beyond Littleton
This is my term paper. We got some facts, a "mission"
and had to write an essay. Here´s
mine.
the facts:
Beyond Littleton:
Discussions on adult and media responsibilities are up in the US after
Littleton. Comment on the truth of the following statement.
"Our generation is far more desensitized to violence than any other generation. TVs raise children now more than parents do, and television caters to children´s violent fantasies. Parents are working more and spending less time with their children." Chris Haley, 17
the mission:
Write a persuasive essay in which you discuss how violent children
today really are. Rely on the statistics you are provided with but also on
your own experience and attitude.
Write ca. 500 words.
my solution:
I think that I go to the wrong school.
At least that is what I think when I read an article about
the violence at schools.
I must have gone to the wrong schools for about twelve years
now, because I have never experienced any fights, no shootings between students
and special units of the police, no bomb threats, not even some bullying
to keep the statistics up.
Well, that does not have to mean anything. You do not see air,
but you certainly know that it is there, because if it was not, your survival
would be at stake. Comparing youth crime and youth violence with air? Hot
air? We will see.
It might not mean anything that I have never experienced youth
violence first hand. Chris Haley, a 17-year-old boy said in a "Newsweek"
article that "TVs raise children now more than parents do." My TV-set never
raised me more than my parents did, and my parents certainly cannot be blamed
for not caring enough for me. Both my parents work and they would be thrilled
if I wanted to spend more time with them.
But I know that this is not always in case.
A "Newsweek" statistic shows that about 98 percent of the teens watch
TV more than ten hours a week. About 31 percent of the kids even use the
Net more than watching TV, meaning with the "Net" a medium with which more
violent content can be accessed more easily.
But at the same time the majority of teens claims "The Simpsons"
to be their most favorite TV show. "The Simpsons", a cartoon that is one
of the few considered non-sexist. The girls even prefer "Dawson´s Creek",
not a serial that is notorious for its violent scenes.
If television really "caters to children´s violent fantasies"
like Chris states, and if the kids really wanted to see such things, the
daily news would have to be stand on top of the "favorite TV
show".
And that is the point.
The news are real! They show reality, when they show wars,
fightings, bomb explosions, massacres and after that the weather
forecast.
How can you tell your kid that violence is bad, that violence
was bad and always will be, when at the same time US military jets bomb bridges,
houses, buses and villages?
It is not TV that makes kids go violent or so crazy that they
shoot their school mates and themselves, it is reality, presented by
TV.
Children usually turn into their parents. If parents are violent,
children will be. That can be uttered in general.
Chris said: "Parents are working more and spending less time
with their children". Another "Newsweek" statistic can underline that. Last
year, in over 70 percent both parents did work. Tendency: increasing. Just
a little bit more than half of the teens say that their dad cares "very much"
about them. Only ten percent state that their dad is home when they return
from school. So who to blame now for violence among children? Parents instead
of TV?
There are reasons why parents have to work more. Usually it
is because they would no earn enough money otherwise. [teacher´s
comment: biting, but true]
And again: Is any government allowed to shed crocodile tears
because of youth violence that is caused by the amount of work their parents
face when at the same time the same government spends millions of dollars
on military supply and ammunition to "produce" violence?
I can also imagine people´s loud outcry against the high
unemployment rate if people really started to stay home in order to care
for their children.
And if just one single father beat up his children after he
drowned his frustration over getting no job in alcohol, this outcry would
be incomparably louder. [teacher´s comment: well
expressed]
Then the media could blame the father of bad parenting, and
it would make a good headline. That is what newspapers live on: headlines.
The headline "students kill students" is just more attractive than "man kills
man". One of the leading American news channels, CNN, sent 90 people to the
school in Littleton where two students killed over a dozen people. Only 80
work on the Kosovo war. (source: "Spiegel, May 1999) [teacher´s
comment: unbelievable relation]
Yes, there is violence and there might be youth violence. But
before you accuse your neighbour´s child, take a look at yourself. Do
you have guns at home? Do you support the death penalty? Do you beat your
children? Are you aggressive? Do you watch violent movies? Do you
curse?
No? Then you need not worry about increasing youth
crime.
But who said that youth crime is increasing? According to
"Newsweek" the violent-crime rate of teens has sank continuously for the
last four years. And if the government s stop to be bomb and killing role
models, then maybe your kids will go to the wrong school, too.
words: 900
[final teacher´s comment: Wring an essay seems to be really enjoying for you. You are familiar with the structure and the style of such piece of literature, your style is very fluent and easily comprehensible, due to varied structures, the use of rhetoric questions, irony etc. It has been a pleasure to follow your arguments. Work on the articles and conditional clauses, though.]
the grading:
Content: 15/15
Style: 13/15
Correctness 12/15 (16 mistakes/820 words)
Total 13/15 points
That compares with an A - in the States.
© 1999 robert kneschke
This is my term paper for my English AP class written
on May 31st 1999. We got about two hours to write it. Of course I edited
out all the mistakes already, so this should be a version without any
mistakes.
I can say that I am really satisfied with it. It is surprisingly for
me to see how much this text applies to camp as well.
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