출처 : 다음카페 술술영어   http://cafe.daum.net/englishwiz    아래 글은 제 딸 아이가 고등학교 일 학년 때 쓴 essay로 보통 한국에서 말하는 에세이 형태의 글입니다. Essay Writing 에 관심있는 분은 프린트를하여 writing structure 를 주의깊게 관찰하시기 바랍니다. 내용은 Indentation 이 없어진 것 외에는 일체 수정을 하지 않고 원문 그대로 옮겼습니다. Lifesaver, [Essay 원문] The media is an immensely powerful yet destructive tool. Not a single person can live a day without being affected by its tremendous influence. Lives can be created or destroyed by many forms of media, such as television shows, films, video games, and recorded music. All of these have the potential to change and distort views of the people of the world. In fact, the media is arguably more influential than anything else in a person’s life. Disappointingly, the media tends to abuse its privileges by perpetuating and encouraging false ideas and perceptions. Among these images is the very prevalent idea that the media promotes negative stereotypes of women. The origins of mass media can be traced back to the 15th century when Johannes Gutenberg invented the first moveable printing press (Reinventing the wheel, 2001). Its first purpose was to print Bibles, the most commonly printed book for years to come (Reinventing…, 2001). After the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, subject matters of printed material stemmed out from religion to virtually everything imaginable. By the 19th century periodicals targeted directly towards women were being printed in mass quantities (Reinventing…, 2001). These magazines, though meant for women, were not made to convey strong feminist ideas. The first clearly feminist magazine to be printed in the United States was Ms., a magazine introduced by Gloria Steinem in 1971 (Eby, 2001). In addition to literary materials, movies have had a clear effect on the cultures of all people. The real history of cinema began in 1895 when Louis Lumiere invented the first motion picture camera (Yahnke, 2001). Though other inventors preceded Lumiere, his portable cinematographe served as a camera, film processing unit, and projector. Women have been involved in cinema since these primitive beginnings. Alice Guy Blache is credited as being the first female director (McEldowney, 2001). In 1896 she produced The Cabbage Fairy and followed with five new films the next year (McEldowney, 2001). Women soon moved out from behind the camera and onto the silver screen. Like all other areas of media, it took many years for women to be accepted whether it was as an actress, writer, producer, or director. Females in the early years of cinema stayed behind the camera or played the devoted housewife and mother. Roles for females eventually evolved into those of the independent and sassy women seen today. While the introduction of motion pictures was a giant step forward, the invention of the television indefinitely affected American culture significantly more. The first public demonstration of a working television occurred on January 26, 1926 was conducted by its creator, John Logie Baird (Hills, 2001). Americans were fascinated with this strange, new contraption, but it didn’t gain popularity for quite some time. The real television boom, occurred in 1951 and continued into the fifties (Rich, 2001). Popular genres of television included westerns, comedies, and the first sitcoms. During the fifties few places existed on television for working. Westerns particularly included all-male casts, such as Wagon Train, Rawhide, and Bonanza (Desjardins, 2001). Television drew upon male dominance and masculinity for inspiration. Women were most often depicted as loving housewives and doting mothers. “Leave It to Beaver,” “Ozzie and Harriet,” “Father Knows Best,” and “The Donna Reed Show” all portrayed classic examples of the traditional television family of the 50’s (Rich, 2001). The working women on television of the time were limited to teachers and secretaries. The real women in authority were behind the scenes. Harriet Nelson designed the set for “Ozzie and Harriet,” Lucille Ball co-owned Desilu, which produced “I Love Lucy,” and Gertrude Berg wrote, produced, and starred in “The Goldbergs” (Sivorinovsky, 2001). As the 1960’s rolled in, television viewers turned from westerns and perfect families to sci-fi and fantasy shows. “Batman” and “Star Trek” quickly became popular series. “Lost in Space” and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” explored American’s fascination with the unknown (Knight, 2001). Though the most popular television shows still had no room for females, professional women began to creep their way into American homes. June Lockhart became Petticoat Junction’s first female doctor (Sivorinovsky, 2001), and Joan Nash was a newspaper columnist who broke the stereotype of the traditional suburban housewife on “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” (Knight, 2001). Restlessness with domesticity was a blatant quality of females on television in the 60’s. Women, however, were still portrayed as submissive and docile. Television shows, such as “Bewitched” and “I Dream of Jeannie,” showed women being more outspoken but still being controlled by men. By the 1970’s women in the workplace had become the norm. The controversial television show “Cagney and Lacey” starred two women in a primetime drama for the first time (Desjardins, 2001). The show featured two female cops addressing real issues, such as abortion, alcoholism, marriage, and child pornography (Desjardins, 2001). Another important working woman character of 1970’s television was Mary Richards of the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The character showed a generally happy and single, working woman. Norman Lear, producer of “All in the Family,” broke female stereotypes with his other productions, “Maude” and “One Day at a Time” (Desjardins, 2001). The women in his shows were married more than once and stood up for what they believed in (Desjardins, 2001). “Charlie’s Angels,” “Laverne and Shirley,” and “The Bionic Woman” were also popular television shows featuring working women. The women on these shows, however, received orders from men rather than issuing them. The women’s revolution in