A Rhetorical Analysis of An Inconvenient Truth
Alexandra Spirou
Laurie Bonventre
ENG 1020
March 1, 2009
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Global warming is the most terrifying issue that we face today. The gradual
warming of the earth, due to excess carbon dioxide from the sun’s heat, is the central
concern of Al Gore’s book An Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore, a former vice president of the
United States, wrote An Inconvenient Truth as well as starred in a documentary with the
same title in 2006 to raise awareness of global warming and to show what we can do about
it. In An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore masterfully incorporates the key elements of rhetoric,
logos, pathos, and ethos, to present a compelling scientific and moral argument about
global warming which he views as the environmental epidemic of our lifetime. Gore
doesn’t simply aim to raise awareness but also to motivate readers to take action, without
which he contends, our planet is destined to suffer continued dire consequences.
Gore’s main thesis states that global warming is real, potentially catastrophic, and
primarily human generated. He skilfully utilizes the element of logos throughout the book
infusing his argument with the use of logic. Gore’s book is a user friendly, easily
understood introduction to global warming. He argues that global warming is not just a
scientific or political issue but a moral one as well. The book provides a succinct summary
of many of the main ideas laid out in more scholarly and scientific books and journals. He
eloquently summarizes and shares data that supports his main thesis. This includes a study
done by one of his university professors, Roger Revelle, conducted from the Mauna Loa
Observatory. Revelle measured carbon dioxide and created a keeling curve. The data that
Gore presents adds more persuasive power to his central argument.
To further underscore the dramatic impact of global warming, Gore presents a
series of facts documenting the retreat of glaciers since 1850 and provides the dramatic
results of ice core data from Antarctica showing carbon dioxide concentrations higher than
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at any time during the past 650, 000 years. He also presents a survey of 928 peer-reviewed
scientific articles which “for the most part support the human-caused global warming
consensus” (Gore 262). His liberal use of facts creates a more compelling argument.
His central argument is based on collective scientific evidence that the planet is
warming. As the planet warms, Gore maintains it has many terrible consequences such as
the melting of the polar ice caps, the “disrupting of millions of delicately balanced
ecological relationships among species” (Gore 153) and the warming of oceans. As oceans
get warmer, he argues that storms get stronger. Gore explains that warmer oceans increase
the moisture content of storms, and warmer air holds more moisture. “When storm
conditions trigger a downpour, more of it falls in the form of big, one-time rainfalls and
snowfalls. As an example he cites the fact that “in 2004 Florida was hit by four unusually
powerful hurricanes” which he contends are directly connected to global warming (Gore
80). The use of the 2004 storms to illustrate his point is a particularly fitting example as it
plays on the recent memories of the devastation caused by these horrific hurricanes. Those
severe weather events wreaked havoc on thousands of people and caused tens of millions
of dollars in property damage.
Gore also contends that warming oceans is resulting in “an increase in large flood
events decade by decade, on every continent” (Gore 106). Paradoxically, however, Gore
points out that global warming “causes not only more flooding but also more drought”
(Gore 112). One of the reasons for this paradox has to do with the fact that global warming
not only increases precipitation worldwide but at the same time causes some of it to
relocate. The use of this paradox serves to further peak the readers’ interest and effectively
addresses popular doubts about the existence of global warming. Gore recognizes that it is
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easy for people to doubt the legitimacy of global warming. He realizes that some people
who experience severe snow storms and more severe winter weather are sceptical about
global warming. By addressing doubts directly about global warming Gore more
effectively advances his argument and makes a stronger case.
Pathos is another rhetorical device used by Gore in his book to emotionally connect
the audience to the issue being explored. One such element of pathos Gore incorporates in
this book is his use of analogy to elicit emotion in his readers. One direct analogy is the
story about a classic science experiment involving a frog that jumps into a pot of boiling
water and immediately jumps out again because it instantly recognizes the danger. “The
same frog, finding itself in a pot of lukewarm water that is being brought to a boil, will
simply stay in the water—in spite of the danger—until it is too late” (Gore 254). Gore
wants readers to identify themselves with the frog. This frog analogy likens humanity’s
plight to the frogs. Instead of a pot of boiling water our survival is threatened by global
warming. The use of this analogy creates a sense of identification with the frog’s plight
and plays on our fears. Gore maintains that the larger point to the story is that our
collective ‘nervous system,’ through which we recognize an impending danger to our
survival, is similar to the frog’s. We are experiencing global warming so gradually and
slowly we may not recognize the seriousness of the danger we are facing until it is too late
to react. He adds that although global warming may seem gradual in the context of a
single lifetime, in the context of the Earth’s history it is actually happening with lightning
speed.
Gore also expertly plays on the audience’s sentimentality through the use of
striking visual and graphic elements in the text. He uses visuals effectively to create
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meaning and elicit emotion from the audience. An example of this is his deliberate use of
provocative and often gut wrenching photos of glaciers melting off mountains (Gore 184185), hurricanes pounding cities and coastlines (Gore 94-95), and rising seas swamping
suburban streets (Gore 108-109). Through the use of these types of visual images he
poignantly paints a drastic picture of the consequences of human negligence on our planet
and elicits strong emotional responses of horror and despair from his readers. These
graphics and photos tell a far more compelling story than words alone could ever convey.
