The Invisible War Rhetorical Analysis

In Kirby Dick’s influential documentary “The Invisible War,” filmmaker Kirby Dick uses pathos, ethos and logos to gain information and supplementary details to make his point that there is an epidemic of rape in throughout the DOD (Department of Defense) and the fact that military sexual trauma (MST) in the United States military goes unheard, mostly unpunished and needs to be addressed at a higher level.

In order to have a complete argument, one needs to first be a credible source, be able to show equality on both sides and also be fair to the other side’s argument. This rhetoric appeal is known as ethos, a method of persuasion, a way to convince the audience and make their argument relevant.

To begin with Kirby is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker that has won 29 awards in the documentary field. He received Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Feature as well as numerous awards from several film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival. This film “The Invisible War” itself received or was nominated for 21 awards.

From the mothers and fathers of the daughters and sons in the military to the friends that are left back home when someone enlists and prepares on their journey, this film provides a starting point to influence conversation’s about the sexual violence and injustice prevalent across the DOD. The film speaks out to the audience’s emotions by delivering jaw-dropping statistics all while providing a strong ethical basis of trustworthy resources, interviews, and statistics. This documentary is a great example of how using pathos, ethos and logos to implore an audience to question how the DOD reacts to MST. By combining all these rhetoric appeals, Kirby is able to convince the audience that there is sexual misconduct in the military and there is no evidence to prove that they are doing anything about