Olivia and Tyla Bully Summary Response Outline

Olivia and Tyla

Bully Summary Response Outline

Summary:

• Topic sentence:  The documentary “Bully”, directed by Lee Hirsch, demonstrates the effects of bullying.
• Supporting ideas to prove main ideas

Throughout the film we see the lives of teenagers change through the actions of others.

• Explanation of ideas

Some have committed suicide, and others took less desperate measures to change their situation. Lee Hirsch makes it obvious that a difference has to be made.

• Concluding sentence: restate main idea

Viewers are inspired to be that difference.

Response:

• Topic sentence: In “Bully”, directed by Lee Hirsch, the audience realizes how little bullying is recognized as a serious problem due to adults dismissing it as trivial.
• Claim 1: Parents don’t understand the depth of what their kids are going through.
• Set-up Alex Libby is one of the many kids who get bullied. He tells his parents a little about what is going on, but they don’t realize how serious it really is, until one day, the producers of the film show them what happens on the bus.
• Evidence: Lead-in  Once she saw the footage, Alex’s mom said, “I never would have guessed in a million years that it was that bad” (Hirsch).
• Explanation of quotation to prove claim Alex’s parents didn’t perceive the extent to which he was bullied. After they learned what was happening, they were shocked and went to the school to put an end to it.
• Counterclaim 1: However, Alex’s parents were asking him if anything was going on, and he never revealed the details of the situation.
• Set-up Alex’s parents were concerned about what was happening on the bus, and they asked Alex about it. But when asked, he said that it wasn’t serious and it wasn’t really an issue.
• Evidence: Lead-in  As Alex told his father about the actions of one of the boys on his bus, he insisted that “...he’s just messing around”. His father replied, “That’s not messing around” (Hirsch).
• Explanation of quotation to prove counterclaim His father was trying to figure out what was going on, and he asked Alex about it. But Alex just said that the bullies were just messing around, and it wasn’t a big deal. His father was trying to understand and help him, but Alex was just shutting him out.
• What are the strengths/ flaws of this argument?

At first glance, it may seem that the parents are doing all they can to help, and Alex is pushing them away, because the parents do ask about the situation. However, the parents still could have done more by confronting a teacher sooner, or talking to the bus driver.

• Concluding sentence: restate main idea “Bully” displays the importance of recognizing bullying and working to solve it.