Both “The Trouble with Television” and “Television” are stories with very similar central ideas (Electronic Media has filled a concerningly large amount of our free time). “Television” (by Todd Alcott) conveys the Central Idea with repetition and personification as the main strategies, resulting in the Poem falling into the fictional category of writing. On the other hand, “The Trouble with Television” (by Robert MacNeil) isn’t a Poem. It reads more like an article written for a Major News Company. This is most likely due to the fact that he was a journalist for nearly two decades. “The Trouble with Television” conveys the Central Idea in a persuasive yet factual way. Let me give you an example of repetition used in Todd Alcott’s piece. The Poem “Television” repeatedly uses the phrase “Look at
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On the other hand, “The Trouble with Television” gives you facts/statistics in order to convey how much television people really consume. “If you fit the statistical averages, by the age of 20 you will have been exposed to at least 20,000 hours of television. You can add 10,000 hours for each decade you have lived after the age of 20.” Once again, this also represents what millions of people in the western world do after their education or work shift is over. Another main theme of both of these stories is how instant gratification plays a huge role in the popularity of television. “The Trouble with Television” conveys that point with this excerpt from the text. “But television encourages us to apply no effort. It sells us instant gratification. It diverts us only to divert, to make the time pass without pain.” The poem “Television” conveys that same point with this excerpt from the text. “I’ve got stuff you wouldn’t believe. Danger? Sex? Action? Death? Thrills?
On the other hand, “The Trouble with Television” gives you facts/statistics in order to convey how much television people really consume. “If you fit the statistical averages, by the age of 20 you will have been exposed to at least 20,000 hours of television. You can add 10,000 hours for each decade you have lived after the age of 20.” Once again, this also represents what millions of people in the western world do after their education or work shift is over. Another main theme of both of these stories is how instant gratification plays a huge role in the popularity of television. “The Trouble with Television” conveys that point with this excerpt from the text. “But television encourages us to apply no effort. It sells us instant gratification. It diverts us only to divert, to make the time pass without pain.” The poem “Television” conveys that same point with this excerpt from the text. “I’ve got stuff you wouldn’t believe. Danger? Sex? Action? Death? Thrills?