Camel Beauty Pageants and Cultural Importance In the documentary “Miss Camel Beauty Contest” staring Charlet Duboc as the narrator, the viewers get an inside look at a small portion of the Western World’s culture. Throughout the documentary the filmmakers use rhetorical devices such as pathos, logos and ethos to get across the seriousness of keeping cultural practices alive. The documentary effectively portrays the importance of keeping up with “old” culture in today’s times. The documentary is a look into just one of the many cultures of the world. It starts out with the narrator, Charlet Duboc attempting, and failing at driving up one of the many dunes in the sandy region of Abu Dhabi. At that point the viewer can easily realize that this
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For example, when Duboc was first talking to Ben Souaed, who she described as “the Hugh Hefner of camel beauty contests,” at the beginning of the documentary, he stressed how in the culture the women were not allowed to participate in the events of the contest and Duboc mentioned that his tent had the makings of a 5 star hotel, without the women. The lack of women at the contest in the year 2013, when this specific event took place, shows that there are just some cultural things that have to stay the same (1). “According to the rules laid down in the festival program, owners are required to swear religious oaths that the stated age and lineage of their animals is correct” (2). Another example of the usage of pathos throughout the documentary is when Duboc is describing the intensity of sitting in the stands of the judging tent. Anyone who has sat waiting for the results of anything can understand the intensity and anxiety of waiting for anything, especially competition results like the patrons of this documentary were. Anxiety is something that is felt worldwide and can be what connects the viewers to those in the documentary. We all know what it feels like to win and to lose and that feeling while you are waiting to find out if you have won or lost. In this particular culture it was treated with soft chatter about irrelevant topics to try and relieve some of the
For example, when Duboc was first talking to Ben Souaed, who she described as “the Hugh Hefner of camel beauty contests,” at the beginning of the documentary, he stressed how in the culture the women were not allowed to participate in the events of the contest and Duboc mentioned that his tent had the makings of a 5 star hotel, without the women. The lack of women at the contest in the year 2013, when this specific event took place, shows that there are just some cultural things that have to stay the same (1). “According to the rules laid down in the festival program, owners are required to swear religious oaths that the stated age and lineage of their animals is correct” (2). Another example of the usage of pathos throughout the documentary is when Duboc is describing the intensity of sitting in the stands of the judging tent. Anyone who has sat waiting for the results of anything can understand the intensity and anxiety of waiting for anything, especially competition results like the patrons of this documentary were. Anxiety is something that is felt worldwide and can be what connects the viewers to those in the documentary. We all know what it feels like to win and to lose and that feeling while you are waiting to find out if you have won or lost. In this particular culture it was treated with soft chatter about irrelevant topics to try and relieve some of the