Rhetorical Strategies Waiting for "Superman"
by S.S.
In 2010 Mr. Davis Guggenheim—an American film director and producer wrote and directed Waiting for “Superman”, a documentary that deals with the American education system. Guggenheim argues that they are failing more each year in producing successful students. He finds where the faults are within the public educational system. He takes the time to show us some of the faces to those numbers to make his pubic realize they are more than just numbers dropping off the charts. He wishes to not only inform, but also to inspire others to act. This essay expresses how he portrays his arguments effectively; also identifying and analyzing the strategies that Guggenheim uses to organize and develop his ideas and determine who his intended audience is.
Guggenheim successfully persuades his audience, first by using the ethos appeal. He does this by opening his film by explaining that as parent, he also worries and cares for the success of his own
children and is very aware of the degradation of the public education. He is also being fair-minded as he opens up about a previous film he created where he was actually supporting the idea that public schools worked. Although he held those beliefs up so highly once, he’s now changed opinion. Guggenheim sincerely expressing why this has happened saying, “Ten years later, it was time to choose a school for my own children...and then reality set in. My feelings about public education didn't matter as much as my fear of sending them to a failing school” (Waiting for “Superman”). Beginning with his own experience helps to gain the audience’s confidence and trust. Therefore he establishes his knowledge of this topic and develops an ethos appeal.
Albeit this subject already easily grips the audience’s attention, Guggenheim is smart enough to know that to make his argument valid and strong enough to make his point and cause a difference, he needs to apply a Logo’s appeal in his film. This he effectively utilizes to persuade his audience. Throughout his film he shows many visual maps and charts illustrating the masses of failing numbers of students; basing his information by quoting the research of men such as Dr. Robert Balfanz from John’s Hopkins University. One of his finds has been well over “2,000 dropout factories,” which he says are, “schools, where over 40 percent of the students don't graduate on time” (Waiting for “Superman”). Some of these experts he introduces even give their own childhood experiences as they grew up within the same public school system. They demonstrate their disappointment in it which in time led them to become the educators they are today in hopes of repairing this broken school system. This will make it credible to those people who actually have the power to resolve this issue.
Another successful example of his use of logos to persuade his viewer is when he introduces Mr. Geoffrey Canada, an educator who appears numerous times throughout the film.
He uses Canada to pinpoint some of the stumbling blocks within the system such as tenure—a teacher contract that guarantees their jobs for life. Whether or not you can help children Canada says, “is totally irrelevant and once you get tenure, we cannot get rid of you” (Waiting for “Superman”). It is later explained by Guggenheim that “It was meant to protect professors from getting fired for arbitrary or political reasons” (Waiting for “Superman”). He beautifully incorporates this piece into his work, enhancing more on Logos.
Continuing with the Logos strategy, Guggenheim interviews another authority on
education to successfully persuade those of higher power. He shows that it doesn’t stop with
tenure, but discovers another cause for the downfall of many children in schools. It is
called “the dance of the lemons” by Howard Fuller, a former superintendent at Milwaukee.
Guggenheim explains these lemons to be the “chronically bad” teachers that each school owns. Teacher’s Union—which was formed for teachers who Guggenheim says “had little protection or recourse from a system that routinely took advantage of them” (Waiting for “Superman”). Now according to their contract, they are saying these bad teachers cannot be fired (Waiting for “Superman”)! That is why He says many don’t even attempt to fire said teachers and of the few who do try, even less succeed. He describes how at the end of each year the schools trade their “lemons” to others and only hope that perhaps the one they’ve received isn’t as bad as the one before. He is noting this testimony to show his audience what little authority these educators have against this federally funded education system.
Schools. Her experience is also used to convey a Pathos appeal that will pull the audience 
towards his point of view. With so many predecessors before her who had claimed would make a difference in their lifetime to better the educational system and failed; Guggenheim notes her optimism with which she begins. He follows her journey as she works her hardest he says to, “tackle the problems of her vast bureaucracy” (Waiting for “Superman”). He films her encounters with the evils within the system as she says she finds that, “there is this unbelievable willingness to turn a blind eye to the injustices that are happening to kids every single day in our schools in the name of harmony amongst adults” (Waiting for “Superman”). As she progresses and begins correcting and eliminating some of these concerns she comes to a standstill, encountering two dangers that are keeping the public schools from progressing. These dangers are known as tenure and the teacher’s union which she can’t change. Rhee naively believes she can find a way work together with the teachers union and actually comes up with a good plan that she says will, “reward our effective teachers” (Waiting for “Superman”). Sadly, Guggenheim notes that, “the local union leadership found Rhee's proposal so threatening, they would not even allow a vote” (Waiting for “Superman”). He then films a distraught, defeated and new person, a Rhee whose eyes have been opened to see why her predecessors were never able to succeed. She understands how things now run, by a set of rules that are hidden and painted differently for the public eye. At the end of her interview she says of her discovery “It all becomes about the adults” (Waiting for “Superman”). This strikes a punch to the viewer as they too feel the same outrage and disappointment at the selfishness that creates this barrier.
Through his work and the examples he uses, he makes the audience feel the
indignation and the hopelessness of it all through the eyes of all the people it is
affecting. This strategy is to enhance the Pathos appeal. Especially with Michelle Rhee
who began as an expert in the front lines and finished as just another emotional voice
that would quickly be identified with others who had failed. Guggenheim makes the
audience desiring greatly for some type of solution. As well as wishing she could have
been the one to solve the problem and feeling just as keenly her disappointment.
