RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MOVIE “A BEAUTIFUL MIND”
Introduction:
The movie in context is in the form of a drama. The film is inspired by real life events of John Forbes Nash Junior. John Forbes experienced all many activities ranging from the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity (Hill, 2016). As the movie progressed, John Forbes made a great mathematical discovery that caused him to stand out internationally. However, the invention by John Forbes is not good news to John Nash because it opens his way to a painful journey of self-discovery.
Thesis: This paper is a discussion of the rhetoric aspect of the movie titled “A beautiful mind”.
Background Information:
There are several things that act like the prerequisites required for the reader to understand the speech. One of these prerequisites information is some knowledge about the horrific experiences of people living with various kinds of diseases. The reader is encouraged to be aware of some of the mental health conditions and their effects on the victims. More so, it is a natural characteristic of human beings to concern themselves with what others are saying (Hill, 2016). In other words, communication by others is unavoidable. The audience should be aware of the different forms of rhetoric that exists in our societies. Rhetoric is everywhere, and it can be represented in various ways. The speech will be effective when addressing an audience that is familiar with the various ways that are used to present rhetoric. The various ways include messages on posters, billboards and influential online blogs, among other media. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Analysis of the Ethos from the speech
The aspect of ethos is quite evident in the speech. One instance of the application of the style of ethos is when Parcher poses some rhetorical questions to John Nash. Parcher uses this style to confuse John about knowing what reality is and what is not. In one occasion, Parcher asks John, “Do I look imagined to you?” The question is rhetoric, and its primary purpose is to make John know that Parcher is not to succumb to John’s evidence about his non-existence (Hill, 2016). If at all, Parcher is already aware that John knows he is not imagined. The reason is that Parcher knows that John sees him as a human being and hence he cannot be imaginary. The movie is based on real life events and experiences of John Nash. He gives his speech after he is awarded the Nobel Prize in the field of Economic Sciences. The film from which the speech is based has been ordered carefully to facilitate the connection of Russell Crowe and John Nash emotional progression.
Analysis of the Pathos from the speech
The conversation that takes place between General Parcher and John Nash is of great significance in the speech. It demonstrates the use of the style of pathos. From the conversation, John Nash gets convinced that he has found real people within his mind. Nash has been avoiding his medications for some time. As a result, his hallucinations developed to be stronger and real. Parcher applies the style of deductive reasoning to trap John (Hill, 2016). Parcher is calm, careful and composed as he tries to make John comfortable. When he proves that John is real, Parcher transits from his calm composure to an aggressive one. His tone and choice of words change instantly. Parcher gets to the apex of his plan and introduces the idea of the bomb. This is what makes John Nash develop trust with General Parcher. The greatest achievement is that General Parcher was able to convince John Nash to get back to work. All this was achieved by well-conducted deductive reasoning. Parcher has quite an easy time with John. He keeps his words simple. He also maintains the use of names that familiar and believable to John Nash. For example, Parcher is very specific when referring to the bomb. He tells John Nash that the bomb is armed and stationary. John Nash is quite conversant with those words and therefore Parcher nails his point on John Nash. Parcher continues to refer to John Nash as Muhammad. Parcher expects that Nash will be at a position to assume that the “Muhammad” is his code name as it is in the military. Parcher makes use of long sentences when expressing his sympathy for John because of what he has gone through (Hill, 2016). The long sentences have some elements of rhetoric style because they are meant to make John know that Parcher is concerned. The demonstration of concern for John’s pain and suffering helps Parcher to prove reality for John.
The use of the word “the” in the speech introduces the aspect of parallelism. Parallelism makes the audience understand the equality of the three properties. The author of the movie has a unique way of attracting readers or viewers’ attention. The author uses a common statement to open the speech. It opens a common reasoning ground between him and the audience so that they can all be on the same context as he introduces his speech.
Analysis of the Logos from the speech
There are some elements of the style of logos. One good example is when Parcher tries to convince John Nash that they should get back to work. He lets John believe that all the information about the bomb is ready, and the only thing left is for John Nash to get back to work. Parcher achieves to make John Nash believe that he is real. Once John agrees to report to work, Parcher decides to tell John’s wife about the encounters and experiences.
John Nash uses the word “Quest” in his opening statement to emphasis on the weight of the decision he is about to make. The speech has made use of actual information as to its references. John Nash is a person who had mental health conditions and yet made the history of being awarded the Nobel Prize in one of the most contested fields. In details, the dialogue in the movie between General Parcher and John Nash focuses on making John aware of his realness. Parcher undergoes a lot in his efforts to convince John that he is not a piece of John’s hallucinations.
Analysis of the Purpose of the Speech
The movie has several objectives. At the first place, the film tries to educate the audience on how rhetoric can be useful in psychological therapies and interventions (Hill, 2016). Rhetoric has been used to help John Nash to be aware of his reality. One of the purposes of the speech is to pass the message of hope to the readers. The movie has demonstrated to the audience that it is possible to recover from various health conditions. In other words, the film tries to convince the audience that impossible things can happen at certain times. The other purpose of the film is educating the audience about appreciating the part of society that has health conditions. The film argues against victimization and discrimination on such individuals.
Analysis of the Audience of the Speech
The preferred audience of the speech is the part of the society that is affected by various health conditions. The speech is to provide hope and letting them know that they are alone in the challenge. There have been other people who have had the same problem, and yet they made it.
An example of this is demonstrated in the original movie where John Nash continues to win the Nobel Prize in the field of Economics Science despite is a mental health condition. The other type of audience for the speech is professionals in the field of psychological counselling. Therapists and intervention conductors could also make a suitable audience.
Conclusion:
The speech is a useful tool has it has achieved its purpose. The effectiveness of the speech is demonstrated by the way it attracts the attention of the readers and the use of real life events and experiences. The speech has also been based on real life events of some famous people who have a significant role in helping capture the audience. The combined use of pathos, logos and ethos has created an effective way for communication. The styles have been of great importance because they have enabled General Parcher to achieve his mission of proving aspects of reality to John.
References
Hill, H. (2016). A Beautiful Mind. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/zfjxc2uj8b_d/a-beautiful-mind/