Surname 1 Rhetorical Analysis of Thin Blue Line The Thin Blue Line is a film by Errol Morris that explores the dynamics of a 1976 homicide case of Robert Wood, a law enforcer, and the imprisoned individual, Randall Dale Adams

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Surname 1 Rhetorical Analysis of Thin Blue Line The Thin Blue Line is a film by Errol Morris that explores the dynamics of a 1976 homicide case of Robert Wood, a law enforcer, and the imprisoned individual, Randall Dale Adams. The 1988 film starts by showing the contradicting evidence gathered by the police from both Adams and Harris, a 16-year-old boy who helped Harris (Gerardhofson). The flimsy evidence from the police, who were under extreme pressure, was responsible for sentencing Adam’s death sentence. At the end of the film, Morris applies his interpretation of events to convince the audience of the truth, which the people willingly accept. The rhetorical analysis reveals how interviews with key individuals involved and reenactment helped Morris reconstruct the truth and convince people of Adams's innocence. In proving Adams's innocence, Morris applies ethos to present his victim in a radically different way to what the persecution made people believe. While acting as a moral administrator, Morris initiates by merging the interviews of both suspects explaining the events leading to the murder. Afterward, Morris shows an unrealistic noir-like rebuild of the murder and the edits of newspaper phrases. The events created in the film do not reveal the culprit of the crime, and even later, while revealing the montages, Morris does not state Adams's guiltiness (Gerardhofson). Additionally, Morris highlights the negative character of Adams provided to the judges, jury, and citizens, which portrayed him as a murderer even before his case. Contrary, Morris opted to delay showing the audience this fact until the sixth minute (Flores). It helped eliminate any chances of prejudice towards the individual. Acting as a moral administrator, Morris questions the ethical application towards Adams's conviction. The application of logical argument using distorted murky and reenactment of Officer Wood’s scene shows the ambiguity of the case presented in court. The unique utility of Surname 2 unrealistic, captivating, and styled scenes captures the abnormality of the scene. The devices used in the film help the audience go deeper than what happened and look for irregularities of the event. By reconstructing the major scenes and elements, such as car license plate and manufacturer, Morris successfully argued against the conflicting evidence and uncertainty of what happened, especially at the traffic stop when the officer was shot (Gerardhofson). It is worth noting that despite the lack of clarity on who killed the police from the reenactments, they make the audience questions the facts presented by the police. Morris places the audience in the jury’s position and presents different perspectives that evoke questions about the legitimacy of the facts presented in court. Morris tries to evoke the audience's emotions by provoking anger towards the justice system and sympathy towards Adams by presenting the witnesses of the case as unreliable. An example of pathos application is Morris's interview with Emily Miller, a key witness for the prosecutor. During the engagement, it is revealed that Miller did not actively see the event and was only brought in to wave her finger to prove Adams’s guilt (Gerardhofson). In addition to the interview, Morris uses edits to prove her unreliability, such as her obsession with the detective narrative which proves a conflict of interest. Morris further invalidates her testimony by engaging her friends, who state that Miller never tells the truth. The application of circus-like background music from Boston Blackie demeans her. Through stylistic devices rather than testimonies and language, Morris discredits the witnesses and influences the audience to side with Adams on his claim for innocence (Flores). Morris was keen to belittle the key individuals of the case as it easily convinces the audience of irregularities in the prosecution. Surname 3 Works Cited Flores, Lucien J. "The Thin Blue Line and the Ambiguous Truth." Inquiries Journal, vol. 4, no. 5. 2012. www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/640/the-thin-blue-line-and-the-ambiguoustruth#:~:text=In%20his%201988%20documentary%2C%20The,the%20murder%2C%20 Randall%20Dale%20Adams. Accessed 29 April 2021 Gerardhofson. “The Thin Blue Line 1988 part 1/2.” Daily Motion, 2016, https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3h2rf - “The Thin Blue Line 1988 part 2/2.” Daily Motion, 2016, https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3h2rbc 18 18 3.17 Part Two of the Paper-"The Postmodern Challenge" (GRADED DISCUSSION) Please submit the second part of The Thin Blue Line paper-the transition to and work with "The Postmodern Challenge" and your conclusion. Once you have submitted this portion of the paper, please evaluate two other students' submissions. You can use the rubric below to help guide your assessment: Does "The Postmodern Challenge" section: 1. Transition smoothly from the rhetorical analysis to "The Postmodern Challenge"? 2. Introduce Richard Sherwin, "The Postmodern Challenge" text, and define and explain Sherwin's conception on the postmodern challenge? 3. Explain how the postmodern challenge complicates Errol Morris's causal-linear narrative in The Thin Blue Line? Consider the questions: What non-linear narratives-acausal elements of the documentary that complicate the case suporting Adams's innocence-are presented early on but abandoned by the end of the film? Why? Finally, why do viewers tend to disregard the nonlinear narrative? Does the conclusion: • Extend the conversation “beyond” the project of the paper? What are the implications of the work you've done with The Thin Blue Line and “The Postmodern Challenge"? In other words, what are the takeaways in regard to seeking truth, or the problems of perception, or the problems with the justice system? Think of the larger picture. Part 2: After the rhetorical analysis of the director's cinematic strategies, you should then transition to Richard Sherwin's “The Postmodern Challenge," explaining how it can be used a lens to clarify or explain certain aspects of the film. As stated earlier, “The Postmodern Challenge” was written in response to The Thin Blue Line, but many creative applications to both films are certainly possible. Grading Rubric 1. Do you thoroughly and thoughtfully analyze and explain how Nolan/Tykwer uses his film to construct an argument? Do you isolate particular rhetorical strategies and explain the director's attempts to influence the audience's thinking/attitudes towards the protagonist and the narrative argument? 2. Do you smoothly transition to Richard Sherwin's “The Postmodern Challenge," accurately define the postmodern challenge, and offer creative applications to your chosen film? 3. Have you chosen a structure for your ideas that will convince an audience of your argument most effectively? Do you lead the reader carefully from one idea to the next? Are your paragraphs fully developed and cohesive? 4. Sources: Do you incorporate examples from the film and quotations/paraphrasing from Sherwin successfully into the essay? Do you strike an effective balance between their ideas and your own, moving smoothly between the two?