Reforming a Flawed Society
Fear is a unique concept that has the ability to manifest itself with the minds of even the most powerful human individuals, warping them to believe that the increased use of weapons can shut out this fear forever. However, when America is deemed as the country with the most gun-related deaths in the world, the public finally considers for a moment if building more and more weapons to conquer this new fear is truly the only salvation. On April 20, 1999, one of the worst mass school shootings occurred at Columbine High School, which is in the small suburban neighbourhood of Littleton, Colorado. As the nation mourns for the loss of twelve students and a teacher, they search for an explanation to how two high school…show more content… Firstly, the dynamic use of imagery within the documentary emphasizes the impact to human lives because of the insufficient laws, resulting in the desperate need for improved regulations. For example, a powerful image is the security footage of the Columbine High School’s cafeteria when the two perpetrators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, open fire at the student body in the midst of a crowded lunch period. As frantic students and teachers are seen crouching under the tables in fear, it is evident that many are injured and the entire room had been thrown into chaos. By simply examining the cafeteria, the littered backpacks and pools of blood show the extent of damage that was laid upon the students and teachers of Columbine on that tragic day. When the American public sees this footage on the media, the fatalities and destruction of the school is evidently the…show more content… Moore uses this footage to show the public the true effects of arming Americans with guns to fight against fear. However, one can now see that the use of guns to fight fear only invites more fears into the hearts of communities. In the end, a vicious cycle of using violence to fight fear is created and in its path lays destruction and fear. The permanent physical and emotional damage that an incident such as this school shooting can go a long way to haunt the students and teachers of Columbine. Considering this, even if most victims were lucky enough to survive this tragedy, there were 13 individuals that did not make it out of the school alive and 23 wounded individuals who may have life-long health implications. Nevertheless, they will have to live with the horrific experience for the rest of their lives and have firsthand felt the drawbacks of having guns in America. The increased amount of mass shootings at schools emphasizes the need for improvement of gun regulations to prevent future gun violence. In addition, another example of powerful imagery being used is when two victims of the Columbine shooting,
