Unit Five

The Plug-in Drug: TV and the American Family

Unit Five Text I:

The Plug-in Drug: TV and the American Family

Warm-up activities

1. What does the word “drug” and“drug taking” connote to you?

2. Can you infer from the subtitle of the essay “TV and the American family” the meaning of the main title “The Plug-in Drug”?

3. Why does the author associate TV with drug?

4. How does the title reveal the author’s attitude and the message she intends to get across?

Check students’ attitudes toward TV. Ask students how they react to the author’s opinion by such questions as

1. Do you like watching TV? Are you TV-addicted?

2. Do you agree with the author that TV has harmful effects?

3. What roles do you assign to TV?

4. What effect does TV have on the Chinese family as a general rule?

5. Do you think the author’s concern is relevant to the situation here in China?

Pre-reading Brainstorming:

1).What do you know about “drug” and “drug taking”?

Drug in one sense is a habit-forming substance one takes for pleasure or excitement. Harmful drugs include tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, opium, etc. The plug-in drug is a term used by the author to refer to TV which works when it is plugged in. TV is compared to a drug because, on the one hand, the American family has formed the habit of watching TV at leisure time and, on the other hand, TV has undesirable effects on the family.

2).For or against TV viewing: advantages and disadvantages;

Marie Winn

http://www.mariewinn.com/Born in Prague Czechoslovakia, U.S.

citizenEducated in N.Y.C Public Schools,

Bronx H.S. of Science,Radcliffe College, Columbia University

Married to documentary film maker and palindromist([,pælɪn‘drɒmɪst] 回文工作者 )Allan Miller

Marie Winn

http://www.mariewinn.com/is the author of The Playground Book,

The Sick Book, The Baby Reader, and other books for parents and children. This selection is taken from The Plug-in Drug, published in 1977.

The development of TV industry

TV broadcasting began in the U.S. in 1941, and in 1946, after World War ended, TV Ⅱbegan to grow rapidly. By 1975, almost 127 million TV sets were in use. By the 1970’s almost 100% of all wired homes in the U.S. had at least one TV set. The average American has his set turned on for about 6.5 hours each day. In fact, TV has become the American’s eye and ears on the world

The domination of television has exerted strong influence on the way of life of many American families, diminishing their ordinary daily activities and affect the growth of their children.

Main Idea

Winn is aware that the negative effect of TV on the American family was not perceived at all

when it first came into being, but with the passing of time its negative effect has

gradually made itself felt, causing a gradual change in the general public’s attitude.

Main Idea

The domination of TV has exerted strong influence on the way of life of many American families, diminishing their

ordinary daily activities and affecting the sound growth of their children.

The TV-Turnoff Network Web site: http://www.TVTurnoff.org

provides useful articles, statistics and info about how to join the annual National TV-

Turnoff week.

A somewhat radical and amusing Web site: http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/

Learn to write a cause and effect paper. Learn to use quotations as an expository

means. Learn to be critical of social issues.

Teaching objectives

Organization

See p. 64.

Opening: para. 1;Positive effects: paras. 2 – 7;

Negative effects: paras. 8 – 14;Closing: paras 15 – 17.

Organization and Development:

Introduction: (P1-4) Introduction of the topic --- the effect of

television on family life as viewed by early observers;

Body: (P5-16) Discussion about the effect of television on

family life, esp. on children Conclusion: (P17) The domination of television will surely affect

the sound growth of their children.

Difficult sentences (paraphrase):

1. “TV set has attained the rank of a legal necessity, safe from repossession in case of debt along with clothes…”:

The TV set has become so important in the life of a family that its possession is guaranteed by law. Even when a person is in debt, it can’t be taken away from him by whomever he owes a debt.

2. “ a curious myopia afflicted those early observers”:

the early observers saw only the favorable effects of TV and none of them was sufficiently far-sighted to predict the negative effects of TV in the future.

3. “…kept the members of the family from dispersing , it has not served to bring them together”:

the TV helps to keep all the family members in the house in a physical sense. But they are not really doing things together. Instead, they watch their own favorite program with little interaction between them.

4. “…the television set casts its magic spell, freezing speech and action, turning the living into silent statues so long as the enchantment lasts”:

TV seems to have magic power over people. As soon as TV is on, people stop talking and doing anything else, growing to be lifeless statues before the TV screen. They will remain so till the end of the program.

Difficult Sentences for Translation (E-C):

1. (l. 26-30) Nor did anyone imagine the number of hours children would eventually devote to television, the common use of television by parents as a child pacifier, the change television would effect upon child-rearing methods, the increasing domination of family schedules by children’s viewing requirements --- in short, the power of the new medium to dominate family life.

2. 2. (l. 107-110) But surely the needs of adults are being better met than the needs of the children, who are effectively shunted away and rendered untroublesome, while their parents enjoy a life as undemanding as that of any childless couple.

3. (l. 110-112) In reality, it is those very demands that young children make upon a family that lead to growth, and it is the way parents accede to those demands that builds the relationships upon which the future of the family depends.

Classroom discussion

1. What do you think is the role quotations have played in the essay?

2. How does the writer develop his ideas of negative influence of TV on family life?

3. Why can’t children respond to people in real life?

4. What other harm does television do to family relationship?

Quotations: paras. 2 - 4

These quotations from the early writers and commentators show the general

view in favor of the new invention without the slightest foresight as to its possible

negative effect.

