Cassie Rhoads Rap

Rhetorical Analysis Portfolio

            Today bullying has become a big issue in schools and after watching the movie bully it seems like the school staff is not doing anything to stop the bullying, they just say kids will be kids. This has become a problem because when parents send their child to school they want to know that their child is in a safe environment to learn. So how can a parent feel like their child is in good care when they are being bullied and no one, not even the teacher is taking action and stopping the problem at hand? So now since no one is taking time to stop the problem this child could start feeling like an outcast and does not belong, or even worries start to think that these peers are their friends. These children do not want to come to school when they get to this point or even worries they want to take their own lives. It is time for teachers and staff to step up and take control of the problem and set ground rules for their class rooms and need to make it known that bullying will not be tolerated.  It is important to make sure as a teacher that each child feels safe when they are in your care.

            When a child feels like they cannot talk to a teacher about what is going on that is a big issue, because a child should be able to find a since of safety in their teacher. It is important to make sure that each child feels safe and know that if something is bothering them that they can talk to you or another staff member but it is important to make sure that the child is getting the suppurate that they need, but as seen in the movie bully a lot of the teachers just set back and done nothing as each child in the movie was being bullied day in and day out.  The movie Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch, is a movie that films the lives of five children that are being bullied at school and how it has become a problem that needs to be addressed. The article Gay Teens Bullied to the Point of Suicide, by Kenneth Miller, this article talks about children how have committed suicides, this children were of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). Another is the episode of the television show Ellen, where Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama discuss how bullying has become a major problem, also giving ways to stop bullying.

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            The Tone and language of each sources is very serious also heartbreaking, they do not take the problem at hand as something to joke about. When Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama talk about bullying you can see that it is emotional and personal to the both of them, in the interview Michelle Obama talks about how she can personal understand bullying because she sees her husband get bullied by politics, but even the things they say she still stays positive. You can see that Ellen talks this serious because see is a part of the “it gets better” project. Now Miller’s tone is very strong and firm, he gives you ways to help as parents, and as a community. Bully is a movie about five children who have been bullied; the tone is very emotional and powerful. The movie shows first-hand the issues of bullying and how the parents went about resolving the problem. Each of these sources does not take bullying lightly.

            A lot of assertions were used in each source; assertions are what the author argues. Bully use an assertion at the end of the movie when Ty Smalley’s parents have an anti-bully project, were his father gives a speech to a group of children talking about standing up for children that are being bullied. Telling this teens and adults that standing up can help put an end to bullying and as an example of what bullying can lead to he talks about his son’s death. An assertion that was used on Ellen was when Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres talk about it does get better, but they talk about how we as adults have to set an example for them as well as making sure that every child has a safe environment. Miller it seemed like he only had one assertion and that was when he said “those kids should be in their classrooms, not in caskets.”(Miller) He is talks about the teenagers who committed suicide because they just felt like there was no other way.
Millers Article Gay Teens Bullied to the Point of Suicide

 Now Miller is really the only one to use authority and does it many times throughout his article. This authority’s comes from doctors and other experts. People say that “homosexuality is compared to incest, bestiality, even violent crime.”(Miller) Then Dr. Scott Quasha, PsyD, a professor of school psychology at Brooklyn College goes to say that “This trickles down into the schools, where bullying occurs, a gay child is an easy target for classmates looking to make trouble.” (Miller) Dr. Quasha also say that “despite recent cultural shifts, kids still get the overwhelming message from society that homosexuality is not acceptable.”(Miller) “Being a teenager is tough enough” says Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of parents, families, and friends of lesbians and gays (PFLAG) he also points out that “There’s so much peer pressure. And when you’re constantly getting messages that you’re not okay, the pressure can just be too much. For some kids, it’s hard to imagine that life will ever get better” (Miller) Dr. Ryan says that “You can say, ‘I think this is wrong but I love you and I’m going to be here for you, and being willing to listen. Give your child a hug.”(Miller) This just a couple but he use many more.

This sources use anecdotes a lot so they can help their audience with relating emotionally. The anecdote Michelle Obama talks about in her interview with Ellen is how she hears so much negative things about her husband and she then says “You can focus on the negatives or the Positives.”(Obama) but sometimes it is hard to look at the positives. The movie Bully shows how five children have become the victims of bullying, these stories are told to show what these children went through and as they each told their story it makes the audience’s very emotional. The one that was very emotional to watch was Alex because he was picked on every day and he thought these children were his friends at one point he even says to his mom “if they’re not my friends then who is.”(Bully, Alex) Also the teacher did nothing to stop the problem at hand. Miller’s article is very similar to Bully because it is also about five children who are being bullied but this children are being bullied for being LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) and about children that felt like there was no other way to handle it and they end up committing suicide. Like all the other sources this is a very emotional anecdote. 

            Reasoning is how you tell your audience how they should do something, this is when you use logical steps to reason, but it does not always mean it is true. Miller does the best job at this, because at the end of his article he has The Zero-Tolerance Plan. Starting with “Checking yourself. Take a look at your own prejudices, stereotypes, and educate yourself about diversity issues. Discuss Values, Tell your child that even when you disagree with people, it’s important to treat them with respect. Have a plan, encourage your child to stand up for bullied classmates and to tell an adult when bullying occurs. Demand respect, if your kid’s the bully, make it clear his behavior is unacceptable and there will be consequences. Push for a policy; find out if your school district specifically forbids antigay bullying. If it doesn’t, file a complaint.” (Miller) On Ellen her reasoning is to let people know that if we want kids to stop bullying that we as adults have to set an example and let them know that it is not ok to bully others because they might not seem the same as you, there is no reason for it. The one reasoning that stands out  the most in Bully, is at the end when Ty’s father has the anti-bully project, his dad gets up and talks to the audience about how children need to stand up together to stop bullying because it is taking the lives of children. Now the movie bully their reasoning is the same but just to show you what children go through every day of bullying and how it can affect them.

Bullying has become a major problem all around the world in school. It is not going to stop until we all take the steps we need to take is showing children that bullying hurts.  All of the sources do a good job in pointing out the problems of bullying. Miller does a good job at give steps in supporting the child and ways to stop bullying which is his zero-tolerance plan. Know bully show firsthand how teachers do not take actions in stopping bullying, like when Alex was being bullied on the bus, his parents went in and talked to the principle all she said was “I’ve been on that bus and they are as good as gold.”(Bully) This why like Michelle Obama said in her interview with Ellen “that we as adults need to set an example for these children.” (Ellen) The only way things will really change is when bullying is out of the school completely and the school staff has a zero-tolerance for bullying.

Work cited

Miller, K. (2012) Gay Teens Bullied to the Point of Suicide, Ladies’ Home Journal.

Obama, M. (2012, October 20) The Ellen DeGeneres show (E. DeGeneres interview).

Hirsch, L. (Director). (2011) Bully [Motion Pictures].