Essay on Film Analysis of Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore

In the 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine, American political activist and filmmaker Michael Moore sets out to explore the primary causes of the 1999 Columbine Highschool massacre, as well as the roots of gun violence in the United States in his trademark provocative yet satirical manner. Bowling for Columbine takes a deep and often disconcerting investigation into the motives of two Colorado student shooters, responsible for the deaths of over 12 people at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, and examines other gun-related issues as well. From obtaining free guns at a bank, to reviewing America’s violent history, and interviewing a variety of people, Moore demonstrates that the conventional answers of violent national history and entertainment, as well as poverty are inadequate of causing this violence, for other nations share the same factors without the same levels of carnage. In order to arrive at a possible explanation, Moore takes on a deeper inspection of America’s culture of fear, and violence in a nation with widespread gun ownership. Ultimately, the documentary implies that the high incidence of gun deaths in America is caused by the deadly combination of cultural paranoia and easy accessible firearms that is, to some extent, effectively established through rhetorical techniques of ethos, logos, and pathos.

The movie "Bowling for Columbine" was made after the shooting in Columbine high school and tries to explore the reasons for America's violent nature. Moore believes that there is one main reason for this, the fact that there are relaxed gun laws in America. Therefore, Moore uses a number of different persuasive techniques in order to try and persuade the viewer to believe that this is the case. He uses certain visuals, music, sequences the scenes in a specific order and uses facts and opinions to achieve this.

In the film, Bowling for Columbine, the director Michael Moore takes an extent look at what could have made these teenagers to do such a thing. He doesn’t just look at the terrible event at Columbine High School, but also at the NRA's effects on people, the 2nd amendment, other school shootings, and how the United States compared to other countries gun-control explanations such as Canada. Michael Moore looks as a sociologist would such as C. Wright Mills in which he explores the outside factors of the individuals, but how the personal troubles of the two teenagers involved are related to immense conditions of our society. He doesn’t look at the intellectual make up of each person who creates a crime, but instead looks at how our society as a whole views guns and their uses.

Miller lures readers into his essay with a bone-chilling tone established in the introduction of the essay. The essay opens with vivid descriptions and investigation of the Columbine shootings, “the boy with the bleeding head being dropped from the window” (435). Miller’s utilizes a dark tone to prepare readers for an essay that reveals the darkness in today’s society. The main argument Miller provides is these horrendous events are extremely complex with the motives being mostly unknown in many cases. The inclusion of quotes from Eric Harris’ dairy, one of the Columbine Shooter, effectively persuades readers through the method of logos. Miller samples Harris, “I want to leave

While he is successful in some respects, his attempts mostly fall flat due to a lack of evidence to back the claims and connections he is making. John Leo discusses two mass shootings which were still fresh in his audience’s mind: the Columbine High School massacre, and the Heath High School shooting in Paducah Kentucky in 1997. When discussing both shootings, Leo connects the actions of the shooters to video games. In the Columbine High School shooting, the shooters finished their spree in a way Leo suggests was inspired by the video game Postal which had come out a year and a half earlier. The Heath High School shooter hit five of his victims in the neck or head. As Leo mentions, “Head shots pay a bonus in many video games.” However, when describing both of these events and their supposed connections with video games, Leo fails to support his claims. He never tells his audience whether the shooters in Littleton ever actually played Postal, although there is evidence showing the two did play the videogame Doom, and he never mentions whether the shooter in Paducah played any violent video games. At one point, however, Leo successfully appeals to logos as he describes how the Army wanted to desensitize its recruits and make them more violent. “During World War II,” Leo writes, “only 15 to 20 percent of all American soldiers fired their weapon in battle.” The Army wanted this number to increase and found that shooting games can make them more violent. This realization is why the Marine Corps is “adapting a version of Doom, [a] hyperviolent game, [...] for its own training purposes.” Leo presents this as proof that video games makes people

On the morning of April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold approach Columbine High School, in Jefferson County, Colorado. Armed with one 10-shot Hi-Point model 995 carbine rifle, one Intratec AB-10 (TEC-9) pistol, two Savage 12-gauge shotguns, and as many as ninety-five explosive devices, Harris and Klebold enter the school near the cafeteria. Upon doing so, they are met with the words that God commanded unto Moses on Mount Sinai: Thou Shall Not Kill. Harris and Klebold tremble in fear and shame for what they have come to accomplish. Dropping their weapons, the boys fall to their knees, bow their heads in penance, and pray to God for forgiveness.

