In the writing of Gerard Jones “Violent Media is Good for Kids” is a very interesting essay in which he describes how violent media can help kids to overcome obstacles. Also, he describes that some kids that used to be shy become outgoing by reading comics, he makes his point by saying the kids who reads this comic, get confident by identifying with the superheroes of the stories that they read. He gave examples of kids that were treated with violent media, but I am not truly sure if this is effective in kids or not because in the examples that he gave needs more details on how they become effective in helping these kids with their problems, also this point will be more persuade if the author supports his examples with information of the parents of these kids that believed violent media is good. Gerard Jones fails to give more details about how the kids that were treated with violent media had a positive attitude towards violence. Jones argument on how violent media helped kids that were deprived of scenes of violence, he argued that were more positive towards these scenes. Jones gave an example of his son when he was in first grade. He said that his son was afraid of climbing trees, so he decided to read his son comics of Tarzan who are known for as rich in combat and bright with flashing knives. He says that after reading this comic for two weeks, his son gets courage of started climbing trees. Jones is telling the reader that just because his son gets identify with Tarzan, this comic helps him to overcome the fear of climbing trees. This assumption with little details makes his essay less persuade because he did no point out the details of how this comic really helps his son. This example is a good hook to the readers, but the lack on details makes it less convincing. Not only he gave an example of his son, but he also gave an example of a psychologist who make a researched with urban kids, but the deficiency in details makes his argument weak and less convincing. Gerard Jones gave an example of the treatment that Melanie Moore, Ph.D. a psychologist did with urban teens. She said, “Children need violence entertainment to explore the inescapable feelings that they have been taught to deny and to
The main purpose of the article written by Gerald Jones is to change the public perception of violent media for kids. He argues for this by saying violent media can actually have positive effects on young people because a violent media help the young people to gain self-knowledge and sense of potency through heroic combative storytelling. In addition to this, when young people are growing, watching a media action full pool of blood, killing, stabbing, screams of agony and pleas for mercy help them pull out of the emotional trap by plunging themselves into violent story. Jones also believes that violent media are a positive influence on children because pretend to have a superhuman power helps children defeat the feeling of impotent that inescapably
Violent media can help people conquer their fear and make them courageous. Jones argument is very effective and convincing because he gives good examples of the positives that violent media has done not only for him but also for his son. Jones explains how violent media can help kids overcome their fears and passiveness. For instance, Jones says that his son was scared of climbing a tree at school :“But he was afraid: of falling, of centipedes crawling on the trunk, of sharp branches, of his friends’ derision” (6). He later describes reading Tarzan to his son to help him get over his fear of climbing a tree. As a result of the Tarzan comics, his son got inspired and courageous and started climbing trees. He argues that not only do super hero stories tend to help kids overcome their fear, but also makes them courageous. According to Jones, violent media is good for kids because it helps them become courageous and also lets them immerse themselves in a world of their own.
It is a matter of great importance how much of media content children are exposed to and what exactly they are viewing on media. The issue of violence is not a new phenomenon among children and keeps increasing with time and change in technology and information technology. The causes of violence in children are seen to be multifactorial and exposure of children to media violence is said to be an important factor when it comes to the etiology of behaviors that are violent among children.
Jones acknowledges these points. However, he refutes them by saying that “it’s helped hundreds of people for everyone its hurt, and it can help far more if we learn how to use it” (Jones). In other words, when we channel violent media into heroic battles of good versus evil, it can empower a child in need. This rebuttal contributes to the objectivity of the essay. It shows that the author did his research so well that he can recognize opposing viewpoints and refute them.
Violent media; a strikingly relevant phenomenon millions are becoming captivated by. It’s everywhere you go, on your phone, the TV or on the computer. As much as people try to avoid it, they soon realize it’s ineluctable. Gerard Jones, a comic-book author, released a brief report, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids” that argued violent media is not only beneficial to children but also inspiring. He goes on to support his claim by sampling his own personal experiences. However, not all forms of violent media are necessarily helpful. Some are more preferable while others can harm them. To an extent, violent media can help children by helping them release built up emotions, learn lessons regarding the real world, as well as create something for themselves.
Violent Media is Good for Kids, by Gerald Jones; a persuasive article written by a comic book author that analyzes how exposing children to violent media has positive effects in shaping a person. This article was written as a counter-argument to the negative response media received after a horrific mass shooting that took place at a high school. Jones defends violent media by telling of his own personal experience with it, thus glorifying it in the process. Jones argues in his article that violent media is a helpful resource for children and it does not necessarily harm them. Jones’ argument was effective and very convincing. He defends his stance by continuously stating the positives that violent media has had not only on him, but his own son as well.
