More handpicked essays just for you.
Viewpoints for and against gun control
Cause and analysis of school shootings essay
The Gun Control Debate in the U.S. paragraph
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The film Bowling for Columbine is an American Documentary, written, directed and narrated by Michael Moore. In the film Moore is searching about what he believes are the main causes of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre as well as what caused other violent crimes, acts and massacres. He focused on the background, history and environment of Columbine and the surrounding areas as well as all the violence, shootings and terrorism that has happened in all of the United States. Lastly he spoke to some of the public speakers and leaders who are gun fanatics or supporting America’s unhealthy obsession with guns.
Michael Moore’s documentary is showing how in a way, American society is looking down the sights at self-destruction because of
…show more content…
There have been more than 50 school shootings in the US, only this year. There was a school shooting only yesterday (October 25, 2014). Where the shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, killed one student, and wounded four others before turing the gun onto himself. School shootings are becoming very common in America and they are on the rise. Since the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, in Newtown, Connecticut, there has been on average one school mass shooting per week. And everyone is becoming increasingly worried. Even Obama said "These tragedies must end. ” “And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.”
Apart from the fact that school shootings seem to be on the rise, and an alarming amount of American’s seem to be opting to shooting each other to solve their problems and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to improve anytime soon, there are other issues that Mr Moore has covered in Bowling for Columbine. The terrorism, the suicides, images of Kosove War, extreme racism towards black people, the lying and exaggeration of the media to name a
In the documentary “Bowling for Columbine” directed by Michael Moore there are two scenes that share the same idea of questioning the laws they have in the U.S.A. The first documentary that captivated my attention was the Columbine High School massacre, where Michael Moore examines the culture of guns and violence in America. He used archival footage, camera techniques and sound to give authenticity and strength to the disturbing event. Michael Moore uses specific techniques enabling the audience to empathize with the survivors and their loved ones in order for the viewers to feel their emotions.
Bowling for Columbine, directed by Michael Moore, has been given numerous awards for the best documentary. For many, such as Jim Ferguson of KMSB-TV, he says, “Moore has done it again, the year’s most powerful documentary. An eye opener" (Bowling for Columbine). Yes, a real eye opener to how Moore will rely on fictitious facts and his audience’s sympathy towards certain events to get his message across. Documentaries have many different modes of presenting their material. Mockumentaries define itself as “fictional films which parody the forms and conventions of documentary, often for humorous effect” (Bowling for Columbine). While Bowling for Columbine does not exactly classify as a mockumentary, it does ridicule many of the events or people portrayed throughout the film. However, Moore shapes the viewers’ thoughts about guns during this film by appealing to their emotions with events such as the Columbine shooting, Kayla Rolland’s murder and the issue of how the United States has the most deaths by guns. Documentaries remain neutral and only present information for the audience’s benefit or to tell history. Bowling for Columbine reflects a bias documentary because all “facts” presented are told only as Moore views it. However, these “facts”, false in nature, do not show both sides to the story. Many like Ferguson believe Bowling for Columbine to be an eye opener and true, it does open eyes to the harsh reality of the United States and how people kill each other because of they live in a “culture of fear”; however, it fails to give the complete truth to many of the events given.
Bowling for Columbine (2002) which was directed, produced and written by Michael Moore, was an instant commercial and critical success. Grossing over fifty million dollars and winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, the film became well recognised and distributed. Nonetheless, the film’s controversial approach to the subject matter of the United States’ gun culture had influenced many to support the anti-gun argument and many outside of the United States to become critical of America’s gun laws.
School shootings seemed like a new phenomenon, but they occurred for the majority of American history. The first school shooting occurred On July 26, 1764, when a Lenape Indian shot and killed nine children and the school master of the Greencastle, Pennsylvania school (Galvin): as noted in Appendix A. Since 1764, the number of school shootings rose exponentially. In the 1990’s, eighty-six school shootings occurred and between 2000 and 2014, 110 shootings transpired since 2000 (Killam,2008). The development of semiautomatic weapons lead to an increase in deaths. A study conducted in 1990 found through the years of 1986 to 1990; 71 people died, 201 wounded, and 242 people held hostage by school shooters(Galvin). While the area a school serves as one factor in the number of violent acts committed per year, school shootings have not been connected to this. The schools in Chicago dealt with more violent acts, but Sandy Hook Elementary, a small city school had relatively few violent acts committed by students.
As a viewer who does not own a gun, and who is also pretty clueless about gun control laws, I was all ears to what Michael Moore had to say in his documentary Bowling for Columbine. In this documentary, Moore raises awareness for the growing need to have stricter gun control laws. Why does Moore believe that America needs stricter gun control laws? It is because Moore believes that everything that surrounds Americans is supposed to make Americans scared; America is run on a culture of fear. Although Moore’s message is an important one, Moore’s inability to connect his various sub-topics and his use of questionable evidence, ultimately destroys the audience’s understanding, and leaves them confused.
