Reader response #1

In the essay, “Violent Media is Good For Kids,” the author, Gerard Jones, strongly believes that violent media is good for young children because it allows children to become more creative and to release or feel emotions that could affect them positively. Jones uses an example from when he was a young child. He tells the reader that his parents “built a wall between [him] and the crudest elements of American pop culture”; however, his mother gave him Marvel Comics once because she thought they would be “good” for him since someone told her they were “devoted to lofty messages of pacifism and tolerance.” He finishes the story by saying that they were indeed good for him, but in a different way than his mother wanted them to be. He said that through the Marvel Comics, namely The Incredible Hulk, he was able to fantasize about a different person that was himself and he was also able to make new friends because of The Incredible Hulk. Jones gives more examples from his life about how violent media has helped children he knows get through school and express themselves through creative stories or works of art.

                The structure of Jones’ essay is formatted nicely, going from personal experiences to observations, professional and personal opinion to popular opinions, and finally acknowledging the other side of the argument and rebutting it. Not only that, but Jones makes a very valid argument. When taking something in, one should always have a balance. Too much can always be bad, and too little can deprive oneself from achieving greatness. The use of Melanie Moore’s quote also helped further prove his idea that violence is not bad for children. It showed that he and professionals both agree that violence is good for children if, again, it is given in moderation. He also establishes his credibility by saying that he developed Power Play and then going on to explain what the program is and how it uses violent, or heroic, storytelling to improve children’s knowledge of themselves and make them feel strong. Jones also appeals to the reader’s emotions too by telling stories, like the story of pretending to be a Power Ranger to “muscle through a social competition in kindergarten,” that most readers can relate to. Another way Jones appeals to emotion is by telling stories about helping different children embrace their violent fantasies by allowing the child to write stories and/or draw pictures. The reader cannot help but feel a sense of warmth when he tells the two stories about the girls he helped.

                Overall, Gerard Jones makes a valid argument and his use of details, word choices, and the use of the three rhetorical appeals helped make his argument stronger.