Topic > The use of logos and pathos in the documentary Bowling for Columbine

"Our children are being transformed into little monsters, but who is to blame?" Could it be video games? Or maybe even heavy metal music? What about social media? Michael Moore asks these questions in his documentary, Bowling For Columbine, in which he raised awareness of various aspects of gun violence. Michael Moore focuses his attention on the tragedy that occurred at Columbine High School, a massacre that killed 13 students, a teacher and injured 21 other people before the two killers pulled the trigger. This school has had two students victimized for unknown reasons. Michael Moore effectively uses logos and pathos to enlighten his viewers to the idea that America needs a form of gun control. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Michael Moore used pathos effectively in his documentary. This fascination is very strong in Bowling For Columbine. There were numerous instances in which Moore evoked sadness and agony for the victims, anger towards the killers, and ambition for the families left scarred by this terrible tragedy. Chris Rock, an American comedian, appeared at the beginning of the film spitting jokes about gun control. Rock made a memorable quote stating, “I think all bullets should cost $5000. Do you know why? If a bullet cost $5,000 there would be no more innocent bystanders.” Although Moore uses humor to make his point, the documentary addresses issues of American history. Moore also made sure to include security camera footage with 911 calls from inside the school and media playing in the background. In the background, a panicked teacher can be heard yelling, “Under the table, guys! Heads under the table”. After seeing and hearing the events of the massacre, the public remains demoralized. A cartoon scene with a “brief summary of the USA” is also shown. This eight-minute clip demonstrates that Americans do not believe this massacre occurred because of the availability of firearms, but the American media. In the film, the logos are presented by the statistics of deaths per year in different countries: Japan: 39, Australia: 65, United Kingdom: 68, Canada: 165, France: 225, Germany: 381, United States: 11,127. But what piqued Moore's interest was that the United States had the highest death rate of any country and he was determined to understand why. The opening scene of the documentary is very shocking and arouses anticipation in the audience. Moore enters a bank to open an account where a free gun is given out after the account is opened. He questioned the obvious, don't you think it's a little dangerous to hand out guns in the bank? Like others, Moore can't decipher why America is more violent than other countries, but he can provide examples of what he thinks might be causing it. He believes Americans fear many things, from killer bees, to razor blades in Halloween candy, etc. The documentary concludes that the fear is unreasonable and that Americans are the only real threat to Americans. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay As a result of this documentary, logo and pathos were the two strongest appeals used by Moore.