Waiting For Superman Movie Analysis

Over the last few years public school systems have been slowly decreasing in their effectiveness, causing there to be many students, especially those whose families are struggling financially, to be left behind; while others, who have the ability to enter charter schools, are receiving a better education and are succeeding. The documentary Waiting for Superman, directed by David Guggenheim, is focused on this disheartening truth about the American Education System. Through the use of rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos, and music, it attracts the audience to the plot and leaves them with an unsettling feeling about schooling that will hopefully cause them to want to take

The documentary presents intrinsic issues facing the child age demographic. The title of the documentary is ‘waiting for superman.’ The title in itself speaks of a sense of hope in an abstract idea that is simply imaginary in nature. The term superman is, in this context, used to describe the education system. The title of the documentary describes the high sense of hope with which children go to school. This high sense of hope is motivated by the ignorance that they harbor as to the actual dynamics of the public school system. The premise should be that no child is left behind. This is with reference to learning in the school system. This theoretical analogy is, however, very far from the actual truth on the ground. The situation is that a lot of children are left behind. An argument can be made from the documentary that all of the children in the public school

“One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me Superman didn’t exist... I was crying because there was no one coming with enough power to save us.” Just as many children look up to fictional characters such as Superman, parents rich or poor, look up to our school system to educate their children. However, too many of these parents are beginning to realize that proper education, like Superman, is nonexistent. In Waiting for “Superman,” Davis Guggenheim addresses the teachers union about the failing public school system in America. Through the use of ethos, anecdotes, statistics and visual and audio elements, Guggenheim attacks a problem too precious to let slip through our fingers.

Educational systems in America are impaired, and the very educators that are meant to teach are the one’s pulling it down. That is the apparent message that Davis Guggenheim attempts to convey in his documentary “Waiting for Superman”. He uses many strategies to get his message across. Some of these include cartoons, children, and those reformers that are attempting to pull the system out of the ditch that it has found its way into. He makes his point very well, and uses facts and figures correctly. He does leave out some of the opinions of the opposing views, but it does not take away from his point that the educational system in America is in need of repair.

The film shows a group of parents giving their best effort to get their kids a more better chance at getting a insightful education, and an opportunity of getting a decent job. The parents go through all the stress, anxiety, and hardship; and it makes the audience feel sorry for them and the viewers feel compelled to help them. Guggenheim wanted the audience to have a feeling of urgency to help these kids and to guide these parents. When the kids where put into the drawing for the charter schools and the audience watches a child be called that wasn't one of the featured kids, the parents get anxious, and can see the pain of waiting. The audience sees when the kids don’t get in, and the kids question why their name was not called. The pain of knowing the kids are going to be sent to an awful school because their name was not called, and it overwhelms the viewers with a sense of pain and agony and makes the audience want to believe there is another way that they can help. The audience wants to make a change the school systems so they can help the children like

The political documentary, Waiting for Superman investigates and criticizes the American public education system. Directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lesley Chilcott in 2010, the goal of this artifact is to look at the role of charter schools in comparison to different educational reforms. The film connects how these factors are producing results that may change the future of education for students within the United States. The plot of this documentary focuses in on the stories of 5 regular public education students Bianca, Emily, Anthony, Daisy, and Francisco who are from across the country and all strive to be accepted into a charter school system. Through the perspectives of the 5 children and their families, the audience observes how they each individually struggle to succeed under various circumstances. Guggenheim introduces the different and difficult options that he believes contains the hope to change the American education system and its repercussions.

An individual and the community they live in are both factors that impact individual's education. Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie is an essay published in the Los Angeles Times that describes the impact that reading had on his life and it shows that individuality triumphs community towards the goal to an education. He Named Me Malala is a movie dedicated to Malala Yousafzai's pursuit towards an education and it displays that an individual is responsible for their quest for an education. Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol is a book that discusses the disparities in education between schools of different classes and races, the book showcases that individuals are solely responsible for their pursuit in an education. Individuals are the benefactors

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, Superman. (“Quotes Said by Superman” np) Waiting For Superman encompasses the extensive struggle with the corruption of the public school system, challenging parents’ opinion on the education their children are receiving. As the narrator exposes the fraud in public schools, by interviewing children affected by it, the audience is persuaded to consolidate on not just wanting the best for their children, but all American children. Because of the sentimental use of pathos and the continual use of the sweeping generalization fallacy, Waiting For Superman is able to appeal to parents without questioning the quality of charter school education, and instilling distrust in public education by uncovering the copious amounts of fraud in the system, thus creating the Superman figure these children desperately need.

