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  • Essay / Logos, Ethos and Pathos in the Documentary Supersize Me

    Supersize Me is a 2004 American documentary film directed and starring Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2 in which he only ate McDonald's food 3 times per day. Spurlock has eaten every item listed on the McDonald's menu at least once. Spurlock uses a strategy presented through the use of appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in presenting a concise statement that fast food actually harms your body. Spurlock, as a filmmaker, producer and screenwriter, was his attempt to show America its physical and psychological well-being under the influence of the fast food industry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Spurlock uses his own credibility with his ethical approach by mainly convincing adult viewers of the damage done to him by consuming all that fast food. Ethos is the community feeling of meeting and group identity. Ethos shows the importance of what you are talking about and gives credibility to the author. In this documentary, it was stated that one in four Americans visited a fast food restaurant and that in 1972, America spent $3 billion a year on fast food. In today's society, studies show that we spend over $110 billion a year. These statistics were provided by Spurlock and show that the producers of the documentary know what they are talking about. Supersize Me offers viewers a sense of group encounter and identity letting them know they are not alone. Almost all of the facts discussed concern a significant percentage of Americans. Spurlock allows overweight fast food consumers to feel connected to each other, giving them a “group” identity. Without the facts and statistics, considering the validity of the argument behind fast food, it would be difficult for people to believe that Spurlock's conclusions are valid. Another approach used by Spurlock was his Pathos appeal to the audience's emotions. Spurlock did an exceptional job of vomiting right after eating at McDonald's, calling his mother to inform her that his liver was currently being destroyed from the food he was consuming. These two examples really helped convince the audience of the argument he was making. Another example of the Pathos approach taken by Spurlock is when he ordered the McDonald's fruit parfait and it had a hair in it, making it really disgusting to the viewers. In addition to adults, this documentary was somewhat aimed at children by instilling fear. Spurlock also informed his near and dear ones of what he was accomplishing and scared them all. By using all of these negative tactics, Spurlock did everything possible so that by the time a viewer watched his documentary, they would be more than discouraged but genuinely scared about consuming fast food. Plus, Spurlock really pushes his body to the limit. asking doctors to warn him to stop the diet immediately. Spurlock went to three different doctors and left each of their offices with the same feeling that his diet was extremely unhealthy, which really helped increase the validity of his argument. Every doctor advised him to stop before jeopardizing his long-term health. Spurlock knows very little about health awareness and has no prior health knowledge prior to this film, which 13 %..1950.02910300016004