Supersize Me: The Rhetoric of French Fries The United States of America has long been considered a "great nation", regardless of whether it has the cities and homes bigger and, negatively note, bigger people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a wholesome filmmaker, embarked on a mission to show America the harmful effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness about the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where for thirty days McDonald's meals were consumed for every meal of the day. His film was released in theaters so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald's on his body in a very short span of time. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained ten pounds, developed a thirteen percent increase in body mass, his cholesterol skyrocketed, and fat accumulation in his liver increased. He became depressed and only felt happy and pain-free when he ate fast food. Using ethos, logo and pathos, "Supersize Me" has become one of the most viewed documentaries in the United States. Without these appeals this documentary would not have had the effect it had. Ethos is the credibility of knowledge and the written word. Or in plaintive terms, that one has the authority to spread true knowledge. It shows the importance of what you are talking about and gives the speaker credibility to talk about the topic. “Supersize Me” fulfills this task by providing viewers with facts and statistics about obesity and the fast food industry in America. In the documentary it was reported that every day 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant and that in 1972 America spent three billion dollars a year on fast food while today we spend more than 110 billion dollars a year (S.. .... middle of paper ......ing me puke” (Spurlock 2004). they were actually putting into their bodies by eating fast food. Using ethics, logos and pathos, “Supersize Me” became one of the most viewed documentaries in the history of US cinema and shocked without the use of these rhetorical appeals, this documentary most likely it would not have had the effect it had on his audience's different view on the fast food industry and the growing obesity problem in the United States. In essence, the director achieved his goal of influencing a nation.