Pathos In Bowling For Columbine

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.

Many examples of Moore using incorrect information can be seen throughout the film. When he puts emphasis on the arrogance of the gun rally which was held eleven days after the shootings, to the ‘naked’ eye, it may seem that the act, was indeed ignorant and immoral, but this portrayal is not actually factual. The truth is that: The Denver event was not an act related to Columbine, but an yearly gathering, whose date and place had been set years in advance. At Denver, the NRA called off all events (normally several days of committee meetings, sporting events, dinners, and assemblies) save the annual members' voting meeting - that could not be cancelled as the state law governing non-profits made it mandatory that it be held. (There was no way to change the place, since under NY law you must give 10 days' advance notice of that to the members, there were more than 4,000,000 members - and Columbine occurred 11 days prior to the scheduled meeting).

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.

On Tuesday, April 20 1999, Columbine High School located in Columbine Colorado an unfortunate massacre happened and many teens lost their lives. The two students responsible for this incident were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. These two senior students were responsible for killing twelve students and one teacher; they were also responsible for injuring an additional twenty one students on their rampage. A few other students were injured while trying to escape the school. Columbine is considered the fourth deadliest school massacre in history. It was said to be that there was not one target but everyone was a target on Eric and Dylan’s rampage through the high school

Over the past couple of decades, school shooting have seemed to occur often-- continuously shocking the nation and reminding everyone that no community is exempt from such horror. One main contributor of this hysteria is found within the media. At the catalyst of this hysteria, lies the horrific Columbine shooting in 1999. Since then, school shootings have received ample coverage-- some argue that this has romanticized school shootings, others argue that is has provided condemning coverage of the often insane perpetrators. In the first year after the Columbine shooting, over 10,000 articles were written about the event, likely setting the stage for the nationwide desire for constant coverage of such events (Elsass et al, p. 445-446).

Because I 'm older, curious by nature, and an avid reader of research (domestic and worldwide), and because social issues matter greatly to me, I didn 't really learn anything new from the documentary. However, it confirmed for me that my fears and growing apprehension about gun violence and guns in general are valid.

Moore situates to learn about the reason behind the massacre of 12 individuals at the Columbine High School on April 20,1999. He details how Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had the access to firearms in which they had a record of arrests, juvenile detention, and drug usage.

The book Columbine by Dave Cullen has been banned for its content about the Columbine School Shooting and the psychology behind the shooting. It was censored from students because of this content that, while being sensitive and triggering to those who are against gun violence or have PTSD from a situation like this, can help spread awareness about school shootings in a world where events such as the Columbine School Shooting are slowly becoming more and more common. This book, having graphic details about the shooting that can upset people who read it, is a book that can be taught, as its merits, literary qualities, and educational value justify it as a book that teachers can use to bring up valuable points in discussion and teach valuable

In the film, Michael Moore displays how easy it is to obtain a gun in current times with the example of the North County Bank. This Michigan Bank was offering a gun to the customer when they opened and account with them. Moore himself went to the bank and tried to open an account. One of the associates in the bank told Moore that they had a selection of more than 500 guns to choose from and, after a simple application and background check, the selected gun would be handed to him. Moore followed the procedure and he himself was able to walk out of the bank with the gun that same day he opened the account.

The purpose of Bowling for Columbine and Koyaanisqatsi is not radically different, both directors are attempting to make an argument. In Bowling for columbine, Michael Moore is constructing an argument about the culture in some regions of the United States that are vulnerable to gun violence. To accomplish this he weaves together first person accounts from people responding to his questions on the issue and presents images that he wants the audience to connect with what they are seeing to create a definitive narrative perspective. In Koyaanisqatsi the director is arguing that the current modes of existence are inherently destructive for both nature and ourselves. The composition of the film is unique in that there is no spoken word and instead the director uses composition, speed, editing and music to create a musical symphony to make his point.

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

The point of Bowling for Columbine isn’t to be biased as Michael Moore would want you to believe, no, the point is that Bowling is purposefully, and consistently deceptive. After the tragic shooting at Columbine, the documentary shows haunting vision of distraught children outside of the school, then, cuts quickly to a billboard advertising a NRA meeting in Littleton, Denver. Moore then narrates “Just ten days after the Columbine killings, despite the pleas of the mourning community,

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

They are not talking about what can kill you or get you sick which is why they don’t live in fear as they even leave their house unlocked and don’t have loaded arms. Moore goes further on to ask a news reporter if he would go to a gun shooting before he went to a child near drowning and the reporter would rather go to a gun shooting. It is seen that people are more afraid of each other in America than in other countries. Americans are fearful of their own fellow Americans as Moore’s illustrates a cartoon that portrays American history, of fearing each other as it shows when the pilgrims first arrived to America because they were scared but when they arrived they were greeted by savages so they killed them because they got scared and then they began to fear each other then they signed the 2nd amendment which stated that every white