Gore understands that global warming is best understood and most effectively made
personal when readers can connect emotionally to this complex scientific issue. He
understands that too much text can alienate readers. Gore incorporates vivid images to rally
support and persuade readers that each one has a vital personal stake in the fight against
global warming.
One other particularly effective graphic treatment used in the book is the
incorporation of stark black pages with bold white lettering. The black and white pages
(Gore 196, 197) emphasize the grim reality of global warming and serve to reinforce the
fact that the issue at its core is a clear black and white case. In other words, the stark use of
black and white throughout the book implies there is no ‘grey’ when it comes to this issue;
we either make certain changes and reduce the impact of global warming, or we are
doomed to suffer the catastrophic consequences of our inactions. Gore also presents
numerous heart wrenching photos designed to elicit a strong emotional reaction from the
reader. The photos he uses depicting the devastation left in the wake of hurricane Katrina
are particularly powerful. Gore is banking on readers recent memories of that catastrophic
event to bolster the persuasive power of his argument.
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He further manipulates and plays on our emotions by sharing with the readers the
tragic tale of polar bears drowning in droves as they attempt to swim longer and longer
distances because of the decreasing availability of solid ice sheets (Gore 147). He also
presents photos of the beautiful emperor penguins (Gore 179) and tells the reader that these
beloved creatures are facing extinction and may soon disappear from the planet because of
the impact of global warming. By sharing the plight of these poor animals Gore effectively
pulls on his readers heart strings and plays on our guilt since global warming is primarily
human caused. Readers are confronted with the harsh truth: humans are the cause of global
warming, and because of it, many beautiful creatures and precious ecosystems are destined
for death because of human kind. Gore’s skilful use of pathos throughout the book further
supports and strengthens his argument and his effort to inspire his readers to take action.
Ethos, the final element of rhetoric evident in this book, is the establishment of
credibility and trust in the author. In terms of ethos, Al Gore, as former Vice President of
the United States and a long serving politician, has achieved a level of notoriety even
before this book was published. His credibility and celebrity status allows him to
immediately command the readers’ attention. He leverages that status to captivate his
readers’ regardless of their personal political affiliation. As a political figure Gore has
already established a high recognition factor but it is through his sharing of personal
anecdotes in this book that he truly humanizes himself, and thereby builds trust and makes
himself more relatable to his audience. His use of personal anecdotes in his book is also a
great tool to connect issues central to the book with the audience.
One such anecdote involves his sister and her struggle with lung cancer. Gore
described his sister as “luminous, charismatic, gutsy, astute, funny incredibly smart and
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kind” (Gore 255). They were very close growing up and his sister Nancy started smoking
when she was 13 years old. Al first got news of her initial diagnosis of lung cancer in 1983
and she died in 1984. Gore says, “I know from this experience that it sometimes takes time
to connect all the dots when accepted habits and behaviors are first found to be harmful.
But I also learned that a day of reckoning might come when you very much wish that you
had connected the dots more quickly” (Gore 258). Now, of course, just as scientists in
1964 told people that smoking kills people by causing lung cancer and other diseases, the
best scientists of the 21st century are telling people even more urgently that global warming
is putting the future of human civilization at risk. And Gore asserts that once again, we are
taking our time—too much time—in connecting the dots. Gore plays on the audience’s
sympathies by sharing his story of his sister’s cancer and what can happen if we don’t heed
the warning signs.
Another anecdote is about his son, Albert, and his near fatal car accident. Al and
his wife had taken their son to the season-opening Orioles game in Baltimore. As they left
the stadium, Al’s son’s hand was in his and they stopped at the curb. Suddenly one of
Albert’s friends, who was walking just in front of them with his dad, bolted off the
sidewalk and took off running as fast as he could across the busy one-way street. Then, in
the next instant, with no warning, his son pulled his hand out of his and jumped off the
curb running to chase his friend across the street. But before he got to the far lane, he was
hit by a speeding car. He “watched what no parent should ever see: His son was knocked
into the air with a horrible thud and then hit the pavement 30 feet away from the point of
impact, scraping the pavement until he came to rest, motionless and silent” (Gore 68). His
son survived and was completely healed within a year. Sharing these anecdotes with the
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reader helps them to better connect and identify with the author. The whole experience was
a turning point for Gore and formed a new outlook on what was really important, including
the global environment crisis. Gore tells his readers that, “I truly believe…I have an
obligation to pay attention to what matters and to do my part to protect it, and to do
whatever I can to make sure that what is most precious about God’s beautiful Earth—its
liveability for us, our children, future generations—doesn’t slip from our hands” (Gore 71).
These stories that Gore tells humanize him and make him more relatable to his audience.
Gore also recognizes that in order to create a compelling argument he must incite
fear and anxiety in his readers and he does so through the examples he uses of the
environmental consequences of global warming. However, in spite of the discouraging,
scientific evidence and growing concern for global warming at the end of his book, Gore
offers his readers a sense of hope. He identifies solutions to the global warming crisis that
every day people can implement and brings a message of hope which is intended to
empower to the reader and inspire change. He maintains that everyone has the power to
make a difference.
Skilful persuasion relies on a careful balance of logos, pathos and ethos. To
empower humankind to make the necessary changes required to solve global warming, Al
Gore presents a persuasive scientific and moral case which is masterfully supported
through the elements of rhetoric: logos, pathos and ethos.
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Works Cited
Gore, Albert. An Inconvenient Truth. New York, NY: Rodale, 2006
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