Read the following introductions by Michael Quiroz, Darby Moeller, and Patty Gillispie, and consider the various techniques they use to effectively introduce their topics. Though they are not writing the same type of analysis you are, they are all dealing with some sort of visual image. On a separate sheet of paper, respond to the following questions:
1) How do these writers make connections with their audiences and give presence to their papers? How have the writers made their issues seem problematic and significant?
2) What strategies (concrete language, specific examples, narratives, metaphors, analogies, and connotative words) do these writers use to draw the reader into their paper? How do they appeal to pathos?
3) How do these writers try to establish an effective ethos in these opening paragraphs?
4) Which features of each introduction do you find effective? Ineffective? Why?
Photo-Realistic Graphics—Too Real for Comfort
Michael Quiroz (student)
As the camera slowly pulls around the armed cop, you can see the sweat on his forehead, and each strand of hair is clearly visible. His eyes squint as he sees a group of armed men approaching and pointing their weapons at him. The camera cuts to the cop, showing the smirk on his face. A hail of gun fires begins to fill the warehouse. The cop dodges behind some crates. He pulls out two handguns, his weapon of choice, and blazes away. As the bullets hit the men, their arms flail in the air while blood squirts out of the wounds. The cop runs out of ammo with one enemy left. He chases down the culprit and grabs him from behind. The camera is now focused on the two men’s faces. The once-confident criminal is sweating profusely and breathing heavily. As the cop snaps the criminal’s neck, the body drops, and the camera pulls out to show the viewer the destruction left in the cop’s path. Bodies are strewn on the floor; pieces of broken crates lie everywhere, on the ground, in pools of blood, and on top of bodies. As the camera pulls out farther, music comes over the speakers, an orchestrated piece like Hollywood movie music. This scene you have witnessed was not a movie. Outside the television screen where it was enacted sits a young boy whose heart rate, adrenaline, and excitement are at a fever pitch. Little Timmy just killed seven men in a photo-realistic cyber world, beating the level of the game, but what are the effects in the real world on Timmy and countless other gamers?
While photo-realistic graphics are not yet on the market, they will be shortly. Games will no longer have the polygonal look they have adapted over the past decade and instead will look and feel like movies; they will be an exact replica of our real world. What effect will photo-realistic violence controlled by the gamer have on gamers, particularly those at risk for emotional imbalance and aggression? What should we do to minimize the possible negative effects? Parents, the video game industry, and retailers need to work together to reduce the risky effects that photo-realistic graphics could have on some gamers.
MTV Rocks!
Darby Moeller (student)
When I was little, I wasn’t allowed to watch TV except on the weekends, and then I could watch whatever I wanted, except for MTV. Since junior high, I’ve been an avid MTV viewer, and when I do watch TV, it is almost one hundred percent guaranteed that MTV is what I’ll be watching. It’s also almost guaranteed that if I enter my college dorm’s lounge, MTV will be on. Still, I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about the network. In an informal survey I conducted in the Campion Dorm, eight out of ten students watched MTV on a regular basis, and nine out of ten thought it had a bad influence on teenagers. One person said that it glorifies celebrity and manipulates the public into buying products and watching these celebrities’ movies. When asked if they though other TV channels or magazines such as Cosmopolitan or Maxim were equally bad or worse, eight out of ten students simply stated that MTV was worse. However, I feel the need to defend MTV because few others will, and there are shows and programs that I think are extremely worthwhile. I believe MTV has a positive influence on its viewers by raising political and social awareness, as well as by giving a teen perspective on issues of morality and justice. Shows such as True Life and Fight for Your Rights, as well as programs in the community such as Choose or Lose: Rock the Vote have an enormous, constructive impact on viewers.
Unlocking the Mystery: Parents Hold the Key
Patty Gillispie (student)
The color is gone from her face, replaced by a sickly white hue. She glances weakly at me, anticipating what will inevitably follow, with a look of complete dread. My blank expression is meant to look sympathetic as I brace myself for what is to come. She bends over the trash can, with me at her side, gently patting her back, as she heaves and eventually regurgitates her dinner. The smell is debilitating, so I open a window before asking her if she would like a glass of water or a tissue to wipe her mouth. Only a few hours earlier, my friend was carefree and at ease, unoccupied by any of the stresses of her daily life. Now the alcohol has caught up to her and what began as a night of fun quickly transforms into sleepless hours spent hunched over the side of the bed. Despite this unpleasant experience, my friend will, for a variety of reasons, most likely abuse alcohol again. Whether it is to have fun, loosen up, or feel like part of the group, she will probably overlook her episode of frequent vomiting, highlighting the good memories of the night, and continue to drink when the opportunity arises. The truth is my friend is like many teenagers in this respect. She and many of her drinking peers did not discuss alcohol at home, and the number of underage binge drinkers stems, at least in part, from this lack of communication between parents and their children about the serious, relevant issue of alcohol use. Parents should have an open relationship with their children about alcohol use because popular TV shows and advertisements in magazines are glamorizing alcohol use and abuse.