Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary directed by Michael Moore. This documentary is basically based on George Bush’s presidency, the September 11 events, war on terror and how it was covered by the mainstream media. Moore also explains how the Bush administration used the tragic even of September 11 to push forward its agenda for its wars “against terror” in places as Iraq and Afghanistan. His focus on the media concerning its role in this Bush’s war against terror was that the media acted as “cheerleaders” in the Iraq invasion on did not provide accurate information concerning the proceedings of this war.
Basically, Michael Moore argues that the Bush administrations had failed to take relevant action in defending America after the events of September 9/11. Instead, as he explains, he used the events in setting his agenda of backing his “corrupt practices”. In this film, he employs footages, facts, and interviews from various figures to illustrate this argument that the then president Bush and his administration actually got Americans into more trouble from the war on the terror agenda instigated by his administration. The title “Fahrenheit 9/11" is derived from a popular novel title by Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451” which is translated to mean a society with repressive, authoritarian regime where books are outlawed
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and crime are the subversive ideas. In this book, a protagonist is awakened and joins the struggle to transform the society, Moore himself in this category. Most journalists could acknowledge that the objective in their reporting is maintaining impartiality in their work.
This aspect has continued to become rare, thanks to the rapid development of the internet and cable news stations. Though Michal Moore pokes fingers to media men in his “Fahrenheit 9/11", for contributing to the Iraq war, he ironically becomes an example of impartiality in this documentary for being biased in his reporting. To claim that the media joined hands in promoting the Iraq war is totally an exaggeration. It is acknowledged that the media in US at that time held the government responsible for the Iraq
invasion. Fallacies in the Movie Sarcasm In one scene, Moore explains that Bush could have read the security briefing that was offered to him towards the end of 2001 which claimed that Osama Bin Laden had a plan of high jacking American planes. Although this may not be a pointer that the then president had not gone through the security briefing, Moore uses it here as a sarcastic remark to refer the fact that he had been aware of such a briefing but ultimately did nothing on it. Another sarcasm comment which Moore uses in this movie is the claim that the tile of the memo was given to Bush because he had not come across the actual memo. He out rightly ignores the fact that what the actual memo contained was more important than the title itself. Ignoring crucial facts which you think will jeopardize your argument is not at all scholarly. The commentator could have alternatively argued that the memo contents were not adequate to supersede the alarm which its title raised. Deceit In This film, Moore cleverly combines his narration and images to give a perception that AlGore was somewhere celebrating because he believed that he had won an election. When viewing the film, I had thought that it was an interesting revelation only to learn later that it was an outright lie. Another deceit used in this film is the implication by Moore that other networks altered those verdicts with regard to elections because the conservative fox did so. This was a great contradiction from the popular public assumption and I was very amazed to find this in this view. All those present in America at that time would attest that CBS, CNN and other mainstream media became the first entities to withdraw their support for Algore and not Fox. This was what mad the valid of the election to be doubted in the public eye. The election became doubtful when many people were asleep. Fox projected Bush as the winner at 2.16 a.m before the actual results were decided. They were followed subsequently by other media because the data inn which they were working was the same. Though Fox were the first to declare Bush the winner, Moore was however misleading in his narrations. Ignorance In this movie Moore asserts that Bush was on vacation around 42 percent of this time, using an article in the Washington Post. Though Moore does not seem to have a bad intention in citing this figure which was wrongly cited in the Washington post, it appears that there are some wrong facts he used and which out rightly misleads people to have wrong assumptions. The miscalculation of Bush’s vacation time may have been attributed to the fact that much work was being done at that particular time, yet it is just an issue can be disagreed by any normal people. Though we may not have the required data to evaluate the time management of Bush in greater depth, the depiction of Bush by Mr. Moore as basically having many vacations or loafing is out rightly valid. Another ignorance of Moore is the Bush context in responding to a security issue from journalist while on a golf course. President George Bush is captured as being too much concerned on golf than his leadership in the war against terror and civilization. Holding a golf stick, he speaks to reporters “I call all worldwide states to do everything to prevent terrorism and the killers”. Here Moore ignores the fact that Bush was talking about another subject i.e Israel bombings. Conclusion As a polemic, Fahrenheit 9/11 is masterful created, but it cannot be regarded as a basis for informed decision making or judgment. The documentary by Moore subsequently caused a lot of controversies regarding the reign of Bush and his administration. These controversies include his relationship with Saudi Arabia, American military, the Iraq and Afghanistan war as well as the September 11, 2001 attacks. Moore claims that all these events are products of the conspiracy by the then president and his administration, plus other antagonists such as Osama bin Laden and his family. Such controversies which are not clearly substantiated can distort the perception of the people towards their government. We can rightly point here that Moore movie attains the notion of exaggerations and false accusations. The main argument for Moore is that Bush had dubbed the American citizens. Other supplementary conclusion we can make is that America is fighting a war between those who have and those who don’t have. We can also conclude that Americans depended on the Bush government at least as per that time for protection.