“Violent Media is Good for Kids” is an article which makes many claims to support the argument that a controlled amount of violence could be good for a developing child. Even though this article is controversial the claims serve to support the argument. Throughout the analyzing process logos, ethos, and pathos are searched for and scrutinized. The rhetorical strategies are what makes a paper effective or not. In this case the author uses, what I believe, is just the correct amount of each and fulfills his goal for writing the article. Although this article is written more as a story it still provides information backing up the argument.
When it comes to the topic of violent media, some of us would readily agree it’s a controversial subject as to whether kids should or shouldn’t be exposed to it. This is because many children who view violent media react negatively rather than not being affected at all. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what effects does it have on children. Whereas some are convinced that it is a healthy alternative for kids to express themselves, others maintain that it causes kids to become more aggressive and contributes to juvenile crimes.
In “Violent Media is Good for Kids” Gerard Jones introduces us to his fearful and lonesome childhood. He lived in a world where he was taught to be the violence fearing, and passive boy his parents wanted him to be. But, when one of his mother’s students gave him a Marvel comic book, his fearfulness was transformed into inspiration. He found a way to escape these discouraging feelings through the “stifled rage and desire for power” (Jones 285) that he had newly found. The popular comic book hero “The Hulk” freed him from his passive and lonely persona. Throughout the article he cites his testimonies and the testimonies of others as examples; and shows how they used violence as a positive realm for “overcoming powerlessness.” (Jones 287)
According to Gerald Jones ""¦head-bonking cartoons, bloody videogames, playground karate, toy guns gives children a tool to master their rage." In a bid to further reinforce his assertion, Jones uses his own childhood as an example of how violent entertainment can benefit kids. In his opinion, "Hulk", a fictional character, helped him become more self-assured and confident. The author further points out that his son seemed to have overcome the fear of climbing trees after he (the author) read him Tarzan comics. In Jones' opinion, by shielding our children from all the violence in the media and denying them a chance to watch their favorite heroes, we could end up "confusing them about their natural aggression in the same way the Victorians confused their children about their sexuality." Thus according to the author, shielding our kids in the aforementioned way does more harm than good in the final analysis. Sometimes in 1997, Evan Ramsey, a student at Bethel Regional High School, carried a shotgun to school from where he went on a shooting spree. During the incident, Ramsey shot at four people killing two. Although the jury is still out on what really motivated the shootings in this case, Ruthus (2011) notes that Ramsey was an avid player of video games such as Resident Evil, Die Hard and Doom. Indeed, Ramsey as Ruthus points out was fond of playing these games for hours on end. What did these video games
In the writing of Gerard Jones “Violent Media is Good for Kids” is very interesting essay in which he describes how violent media can help kids to overcome obstacles, but whether it is convincing or not, I am not truly sure because the way the essay is written is biased. Jones as writer is making this controversial topic to gain more audience to read his writings, in addition, this essay fails in detail, it needs more statistics to support the examples that Jones addresses in his essay. Also, we need more information about what is the opinion of parents of these kids that believed violet media is good so, we need the statistics of the studies of the psychologist that support the idea of good
While it gives the impression that Gerald Jones could be wrong in his arguments, there is an aspect of truth at least from his case studies he took in his research. In addition, while no one would support exposure of the young children to violence and violent scenes, not at least in a stable civilization like America, it is quite evident that violent media provides the children and the young people in the society with certain message in life. It becomes clear that the
In the article, “Violent Media Is Good for Kids”, the author, Gerard Jones, begins by providing background information about himself. As a child, Jones was taught that violence was wrong, and as he grew up, he learned that violent comics and stories aided him to become an action movies and comic book writer. In his article, the author addresses why violent media are good for children. He points out that it helps them transform better socially, explore and conquer their feelings, and improves self-knowledge. Jones purpose is to inform readers about the positive use of violent media on children. The author uses rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos, and stylistic techniques such as allusions and repetitions to create his argument.
Children view violence in different ways when they watch it on television, whether it is cartoons or a type of drama and action programming. After children have watched these television shows, they may have interpreted the meaning into a negative behavior. It could influence them by becoming aggressive, afraid of the world that surrounds them, or it may lead to confusion. When it is said that children may become confused because their parents teach that violence is wrong. When they view someone in a “superhero” position participating in violence, they may see that as it is all right for the simple fact the good person does the action. According to the American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry, “the impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later (AACAP, 2011).”
In the book Critique of Violence ,author Walter describes Violence as "The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, male development, or deprivation .The violence that is portrayed in the media has been debated for decades ,and it has rose a question about how does it influence the youth?. From movies to video games society has been accustom to seeing violence in their everyday entertainment. Since children are easy to be influence by their environment, it is safe to say that violence in the media can and will contribute to violent behavior.