The film depicts a visual tragedy and uses this sorrow and despair among the children to inform the world of the life they are going through. In addition, Zana uses contrast to show the uncertainty of the future that the children have and their hope for a better life. The film itself is fast paced, in that; it goes from one shot, where children are happy running around, to another where their mothers are shooting and cursing each other (Freire, 2009). Through this different screen shots, the author shows credibility and understanding of the life in Calcutta. In one of the screenshots, Zana claims to have lived in Calcutta on and off for the last twenty years, this clearly demonstrates that she understands what she is doing and helps the audience view her as credible.
Pathos appeal to the audience
In order to critically and rhetorically analyse the documentary in an emotional context, one has to begin by examining the title. Born into Brothels typically states the life of the children. The title itself is enough to aggravate the senses of the audience. Before watching the documentary and valuing its meaning, one can already visualize the life that the children are forced to live in and how they have no other choice. In all or most of all cases of the children’s lives, their fathers are either gone or do not care, and their mothers are prostitute working to earn a living. Zana Briski ventures into this life of prostitution with hope of taking photos on the daily living of prostitutes, but instead ends up teaching a group of children how to take photos. This depiction helps the audience connect with the film in an emotional context.
The scenes also show the hectic streets that the children have learned to have fun in playing with kits or shooting pictures, and then go on to show the dirty houses that the children call home. The hopelessness and disperse are vivid through the transitions that lack in emotional direction, one minute the children are happy either in the zoo, the next they are back to their lives in their dirty small houses. The producers use the contrast between the transitions of the scenes to show their real lives and the lack of any emotional context from their parents or anyone. A life full of diaper, and one that lacks any direction is depicted through the transitions. The lack of contrast also demonstrates the magnitude of chance that the children have to get out, but also shows the grim reality that the children have to face on a daily basis.
Logos appeal to the audience
The documentary won an Oscar for its openness and humanity values. By watching the documentary the first time; one can see the logical point of view that the producer tries to demonstrate in her documentary. The producer tries to appeal in a logical way by showing clearly the families that these children come from and why they need help. In almost all the scenes that involve the parents, one can see the misery of their lives, which the producer uses to show her logical point of view. Zana does not depict anything positive about the lives of the parents (Tsang, 2001). At one time, she show’s a mother and grandmother who both work as prostitutes, at another scene she show’s a father who is addicted to drugs. Through these scenes, she helps the public connect with her logical view of why it is important to do something about the situation.
Reference:
Tsang, A. (2001). Representation of Ethnic Identity in North American Social Work Literature: A Dossier of the Chinese People. Social Work.
Freire, P. (2009). Pedagogy of the oppressed. (Myra Bergman Ramos, Trans. 30th Anniversary ed.) New York: Continuum.
Kotiswaran, P. (2008) Born unto Brothels: Toward a Legal Ethnography of Sex Work in an Indian Red-Light Area. Law & Social Inquiry
Michel, F. The “Born into Brothels” Controversy; Whose Voices? Stories? Against the Current.
