Bowling For Columbine Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Justin Han
October 20th, 2013
Bowling for Columbine Rhetorical Analysis
Mr. Coleman (Period B3)
On April 20th, 1999, a school shooting took place in the Columbine High School. Two students, fully armed with a variety of firearms, murdered numerous students. This catastrophe resulted in numerous disputes over the issues with gun control laws in relation to the Second Amendment of the US Bill of Rights, which gave US residents the right to bear arms. Later in 2002, Michael Moore explored the causes of the Columbine shooting and such violence in his documentary Bowling for Columbine. In this documentary, Moore uses logos, pathos, and ethos to convey the message that US social media, along with the freedom to bear guns, plays a major role …show more content…
For example, he notes the high ratio of deaths caused by guns versus number of guns owned for the US compared to other countries. This shows a correlation with both the freedom of guns in the US and the fact that a different factor, such as media, exponentially increases, specifically, number of gun-involved deaths. Another logos example was when he portrayed the scene of people rushing to nearby shops to purchase guns and such firearms after news of murder-related incidents were portrayed in the media. Interviewed residents stated how the purchase of guns was justified for urgent self-defense; after all, would the federal government or police be able to arrive on time during urgent situations of danger? Such portrays the effect that social media is having on people in the US by evoking fear of imminent danger, subsequently leading to sudden purchases of firearms. Statistics relating to gun purchases presented in the film showed how gun shops’ revenue from gun sales increased drastically after portrayals of murders and abductions in the social media. Thus, the media being portrayed to the general public has to be addressed to avoid further provoking towards unnecessary gun
October 20th, 2013
Bowling for Columbine Rhetorical Analysis
Mr. Coleman (Period B3)
On April 20th, 1999, a school shooting took place in the Columbine High School. Two students, fully armed with a variety of firearms, murdered numerous students. This catastrophe resulted in numerous disputes over the issues with gun control laws in relation to the Second Amendment of the US Bill of Rights, which gave US residents the right to bear arms. Later in 2002, Michael Moore explored the causes of the Columbine shooting and such violence in his documentary Bowling for Columbine. In this documentary, Moore uses logos, pathos, and ethos to convey the message that US social media, along with the freedom to bear guns, plays a major role …show more content…
For example, he notes the high ratio of deaths caused by guns versus number of guns owned for the US compared to other countries. This shows a correlation with both the freedom of guns in the US and the fact that a different factor, such as media, exponentially increases, specifically, number of gun-involved deaths. Another logos example was when he portrayed the scene of people rushing to nearby shops to purchase guns and such firearms after news of murder-related incidents were portrayed in the media. Interviewed residents stated how the purchase of guns was justified for urgent self-defense; after all, would the federal government or police be able to arrive on time during urgent situations of danger? Such portrays the effect that social media is having on people in the US by evoking fear of imminent danger, subsequently leading to sudden purchases of firearms. Statistics relating to gun purchases presented in the film showed how gun shops’ revenue from gun sales increased drastically after portrayals of murders and abductions in the social media. Thus, the media being portrayed to the general public has to be addressed to avoid further provoking towards unnecessary gun