An Inconvenient Truth Analysis

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Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth was released to DVD in January of 2006. In this film, Gore aspires to make the issue of global warming recognized worldwide. He uses the presentation as a way to stress the importance of doing something about global warming, saying, “What we take for granted might not be here for our children.” Personal anecdotes, convincing scenarios, and substantial evidence provide a strong argument in Gore’s presentation. In the film, Gore gives personal anecdotes in order to appeal to the audience’s emotions. In one example, he discusses the time his six year old son was hit by a car and was in the hospital for a month. Gore said it turned his world upside down, causing him to question how he should spend his time on this earth. He states, “I visited Antarctica and gained a new ability...that what we take for granted might not be here for our children.” With this story, he uses the strategy of appealing to pity because he discusses his injured young son. Gore also discusses living on a tobacco farm as a child. One of the childhood stories he tells is of when his sister, who had been close to him, began smoking. She smoked because their family grew tobacco, and eventually died of lung cancer. In telling this story, Gore uses pathos, again appealing to the audience’s emotions. This story is a weak analogy since it is completely unrelated to global warming, yet is still able to help his argument. Aside from using anecdotes, Gore creates scenarios as a way of allowing the audience to better understand his arguments. For example, he presents the scenario of what would happen if the oceans continue to rise. He shows images of how much water would be taking over pieces of land such as Florida, California, and China, and how many homes and buildings would be lost. “After 911 we said ‘never again,’ but they let this happen.” This is a
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