‘Sicko’ is a documentary film directed by Michael Moore. It is a document on the national system of health in U.S. The thematic core of the documentary is the health system in the United States and the way it is provided by the health maintenance organizations (HMOs) which are described and seen to be functioning clearly oriented by their non-stop need to keep increasing their profits. The documentary describes the established health system in the United Systems and compares it to the corresponding health system of Canada and other European countries, trying to arise questions regarding the ethical aspects of this health system as far as the issue of health is concerned and the matter of social care looking into the assurance of common prosperity and well-being. The aim of this essay is to focus on the persuasive methods and techniques used by the director himself in order to put across his message to his viewers and make it easily understood and perceived. The rhetorical analysis of the film itself will highlight methodically the structure of the film and the way it is developed. It will analyze the film’s strategies and will explore the use of ethos, pathos and logos on behalf of the director.
Like in any kind of rhetorical analysis the first element which could be considered to be fundamental for the rhetorical analysis of the film itself is to take into consideration the target group and the message which the film wishes to address. Once this is clear then the strategies used can be more efficiently and easily approached and interpreted. ‘Sicko’ is a documentary on a matter of social concern and high significance. Therefore the target group of this documentary is mainly characterized by a certain level of maturity. There is no mature individual who is not concerned about the level and merits and faults of the health system of his / her country. Most society members who are interested in improving the established social status-quo hold a certain level of maturity which has led them to realize that special attention ought to be paid towards matters of high social significance so that some efficient solutions could be found and the quality of life could be improved. Therefore the first and foremost technique used in this documentary is logos, which is actually appealing to the logic of the viewers of the documentary. The director does not speak vaguely and certainly does not give a general idea of how awful or not awful the national health care system is. The documentary provides its viewers with certain numbers and statistics, all results of scientific and social research. There is a certain comparison in numbers and descriptions of particular cases and events between the national health care system of the United States and the one of Canada and other European countries. Interviews have been conducted by the director himself so that he provides his viewers with real based facts. Interviews are also important because they provide the viewers with a variety of opinions from the majority of all those involved directly in the health system, who are mainly doctors and patients. So the first line is there, in this documentary providing its viewers with real numbers and cases. A real based contrast and comparison is provided in the documentary which makes it valid and important since it is clarifying as far as the situation of neighboring and far away countries are concerned. Thus the director manages to kick away the false belief that since the United States face such difficult problems in the national health system, this is probably the common truth. This contrast provides viewers with real statistics and uncovers the real situation and the extent to which it is something which applies to all countries or not. Moore establishes his credibility since he provides his viewers with real figures. He looks into aspects of the national health care system which have been left in the darkness or the ignorance. He tries to approach all kinds of aspects involved in this social issue. He questions facts which took place some years ago or have taken place quite recently, trying thus to shed light and attract to people’s attention. There have been so many occasions when governmental decisions or reforms were not studied or analyzed on behalf of citizens either due to their ignorance or lack of time or due to the policy of media which deliberately in order to keep any kind of objections down, decided not to publicize them, following governmental policies and orders. But Moore seems decisive to explore as much as he can in the field of the national health system. He questions Nixon’s reform who promoted HMOs, the main means of health care in the United States in 1971 and he goes on to express his personal wonder and surprise concerning the failure of Clinton’s reform effort in the 1990s. It is clear that Moore gives specific figures, numbers, situations and undeniable facts so not only does he earn credibility but he also manages to push his viewers’ thoughts and minds a step forward. Moore does not give ready solutions or ready, open opinions and beliefs as far as the social issue he has created this documentary on is concerned. He just seems to open successfully the door to some paths of thoughts which may have not yet been discovered on behalf of his viewers.
Moore also successfully appeals to the psychological aspect of his viewers. He talks to his / her souls. He does not provide net information like a robot. He does equally appeal to ethos and pathos. He addresses questions rising ethical concerns. The question he addresses to his viewers just a little bit before the end of his documentary is a not easily answered question. It is a rhetorical question representing this kind of the non-answered, rhetorical questions which are used in order to put emphasis on the dramatic tension of a story or film. The situation which has been presented in the documentary is serious and dramatic. It is dramatic to witness situations in which patients lost their lives not because there was no other treatment but because there was negligence or lack of money which could have provided them with a better treatment. So Moore comes just a little bit before his ending, after he has described these unbelievable, cruel and unacceptable for progressive societies -which are supposed to have devoted their time and money to progress –situations, a rhetorical question to the Americans ‘Who are we?’. Moore is giving the impression that he knows who Americans are and where they come from and what they have always throughout their history devoted their lives to but now he seems to be speechless and at great loss. He has seen himself the situations and facts which are presented in the documentary so this is how such a question is risen. There seems to be total disorientation or loss of national identity or loss of national, common social goals. Because if there was not such a loss then this question would not have raised. This is the indirect strategy and appealing to pathos and ethos of his viewers. The ethical aspect is even more indirect since there is a whole mechanism of thinking underlying this question which brings viewers face to face with their ethical concerns. What are they supposed to do in order to help the establishment of well-meant national goals? What and how much is the responsibility of every individual in the formation of the common social policy? These are the underlying questions which are hidden behind the curtains and behind the question Moore addresses his viewers with at the end. An unanswered question has always a great impact on people’s thoughts who enter emotionally the labyrinth of nonstop thinking in order to find the answer to that question which was addressed to them without its answer. This is a very effective technique which leads people to thinking on their own and interpreting gradually the message they were addressed with.
Moore approaches an unhealthy social issue. It could be argued that even the title of his documentary prepares the viewers of what they are about to see and witness. It is a weird title like a new word ‘Sicko’ standing for the representation of a sick situation. And this is what really happens. Moore describes the ugliness and sickness existing in the field of the national health care system and has successfully and efficiently mixed and combined all the strategies for making his message being put across and leading people to further thought and hopefully action.
Works Cited
Longaker, Mark G., Walker, Jeffrey, Rhetorical Analysis : A Brief Guide for Writers, Longman (2010)
Moore, Michael, Sicko, documentary (2007) retrieved from www.filmsforaction.org/watch/sicko/
