“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. Davis Guggenheim is a father. …show more content…
And of course, we can’t forget Bill Gates. In fact his view may even have the most impact of all. Bill Gates is rich, extremely rich. He may have dropped out of Harvard University, but he’s rich. So it may seem senseless to include him in a documentary that is trying to prevent drop outs right? However if Gates was able to drop out of a prestigious college and then go on to be the second richest man in the world, what does that say about education? Perhaps if every child was given the opportunity to receive the same education Gates had, by the next few generations the U.S. could be spewing with millions of “Bill Gates” ready to become billionaires. These three individuals are great components that establish a strong sense of ethos for the film, but the personal stories of the five families’ struggles are what truly making it moving. Guggenheim's use of pathos in the film is horrible. Horrible in the sense that the audience is sucked into a black hole of empathy for these five families. There is Anthony the boy who lost his father to drugs. Bianca, the little girl who couldn't graduate. Daisy, the girl who has the brains but not the school. Francisco, so adorable it breaks you’re heart he can’t receive proper education. Emily, the one who is almost out of time. It’s not a coincidence all of these children have at least one challenging condition they live with everyday. Nor is it coincidence that every
In "Superman and Me," Alexie's main claim declares that reading can make a major difference in a person's life. To Sherman Alexie, reading and books helped him get off the reservation and find his way out in the world. However, "Superman and Me” comes alive for readers due it implies that all a person needs is courage to fly pass their current situation, this story shows how the hostility of such bravery can even be emphasized in classrooms. In addition, he demonstrates to readers that all it takes is effort to make dreams come true, especially when living in a hostile world. Although, Alexie uses rhetorical strategies to appeal to the reader in more than one way and his ethical appeal comes from him illustrating what reading did for his situation
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
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.
In modern day American schools, it has been proclaimed that kids are not getting the proper education causing them be ranked the lowest in the world. The documentary, "Waiting for Superman," directed by Davis Guggenheim expresses his opinion of schools effectively through techniques such as allusions, appealing to pathos, and his organization of the movie. The audience is persuaded to agree with his ideas on schools because of these rhetorical devices.
This music is insulting, but it brings Americans back down to earth making them realize that they are far from perfect. Guggenheim included the cartoons and music to make Americans feel that the problems are simple in essence, and that overcomplicating them is idoticatic. The realization of the cartoons leave Americans with a bittersweet taste, and are a huge indication that a change of mindset is needed in order to improve. Furthermore, Guggenheim is able to establish pathos by using various examples of troubled families. From a boy with no father in Anthony, to a mother having trouble paying bills to keep her daughter Bianca in the proper school, and a small boy named Francisco struggling in reading and with teachers. Guggenheim gives these examples to set a reminder that kids have ambitions, but with the improper schooling they will not have the chance to reach their goal. These examples make the audience feel sorrow while inclining them to help in the future. Consequently, most of the children are put into a type of lottery to see if they can qualify for a charter
The documentary Waiting for Superman uses several rhetorical strategies and appeals in order to effectively get its purpose across to the audience. The purpose of the documentary is to persuade people that public schools must be changed drastically for the better. Which would ensure that a multitude of students, if not all students, would be given better chances to succeed in life at the correct and required academic levels. This message is efficaciously relayed to the audience, which is comprised of anyone who is part of the school system, whether that be parents, students, principals, superintendents, presidents, or anyone else who can and is willing to make an effective change to the school system. The message delivered in the film is very
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.
The documentary Waiting for Superman uses several rhetorical strategies and appeals in order to effectively get its purpose across to the audience. The purpose of the documentary is to persuade people that public schools must be changed drastically for the better. This would ensure that a multitude of students, if not all students, would be given better chances to succeed in life at the correct and required academic levels. The message is efficaciously relayed to the audience, which is comprised of anyone who is part of the school system, whether that be parents, students, principals, superintendents, presidents, or anyone else who can and is willing to make an effective change to the school system. The message delivered in the film is very effective in persuading the audience due to the use of ethos, pathos, logos, and metaphors, among various other rhetorical techniques.
Countless children across the United States have the opportunity to go to school, whether it be a public school or a private school. However, many children, specifically in african american communities, do not have the opportunity to receive a proper education. They are simply thrown into a school because the state requires it, but what they do not require is an appropriate teacher. Throughout his documentary, Waiting for Superman, Guggenheim utilizes emotional appeal (pathos), the logic (logos) of his argument, and tone to convey the obvious fact that african americans in low-income communities are not provided with the necessary means to success.
After watching Waiting for Superman, I realize I haven’t given the schools I attended the credit they deserve when I have spoken of them before. I had no idea other schools in America could be failing worse than the elementary and high school I previously attended. Waiting for Superman gives a diverse view of how hard it is to actually get the free, public, education that every student is entitled to and deserving of. The documentary showcases five students along with their families trying to get into schools that guarantee them a better future. Because free, public, schools are failing the students by not giving them a proper education, these five students are left to look at private institutions with few spaces available.
Visual Rhetoric: Compassion International Sponsorship Campaign Pictures, videos, advertisements, campaigns, logos, etc. have the power to manipulate and persuade a human beings into forming new opinions on a text. Per Foss (2005), the critical perspective of visual rhetoric is “a product individuals create as they use visual symbols for the purpose of communicating” (p. 143). Visual rhetoric allows for an audience to further investigate the meaning of a text and enhances the ability to discuss different perspectives with clarity. Brummett in the book Rhetoric and Pop Culture (2015), discusses how visual rhetoric creates a “sense of self” based on shared meaning with society and previous memories that have been established (p. 196). Visual
In this advertisement created by Michelin, it is a clear picture of a baby and a tire standing upright behind it. The advertisement is titled, “Michelin, because so much is riding on your tires”, hence the baby. The purpose of this ad is to convince its audience to spend extra money to buy Michelin tires instead of the cheaper, less safe brands. For this ad the targeted audience would be drivers with families. In a more specification of the driver it would be drivers who are mothers.
Three years after the release of Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder is back with his new superhero film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Inspired loosely by the 1986 comic series, The Dark Knight Returns, Snyder’s new movie brings back the two heroes, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), plotted as rivals against each other once again. Dawn of Justice follows the two rivals as they attempt to target each other through a variety of means, seeing each other as potential threats. Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), the CEO of LexCorp, also sees Superman as his archenemy, and is also obsessed with defeating him. For the casual moviegoer, Dawn of Justice is a perfect movie to unwind with your friends and enjoy
Sherman Alexie, in the essay, “Superman and Me”, argues that as a minority, he was at a disadvantage in the education system and struggled to find footing. The author supports his argument by illustrating his early childhood life and educational struggles in detail. Alexie’s purpose is to alert teachers of the troubles that minorities go through, so that society inserts equity into the education system.
On March 24th, I watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a crowd of people excited to see the two best superheroes go head to head. What we got was a jumbled mess of garbage for 2 1/2 hours. Was the action of them fighting good? Yeah, it was okay, but it was far from good. I'm not sure why directors think the best action scenes are done while it's night time and raining is the best time, but this was another occurrence of "It's dark and the camera is shaking a lot."