Michael Moore's text Bowling for Columbine offers audiences a window into a different world, giving the opportunity to inform and change their perspective on social issues and concerns. Moore uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos to help him inform and persuade the public about social concerns such as gun control and scaremongering in the media. When Moore explores the social concern of gun control, he uses background knowledge to gain confidence and credibility as a narrator, which makes it easier to persuade the audience. Moore uses the juxtaposition of Canada with America when exploring fear in the media and how they create the need for guns, which helps him use emotions to connect with the audience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore explores the social concern of gun control, using ethics to establish his credibility as a narrator. Moore uses his basic knowledge on the topic of firearms to convince the audience, as he establishes his background and childhood early in the film. It shows how he grew up in Michigan, was surrounded by firearms as a child and even won an award from the National Rifle Association. Moore says "This was my first gun, I couldn't wait to shoot up the neighborhood", this quote shows how Moore is very familiar with guns and even likes them, but has a strong opinion on gun control. Moore uses this basic knowledge of firearms to gain ethics as a speaker, which makes his opinion more credible and valuable. Having credibility as the narrator of the text allows Moore to more easily persuade the audience of his vision of gun control. In an interview with CNN Moore states, "We need gun control laws passed immediately" and "I refuse to live in a country like this, but I won't leave." These statements show how Moore is willing to change and protest this issue, which creates more trust in the public. Towards the end of the film Moore takes two students killed during the Columbine massacre and protests with them against K-Mart's sale of 9mm ammunition. He then interviews and argues with the manager of K-Mart, which shows the audience that he cares and wants to solve this problem. This furthers its ethics as it establishes greater credibility and trust with the public. Once Moore has established this credibility and earned the public's trust, he will be able to connect with them with a deeper understanding of the issue. This will help Moore inform them first using his knowledge, then he will be able to start persuading the public by establishing ideas and why we should change gun control laws. Moore presented the text Bowling for Columbine in which he allows the public to be informed about the issue of gun control and understand it before Moore begins to explore his ideas and opinions on how to solve this problem. Moore does this very well as he demonstrates knowledge of the subject matter to gain credibility, all while keeping the film informative and entertaining, which allows him to give the audience a window into a different world. Michael Moore also explores the social concern of alarmism. in the media using pathos to emotionally connect with and persuade audiences. Towards the later part of the film, Moore uses pathos to demonstrate how the media is helping to instill fear in the population. Moore uses juxtaposition.
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