Analysis Argument

English 101 Composition and Rhetoric Essay 2: Causal Analysis Argument About the Media Rhonda L. Carter 17 March 2014 ENGL 101-C02 LOU |

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The debate over the connection between television and aggression in children has been ongoing for many years. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed (Vol. 124 No. 5 Nov 1, 2009, pg 1495). There seems to be a link between how much and what kind of television children watch, as to the type of behavior is exhibited. Parents need to be aware of what their child views on television and to limit the amount that they watch. Television violence is a common problem that needs a solution to help prevent the growth of violence in children.

On average, studies show that a child will view over 200,000 acts of violence and around 16,000 murders on television by the time they are 18 (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1999). These are some staggering results and parents need to be aware of the effects on children. Many parents don’t give a second thought about the programs that children are watching these days. Even some of the so called “child safe” programs show acts of violence in them. Children will emulate what they see on television into their playtime, and all too often they get a little too aggressive. They not only see this violence in the television shows they are watching but also in the video games that we see available for them to play. As a child is exposed to this violence, they will become less sensitive to the effects it has on the victims and to the suffering it causes (Boyse, K. (2010) pg 4).

Many children have a hard time understanding what is real and what fiction is after being exposed to so much violence. In figure 1, one sees a young boy on one side and a Barbie doll on the other with a knife in it all bloody, with the...