Day 1: Bowling for Columbine

1. The thesis of the documentary was that Michael Moore was trying to show why the crime rate in the US was so high. 
2. The issues that Moore believes are wrong with the US society are that Americans create too much fear which makes them all want to buy guns. Also, it is really easy to access a gun. 
3. When the Moore and the victims of the shooting at the high school went to Walmart to ask them to stop selling the bullets, and they didn't do anything, Moore called in the press. I think if they hadn't, not much would have been done about the situation.
4. The documentary conventions that Moore used to persuade the audience were voice over, the footage, and the interviews.
5. Yes I think these conventions were effective because for the voice-over, his voice was very serious. For the footage, he was careful in selecting the ones that were pretty graphic, which can hit people emotionally. And of course, he chose the right people to interview. And of thosehe interviewed, he knew which ones to prepare and which ones not to. For example, Marilyn Manson.
6. Examples of juxtaposition in the film was putting the footage of the NRA and Heston saying "from my cold, dead, hands"while holding his gun, and then when the father of a boy shot in the Columbine shooting. Also, there was the NRA's second rally then skipping to the elementary school where the 6 year old girl was shot in Flint. I think this technique was successful in persuading the viewer because the two shots are so contrasting that it's hard to believe that such events occurred.
7. Moore showed a realistic view of reality when Nichols tells him that he keeps a gun under his pillow and show it to him and then also pointing it to his own head. He also went to go see for himself if Canadians in fact did leave their doors unlocked. And even though he only showed a few it is true that some Canadians do leave their doors unlocked. 
8. Moore showed an unrealistic view of reality because he didn't fully show everything in the situation. First of all, when he went to the bank, and they said you get a free gun for every new bank account opened, he made it seem like all he had to do was fill out a form and leave with the gun all in the  same day. Also, when he went around to everyone's houses to see how many people kept their doors unlocked, he only showed 3 or 4, and those 3 or 4 were all the houses with unlocked doors.
9. I think a lot of what Moore showed was bias. He really focused on his side or the side he was supporting, and completely left out the other side.
10. I did like the film. I thought it was well made and although Moore didn’t always show the full truth in every situation, it was an “eye-opener” to the situations happening in the US. Moore was trying to make his point and show people what was going on in the US, and he did.