The Concept of Truth

The concept of truth, throughout texts such as, Bowling for Columbine, directed and narrated by Michael Moore in May 15th 2002, ‘A child said, What is the grass?’, author Walt Whitman and ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, political cartoon by Clay Bennet, The Christian Science Monitor, all compel their audience to think about the true meaning and concepts of truth, through the way they write and deliver there works.

Bowling for Columbine, a documentary made in 2002 by Michael Moore, raises to the audience the issue of guns in American society. In the film the song ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’, by the Beatles plays during a montage, where the following footage plays; residents of Virgin, Utah, a town that passed a law requiring all residents to own guns, people firing rifles at a carnival, people buying guns, and a man who is shot during a riot. Michael Moore honestly inquires about gun crime in America, he shows his own point of view at times but continually allows the audience to think and make their own conclusion’s to any evidence that is given. However Michael Moore at times uses satirical humor, to bring larger attention and more awareness to the evidence being displayed. Moore dose this by using spoof videos and humorous footage that are linked to a certain topic such as guns and violence. This is shown at one point throughout the documentary, when Moore, visits an arcade in columbine. During this scene Moore talks to, two people who were once bomb suspects, as Moore interviews these two men the camera cuts to another man playing one of the arcade games. The man uses a plastic gun, and shots it at the arcade games screen. At this point in the film Moore could have drawn a stereotypical link of how media and games of guns and violence, become part of society, part of reality, although Michael does not comment on the game.

Walt Whitman’s poem ‘A child said, What is the grass?’, introduces to the audience an alternate way to see life using metaphors. Through his poem Whitman also conveys his truth and understanding, to help his audience find theirs. Although Whitman does leave the poem open to each individuals interpretation in the begging of the poem, “How could I answer the child?... I do not know what it is any more than he.” In this line Whitman through the voice of the poem illustrates the thoughts of an individual attempting to answer the question of a child, what is life? The ellipses in the middle of the line leave the question open, giving the audience a time to think and reflect. Whitman in this line announce’s his position of ignorance but then begins to open to, and realize the numerous possibilities of what life is about. “A child said, What is the grass”, the symbolism of grass, being life, something that is a constant cycle of growth a child asking in innocence's what the meaning of life is. The complexity of the question, so natural for a child to ask, yet so difficult to answer and explain. Whitman begins to ponder, to question the meaning himself. Walt Whitman through thought brings, both the living and dead together in his quest to understand the meaning of life. “And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.” This line introduces the mood change from the living to the dead, the changing pattern of thought, the truth becoming more complex’s. “I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men and women,” Whitman illustrates his searching, to learn from the dead what life is really about. Before the conclusion of the poem Whitman poses, questions to the audience, “What do you think has become of the women and the children?” In doing so Whitman again questions the audiences understanding of truth, he provokes thought before he produces his own conclusion of life. “They are alive and well somewhere;” Walt Whitman, states his resolution, that life is a continuing cycle, the living continue after death, life is forever, there is a time to learn, you die then live forever in Heaven, there is no hell. Whitman conveys his understanding of life, sheds light to the audience on his belief and how he interprets truth.

Throughout the documentary, Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore, is very deliberate, when trying to elaborate his point of view. Moore does this using visuals and imagery. Moore uses this technique many times through his film, on one occasion Moore shows footage, from the Columbine high school shooting. Horrific images of the student body in terror, the wailing children crying over their now dead classmates is then cut to Charlton Heston, who triumphantly holds a rifle above his head and shouts “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold dead hands”. In this instance Moore manipulates the audience’s understanding of truth, he implies that Heston shows no sadness towards the shootings that happened at the high school, Moore uses visuals and imagery to emphasizes how out of hand the American society has become regarding guns. Michael Moore use visuals again to illustrates to his audience that guns and ammunition are easy to acquire in the US. After stating this Moore backs himself up by showing footage of himself purchasing ammunition for a rifle at the local Kmart store. Michael Moore uses common sense assumptions to present his personal view. Moore believes that gun violence will become increasingly more frequent, as long as guns and ammunition are so easy to obtain. Through this scene Moore places the audience in a position, at which they can determine for themselves the truth and view on the subject in comparison to Moore's. Michael Moore, provides to his audience, numerous things to think about, and continually allows the audience to make there own conclusion tot any issues raised.

Political cartoonist, Clay Bennet also uses visuals to illustrate to the audiences how truth can be interpreted. Bennet uses the political cartoon ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ to convey to his audience, how people really feel and respond to the truth. In the cartoon, two choices are being given to the people of society, one is an inconvenient truth, the other is a reassuring lie. The cartoon illustrates the freedom of choice but, however in the cartoon the people of the society are all lined up outside the reassuring lie stand, awaiting a comfortable option to put them all at ease. Clay Bennet uses symbolism to convey his idea and understanding of how people chose to live. Bennet illustrates how people will line, and wait their turn to be feed a lie, so as just to feel safe and reassured. The image is set out to represent a theater with people lining up to buy there ticket and then enjoy the show. Bennet using this representation shows the audience how ready people are to be lied to in order to feel comforted, the smiling faces of the people in the image show how happy they are to freely decide a comfortable lie rather than an uncomfortable truth. Bennet coneys to his audience, his idea of how society works, how truth is a choice and if an individual disagree’s or would like to hear differently that is within their grasp. Bennet clearly shows that it is all free choice and the message within his cartoon is also a choice for the audience to interpret individually.

The documentary, Bowling for Columbine late in the film shows Moore remarking on the impact of video games and gun violence. Michael Moore, investigates the Columbine High School massacre, at which 12 students and 1 teacher were shot by 2 other male students in 1999. After the shooting at the school had taken place, the 2 boys then committed suicide, making the death count 15. Michael Moore narrates to the audience about some of the two boys favorite things to do, this included; playing violent video games, listening to Marilyn Manson music and bowling. At this point in the film, Moore thoroughly documents the boys enjoyment in these violent video games and Marilyn Manson music, to the audience this could be read as, the reason behind why these two boys from Columbine high school decide to murder 13 people and then take their own lives. However, the fact that Michael Moore produced numerous aspects of evidence of how the video games and Manson’s music was part of their lives, there is limited information on how bowling, another pastime of the boys, influenced their lives. This could be read by the audience, as Moore trying to emphasizes his own personal understanding of the truth, upon his audience.

Michael Moore, Walt Whitman and Clay Bennet all use a variety of techniques to illustrate to their audience, how they themselves see truth. Both Moore and Bennet use visual, and images to emphasize their personal view on what is truth, yet still allow their audience to make an individual conclusion. Moore, Whitman and Bennet all share how they see truth, and how through their works, attempt to provoke the audience to think for themselves, and come to their own understanding of truth. This provides the audience to think in a more in-depth and open-minded manner, to look at detail and place evidence in a sequence that will allow an individual to see the truth, in a convenient or inconvenient way.