Charter Schools in the Lottery Documentary - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages One might suggest that the movie in question makes a good argument about the topic. However, in order to prove that it would be advantageous to work out a set of criteria that should be used to measure the effectiveness of the arguments that are made by documentaries. This paper will present four such criteria. The first one, as well as the most obvious one, is objectivity. Indeed, people tend to watch documentaries since they hope that the director is not biased and is willing to show the actual state of affairs, not from a particular side. It is clear that to do so, the documentary should not give preference to one particular point of view, but feature different approaches. Speaking of The Lottery it is clear that opposite ideas about the issue of charter schools are presented: the pro side is backed up by the staff of Harlem Success Academy, parents, and activists; the con side includes public advocates, representatives of the teachers union, staff of public schools and so on. It would not be a mistake to point out that fact that it is a great advantage of the movie in question lies in the fact that it features interviews with people who strongly believe in the validity of their claims: this allowed the director to present opposing views. Another criterion that would contribute to the effectiveness of arguing a particular topic is the balance between emotional neutrality and encouragement. It is true that documentaries usually send a particular message to the audience, and this message is usually backed up by the appeal to emotions. It is thought that “self-assertive emotions drive us towards individual action and reaction” (Austin and Jong 113). In other words, they reinforce the position that is already taken by a person on a particular issue and allow one to take appropriate action. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More