Christopher Neal
English 1302
Dr. Disheroon
22 March 2015
Knowledge Inside a Squared Box Many great inventions have held an impact on the past and the present of society, but the most entertaining has become a key source for knowledge. There was the cotton gin, the printing press, the automobile, steam engine, and the television set. Whether it’s the black- and -white television or the multi- color TV screen, television impacts the mind without the viewer’s consent. Watching TV makes you smarter because it enhances knowledge, strengthens the cognitive thinking of the mind, and impacts morals and values. Many people utilize television for entertainment, but it can be a tool used to test the mind and critical thinking.
Books are used excessively
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There are television shows that are beginning to offer more knowledge than entertainment. In Steven Johnson’s “Watching TV Makes Us Smarter”, Johnson sheds light on a fact that television increased knowledge for the viewers. Johnson states, “the intelligence arrives fully formed in the words and actions of the characters on - screen”, meaning that the witty thing’s characters say on television test the mind of the viewer, especially if the viewer does not know the meaning of some words. So this shows that television increased vocabulary for many viewers. For Example, shows like Frasier and Murphy Brown helped depict the wittiness in characters that used profound words which captivated viewer’s mind. Even though a person might needed a dictionary to comprehend what was being said. There are many programs that are produced mainly to provide knowledge as well as entertainment. Johnson claims, “The true test should be whether a given show engages or sedates the mind”, meaning that the point should be if a television show can ease the mind. For …show more content…
Many individuals tend to lose focus on certain aspects of life, but television could be the right tool to strengthen that weakness. According to Johnson, shows that exhibit multiple threading at a high level would be Hill Street Blues and Starsky and Hutch. The way Hill Street Blues strengthen the attention of viewers is by adding in many different plotlines into one episode. Johnson states, “The total number of active threads equals the multiple plots of Hill Street, but here each thread is more substantial”. Therefore, if the viewer missed a key plotline within an episode, they would become lost due to the importance of that key thread. This television show was so intriguing that the viewer had no other option but to pay complete attention; nevertheless, giving a boost to the cognitive side of awareness. Even with hit shows like Lost, The Simpsons 24, and Alias multiple threading is utilized at its best, with each scene layered with different network affiliations. Johnson claims , “ You have to focus to follow the plot, and in focusing you’re exercising the parts of your brain that map social networks , that fill in missing information, that connect multiple narrative threads.” These television shows that are popular to society should be watched excessively, because they increase knowledge and awareness through multiple threading.
Which caused our culture to become closer. Another thing the tv impacted our culture is the laziness. When the tv came out kids would watch tv instead of going outside. Also kids and also adults were reading less. "People were reading less .
His use of diction provides a way to strengthen his argument and get his point across to the reader. He uses the repetition of words such as cruel and violent to further emphasize what television programs display to viewers. He uses anaphora when saying, “It might just be that cruel people find cruel TV shows to watch. And the more cruel we are, the more programming will be tailored at our wants” (2). The repetition of the word “cruel” helps to assert the idea that we, as a human society, are the cause of problems of television today.
"Turn off the Television and Read" was written by Albert Hodapp. His main idea of this article is to encourage parents with kids that reading has a greater impact on children than television. He believes that reading at a young age benefits children's intelligently, physically, and sustainability significantly. He uses rhetorical devices to appeal the audience to the same feelings. Hodapp uses pathos, logos, and ethos as rhetorical devices to display that watching television affect children's behavior, education, and health.
“ But who has the ever torn himself from the claw that encloses you when you drop a seed in a TV parlor?” (Bradbury 84). Tv has been a big role in society since the late 1920’s. “Why should we oppose censorship when scenes of murder and mayhem dominate the TV screen.” (Aclu).
By this, he means that, at its core, the purpose of television in general is to entertain, rather than to inform. He continues, "No matter what is depicted or from what point of view, the overarching presumption is that it is there for our amusement and pleasure." (87). This quote is a perfect explanation of why shows like Crossfire exist: rather than depicting calm, measured, well-reasoned intellectual debate, the show features hot-headed panelists with opposing views, who are basically guaranteed to get riled up and begin screaming at each other or at their guests. Such a format, while less productive, makes for far more entertaining
Numerous events throughout American history have allowed for the overall growth and advancement of the United States culture. Regardless of whether this progression was initiated by a negative or positive event, all of the occurrences significantly impacted the societal evolution of the United States. From experiencing and, then, revising key mistakes that occurred in negative instances—such as the events responsible for sparking the Civil War—to the positive examples of constructing and improving new technologies, such as the “Radio System” or “Television,” these critical turning points greatly influenced the cultures of their respective time periods. Arguably, one of the most influential actions of the twentieth century was the development
Why?. . . It must be right. . . your mind hasn’t time to protest, ‘What nonsense!’’” (80). Faber says that people are tricked into thinking that television is the only thing in the world that is completely right and correct, and is the only thing that can cause ultimate happiness.
In the reading “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman, the most surprising aspect is when he talks about how people do not remember anything they watched on television. According to Postman, Stern said 51 percent of viewers could not recall a single item of news a few minutes after viewing a news program on television” (p152). This is surprising because I believe that a lot of people could recall the news from television, especially when the anchor mention the news story more than once. One time before a commercial break and when the anchor is talking is about it. And when there is breaking news, the anchor spends most of the newscast talking about the topic.
Television in the 1960’s The television was and still is an important invention to society. The television is a small box that displays a moving picture with sound and all kinds of shows. “If it weren’t for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of the television we’d still be eating frozen radio dinners”-Johnny Carson (quotes.net).
What were they going to do? Well, said Mildred, wait around and see” (42). What followed was a display of colors and sounds, and the people were back to shallow words again. The TV that everyone spends their lives watching does not have a plot, purpose, moral or point. It is nothing more than unconnected sentences, bright colors and loud noise.
n Barbara Ehrenreich’s The Worst Years of Our Lives, she highlights a significant infection festering in American Culture: television as a main event, or only event in a day. As she says “you never see people watching tv”, and that happens because it truly isn’t entertaining. It substitutes for a life. The television has been pulling people into an allusion of a false reality and a seemingly boring life since its implementation. She essentially illustrates the negative impact television has on todays society.
Peter Weller once stated, “Television is an isolating experience, sadly enough. But as good as it ever gets, it’s still isolating. You sit in your home and visit with no one.” Staring into the television screen, zoned out and mesmerized, our minds are living the life of the characters in the movie or TV show. In today’s society, people obsess over there shows instead of there family, friends, and children.
The television gives people an important lesson of life and people find the examples of what’s right in TV. This one of many illustrations how the television and films influence humans’
1. Introduction Today television plays a big role in many people’s life, especially for children. It is hard to imagine a world without television. Thanks to the development of technology, television is invented, and considered as a great medium that provokes imagination, encourages education, and entertains the children around the world. Television can also be a beefy influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior (Bee, 1998).
Some consider it to be a great invention while others say that it harms people and society. A television is an electrical device used for entertainment, learning, and work. A television can be used to watch movies, evening news, play a game, and much more. Philo Taylor Farnsworth designed the concept of a television in 1927, in San Francisco by coding and decoding radio waves with pictures.