Characteristics

This part of the study guide is designed to help you understand how the sender of “The United States of BOO!” presents his arguments, including aspects such as rhetorical devices and language.

Argumentation

Open argumentation means the sender presents his views and arguments directly, while closed argumentation implies that the sender uses examples, case studies and facts to indirectly convey his views and make a point.

In “The United States of BOO!”, the sender clearly states his perspective on fear, on the threat of terrorism, and on how the fear of terrorism is exploited for political and economic reasons.

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Rhetorical devices

Rhetorical devices refer to those language techniques that are meant to convey the sender’s perspective and make the receivers reflect on a topic from that perspective. In Moore’s essay, the most important rhetorical devices are allusions, exaggerated sarcasm and irony, and rhetorical questions.

Throughout the essay, the writer makes various allusions to events and political figures (the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the political leaders in the US, etc.) These allusions give the essay a precise context and help the writer draw attention to specific issues, as well as emphasizing the relevance of the writer’s arguments: “Of course, it didn’t help for us to watch the mass murder of 3,000 people, obliterated before our very eyes.” (p. 167, ll. 11-12).

A few rhetorical questions convey the writer’s doubts and skepticism and engage the readers, making them reflect together with the sender on the issues that he is addressing, as well as adding a humorous note:

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Language

The writer’s tone is sarcastic and ironic. To emphasize certain arguments or ideas, he regularly combines different formatting styles (bold, capital letters, and italic).

The choice of words reflects the topics of the essay and includes words related to terrorism, American politics, and the American authorities.

The language is neither neutral nor figurative. The text is rarely embellished with figurative speech but is clearly subjective as it is a personal, critical perspective on the fear of terrorism in the US.

The most relevant language devices used by Michael Moore are repetition and exaggerations (overstatements, understatements, and hyperboles).

Repetition is noticeable from the beginning of the text when the writer constantly notes that ‘there is no terrorist threat’ (p. 167, ll . 1-5).

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