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WelcomebacktoSmarthinking,Andrew!ImMarianaandIwillbeyourestructorforthissession.Iread
yourdraftandImustagreewithyourstatementbelow.
With the U.S.A being the number one country at divorce rate, it seems very factual to make a
show with missing parents. Beavis and Butt-Head have resembled many types of outcast or
alienated people, but then again who are we to label someone as an outcast or alienated them.
That is what years of media culture has done to the ones that label and influence people.
Theconceptofwritingwhatoneknowsappliesherethatitsveryfactualtomakeashowwithmissing
parentsbecauseofaculturefilledwithmissingparents.Ifindthisinteresting. Thisisalsoastrong
point;itisvalidthatreaderswouldbeengagedinreadingyouressayfurther.Goodwork!
IhavesomecommentsbelowregardingareasyourequestedandothersIbelieveyoucanimprove.Lets
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Youwillwanttowriteathesisstatementthatpreviewsyourkeyresponseorresponsestoyourreaders,
Andrew.Atthemoment,youendedwithanexcerptfromthearticle:
Only going out to do as they please, Beavis and Butt-Head avenge youth and the downwardly
mobile against those oppressive authority figures who they confront daily (Kellner 689).
Now,whatfollowedthesummaryinthatfirstparagrapharenumerousreactionstothetopic,howcanyou
presenttheminathesisstatement?Hereisanexampletohelpyouout:
IsadoraDuncanisthemotherofModernDancebecauseofhertechniquethroughwhatisnowknown
astheDuncantechniqueandthestyleofdancingwhichisbacktoitsrootsasasacredart. Her
dancesnowareinfluential,innovative,andflexibletocontemporarydancingtoday.
Theunderlinedcanserveasmythesiswhichwillpreviewtoreadersthemainpartsofmywhole
response.Canyouseehowyoucandothesame?Developyourwritingskillsbydoingso.
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paragraphs.Rightnow,youhaveonepointthatflowstothenext:fromreenactingfictionaleventsfroma
show,howitisfactualtomakeashowwithmissingparents.Youthenmovedontohowashow,avideo
game,ormusichasitsprosandconsandhowonethinksordecidestoactfromthatwhatonewatches.
Allofthesepointswouldrelatetothearticle,buttheyseemtolackaclearandstrongdirectionofwhere
theyaregoing,Andrew.Writingathesisstatementwillhelpyoucreatethiscleardirectionandthrough
writingtopicsentencesthatreflectthethesis.Tohelpyouout,hereareexamplesaccordingtothe
samplethesisabove.
IfindIsadoraDuncansdancesinfluential.
Theyarealsoinnovative.
Ialsofindthemflexibletothecontemporarydancingthatwehavetoday.
Canyouseeifyourthesisandtopicsentencesreflecteachother?Aftermakingsureofthis,youcanthen
useexcerptsfromthearticletosupportthem.Ifyouareallowedto,youcanalsouseresearchtosupport
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toreworkyourparagraphs,Andrew?Tohelpyoufurtherhere,pleasevisitthisSmarthinkinglink:
Lesson20.DevelopingPowerfulParagraphs
http://www.smarthinking.com/static/Document_Library/docs/writeman/3_20.cfm
Grammar&Mechanics:
Therearesomepunctuationmarksthatareincorrectormissing.Oneofthemistheapostrophe.Youwill
needoneinthesentencebelow.
How can we start playing the blame game, and go as low as to say its the televisions fault for
Butt-Heads antics.
Youalreadyhaveonewhichcontractsorjoinstwowords: itandistoformits.Anotherpurposeofthe
apostropheistoshowownership.Forexample:Theearthsresourcesaredwindling.
Canyouseewheretoaddtheapostropheinyoursentence?
Also,youwillneedtoendthatsentencewithapunctuationmarkotherthanaperiodbecauseitisasking
aquestion.Whatdoyouneedtouseinstead?
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youfurtherhere,pleasevisitthisSmarthinkinglink:
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Lesson8:Punctuationhttp://www.smarthinking.com/static/Document_Library/docs/writeman/5_08.cfm
SummaryofNextSteps:
Youhaveagoodstartwithaclearsummaryhere!Youcannowimproveyourdraftbyworkingonthese
steps:
1. Previewthemainpartsofyourresponseinathesisstatementattheendofthesummary.
2. Makesurethetopicsentencesreflectyourthesis.Developthemproperlyusingresearchand
3.
furtherexplanation.
Proofreadformissingandincorrectpunctuation.
Ihopethesesuggestionswillbehelpful,Andrew.Thanksforsharingyourdraftwithus.Feelfreetocome
backifyouhaveotherquestionsafterrevising.Alwaysdoyourbestandwehopetoworkwithyouagain
soon!~Mariana
FindadditionalresourcesinSMARTHINKING'sonlinelibrary:
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Pleaselookformorecommentsinyouressaybelow.ThankyouforvisitingSMARTHINKING.We
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Andrew Driscoll
Greg Loyd
ENC1101- Summary-Response Paper
6 June 2011
Butting-Heads
Beavis and Butt-Head: No Future for Postmodern Youth, by Douglas Kellner
is an excerpt about the TV show Beavis and Butt-Head. In this reading Kellner explains how
4
this show had become a cult favorite that had caused a major impact on modern day teenagers.
As a philosopher he points to the shows negative impact on society, explaining the shows lack of
moral judgment and no ethical or political values. These on-going jabs at the TV show have
forced them into a ring of heated debates, including attempts to end the series because of a few
malicious teens attempted to pull of feats from the show. Kellner gives examples of how modern
teens are just like Beavis and Butt-Head, Kids often wish they have no parents and that they
could just sit and watch music videos and go out and do whatever they wanted to (Kellner 687).