Quotation in para. 7

This quotation illustrates a popularly accepted view which helped to soothe

the concern parents began to feel about the negative effects TV might have on

their children.

Quotation in para. 10

Bronfenbrenner’s remark powerfully states the view that TV had negatively

affected family life and the transformation of children into adults.

Quotations in paras. 12 & 13

Both quotations try to show how TV dominates the life of a family and

reduces interaction between parents and children.

Text II: The Plug-in Drug: TV and the American Family, Part II

Pre-reading Brainstorming:

1. How can television influence family rituals in our society?

2. In what way can television bring about changes in the relationships of the family members?

Main Idea: This part discusses about the way television

influences family rituals and the relationships of the family members in our society. The domination of television has exerted strong influence on the way of life of many American families, diminishing their daily activities and affecting the sound growth of their children.

Purpose of writing and Tone: To seriously demonstrate the dangers of the

domination of television in American families

Structure of the passage: 1. (Para. 1-7): Television can influence

family rituals in our society; 2. (Para. 8-20): Television may bring

about changes in the relationships of the family members in many ways.

Learning objectives1. To learn more about the negative

influence of TV on family life. 2. To realize that the seriousness of the

lack of interaction among family members will not only damage their relationship in a narrow sense but have a disruptive effect upon human development in a broad sense as well.

para.1-2: Explain what are family rituals and why are they important.

Para.3-7:With the advent of TV, family rituals are diminished by the powerful presence of television in the home.

Para. 8: The relationship of the family members has also been greatly affected in both obvious and subtle ways.

Para. 9-10. : There is no eye contact in the child-television relationship.

Para. 11-15: Quotations from a teacher and mother show how TV exerted negative influence on children .

Para.16-17: A family therapist discussed the use of TV as an avoidance mechanism.

Para.18: simple conversation between parents and children in the TV-centered home was decreased.

Para.19-20: Research studies prove that TV interferes with family activities and the formation of family relations.

Questions （ p.69 ） :

1. What are family rituals as defined and explained by Winn? Why are they important for a family? ( Refer to paras. 1

and 2.)Family rituals are simply the regular happenings in the life

of a family, or the regular practices characteristic of a family.

They are important because they give all the family members a sense of belonging and oneness, and contribute to their unity.

2.In what way does Winn think television hampers the development of children's ability to communicate? ( Refer to paras. 6 -13.)

TV reduces a child's opportunity to engage in face-to-face linguistic communication.

Sitting in front of the idiot box, the child plays the role of a passive receiver in his one-way communication with it. No verbal response is called for.

In child-TV communication, the role of paralinguistic devices is diminished.

3.Why does Winn say that television diminishes the opportunities for a parent to demonstrate love to his / her children? ( Refer to paras. 17 -19.)

TV decreases opportunities for simple conversation between parents and children. Even parents seem to have become verbally less competent in dealing with their children.

Difficult Sentences for Translation (E-C):

1.What has happened to family rituals, those regular, dependable, recurrent happenings that gave members of a family a feeling of belonging to a home rather than living in it merely for the sake of convenience, those experiences that act as the adhesive of family unity far more than any material advantages?

2.Not since prehistoric times when cave families hunted, gathered, ate, and slept, with little time remaining to accumulate a culture of any significance, have families been reduced to such a sameness.

3.The hours that the young child spends in a one-way relationship with television people, an involvement that allows for no communication or interaction, surely affect his relationships with real-life people.

Topics for discussion

In what way has TV interfered with family rituals. How does the woman from Chicago reflect her experience?

Explain in what way TV has affected the healthy relationship among family members?

Amused to Death by Roger Waters :

Doctor Doctor what is wrong with meDoctor Doctor what is wrong with meThis supermarket life is getting longWhat is the heart life of a colour TVWhat is the shelf life of a teenage queenOoh western womanOoh western girlNews hound sniffs the airWhen Jessica Hahn goes downHe latches on to(理解 ) that symbolOf detachmentAttracted by the peeling away of feelingThe celebrity of the abused shell the belle （ /bel/美女）

Ooh western womanOoh western girl

Amused to Death by Roger Waters

And the children of MelroseStrut their stuffIs absolute zero cold enoughAnd out in the valley warm and cleanThe little ones sit by their TV screensNo thoughts to thinkNo tears to cryAll sucked dryDown to the very last breathBartender what is wrong with meWhy I am so out of breathThe captain said excuse me ma'amThis species has amused itself to deathAmused itself to deathAmused itself to death

Amused to Death by Roger Waters

We watched the tragedy unfoldWe did as we were toldWe bought and soldIt was the greatest show on earthBut then it was overWe oohed and aahed （发出噢啊的赞美或惊叹声）We drove our racing carsWe ate our last few jars of caviar（鱼子酱）And somewhere out there in the starsA keen-eyed look-outSpied a flickering lightOur last hurrahAnd when they found our shadows

Amused to Death by Roger Waters

Groups ‘round the TV setsThey ran down every lead （ example，榜样）They repeated every testThey checked out all the data in their listsAnd then the alien anthropologistsAdmitted they were still perplexedBut on eliminating every other reasonFor our sad demise（死亡）They logged（输入计算机，记入日志） the only explanation leftThis species has amused itself to deathNo tears to cryNo feelings leftThis species has amused itself to deathAmused itself to death

Don't Let This Happen To You!

Turn Off Your TV (while you still can)