Media Violence- Informal Tone

Media Violence – Informal Tone

The persuasive piece by Henry Jenkins is an excellent example of persuasive writing because although his piece was quite long it gave a strong message across to readers like me. Every one of his opinions was backed by facts and evidence. This informal piece is far superior in arguments compared to the previous writers’ formal piece. Almost anyone who believes that Media Violence does affect children, surely won’t feel the same once they’re done reading this piece. This informal piece sets a high standard and shows that informal pieces can be just as effective as a formal piece.

The standard is set by Henry’s ability to back up all his points with effective evidence, but he did have a couple downfalls. As a writer he made a couple spelling mistakes, which gives the reader a bad impression on him. However, the strength of his arguments overcomes his mistakes and isn’t remembered after reaching the end of the piece. Some people might think bringing up the Virginia Tech topic will be a logical fallacy, I disagree because of the way the topic was used. Almost every argument is explained to a large extent because he goes through all the steps of how Mr. Cho wasn’t influenced by media violence alone, but was always weird when asked about by fellow students. I agree with the authors approach of explaining the incidents with steps and proving his point with each argument. The quality of his writing as in devices, structure, etc; was what made his piece effective.

The style of Henry’s opinion piece is vibrant and can be recognized by any reader within the first paragraph. His paragraphs flow together and his facts coincide with his opinions, and help strengthen his argument. Basically, he states his opinion, and then proves his points with facts and agreements. The high dictions used in his piece, makes it more entertaining and keeps readers interested. At the same time it is an effective method of getting the message across.

The piece’s effectiveness came from the use of examples and incidents that have occurred. In each incident/example Henry proves his point with force; that violence has been existing for as long as we can all remember. The fuss between the media and parents are just a waste of time, instead people should think of other ways to reduce the time kids and teens spend with media, by thinking of alternative activities. Although the piece is informal Henry avoids the usage of street language and colloquial words and once again makes the informal piece more effective. This is a well written informal piece and regarding media violence.