Life In The Day Of A Bug

Life In The Day Of A Bug

A Bug’s Life is a children’s movie that shows the faults and adventures of a small ant named Flik.  Flik ultimately saves the colony from the grasshoppers with the help of a group of circus bugs.  This movie presents two different arguments to the public.  The negative message is government taxes too high.  They are taking away the incomes of the hard working middle class.  On the flip side, the positive message is the stand up for yourself and friends when it comes to bullying.  This is a problem in our society today that can only be fixed by the kids then it is happening to or witnesses. 

The ants work all year to store up enough food for the grasshoppers to just come and eat it all.  Once this happens, there is barely any food left for the ants themselves to eat.  At the beginning of the movie, the only ant that finds this to not be acceptable is Flik.  Flik then risks his life to find a solution to this problem.  When relating this to the government and taxes you can see that the middle class works too hard for 25% of their income to be taken away. Lunsford says, “providing appropriate evidence ought to become a habit when writing an argument” (Lunsford 74).  All the facts are there, and the facts are that some families don’t make enough money to lose that much, which then makes it hard to support a family with children.  This argument is very prevalent in society today, creating all three of the big appeals.  Ethos comes from the credibility of the argument being debated about in elections throughout America.  Pathos is from the emotions this topic stirs.  People love their money, and seeing it taken away just like that can fire some people up.  And finally Logos; just like in A Bug’s Life, there are solutions to the problem. And the reasoning behind these solutions makes sense.  This argument was very effective for one huge reason; people love their money, or in the ants case, food.

At the end of the movie, the ants get more confident with themselves, with the help of the circus bugs, and finally stand up for themselves.  Princess Atta, who is making all the big decisions regarding the colony, is quoted saying, “You see Hopper, nature has a certain order.  The ants pick the food, the ants keep the food, and the grasshoppers leave!”  Hopper is the bully in the movie.  He forces the ants to pick food for him and his kind all spring, not giving the ants enough time to pick for themselves.  Princess Atta and her kind have been scarred of the grasshoppers their whole lives, but the turning point in the movie was when they finally stand up for themselves.  Bullying happens every day, to kids of all ages.  And how can something like this be stopped?  By the kids themselves take action.  A Bug’s Life encourages children of all ages to take a stand on bullying.  Logos is created again by the argument being apparent in society.  Emotions are easy to get going, especially with a topic that is behind the issues of so many teenagers in this generation.  And lastly, the Ethos is from the credible argument proving that this does happen, whether people chose to ignore it or not.  In the movie, this positive argument does a better job of presenting itself. As Lunsford quotes Bill Clinton saying, “Feel their pain”(Lunsford 44).  Viewers can feel the ants pain.  It is obvious that the ants are being bullied by the grasshoppers, and very clear that the ants finally take a stand for themselves. 

Both arguments that are presented in A Bug’s Life are prevalent in society, which is why the movie did so well in the box office and why if you bring it up to anyone around the age of 19, they will tell you they love the movie.  I am giving this movie a perfect five pickles because the arguments were clear and concise, with solutions to each.