Rhetorical Analysis Of The Film Paris Is Burning

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The film documentary Paris is Burning is a complex film portraying the lives of African American men who are gay and transgender. The characters are Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Venus Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, Octavia St. Laurent, Freddie Pendavis, and several others. This film focuses on how these men support each other and find happiness by embracing their culture. The film uses rhetorical strategies, such as pathos to allow the audience to respond emotionally, logos because this is a documentary about the lives of real men who are rejected by society, and ethos the integrity of this film comes from the whole film crew and the director Jennie Livingston who is openly lesbian (Clark). Livingston made a film that showed the audience a community that has its own cultural norms who are outlawed by everyone but themselves. The audience gets involved in their life right when the film begins and one sees a dark New York. The aim of this film is to depict the struggle of being who you want to be, it portrays this by using rhetorical strategies (pathos, logos, ethos), film techniques (camera shots, angles, movement), and persuasive strategies. The opening of the film is quite brilliant. It captures the audience by making them question what’s happening in the first thirty …show more content…

The film focuses on the characters lives and how they can keep going when they struggle with society. The film uses rhetorical strategies such as pathos, ethos, and logos to make this movie bring emotions, blank stares, and leave the audience to question reality. The purpose of the specific camera shots and angles is to provide an appropriate view of the movie. Lastly, the use of persuasion to allow the audience to interpret what the film says versus the thoughts in their head. The film does a good job of pointing out the flaws in our system and a specific culture that the flaws

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