School shootings have altered American history greatly over the past two decades. From 1997 to 2007, there have been more than 40 school shootings, resulting in over 70 deaths and many more injuries. School shoot-outs have been increasing in number dramatically in the past 20 years. There are no boundaries as to how old the child would be, or how many people they may kill or injure. At Mount Morris Township, Michigan, on February 29th, 2000, there was a 6 year old boy who shot and killed another 6 year old girl at the Buell Elementary School with a .32 caliber pistol. And although many shootings have occurred at High Schools or Middle Schools, having more guns on those campuses would not be a good environment for children to grow up in. However, on a college campus, the pupils attending are not children anymore; the age range is from 17 to mid 20’s. Therefore they understand the consequences associated to the use of weapons and have gained more maturity. In April 16th, 2007, at Blacksburg, Virginia, there was a shooting rampage enacted by Sung-Hui Cho (23 years, from Centreville, VA) who fired over 170 rounds, killing 32 victims, before taking his own life at the Virginia Tech campus. Colleges and Universities would be a much safer place, for student and teacher, if guns were permitted on campus for self-defense purposes.
In American society, violence runs rampage throughout the country that cause its citizens to be afraid and discouraged about their homeland. One of the major parts of American violence is from guns. In the documentary, "Bowling for Columbine", a famous filmmaker, Michael Moore addresses the ubiquitous situation in America. He argues that the use of gun in America co-insides or correlates to the recent massacres and that America, as a whole, should have stricter gun control laws. Throughout the film, Moore uses specific references to it and employs rhetorical and persuasive devices to construct his argument in favor of changing gun laws.
Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 American documentary film written, produced, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Moore suggests are the primary causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of violence involving guns in America. It critically analyses themes such as racism, poverty, imperialism, media sensationalism, and consumerism. Moore utilises a range of cinematic techniques in the documentary to push the intended ideology, while still allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions. These techniques include several interviews, stock footage, music and sound effects, emergency call audio, animations, montages, self-involvement and specific camera positioning
Michael Moore uses archival footage when showing the school shooting and how students and teachers felt during that terrible time. He also shows us two students who were severely affected by the incident that happened at the school and went to fight to ban the bullets that caused them where they were right now. Michael Moore wanted everyone that faced crucial pain that day to feel justified by his film. Overall, I think Michael Moore wanted to get his point across by making sure everyone feels safe at the
In the documentary, Bowling for Columbine, film maker Michael Moore stresses the importance of more gun control in America. Moore focuses mainly on the shooting at Columbine high school in Colorado. He continues his documentary by examining why there are more yearly shootings in America than in other countries such as Canada, Australia, Japan, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. When Americans are exposed to just as much violence through the media, the poverty rates are equivalent, or more so in other countries like Canada, and people leave their doors unlocked, why does America kill the most?
Bowling for Columbine depicts the overwhelming gun violence in America. Despite Director Moores efforts to make an informative documentary his bias is evident. With the use of exaggerated facts, emotional exploits, and blatant bias. Moore shares his personal perspective on the availability of firearms in America.
Michael Moore uses a myriad of techniques including editing, sound and inclusion of comedy satire to influence the audience’s viewpoint and position them to share his view on subjects presented in his documentaries. In his film Bowling for Columbine (2002), one of the subjects brought up is the issue of gun violence and accessibility in America.
Michael Moore’s documentary focused on the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. Michael Moore searched for the answers as to why the two students decided to enter the school and shoot at the students. Moore begins by explaining his experience with guns where he grew up and how he is a member of the NRA (National Rifle Association).
Time magazine named Michael Moore one of the World’s 100 most influential people. Through his Oscar and Emmy awards, he proves even a powerless author and producer with nothing more than a pen and a movie camera can make a tremendous difference. His documentary Bowling for Columbine reiterated that by a determination and persistence that not only him, but patriots can create change. He interviewed some of the surviving victims of the Columbine shootings along with Charlton Heston, the NRA president. He shows the gruesome effect of allowing guns and bullets to be so easily accessible. Kmart was his main destination and he took it upon himself by going right to the top of a major corporate food chain. The documentary was about how he was able to get them to stop selling bullets completely. Getting Kmart to stop selling bullets doesn’t mean that you’re going to prevent kids from going somewhere ...
Michael Moore’s 2002 film Bowling for Columbine documents the 1999 shooting at a Colorado high school that left thirteen innocent people dead, including a teacher. In this film, Moore investigates the issues of gun control as well as the United States’ involvement with other nations. By using voice-over, juxtaposing images, and personal interviews, Moore is able to argue his point of view. Within the majority of the film, Moore uses the explicit voice to establish the way of thinking for the audience.