Pathos is also used ingeniously when placing music that corresponds to the situation at
hand. Guggenheim uses that to help move the audience to gravitate to his point of view
as he narrates the current circumstances; interviews with children filled with so many
hopes for a brighter future, the earnest desire of their parents to do what they can to
take them there. As well as the frustration that envelops them as they realize they don’t
have much of a choice, but to leave them in the hands of luck. He unveils something
known as “the lottery” This method may seem wrong and unfair, but Guggenheim
explains that, “When there's limited space, by law the school must hold a
lottery” (Waiting for “Superman”). So children who want to get into better schools
must wait and hope that maybe that year they’ll be one of the chosen few. These
children are very emotional examples that grip the audience’s attention with the use of Pathos.
indignation and the hopelessness of it all through the eyes of all the people it is
affecting. This strategy is to enhance the Pathos appeal. Especially with Michelle Rhee
who began as an expert in the front lines and finished as just another emotional voice
that would quickly be identified with others who had failed. Guggenheim makes the
audience desiring greatly for some type of solution. As well as wishing she could have
been the one to solve the problem and feeling just as keenly her disappointment.
Pathos is also used ingeniously when placing music that corresponds to the situation at
hand. Guggenheim uses that to help move the audience to gravitate to his point of view
as he narrates the current circumstances; interviews with children filled with so many
hopes for a brighter future, the earnest desire of their parents to do what they can to
take them there. As well as the frustration that envelops them as they realize they don’t
have much of a choice, but to leave them in the hands of luck. He unveils something
known as “the lottery” This method may seem wrong and unfair, but Guggenheim
explains that, “When there's limited space, by law the school must hold a
lottery” (Waiting for “Superman”). So children who want to get into better schools
must wait and hope that maybe that year they’ll be one of the chosen few. These
children are very emotional examples that grip the audience’s attention with the use of Pathos.
Guggenheim successfully uses a strategy known as cause and effect. He
shows us another alternative for those with limited options and their obtained results.
There is something out there known as charter schools, two of which are rising above
all others known as KIPP Academy and another headed by Geoffrey Canada himself
who’s idea is, “What if we never let our kids get behind?"(Waiting for “Superman”).
They decided to open such schools across the country in the poorest communities
where according to progressive educators, Guggenheim says that even they, “began to
believe that the gap could never be closed” (Waiting for “Superman”)—speaking of
the achievement gap between rich and poor children. Canada’s idea for his school
speaks with an attitude that is says, “right from the start ‘No excuse. We expect you all
to perform at high levels’” (Waiting for “Superman”). Guggenheim actually finds a
system that is proven to work according to Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft. In
reference to these experts Guggenheim says the answer is “quality teachers, more class
time and world class standards” (Waiting for “Superman”). Gates comments that “The
top charter schools are sending over 90 percent of their kids to four-year colleges” (Waiting for Superman”). The cause and effect in this case are the ideas with which they ran the schools that proved a great difference in the results which were exceptional in comparison to the way other schools which weren’t run independently. The results of the previous example are used here are used in compare and contrast as well.
reference to these experts Guggenheim says the answer is “quality teachers, more class
time and world class standards” (Waiting for “Superman”). Gates comments that “The
top charter schools are sending over 90 percent of their kids to four-year colleges” (Waiting for Superman”). The cause and effect in this case are the ideas with which they ran the schools that proved a great difference in the results which were exceptional in comparison to the way other schools which weren’t run independently. The results of the previous example are used here are used in compare and contrast as well.
However, here again these effective leaders run into a barrier because Guggenheim says, “the experts refused to accept that this was an idea that could never be repeated or brought to scale” (Waiting for “Superman”). Nonetheless, data doesn’t lie. Guggenheim film shows that never before have there been such wonderful results for low-income kids. It is when two points that share some similarity are set together that they are compared. The contrast to the corrupted and damaged education system in this country shows that they will not make the changes necessary.
Throughout his argument Guggenheim also uses a recursive order of information.
While his argument is moving forward he circles back to certain people to show if and
how they progress. Whether they are children hoping to go to college one day, or a
parent who is struggling to get them the best education to make their dream come true
or a real educator who is looking for the solution. He films just enough to give his
audience a taste of what it is like to feel and live what they are going through.
Going back and forth, but progressing in a way that will not appear tiring or repetitive
to the audience.An interesting quote from Canada is used by Guggenheim to apply a
metaphor within his argument. This man delves into his childhood to the day he found
out that a superman didn’t exist. He said he cried, not because Superman wasn’t real
but he says, “because there was no one coming with enough power to save
us” (Waiting for “Superman”). He uses the absentness of a non-existing superhero as
the metaphor in this film. This to show how that thought is parallel to the idea that
there is no solution to creating successful schools if the public is waiting on some help
that doesn’t exist. Implying that it is required that we do something ourselves and not
wait on a false hope.
By pointing out the faults of the public education system Guggenheim is
supporting his main claim that this system is the cause of why so many students are
failing. The significance of his argument for future generation of American students is
great. He shows the importance of perseverance. Even though many have already
failed he stresses that if anything is going to happen it is because of you. Opening up
that yes, there is a problem and points the solution outward to each individual and
states that if anything is going to change it will be because of “people like
you” (Waiting for “Superman”) who are moving something to cause that change.
Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an
Argument with Readings. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. Print.
Waiting for "Superman" Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Paramount Vantage, 2010. DVD.
