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Essay / Analyzing the link between media violence and positive children's behavior
The article “Violent media is good for children” by Gerad Jones argues that violent media can have positive effects on children. Violent media, as the title already suggests, can be good for children. Jones gears his article toward an audience of parents, educators, or other adults who generally believe that violent media is harmful and has negative effects on children. Throughout his article, Jones discusses the successes of children he has personally worked with. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayViolent media is often considered harmful to children. Gerad Jones, however, an acclaimed comic book artist, disagrees. Jones' use of emotional persuasion, diction, and establishing credibility allows him to successfully convince those who believe that violent media is harmful to children that violent media actually has positive effects on the children. Jones succeeds in using diction to create an emotional appeal, which ultimately benefits his argument that violent media is good for children. Jones begins his article with an account of his most formative years as a young boy. Jones explains how her parents believed that violent mediums were harmful to children, as did her audience members. The narrative goes on to explain that the lack of violent mediums in Jones' life caused him to hide his "deepest fears and desires beneath a nice-guy persona" (par. 1) because his parents "constructed a wall between [him] and the crudest elements. of American pop culture” (par. 1). The beginning of Jones' story uses pathos heavily to emotionally connect with his audience. A feeling of sadness is evoked when reading that Jones hid his true feelings under "a nice guy persona". It is generally accepted that young children should not hide their feelings, but rather it is healthier to show how you feel. Therefore, reading that Jones was hiding his true feelings implies that as a 13-year-old boy, Jones was not in a healthy and happy state of mind, thus creating a feeling of sadness. The use of the word "wall" between Jones and violent media is also troubling because of the images and connotations evoked by the word "wall." A wall implies isolation and imprisonment. The audience will see the word "wall" as a confinement of Jones against his own good, thus again creating a feeling of sadness and pity for the teenage Gerad Jones. This emotional appeal successively forces the public to rethink whether it is beneficial to isolate a child from violent media. To make the audience receptive to Jones' argument, Jones establishes credibility by referencing appropriate sources and recounting his personal success stories. Jones cites a doctor of psychology, Melanie Moore, to support his assertion that violent media is beneficial for children. Moore explains that feelings like "fear, greed, lust for power, rage" (par. 7) are normal human aspects and can be "experienced vicariously through the stories of others" (para. 7). par. 7) through violent media. Moore continues to argue that “children need violent entertainment to explore the inevitable feelings they have been taught to deny,” which ultimately results in “more resilient autonomy” (para. 7). Referring to a doctor of psychology creates credibility for.