TOW #28 A Documentary Analysis: Why We Fight by Eugene Jarecki

This documentary was created in 2005 by Eugene Jarecki. Jarecki is an documentary creator who has won many awards, including an Emmy. Jarecki attended Princeton University and eventually moved to films after producing a few plays. Why We Fight is a documentary that covers the military industrial complex, a topic which Dwight D. Eisenhower stressed in his farewell address to the nation forty four years before the film premiered. The documentary follows many different stories, many of which come together in the end, that each represent varying levels of the complex, and argue for both sides. Testimonies include John McCain, Richard Perle, William Kristol and several civilians who have been greatly affected by war. The film was created to warn and educate all American citizens on the dangers of the military industrial complex.

In this documentary, the filmmaker wanted to show many aspects of the military today and in the recent past. The main focus was to show how society is turning towards the complex more and more (and why it is harmful). The point was made in many different stories of civilians which came together to show deception and corruption for profit gaining purposes. The different civilian testimonies (including a man whose son died in 9/11, a bomb maker, and the men who dropped the first bombs of war) show how the military industrial complex affect different people. The versatility in effect that the complex has is huge, and its negative influence can spread if it is note gotten under control. In addition to civilians, there were testimonies from many political figures that supported the idea of a military industrial complex harming society. The testimony from political figures qualified everything that was said, making it seem more reliable and less biased. All of these stories and testimonies came together to support the idea that the military industrial complex is not good for America and yet is readily apparent.

Another important strategy in proving this point was the cinematography and style of the film. Throughout, there was an ominous tone to the documentary, as if something bad was going to happen (or in this case is already happening). This was often reflected in the lighting, which remained dark during most of the film. Many of the shot were filmed at night, especially in the case of the men who dropped the first bomb. This added to the tone by making it seem serious and potentially dangerous. In addition to the lighting, the documentary also featured less recent footage that reflected upon events in the past. One such clip was of Dwight D. Eisenhower warning the American people of the industrial military complex, saying that eventually if war will benefit major companies, it may be fought solely for the purpose of making profit. This showed the long time issue of the complex, that it has been a danger for a long time and it will stay so for even longer. To show the complex’s influence in modern society, footage of the first bombs dropped in Iraq were shown and the devastation that they caused was highlighted, striking emotions of fear and sorrow in viewers. 

Throughout this documentary, two things were clear. The military industrial complex is apparent in society, and that this is incredibly harmful to both the well being of our people and our nation itself. Through the use of testimonial and strategical styling, Eugene Jarecki created a documentary that reflects the dangers of living in an a military-industrial world.

TOW #27 A REFLECTION

In my earlier TOW assignments, I struggled with the initial concept of what a TOW really was. I took parts of the summer assignment rubric and used that as guidelines for what my TOWs needed. I often explained the context of the article (text etc.) and what it was about, but I didn’t get into analysis. As my TOWs went on, they got more analytical, and I tried to explain my analysis instead of just presenting it. I could still work on this, as I find it hard to explain my analysis and the why and how of why it was happening in the piece. 

I think I mastered the ability to pick apart a text and get the main purpose very well. Then I also can get examples and rhetorical devices that contribute to the overall purpose of the text. Finding the purpose and argument helped me immensely in writing my TOWs. When I found the purpose, the rest was pretty much in front of me. All that I had to do was explain the analysis. Being able to focus on this skill made my ability to write TOWs, and in fact my TOWs overall, greater than I could have done before. With these TOWs my analytical writing improved, and I am better off because of it. I think with the help of these TOWs I strengthened my skills for argument essays, as I have shown in both grade improvement on essays and overall quality in TOWs. However, i do think that the TOW system could be reworked to provide an opportunity for students to practice ALL types of essays. That would be even better. I gained lots of skills, but most importantly practice which, in terms of writing, is the best thing that one can have. 

TOW #26 A Political Cartoon and A Positive Change

Writing Goals: Clearly analyze rhetorical devices used in the visual text.
Reading Goals: Pick a visual text that  is complex and interesting!

It’s a sad fact about the world, one that can probably be explained by “Murphy’s law,” but quite often, when bad things can go wrong, they do. This is especially true of things that happen because of (or just generally involving) the government. It’s not anybody's fault, but when good things happen, it comes as quite a shock. Political cartoonist Dave Granlund represents this in his political cartoon on recent job growth in America. He uses allusion and bright colors to represent the shock and emotions that the country has faced in this time of unexpected success.

Illustrator Granlund used bright colors and an allusion to express his point in an interesting, yet also effective way. The allusion to Jack and The Giant Beanstalk represents the giant growth of the job market in America as the beanstalk represents the quick, seemingly random growth of the industry. The job market has expanded, and nobody is clear on why. In fact, it came as quite a surprise to most people, including the government and the general public. These people are represented by Uncle Sam, depicted in a confused manner saying, “And Without Magic Beans!” to make the allusion clear, but also to represent the fact that this job growth is seemingly unexplainable.

The bright colors in the image reflect the joyous occasion that is job growth in America and tell the audience to be excited about this opportunity. Instead of focusing on the confusion and lack of reasoning behind this job growth, the audience is subconsciously pushed towards the happy event of job growth. Bright colors represent happy things, and in using them, the illustrator makes his true point clear.

Using allusions and bright colors, the illustrator, Dave Granlund, shows the incredible recent job growth in America. He also shows the surprise with which it came, and focuses his audiences attention on the real matter, job growth. Ultimately, these rhetorical devices allow him to effectively make a comment on the state of our government while also celebrating new job growth.

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/0e062ff7-1cd3-42be-bca1-1af2995149e4.html