Man On Wire Rhetoric Analysis

Who would have ever thought walking across a wire a certain distance from one point to the next would be considered illegal? Or psychotic? Most people tend to think it is a daring activity that is suspenseful and entertaining to watch, but the police think different. Police consider it trespassing and disorderly conduct and possibly an act of someone who is insane, at least that was the case for Philippe Petit in the 1974. Philippe Petit, a French man who is known to be quirky, adventurous, and charismatic, makes a very brave move as he decides to follow his dream of walking back and forth several times on a simple wire connecting the New York World Trade Center’s twin towers. Petit spends his time preparing with his crew of 10 people which
Fear is inside every single audience member, therefore it is personal when touched upon in the film, especially if one has a fear of heights. Petit describes fear as “I, like everybody else, have a certain fear of heights, and I have to be very careful when I am in the clouds, but it is also what I love; it is my domain, so when you love something, you don't have fear.” It is as if he is talking directly to the audience, which is the strategy Marsh uses to relate to the audience’s emotion. Similarly, visually, in the film, fear is indicated by actual photos and video from his daring walks leading up to the unthinkable one, dancing across the twin towers. The audience actually sees what Petit means when he emphasizes that “Death frames the high wire.” Consequently, this instills fear in the audience right from the beginning of the film. Marsh also manages to create the emotion of fear in audience by the use of a soundtrack, or lack of soundtrack. In the midst of extreme, nail-biting scenes, such as the one at Notre Dame, a powerful and intense instrumental song is played in the background. Likewise, when the secondary narrative is shown in the beginning and the men are on the edge of being caught while trying to prepare the wire to be strung, there is an absence of sound in the background. This forces the audience to feel scared as it forms and eery atmosphere in the film. As the film progresses and the team has more of a plan, diagrams, tables, and graphs are shown. As the audience examines these, he or she begins to wonder how something so unimaginable is even possible, thus causing he or she to feel fear for Petit and the rest of the team. By appealing to the audience’s emotion of fear, Marsh contributes to his purpose of documenting one man’s incredible journey to accomplish his