Television The Plug In Drug
Mihir Shah
Ms. Oviatt
AP English III: 4A
7 October 2014
Television: The Plug-In Drug Journal “Television: The Plug In Drug” was written by Marie Winn, and she describes how family life has been affected by the television set. Her central argument is that the American family has been destroyed by the television, and that family unity has been diminished overtime by this cultural addiction. Winn uses many different sources to back up her claims, and some are extremely effective, while others do not sufficiently provide evidence to support her argument. The argument that family unity has been shattered by the television set is backed up by many sources in this essay, although some are much more effective than others. The strongest point made by Marie Winn in her essay is that the relationship between family members has been greatly affected by the television. Emphasizing the importance of eye to eye contact and active listening is achieved through multiple testimonies, including one by Bruno Bettelheim who suggested, “Children who have been taught, or conditioned to listen passively most of the day…are often unable to respond to real persons because they arouse so much less feeling…” Television encourages children to simply stare at the screen while a program runs, and the only instance close to a human-like situation is when an actor stares directly into the camera and breaks the fourth wall. This addiction also eliminates the opportunity for families to talk, converse, and argue, as well as confront problems. Winn uses a testimony from a mother, who says, “I find myself, with three children, wanting to turn on the TV set when they’re fighting.”, to emphasize her point of relationships between family members being diminished because of the television. Winn’s use of multiple sources and her logical look at human nature helps her argument be strongly delivered. The weakest point made by Marie Winn was that of family rituals disappearing due to the
Ms. Oviatt
AP English III: 4A
7 October 2014
Television: The Plug-In Drug Journal “Television: The Plug In Drug” was written by Marie Winn, and she describes how family life has been affected by the television set. Her central argument is that the American family has been destroyed by the television, and that family unity has been diminished overtime by this cultural addiction. Winn uses many different sources to back up her claims, and some are extremely effective, while others do not sufficiently provide evidence to support her argument. The argument that family unity has been shattered by the television set is backed up by many sources in this essay, although some are much more effective than others. The strongest point made by Marie Winn in her essay is that the relationship between family members has been greatly affected by the television. Emphasizing the importance of eye to eye contact and active listening is achieved through multiple testimonies, including one by Bruno Bettelheim who suggested, “Children who have been taught, or conditioned to listen passively most of the day…are often unable to respond to real persons because they arouse so much less feeling…” Television encourages children to simply stare at the screen while a program runs, and the only instance close to a human-like situation is when an actor stares directly into the camera and breaks the fourth wall. This addiction also eliminates the opportunity for families to talk, converse, and argue, as well as confront problems. Winn uses a testimony from a mother, who says, “I find myself, with three children, wanting to turn on the TV set when they’re fighting.”, to emphasize her point of relationships between family members being diminished because of the television. Winn’s use of multiple sources and her logical look at human nature helps her argument be strongly delivered. The weakest point made by Marie Winn was that of family rituals disappearing due to the