The title of "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a play on the title of the famous Ray Bradbury novel, "Fahrenheit 451" in which society has been transformed into an authoritarian, repressive regime, in which subversive ideas are crimes and books are burned. In the book, a lonely protagonist is awakened to this reality and joins the struggle to keep underground dissidence alive.
Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is a dystopian novel about Guy Montag, whose job is to burn books in the futuristic American city. In this world, fireman burns books instead of putting out fires. People in the society do not read books, do not socialize with each others and do not relish their life in the world. People’s life to the society are worthless and hurting people are the most normal and everyday things. Ray Bradbury wrote the novel Fahrenheit 451, to convey the ideas that if human in the future relies on technology and the banishment of books and stop living. Then eventually it will take control their lives and bring devastation upon them. He uses three symbolisms throughout the novel to convey his thoughts.
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
Often, dystopian novels are written by an author to convey a world that doesn’t exist, but criticizes aspects of the present that could lead to this future. Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 1951 but discusses issues that have only increased over time. The encompassing issue that leads to the dystopic nature of this novel is censorship of books. The government creates a world in which it is illegal to have any books. Firemen are enforcers of this law by being the ones to burn the books and burn the buildings where the books were found. By censoring the knowledge found in books, the government attempts to rid the society of corruption caused by “the lies” books are filled with in hopes the people will never question. In Fahrenheit 451, censorship is a paradox.
Bush and the Saudis for all the events that occurred. He pointed his finger too much without having evidence and it seemed as though he had a very biased viewpoint. I feel like he should have looked at this situation with an open mind and conducted more research on the event before blaming the President. If there was non-biased information used, then I could see people taking this documentary much more seriously. However, Moore simply stated his opinion and used his hatred of the President to discuss this issue. This film showed that the American people potentially could have been lied to in order to push for war. There were no weapons of mass destruction and Saddam was not a threat. Moore blames Bush for 9/11 because he had a great relationship with Al-Qaeda and 9/11 was simply due to financial profits and gains to the Bush family. In West Wing could have been strengthened by discussing more roles in terrorism and not just blaming Islam for the entire event. I do not feel like anything in CSI could have been strengthened because that episode did not emphasize 9/11 and it just focused on explaining the idea that people are not in control in events that
Fahrenheit 451 is about a fire man named Guy Montag, who 's job is not to put out fires but to set them. The Novel is about a city that books are band from and news papers are dead and the only media they are allowed is tv. The reason why books are illegal is because books contain knowledge, and thats something that the city doesn 't want them to have. Guy Montag’s job was to set every book he saw on fire, every house that contained the books, and anyone who lived among those books. Humanity was already destroyed by then and none of the people that lived in the city had any recognition of what was going on because no one knew that kind of knowledge. Along with the burning books, nature and real connections with other people have pretty much been shut out, and the result? A society that is now blind by it’s own ignorance and is being destroyed by it without anyone even
Fahrenheit 451’s Relevance to Today Fahrenheit 451’s relevance to today can be very detailed and prophetic when we take a deep look into our American society. Although we are not living in a communist setting with extreme war waging on, we have gained technologies similar to the ones Bradbury spoke of in Fahrenheit 451 and a stubborn civilization that holds an absence of the little things we should enjoy. Bradbury sees the future of America as a dystopia, yet we still hold problematic issues without the title of disaster, as it is well hidden under our democracy today. Fahrenheit 451 is much like our world today, which includes television, the loss of free speech, and the loss of the education and use of books. Patai explains that Bradbury saw that people would soon be controlled by the television and saw it as the creators chance to “replace lived experience” (Patai 2).
George W. Bush’s “9/11 Address to the Nation” is a speech in which he talks about the catastrophic event on September eleventh, 2001. Two airplanes crash into the Twin Towers in New York City on this day, shocking the entire world. He addresses this speech to the people of America on the night of the disastrous event, to let the people of the United States know what is going on. This speech explains how the United States is a strong country, the motives behind the event, as well as to bring the United States together and stronger.
