The United States of BOO!
This study guide will help you analyze the text “The United States of BOO!” by Michael Moore. The text is found in American Issues, p. 167. We will show you examples of elements in the text that will be relevant for your analysis. In these notes, we will focus on the structure, sender, receiver, theme and message, characteristics of the text, and help you put the text in perspective.
Presentation of the text
Title: “The United States of BOO!”
Author: Michael Moore
Published in: Dude, where's my country?
Date of Publication: 2003
Genre: Essay
Michael Moore (b. 1954) is an American author and documentary filmmaker. He is widely known for documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11, and the satirical show The Awful Truth. The essay “The United States of BOO!” is part of his book Dude, where's my country? In which he explores and criticizes corporate and political events in the United States.
Topic of the text
The essay “The United States of BOO!” explores the issue of terrorism in the US in 2003, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The writer discusses whether terrorism is a real threat to the American people and presents the way people’s fears have been turned into paranoia. He claims that people’s fear has been exploited by the government to promote US interests and to maintain the US as the biggest power in the world.
Further help
Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.