Pathos In The Bully

Bullying is most certainly not a new concept in our contemporary society, not by any measure. This problem has existed for a number of years, and in a great number of separate forms. However, no matter when it occurs or what form it takes, bullying is an issue that must be stopped. This is the very point that Lee Hirsch, director of The Bully Project, also known as Bully, is trying to make. Through the film, he hints at a number of different ideas that surround bullying and its existence, like the magnitude of the impact that it has, and that people consistently ignore the issue. However, more than anything else, he highlights one key idea - these victims are all normal kids, no different than their neighbors or classmates. Yet, for an inconceivable …show more content…
Hirsch makes this fact clear in his documentary through the usage of the three appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos. In terms of pathos appeal, he tries to generate sympathy from the viewers by displaying several different cases in which the idea of bullying’s deep impact figured in greatly. In his display, he covers both personal and interpersonal, specifically familial, impact. First, there is the example of Tyler. Throughout his childhood, he was always picked last for sports pickup games and called negative names by the kids he was with. And, for this reason, he cried. However, this bullying got to the point where he no longer cried, even when it continued on. In doing this, he shut himself off from the world, and from any chance of receiving help for the trouble he faced. This example effectively makes the point, as it shows that Tyler has become a deeply troubled person, enough to shut himself off from the world like that, all because of …show more content…
Take a meeting that Alex’s mother had with the principal for example. She had a number of complaints about the bus that her son takes, all regarding the growing issue of bullying on it. As a solution, she proposes that Alex be moved to another, possibly safer, bus. She makes a great deal of solid points, and her solution is not outrageous, but rather, realistic and fair. One might think that the principal would respect these words, and consider, if not immediately okaying, Alex’s switch to a different bus. However, this is not the case. The principal states that there is nothing wrong with the bus, that it is “good as gold”. Furthermore, she adds that she would try to help, but it would do no