Serving in Florida
Katy Curry
English 102, Section 601
Dr. Jun Zhao
First Draft of Rhetorical Essay
23 July 2009
Rhetorical Analysis of “Idiot Nation” When thinking of the United States one would[may?] conjure up imagines of happy people, greener grass, freedom, and of course, opportunity. However an uncommon thing that one would think of America is a land of dumb people.[little confusing word choice] Yes, that’s right, Americans having less than average intelligence. In “Idiot Nation,” Michael Moore offers a convincing argument on America’s stupidity and inadequacy by employing logical as well as emotional appeals and harsh diction to drive his point home. [ your thesis statement should probably be more specific regarding the individual components.] Moore mesmerizes his audience by presenting horrifying facts about the “state of stupidity in this country”(156). The facts that Moore presents are very effective due to the shocking nature of them. Early in the text[,] Moore illustrates his point presenting, “There are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth-grade level—in other words, who are functional illiterates” (154). This stuns the reader, who would have ever thought that in a country like this, that many Americans could be, well stupid. He goes on to give another statistic that Americans, on average, read only 99 hours a year and watch television 1,460 hours a year. By throwing these astonishing facts at the reader early on, Moore builds up the trust of his readers and also holds their attention. [ Maybe say more in your last sentence regarding the attention of the reader, maybe even talk about specific audience or even talk that the entire paper is worded in such a way which holds people’s attention.] Using facts, Moore unites all his readers by talking about former presidents in a less than flattering light. While attending the 2001 graduation at Yale University, Moore tells how President Bush proudly boasts about his mediocre
English 102, Section 601
Dr. Jun Zhao
First Draft of Rhetorical Essay
23 July 2009
Rhetorical Analysis of “Idiot Nation” When thinking of the United States one would[may?] conjure up imagines of happy people, greener grass, freedom, and of course, opportunity. However an uncommon thing that one would think of America is a land of dumb people.[little confusing word choice] Yes, that’s right, Americans having less than average intelligence. In “Idiot Nation,” Michael Moore offers a convincing argument on America’s stupidity and inadequacy by employing logical as well as emotional appeals and harsh diction to drive his point home. [ your thesis statement should probably be more specific regarding the individual components.] Moore mesmerizes his audience by presenting horrifying facts about the “state of stupidity in this country”(156). The facts that Moore presents are very effective due to the shocking nature of them. Early in the text[,] Moore illustrates his point presenting, “There are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth-grade level—in other words, who are functional illiterates” (154). This stuns the reader, who would have ever thought that in a country like this, that many Americans could be, well stupid. He goes on to give another statistic that Americans, on average, read only 99 hours a year and watch television 1,460 hours a year. By throwing these astonishing facts at the reader early on, Moore builds up the trust of his readers and also holds their attention. [ Maybe say more in your last sentence regarding the attention of the reader, maybe even talk about specific audience or even talk that the entire paper is worded in such a way which holds people’s attention.] Using facts, Moore unites all his readers by talking about former presidents in a less than flattering light. While attending the 2001 graduation at Yale University, Moore tells how President Bush proudly boasts about his mediocre