Homework 2/5/13

Homework 2/5/13

“Identifying the Elements of Argument”

1.)    Marvel Comics were good for him as a kid because they were juvenile and violent; freed him in a way

2.)    –    bond with other kids, made new friends

-          self-confidenceàhad a “fantasy self” who was unafraid of his desires and the world’s disapproval; eventually led him to become a writerà “arrogant, self-exposing, self-assertive, superheroic decision to become a writer”

-          allows people to pull themselves out of emotional traps by immersing themselves in violent storiesàmakes them braver in scary situations, a way to conquer fear that we all encounter in our lives

-          according to psychologist Melanie Moore, “Children need violent entertainment inn order to explore the inescapable feelings that they’ve been taught to deny, and to reintegrate those feelings into a more whole, more complex, more resilient selfhood”

3.)    -    pop psychologists insisting that violent stories are harmful to kidsà “Fear, greed, power-hunger, rage: these are aspect of ourselves that we try not to experience in our lives but often want, even need, to experience vicariously through stories of others”

-          Found that every aspect even the trashiest pop-culture story can have its own developmental functionàpretending to have superhuman powers helps children conquer the feelings of powerlessness that inevitably come with being so young and small

4.)    When parents try to protect their children from their own feelings and fantasies, they don’t shelter them against violence but against strength and selfhood

 

Exercise 2.3àHighlighting

Important points:

-          Makes kids feel powerful and strong

-          Gives kids the courage to conquer their fears and to not fear being afraid but to face fear head on

-          Superhero stories help kids negotiate the conflicts between the inner self and the public self as they work through the early stages of socialization

-          Allows them to utilize rage, which is a natural emotion constructively, rather than suppress it and make it worse

 

Exercise 2.4àAnnotating

-          I agree that comic books, particularly superhero ones, can help kids with their self-confidence and feel powerful

-          However, while a certain degree of violence can be beneficial in child development, a lot can be detrimental which the author does not mention; too much violence can lead to kids becoming desensitized to it and thinking it is okay to punch someone when they have a disagreement for example, especially if the kids do not have someone to explain that the comic strips they are reading are in fact just thatàjust for fun; they can look up to the characters and let them make them feel stronger but in the real world they cannot go around beating people up; it’s good for them to pretend to be a superhero and channel rage that way but parents must still stress violence is not the answer

-          I also disagree on the amount of violence he ultimately says is okay, especially when dealing with blood; comics shouldn’t be glorifying bloody altercations, that is just asking for troubleàfor example the video game black ops is violent media that kids should not be exposed to due to its extreme violence and gruesome images

 

Exercise 2.8àWriting a Critical Response

            According to Gerard Jones, violent media can actually have positive effects on young people because it enables kids to feel powerful and gives them the courage to conquer their fears.  Jones also believes that violent media are a positive influence on children because they help kids negotiate the conflicts between the inner self and the public self as they work through the early stages of socialization.  Jones makes some good points.  For example, he says he has found that every aspect of even the trashiest pop-culture story can have its own developmental function: pretending to have superhuman powers helps children conquer the feelings of powerlessness that inevitably come with being so young and small.  However, he is not going to argue that violent entertainment is harmless.  All in all, trying to protect children from their own feelings and fantasies does not shelter them against violence, but against power and selfhood.