Bus 174 is a documentary that takes us through the incidence of June 12 2000 where a young man hijacked the bus and terrorized the passengers. After four hours of the experience, the police came in and in their attempt to shoot the young man, they short one of the hostages who was a woman. After interrogations with the young man, it was realized that he did not have a good background, which mainly contributed, to his criminal life. On the other hand, representing the body is literature by Bill Nichol who focuses on the representation of documentaries basing on historic facts. He notes that fact that there is a misrepresentation of truths and reality where documentaries tend to exaggerate facts. He compares this to the body, which is subject to being worn out and being sick even as it ages (Nichols, 260). This he considers that historical facts also fade just like the body when they are moved from one stage to the other. This one weakness is common among film and documentary producers who consider their interests more than the real factors.
Bus 174 is an example of how assumptions are made by the police or the people in the higher class when they look at criminals. They mainly despise criminals without the bother of understanding what could have led to their lifestyle (Chapman, 44). Such people are doomed to death due their upbringing, which could be the main reason why they adopted such a criminal life. Looking at the events, we realize that the young man was doomed to die immediately the police caught him. It was only by chance that a woman had to die in his place as he lived to tell the story of his life. If the police had to represent the case, they would not have looked at his historical background and upbringing, he would mainly be charged by his criminal offences not realizing that there are other more sympathetic issues that led to his criminal life.
Just as historical documentaries are represented basing on the intentions of the producers, there are high chances that if such a story had to be retold by the police, they would have termed the young man as a violent criminal who terrorized people in the bus (Miller, Vandome & John, 76). They would not look further into his miserable situations where criminal acts became the only alternative through which he would survive (General Books LLC, 54). It is such a pity that the poor are neglected and looked at people who do not matter in the society. When the children go to the rich man’s doorstep to ask genuinely for food and they are chased away, they develop the attitude that they cannot obtain anything with courtesy. After several rounds of seeking for such help in a genuine way without success, they decide to obtain it by force. They realize that taking things by force is even more beneficial as they can get what they want as long as they employ more sophisticated tactics.
Just as the body gains more experience and knowledge as it ages, we realize that children who survived by begging reach a point when they have to change their tactics. If they were engaged in simple criminal acts to obtain some food for the hour, they realize that their needs grow with age and hence the need to obtain more. This will make them devise other sophisticated means to earn a living like hijacking a bus. They cannot obtain any good employment that will earn them what they want due to their minimal level of education. They will therefore resolve for violence with information that a simple act of violence is likely to earn them some good amount of money (Nichols, 254). In most cases, the acts of their criminal acts are the rich who did not bother to give them the necessary assistance when they needed it the most at their younger age. At that point, of time, they despised them as poor children who deserve harsh treatment. When they grow in their criminal acts, the reverse happens and become the main people who terrorize them.
If the past is not well taken care of, it will always haunt the future. All that such a young man needed was some sacrifice fro the rich tor the government to offer them education and probably a place where they could be fed and sheltered. This would have minimized their level of exposure to crime as they are made to grow just like the other children. The only way to keep the nation safe is to take care of the younger generation (Nichols, 251). Whenever a poor person is ignored in the society, it implies that they have to look for other means through which they have to survive.ine their efforts to obtain what they need in the right manner, they are despised and even abused of not being able to work hard. This pain overwhelms them and they decide to harm mothers as they realize that nobody cares for them. The only ay the feel they can be accepted is by joining with other gags and terrorizing the community. They care less about death because they know they are after all left for the dead.
Works cited
Chapman, Jane. Issues in Contemporary Documentary. London: Polity, 2009.
General Books LLC. Brazilian Documentary Films: Bus 174, Jango, Demons and Wonders, They Killed Sister Dorothy, Damned - The Strange World of Jos Mojica Marins, The Universe of Mojica Marins, O Ser. New York: General Books LLC, 2010.
Grant, Barry. Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video. New York: Wayne State University Press, 1998.
Miller, Frederic. Vandome, Agnes & John, McBrewster. Bus 174. London: VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller e.K., 2010.
Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2010.
Nichols, Bill. Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1991.
