Television Plug-In Drug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Television Plug-In Drug - Essay Example It is the opposite of how the author thinks that people should be, and she blames television directly. Winn also accuses television of damaging family relationships. Before television, families would gather around the dinner table and talk about their day. Now, they take their meals in front of the TV, and don’t talk to each other at all. Winn claims that viewing television acts like a narcotic that numbs us to life, which is going on around us. We lose touch with first hand experience, and do not bond with real human beings. Marie Winn, wrote article â€Å"Television: The Plug-In Drug,† and as mentioned above, she tells about a negative perception of television on families. She sees families as failing to communicate and interact in an authentic way, because of television. Winn’s thesis is that television is an addictive drug, like a narcotic, that keeps people passive. In this article author applies the â€Å"Pathos† style of writing, introduces themes that are detailed and definite, and also presents a lot of examples. To me, it was a very convincing argument overall. I also watch television a lot, and I realize that it is a total distraction from life. Marie Winn writes for the outer world, trying to affect people through the use of emotions and playing on people’s emotions. Questions as well as proximate answers, which were found in the text, encourage the reader to think not wisely using reason, but on the spot, using emotions. Wordplay likewise helps the author convince people about her way of thinking. The author gives the example where parents accept a television-dominated family life so completely that they don’t give enough attention to their children. Or for example: â€Å"Mealtime rituals, going-to-bed rituals, illness rituals, holiday rituals and holiday rituals – how many of these survived the inroads of the television set?† (Winn, 2002). It is a