In many episodes Beavis and Butt-Head have no parental guardian figure, mother only comes off
their tongues, they just tend to sit around and play video games and music in their house by
themselves. Only going out to do as they please, Beavis and Butt-Head avenge youth and the
downwardly against mobile those oppressive authority figures who they confront daily (Kellner
689). [What is your main reaction about Kellners article which you want to elaborate on?
This will help readers get a preview of your response.]
I find it appalling that Kellner and many others have accused modern day teens of being
influenced to re in-act what they see or hear on television, music, or video games in person. Prior
to this show airing, numerous generations present and past have been raised in front of a
television or radio, Kellner even speaks of the current youth generation This generation was
possibly conceived in the sights and sounds of media culture, weaned on it, and socialized by the
glass teat of television, used as a pacifier, baby sitter, and educator by a generation of parents for
whom media culture, especially television, was a natural background and constitutive part of
everyday life (Kellner 686). [What does this imply, Andrew? Please avoid ending a
paragraph with a research point. Instead, explain it more fully by bringing it back to the
main point you started with.]
5
From the very get go that is what we were taught to do; whether it be speaking Spanish
for Dora the Explorer, the simple ABC's with Sesame Street, or answering questions for the
clue dog. Majority of yesterdays children and todays teens have in some way played-along with
a show because a higher authority told them to. But its not a television show or violent game that
pushes the boys to re in-act fictional events, it was revenge and no parental uprising. With the
U.S.A being the number one country at divorce rate, it seems very factual to make a show with
missing parents. Beavis and Butt-Head have resembled many types of outcast or alienated
people, but then again who are we to label someone as an outcast or alienated them. That is what
years of media culture has done to the ones that label and influence people.
Every show, video game, and music has its own pros and cons. Its how your own thought
process realms on the idea of each form of entertainment, because then again it is just a leisurely
diversion activity. The human mind exits reality, entering a glass box of rumors and useless
information. Everyone has a mind, a thought process, and a conscious to tell us right from wrong
or reality from fantasy. For those who just dont care or can not tell society is suppose to identify
and help because no ones perfect, humans will always ultimately choose their destiny, tragedies
will always occur. It is mainly up to the parents or guidance in our life to nurture, care, and raise
us. How can we start playing the blame game, and go as low as to say its the televisions fault
for Butt-Heads antics. Because with a rough past people began to think different, their thought
process has been derailed. [There seems to be a comma splice here, where a comma
separates two independent clauses that can otherwise stand as separate sentences. What
punctuation mark can you use instead?] So rather a messed up childhood or a missing parent,
drugs, money, bully, or even possibly a child star that feels theyve missed out.
6
There are many events to influence and build up are anger or revenge inside us and we
carry out without any media influence. There are plenty events to prove it too for instance
Columbine, Virginia Tech, and even at my High School a student brought a knife and gun with a
death list in his backpack but lucky it accidentally fired and he didnt have the balls to carry it
out. Writing about Beavis and Butt-Head Kellner says "The vision of the teenagers alone
wrecking havoc on their neighborhood presents a vision of a society of broken families,
disintegrating communities, and anomic individuals, without values or goals" (Kellner 688). If
you stop thinking about the philosophy of the show and get real, you'll realize reality is just that
for many. From divorces, to the man who "MADE-OFF" with Americas wallet, we live in a time
of corruption and gossip. [I believe you will need an apostrophe in one of your words in this
sentence to show ownership.] America is very unethical and many have lost faith or gained
faith in evil.
No belief or faith leaves one with negative values or goals. There are countless numbers
of groups and religions, whether they are evil or good in our eyes, people have come together to
believe in different ideas. Leaving everyone to be different then one another, no one has the same
fingerprint, no one has the exact same taste buds, so in sense no one views life the same. Each
time we file into a church, temple, or any places of worship we sit and listen to the same homily,
we all come out with the same word but all view it differently. Human will forever have
contradictions in beliefs and values, and that is what drives us to discover and continue in all
aspects of living. Were not alike, so will forever enjoy different ways of entertaining our selves.
We all have the choice to choose our outcome, but what does our mind and thought process
consider right and from wrong to lead us to our destiny.
7
Humans will forever watch and listen to whatever they want, no one can control
everyone but in the beginning we can. It is up to the parental guardian who took up the power
granted by life to raise a child in a positive way so he/she knows how to lead life in peace and
serenity. There have been many attempts to stop kids and society from watching, playing, or
listening to mindless videos, video games, and music but none have ever been accomplished.
Thanks to are founding fathers that made freedom of speech and religions are number one
Amendment. Kellner believes the show provides a harsh and accurate view of society and the
young generation raised primarily on media culture, adding to the end of his excerpt,
Consequently, the series is a social hieroglyphic which allows us to decode the, attitudes,
behavior, and situation of large segments of youth in contemporary U.S. society (Kellner 690).
Were allowed to believe in whatever we want, and that is why they made laws, some people
have evil beliefs and carry them out. [It would be good to summarize here the key points of
your whole response. This way, readers will see the scope of your discussion.]
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Works Cited
Douglas, Kellner. Beavis and Butt-Head No Future for Postmodern Youth. Smith,
Allison D. and Smith, Trixie G. and Watkins, Stacia R. The Pop Culture Zone
Writing Critically About Popular Culture. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009.
(685-690)