He shows that although the US has many similarities, both have a high level of gun ownership (although he does have a biased spin on this as he interviews a man in a gun shop), we both have a relatively similar amount of immigration and racial diversity, we have a similar amount of poverty. He does this to show that none of this has anything to do with the United States unusually high level of gun violence. He ten points to our media, ours is vastly filled with violence and fear whereas the media in Canada focuses on speed bumps as we saw during the video. The community also said that they were not fearful and would leave their doors open at all hours of the day, this is something that would be unimaginable at least for me and I believe many Americans. I’m not sold on the idea that fear is what causes us to be a more violent society not only in terms of gun violence but in all violence. I believe that there may be other reasons that could explain our high level of gun violence. In the end Michael Moore while some of his evidence was lacking and/or biased did a decent job at trying to convey his

The 2002 film Bowling for Columbine is a documentary written, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. Moore has won numerous awards including the Academy Award for best documentary feature. The film explores acts of violence with guns and the primary causes for the Columbine School Massacre, where two students shot and killed thirteen people and injured twenty-one others. Bowling for Columbine takes a deep and often disturbing probe into what the motives may have been for the shooters and investigates other gun-related issues along the way. Moore explores different aspects of gun-culture such as receiving free guns from a bank, taking a look at America’s violent history, and interviewing important people like Charlton Heston, former president of the National Rifle Association. The film ultimately comes to the conclusion that the American culture of fear along with the accessibility of guns is the reason why there are so many gun-related deaths. This thesis is supported by many examples Ethos, Logos, and Pathos evidence.

"I'm angry someone would do this to us. There are lives ruined, families ruined, and our whole school year is ruined" (Brackely 1). Casey Brackely, once a student that attended Columbine High School, remembers the tragedy of the horrific Columbine shooting that killed and injured many students. Mass shootings in the United States have been on the rise since the 1980’s, especially in the last decade. These shooters motives and profiles are almost all terrifyingly alike. Many of these shooters try to imitate and parallel the tragic shooting of the Columbine High School in 1999. These shootings have made peaceful organizations, such as an elementary school; become a place of violence and death. Currently, in the United States, an epidemic of

To convey the terrible truth that the Allies lost 10,000 men on June 6th, the director had to recreate the gruesome blood soaked waters and beaches and the piles of dead and dying soldiers. The scene when Miller’s men go rummaging through the huge pile of dog tags is surreal.

Moore uses a large variety of camera shots and angles to create different effects. The camera shots included in the sequence range from bird’s eye view to close up shots. At the beginning of the sequence (where the U.S were bombing parts of Kosovo) Moore uses long shots and bird’s eye view to show the mass amount of devastation caused by U.S bombs. There’s also a close up shot of dead bodies on the ground to illustrate the gravity of the situation. The director focuses on a close shot of the High School plaque, ironically under the Columbine High School it says ‘home of the rebels’. He uses this shot because Dylan and Eric were seen to be rebels.

Bowling For Columbine is a well-directed documentary that informs people about gun violence in America. Michael Moore is successful in showing that America has been going through many gun tragedies; and portrays the sense that America’s problems are out of control. He conveys this through informative facts, images, and comparisons.

Michael Moore’s flawed 2002 expository documentary Bowling for Columbine is ineffective in its goals to open Americas eyes to its very serious gun violence problem. Michael Moore sets out to uncover why the United States can’t seem to end its devastating and reoccurring mass shootings, by using deception as its primary tool of persuasion and effect, Moore attempts to vilify pro-gun activists. The humorous documentary frequently highpoints controversial decisions and actions made by the then President of the National Rifle Association Charlton Heston. Bowling also raises issues such as the ease of buying pointless high powered assault weapons just about anywhere, and American media’s film first ask later attitude towards gun crimes and social and racial issues. Americans are left even more paranoid and hostile than ever before, something the documentary should have set out to end.

The Techniques of Michael Moore in Bowling For Columbine to Present the Message on Gun Control

In the documentary Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore, talks about the root cause of gun violence in the United States of America. The documentary shows how more than 11, 127 people die every year from guns whereas 381 in Germany, 255 in France, 165 in Canada, 68 in the United Kingdom, 65 in Australia, and 39 in Japan. Many say that violent movies, video games, and violent rock artists such as Marilyn Manson contribute to gun violence in America but violent movies are seen in France, violent video games are from Japan, and Marilyn Manson is heard in Germany. Also, guns in America are easy to obtain as in the documentary Moore got a free gun as he signed up for an account and only required to get a background check. However, fear is the root cause of America gun violence as people fear getting killed it leads to others getting killed. For example, in the documentary Moore shows that the media promotes fear in the American news program as they only focus on negative news such as violence and death such as in the news they state, “Tonight in South Central, a drive-by shooting”. It makes people fear certain places such as going to South Central as they portray it to be a dangerous place to go to as the news shows all the negative things that happen there such as crimes which make people fear to go there. Where in Canada news are positive and focus on what is going around town.