Firefighters, Police officers, and soldiers are all of our heroes today, but the heroes that children are lacking in today’s society are teachers. In the documentary Waiting for Superman, it does a great job of showing many of the flaws in today’s education system. In Waiting for Superman, The music and audio features provide a humorous tone and also, at times, a more serious tone. Ethos is established throughout the Waiting for Superman documentary by having experienced teachers and presidents of well known educational companies give their thought on what needs to happen with the schooling system in the United States. The experts in this topic talked about how many of the public schools in the United States are considered to be dropout factories, which is where more than forty percent of the enrolled students drop out. This means more kids sitting on the street with no jobs or education. Furthermore, crime rates will go up, as well as the poverty level because the children can not get a well paying job. It is made known in Waiting for Superman, that the good schools are very expensive and only have limited spots available. To get into these schools, there are often raffles in which you enter for a chance to get in. This method is unfair because there is no guarantee you will get chosen, therefore you may end up getting a worse education than what you know you can receive.

In 2010, Davis Guggenheim released one of the years most talked about documentaries, Waiting for Superman. His film was an eye opening, to many, look at the failings of the U.S. school system. The film follows five students across the U.S., who range in grade level from kindergarten to eighth grade, as they try and escape the public school system through a lottery for a chance admission to a charter school. Guggenheim lays the blame for the failing public education system at the feet of the various teachers unions, and makes a plea for the public in general to get involved in reforming the system. By analyzing Waiting for Superman through a sociological perspective, issues of inequality will be explained using the theoretical approach

Waiting for "Superman" was filmed by Davis Guggenheim. It was released back in 2009. It talks about the education system in different neighborhoods around the United States of America. It also shows the corruption in the education system. This movie shows how the bad the public education is, and how many people are struggling on a daily basis to get a great education no matter the sacrifices.

Many children will be born in poor regions and low income areas around the world and may not ever be presented with the opportunity for a decent education. Sherman Alexie brings this fact to the reader’s attention on a personal level in his short story “Superman and Me”. This story follows a young Indian boy into his struggle of illiteracy and acceptance from his peers and friends. Alexie was able to focus the reader’s attention and convey much of his feelings into his written words because the story was about him and his own personal experiences. “Superman and Me” projects a message to the reader, that when faced with adversity, and when all odds are against you, willpower and determination can overcome even the toughest of obstacles.

Waiting for Superman both disgusted me and inspired me. It disgusted me to see our education system in such disarray while no one seems willing to make or allow any changes to occur, yet I was inspired to do my best to be a light in a failing system. From this movie and the readings I have done in this class, I realized that America is never going to have an education system that everyone agrees with, so the only thing we can do as a teacher is to ensure we are preparing young minds for the future as best as we possibly can.

Through out the movie you see difficulties that the students are trying to finally fit to be part of the system but they still may not be accepted because of their classes. With low achieving school, have a suspicious amount of high test scores the reliability and dependability are questioned. Conflict theory is used that the struggle in society and schools between the haves and have nots. For example, not funding for computer, not having computers, no air conditioning for summer and less opportunities for students in general. The school is portrayed as a place where students do not want to be or care about being in school. The staff don’t care about the students especially they gave up on them. There is a quote that I got from the movie, that Mr. Escalante was asking the math department for calculus

His biggest weakness is his inability to connect to others. He often sees this as a good thing, but his inability to form meaningful relationships with the majority of people can sometimes cause issues when closeness and connection are needed. He fakes it and many believe him, but there are those who will be able to pick up on the fact that he wears a very carefully crafted 'person suit'.