystalized love” and the “manifestation of love” Footage of a police raid on Michael Schmidt’s raw dairy farm (selling raw dairy in Quebec at the time was illegal) Logos is the speaker’s use of facts and statistics to make their case. Most of the examples of Logos in this documentary come from the anti-milk side. They present evidence for the power of the dairy industry – thus the overwhelming presence of milk in the lives of Americans – and the cancer promoting qualities if milk. • • • • • • • • Robert Cohen: There are 177 million of foodborne illnesses annually and the average American diet is 40% dairy products according to CDC Lisa Rutledge: Only 10% of the calcium in broccoli is bioavailable to humans while 30% of calcium in dairy is bioavailable to humans Neil Barnard: Studies show that frequent milk drinkers have no extra protection against bone fractures and may suffer more fractures than non-milk drinkers T. Colin Campbell: In a 20 year test on dairy, it was found that the main protein in milk, Casein, triggered cancer growth in test tubes experiments Robert Cohen: From files retrieved via the Freedom of Information Act, Richard Nixon was recorded to have received three million dollars from members of the dairy industry on March 23, 1971. The next day, Nixon arbitrarily raised milk prices by $0.17 per hundred pounds – a $300 million price increase – despite the Secretary of Agriculture stating that no dairy price increase would occur that year due to a substantial surplus Neil Barnard: rBGH in cows causes an increase of IGF-1, a substance proven to promote cancer cell growth in test tube experiments, in milk Lisa Rutledge: While it is legal to use rBGH in the U.S. it has been banned in Canada Robert Cohen: Before going to testify in front of the Food Pyramid Committee, Robert Cohen found multiple members to be employed by dairy related companies such as Dr. Ilene Kennedy, who is both the Undersecretary of the USDA and a member of the Danon Research Board Documentary Suggestions Below is a list of documentaries that will work for the Documentary Analysis: Ethos Pathos Logos Assignment. These are only suggestions. You may know of a great documentary not on this list. If so, just run the documentary by me to make sure it meets the parameters of the assignment. Chasing Coral The Ivory Game- Elephant Poaching 13th – Racial Inequality Audrey & Daisy- Sexual Assault and Social Media Before the Flood- Climate Change- Leonardo Dicaprio Virunga- Protection of Gorillas in Africa (Excellent) Terms and Conditions may Apply- Online Privacy rights (Good) Pump- Americas reliance on oil (Excellent) Fed-Up- Obesity in America (Good) Waiting For Superman- Decline of Education System The Hunting Ground- Sexual Harassment Citizen 4- Edward Snowden and whistleblowing Blackfish- Seaword’s us of animals for entertainment (Excellent) Food Inc.- incorporation of our food (Good) Inequality for All- wage gap (Good) Hungry for Change- exposes secrets that the diet and weight loss industry use (Good) The Cove- capturing and killing of dolphins (Excellent) Gasland- Fracking.. drilling into the earth’s surface for oil (Good) Supersize Me- obesity in America and its connection to fast-food industry (Excellent) Fork Over knives- food industry and obesity (Good) GMO OMG- how food is made and what we really put into our bodies (Good) The Elephant in the Living Room Schooled: the Price of College Sports 30 for 30: Broke Superhigh Me Fat Sick and Nearly Dead- food consumption and obesity Fat Sick and Nearly Dead 2- food consumption and obesity Fathead Bigger Faster Stronger Miss Representation How to Die in Oregon Chasing Beauty Genetically Modified Food; Panacea or Poision? Sicko Capitalism: A love Story The other side of Immigration Social Networking This Movie is not yet Rated Who Killed the Electric Car Non Documentaries Erin Brockovich Thank you for Smoking Promised Land
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