Shelby Knox Against the World

The Education of Shelby Knox used first hand accounts from the citizens of the small Baptist town of Lubbock, Texas. Shelby became known as the “Sex Ed Girl” because of the hard work and dedication she showed supporting her cause through all odds, no matter who was against her. As an advocate for preventative sex education in her school system, Shelby argues against abstinence-only sex education. She uses the Lubbock Youth Commission as her voice, and got a lot of attention drawn to the issue with her persistency. The film assists her in arguing her point, but it also hints at supporting a ‘one voice can make a difference’ philosophy. The rhetorical appeals presented in the film help both of the arguments effectively, and there are several examples that can be used to prove this.

The ethos, or the credibility, of the documentary was a fairly well supported. It showed the actual school board President giving his testimony against the preventative sex education proposal. They also interviewed the students directly involved in the fight for sex education reform. Corey Nichols from the Lubbock Youth Commission was a very reliable source, because of his direct link with the problem at hand. He helped Shelby with her argument and showed his one voice making a difference. Similarly, students from the gay-straight alliance group were interviewed, and they were able to voice how unfair they believed the school system was treating them and the club. Most importantly, the interviewing of Shelby Knox herself proved to be the most useful example of ethos in the documentary. She was knowledgeable on her subject of interest, even when it wavered from sex education to the gay-straight alliance. She was also straightforwardly connected to both of the arguments. The fact that the video was even made proves that her voice has made a difference to someone.

The logos, or logical appeal, in the documentary was strong, but could have been improved upon. There were very few statistics, but the few that were presented were very powerful. Perhaps the most dominating statistic mentioned was directly related to the problem Shelby believed was evident in Lubbock, Texas. It stated that “an estimated 60 percent of the students are sexually active” in the Lubbock school system. This grabs the attention of viewers and definitely helps strengthen the case against abstinence-only sex education. There weren’t many other quantitative statistics offered as evidence in the film. There were many solely opinionated interviews and information. It could be argued that the small amount of statistics serves to emphasize the individual importance of each in the film.

The use of pathos, or emotional appeal, in the documentary was very strong. They used an excessive amount of emotion, mostly radiating from Shelby Knox at every turn. She was constantly crying about her issues with her faith, her family, and her cause. Her tears kept the audience on her side, producing sympathy for her. The film also used emotional appeal to gain support for Shelby after she failed to get the school board’s approval. Her disappointment, combined with her confidence to keep going allowed for even more support from the audience. The use of pathos in the documentary was perhaps the most effective rhetorical strategy out of all three. It brought the audience to Shelby’s side and held them there.

The film, for the most part, effectively counter-argues against the abstinence-only side. It could use more statistics against abstinence-only sex education, because as it stands, there are mainly just opinions dealing with the topic. While Shelby would not be considered the best public speaker, she did have strong heart and confidence which is advantageous to the emotional appeal of her cause. The ethos was very effective as well.