Titus 1

Kara Titus
AP Language and Composition
Ms. Cooper
17 September 2014
Its All About Me
Three hundred forty-four billion dollars (U.S. Military). That is the amount of
money the United States allotted to the military at the end of Dwight D. Eisenhowers
presidential term. As of 2014, the spending has just about doubled. The United States
spent an estimated total of six hundred and forty billion dollars in defense this year, a sum
larger than the expenditures of the next eight biggest spending countries combined (U.S.
Defense). In the documentary Why we Fight, Eugene Jarecki analyzes why America
goes to war. The directors purpose was to inform Americans that the military industrial
complex, a term coined by President Eisenhower to describe the United States private
contractor businesses part in the countrys defense, is so much larger than we ever
imagined. Additionally, he informs us that there are a lot of things that go on behind the
scenes that are hidden from the average American citizens eye. Jarecki contends that
Americas intentions to go to war are one sided. Through the use of ethos, the director
makes the audience feel as if they are ignorant children when it comes to knowing about
what goes on in their government behind the scenes.
Although spending is a big issue for the U.S today, that was not the purpose of
Jareckis documentary Why We Fight. The documentarys purpose was to answer its
driving question: why does America go to war? To do so, the director gives differing
opinions from citizens and experts to add to his credibility. American citizens dont feel

Titus 2
that war is a bad thing because images are shown to them that depict the enemy as
inhuman. From the point of view of an American aerial camera, the targets appear as
dots, not as people. Americans are influenced in this manner so that they will not be
against war. There is no wonder that Americans are mainly pro-war; they only see one
side of the story. An opposing opinion is presented when Charles Lewis, the founder of
the Center of American Integrity, compares Americas war ventures to economic
colonialism (Why We Fight). Lewis states that instead of calling Americas actions
colonialism, we say that we have a better way of running their economies or
governments. By doing so, America inserts themselves into various countries affairs in
order to sell American products, mine resources, and change the government; all to
further improve and enforce American superiority and rank (Why We Fight). To present
these opinions, Jarecki first shows visual representations of what he is trying to convey
and then backs it up with several characters that have superior understandings or
interpretations of the topic. Jarecki is objective in his documentary by completely taking
himself and his opinions out of this film. This objectivity adds to his ethos because he is
not inputting his own view, but he is instead manipulating others opinions in order to
communicate his own ideas. If Jarecki had simply stated what he believed in the film,
without any experts or hard evidence such as war clips to back him up, Jareckis ethos
would be tainted.
Why We Fight, achieves communicating to the audience about the secrets of our
countrys defense system as well as informing the audience that America is no longer
fighting for freedom. But, Jarecki is not successful in answering his driving question of
Why We Fight. The director gives too many answers to the question in order for it to be

Titus 3
definitive. His opinion and the film itself would be more reputable and solid if he had
stated the answer to his driving question directly.
Jareckis intended audience is American citizens. Jarecki wants the public to be
more aware of what is happening in their government so that they may make their own
conclusions to act upon. Karen Kwiatkowski in Why We Fight, states that the United
States media [manipulates] public opinion in order to inspire fear in American
citizens so that the U.S can have the war that they so desire. Jarecki uses Kwiatkowskis
interview in order to voice his opinion indirectly to prove to his audience that they are
being deceived in more ways than one. He next communicates to his audience that
America is no longer fighting for freedom. Through the use of a comparison of interviews
of innocent and nave Americans, who believe that we are fighting for freedom, to the
interviews of experts on the subject, Jarecki gives the audience biased sources to back up
his claim that America is no longer fighting for freedom but for self improvement (Why
We Fight). The rhetorical device of ethos is used to manipulate the public into thinking
that the countrys actions are ethical. Jarecki disproves American medias erroneous
assertions in the documentary.
Throughout the film, the director uses the rhetorical device of ethos in order to
support his opinions. He builds up the trust of the viewer by not only stating his opinion
on the matter, but by giving the opinions of multiple experts in their various fields of
work involving the U.S defense system. Then, using that credibility, he requires the
reader to make his or her own interpretations of right and wrong. Each interviewee has a
differing opinion than the next of Americas current status in war. The audience must
decide based on their moral upbringings whether or not they think the United States is

Titus 4
acting ethically in their endeavors or not. Jarecki uses this appeal because he has
knowledge of the habits and general opinions of the make up of his audience. He uses
ethical appeal to back up his assertions and to make a lasting impression on his audience.
From this film, the audience is able to take away one central idea. Americas
spending and actions are all in order to make it a more superior country. The United
States wants to remain the only super power and they will retain that power by any
means. To sum it all up, its all about the United States. When going to war, the United
States is not interested in the countries that it is helping, or saving from communism.
The U.S. has a purpose and reason to be in that country and it is much more complex than
what the public eye is able to interpret (Why We Fight). This topic is crucial to the
education of Americans. If more people were aware of what was going on behind the
scenes of our country, maybe the citizens would not keep electing the same people who
are going to use the countrys money for keeping the U.S. the super power of the world,
and instead start voting on individuals who are more concerned about our countrys
people and our countrys failing infrastructure. If utilized in an appropriate manner, this
film could help to make a necessary change for the country of America, and all of its
citizens.

Titus 5
Works Cited
"U.S. Defense Spending Compared to Other Countries." Pgpf.org. Peter G. Peterson
Foundation, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
"U.S. Military Spending, 19462009." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Why We Fight. Dir. Eugene Jarecki. Sony Pictures Classics, 2005. Film