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Seunghyun Lee
Paul Conner
ENG 1140-005
Essay #1 first draft
September 17 2013
Is The Television Viewing a Serious Addiction?
In the essay “The Plug-In Drug” written by Marie Winn, the author opens
her essay by explaining two different ways of using the term addiction; one usage
is for humorous or pleasurable addictions to reading mystery-books or eating
cookies, and another usage is for serious addictions to drugs like heroin or alcohol.
The author questions that if “hooked on TV” is a pleasurable addiction or a serious
addiction.
Winn argues her main point by stating, “Not unlike drugs or alcohol, the
television experience allows the participant to blot out the world and enter into a
pleasurable and passive mental state.”
Also, she believes that TV viewers are
vulnerable to TV addiction like those drinking or taking drugs because it is hard to
stop once they start.
To support her idea, she mentions that both alcoholics and
heavy viewers think that they can easily control their addictions even though they
cannot.
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The author mentions that television addicts often feel that they should do
other things such as reading and playing games, but they do not do other activities
because those activities are not as desirable as television viewing for them. In a
way, the author describes the lives of heavy viewers as unbalanced as drug addicts’
or alcoholics’ lives.
Based on the characteristics of television viewing, she asserts that a
television habit weakens relationships because it reduces or even eliminates
opportunities for talking and communication.
Finally, Winn notes that television
experiences don’t provide satiation for viewers and, she claims, “These do not
provide the true nourishment that satiation requires, and thus they find that they
cannot stop watching.”
I think that Winn’s introduction method that defining the key word, helps
the audience to understand the two different usages of the term addiction before
she applies the term in regards to the television addiction. It reminds us how we
often use the word in our lives. Some people use the word addiction in a serious
situation such as drug or alcoholic addictions, but others use the word addiction
in a pleasurable situation such as book or cookie addiction. Also, defining the key
word allows readers to expect what contents will appear. Then, she questions
whether television viewing can be in the lighthearted category of cookie eating or
in the serious category of destructive addiction. Her question makes some inquiries
come to my mind.
What should be the standard that decides the television
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viewing is a serious addiction? Is the television viewing harmful or helpful?
Next, Winn claims, “Not like drugs or alcohols, the television experience
allows the participant to blot out the real world and enter into a pleasurable and
passive mental state.” Her comparison between drugs and television surprised me.
I assume that most people do not think watching television is a serious addiction
like drug or alcohol addictions because television viewing is more like daily time
practice as many people watch television at home in their spare time. Thus, some
readers may think that television experience cannot be a serious addiction like drug
or alcohol addictions. However, I believe that the television experience can be
seriously addictive because there are many kinds of television programs that attract
viewer to stay in front of television.
Thus, I think that people who are addicted to
TV can be blotted from the real world.
I also think that proving another comparison between the trait of alcoholics
and heavy TV viewers affords a better understanding of the seriousness of TV
addiction. She states that alcoholics and heavy TV viewers have a feeling that they
can easily control their addiction more than they really do.
I believe that having
a feeling, that people can easily control their addictions, makes people stay in a
same state because they do not feel that they need to be in a hurry to change
their state. By providing another trait of serious addiction, she adds more credit to
her claim that heavy TV viewers can be serious addicts.
to support her claim.
That it is good method
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I agree with her overall points so far, but I disagree when she notes “It
weakens relationships by reducing and sometimes eliminating normal opportunities
for talking, for communicating.”
I understand that watching television can
sometimes reduce many opportunities of talking and communication.
contrary,
I
believe that
watching
television
can encourage
On the
talking and
communication. For example, many toddlers learn how to talk and communicate
with others from television programs such as a cartoon or an educational channel.
Also, there are many people who share their feelings about what they saw after
they watch television programs. For this reason, I argue that watching television
can help people to have a chance to talk and communicate with others.
In her conclusion, Winn asserts that the heavy viewer cannot stop watching
television because the television experience does not offer true nourishment that
satiation requires. Are there any television programs that can satisfy viewers? Her
claim rests upon the questionable assumption that some television programs can
move people’s feeling, educate and satisfy. I think that the ways of satisfying viewers’
mind depend on what kinds of program they choose and watch, not the whole
television experience.
She only mentions the negative effects of the watching
television. I am sure that providing both negative and positive effects of watching
television may help audience to have better understanding of why heavy TV viewers
can develop a serious addiction.
As television becomes one of the necessities in our society, heavy viewers
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do not feel the seriousness of their addictive habit. Thus, heavy viewers need to
know how watching television can be harmful. I think her claims can alert heavy
viewers to the negative results of the watching television, but she does not provide
any solutions for the problems. Plus, she does not mention any positive effects of
watching television. As a result, I agree with her claim that heavy TV viewers can
be placed in serious problems; however, I disagree with her claim that watching
television always results negative effects.
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Works Cited
Winn, Marie. “The Plug-In Drug.” A Sequence for Academic Writing. By Laurence
Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 5th edition. Pearson, 2012. 180-181. Print.
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Reflective Memo
1. Is my essay’s structure clear and appropriate to rhetorical analysis?
2. Are my essay’s ideas fully developed and convincing to its intended
audience?
3. Can you find the strengths and weaknesses of my essay?