The novel 1984 by George Orwell is an exaggerated and unrealistic story, blown out of proportion to seek people’s attention and alarm the world of the dangers of a totalitarian society. The novel takes place in a world where no personal freedoms exist and the government, known as the Party in 1984, has no hesitation to lie to Oceania and its people. It’s those lies that allow the Party to maintain dictatorial control over Oceania. Some people believe the United States has lied about some government acts, such as September 11, 2001. Blurry and fuzzy images, quotes taken out of context, and sketchy eyewitnesses influenced many theories which include: that the world trade center was demolished by bombs, phone calls from the planes were faked, George W. Bush secretly profited from the attack, the Pentagon was struck by a missile, and several other theories. Like September 11, 2001, Oceania’s people question their government. Was September 11, 2001 a false flag operation conducted by the United States? Did the United States lie to its own people like Oceania to increase the government’s power?
One of the most infamous dates in American history, September 11, 2001 is also one of the darkest and controversial dates. September 11, 2001 or 9/11 is remembered as a tragic terrorist attack by al-Qaeda, a Muslim extremist group, primarily on the World Trade Towers. Directed by al-Qaeda, 19 hijackers took over four passenger planes, American Airlines- Flight 11 and Flight 77, and United Airlines- Flight 175 and Flight 93. These hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon and Somerset County, Pennsylvania. With devastating impacts, the U.S was scarred. From the 9/11 building attacks alone, 2,753 people died and in total, close to 6,000 deaths (CNN Library). As demoralizing these reports are, what is more shocking is that 911 was part of a vast conspiracy and mass criminal cover-up by the U.S. government.
September 11, 2001 marked one of the most tragic events in United States history. As a way to assure the safety and wellbeing of U.S. citizens shortly after being attacked by al-Qaeda, President Bush stated, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts may shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve”. Although President Bush was seen a source of security during a time of need, many citizens felt that his words were not genuine and part of a dramatic story the government wanted its people to believe. Despite the side taken, both perspectives of the argument can agree that the U.S. was attacked by a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth into a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the terrorist to try and regain control of the plane. This is the story the government wants its people to believe. However, the truths about the attacks on 9/11 are much more frightening. On September 11th, 2001, the United States government betrayed its citizens by allowing the destructive attacks on the Twin Towers, WTC-7, the Pentagon, and Shanksville.
Michael Moore brilliantly manipulates the conventions of film to make the audience see and feel these political and moral issues the way he does. Moore, an outspoken loather of the President has shaped his film like a cinematic bullet, with character assassination as his priority. “Fahrenheit 9/11” shows a series of solemn images and sound bites, arranged as a critical history of the President’s actions since he took office, including the abuse of power and use of fear tactics that have been employed for his monetary and narcissistic gains. Regardless of personal political leanings, “Fahrenheit 9/11” is an amazing accomplishment of individual expression and anti-government aggression.
The War on Terror was a campaign instigated by the United States as a result of the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks on the USA and is on-going. The international military campaign was joined by many nations including Great Britain to eradicate the threat of global terrorism, Al-Qaeda and other radical organizations. The term ‘The War on Terror’ was first coined by George Bush in a speech on 20th September and since been used largely by the Western media to denote the battle to find and defeat the terrorists culpable for the attacks on the World Trade Towers now known as 9/11. 9/11 has been considered a symbolic attack on the west and in uniting the people of USA in particular against a common enemy; it generated a strong sense of nationalism. Nacos states, ‘…watching television, listening to radio, reading the newspaper, going online gave them the feeling of doing something, of being part of a national tragedy.’ This demonstrates the unity of the American people after in response to such a tragedy. Though also regarded an international event whose scope was far-reaching as more than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Centre, the September 11th attacks signalled a powerful patriotic response from the USA.
The year is 2006,watching TV, you flip through the various news stations to learn about the recent news in Iraq, the majority of the news simply says that ‘x’ amount of soldiers or marines were killed in such and such attack. You don’t like what you are hearing so you go online to read an independent embedded (embedded refers to news reporters who are attached to military units) reporters story. Online you read that two new schools were built, and the Iraqis, supported by US forces, led an attack to capture an insurgent leader. The big media corporations such as FOX, NBC, CNN, and many others distort the facts that are on the ground. Small, mostly independent, reporters generally try to get a first-hand account of the situation on the ground.
It is obvious that the media played an incredibly vital role in redirecting the public opinion of the Vietnam War and also to end it. Although the American military would have eventually withdrawn from Vietnam due to its poor assistance; it is a sure fact that it would have taken a lot longer if the media didn’t have as much freedom to present information as it did. Because the media was able to provide the American public with cold hard facts and graphic imagery, the public was able to understand what was truly happening in Vietnam. The media coverage of the Tet offense, the My Lai Massacre, Kent state University, and the Pentagon Papers led to disbelief and anger in the United States Citizens. Due to the pressure on government officials to end the Vietnam War from the citizens and media the war was eventually put to an end.