television of the 1970’s continued into the 80’s. Trends of working women, alternative family arrangements, and strong personality traits grew. “Roseanne,” “Murphy Brown,” and “Grace under Fire” depicted women as outspoken and leading lives with non-traditional family formations. These characters were clearly more down to earth than their predecessors were. Television sitcoms even seemed to bend over backwards to show career-oriented women having a family life. Critics suggested that Claire Huxtable of “The Cosby Show” didn’t experience enough stress considering the fact that she was a working attorney and mother of five. “Roseanne” was completely opposite from “The Cosby Show.” It portrayed what a real working mother’s life could be like. Roseanne worked as a waitress and reared a slew of dysfunctional, yet loveable children. Her harsh parenting and strong will made her a character that was easy to relate to or at least emulate. The 1990’s and the present seem to be the best time period yet when showing working women. A boom in the number of women in power on TV shows seemed to occur as NBC introduced shows with strong, independent females. NBC’s “3rd Rock from the Sun” featured four aliens who were sent to monitor Earth while taking human form. Sally, the alien who is second-in-command, takes the body of a tall, beautiful female. Another classic example of this is the hit series “E.R.” which portrays women in positive ways. One doctor juggles her career and first-time motherhood as a recently graduated medical student deals with the severe bipolar disease of her mother. Other NBC shows featuring working women include “Providence” and “Law & Order.” Females on these shows hold professional jobs and deal with real-life situations. It may seem that a huge leap forward was taken in the 1990’s, but it is essential to look beyond the number of women on shows and see how they are actually being presented. Sally of “3rd Rock from the Sun” freezes in place and is unable to make a decision when her commander is presumed dead. Instead, two teenage boys solve the week’s crisis as Sally sits and waits (Sivorinovsky, 2001). On “Murphy Brown” Murphy’s attempt to replace her show’s producer resulted in complete chaos on the set (Sivorinovsky, 2001). Even the doctors on “E.R.” are constantly shown relying on others. When Abby Lockhart’s mother falls into a period of deep depression, a male colleague must force her to go help her own mother. During the whole ordeal he supports Abby emotionally because she just cannot handle the situation herself. While television seems to be improving for women, music, especially rap, continues to go downhill in a trend towards degradation of women. In the beginning of rap, the music was free of profanity and graphic lyrics. DJ Kool Herc is believed to have been the first rapper, combining funk, disco, rhythm and blues, and reggae to create a fresh style (James, 2001). The cool beats and repetitive licks soon spread quickly throughout the black community. The first evidence of rap lyrics describing urban struggle can be found in “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash (James, 2001). Not only did this open new doors lyrically, it also broke onto the pop charts making rap an undeniable force. Rap continued to become more mainstream as Run D.M.C. performed “Walk This Way” with the legendary Aerosmith. The Beastie Boys, white suburbanites, also joined the ranks of respected black rappers allowing the genre to more accessible to all teenagers. In the mid to late 1980’s, rap became increasingly violent. Public Enemy and N.W.A. rapped about the hardships of life in the ghetto and freely used cuss words for the first time. Song topics included killing cops, raping women, and using drugs. In actuality these artists were rapping in protest, not support. As gangster rap of the West Coast became more popular in the 1990’s, the music changed from songs of objections to those of promotion. In the years to follow, new artists, such as Eminem, would become even more violent and graphic, especially towards women, in their lyrics. The history of video games mirrors that of rap music almost perfectly. In 1966 Ralph Baer created the first video game console, which was to be used by the military (Hart, 2001). The military soon lost interest in the game console, and Baer gained full commercial rights of his invention (Hart, 2001). Soon, the ever-popular Pong was created, and video games started becoming a normal, everyday thing. After a period of innocent games, such as Pac-Man and Tetris, were released, video games started to become more and more violent. What began as the Mario Brothers developed into Wolfenstein 3D and Mortal Kombat. As the years went by, more and more of the video games directed violence toward women. With the boom in personal computer usage, computer games also followed in the footsteps of video games. Many believe that the media cannot be expected to take responsibility for providing perfect role models. Parents should be the ones who monitor their children’s exposure to the media, not the government or corporate executives (Murphy, 2001). Many technological devices are available that allow parents to censor inappropriate material. Furthermore, those who cannot afford such appliances can simply turn off the TV, computer, or radio. As Dick Wolf, creator of the hit television shows “Law & Order” and “New York Undercover,” once stated. To make TV the whipping boy for society's ills is ludicrous… It's an issue of parental responsibility, it's not the role of the government or of some pencil neck geek to be making these decisions… I'm old fashioned. I have three kids under age 10. None of them has ever seen any of my shows (Rideout, 2001). After all, the media’s main purpose is to entertain, not to parent. Thus, children should look to real-life role models instead of the TV or movies for positive influences (Murphy, 2001). Females, however, continue to be underrepresented in most forms of media, which limits the opportunities for women to represent a full range of roles, including those that reinforce positive images. On primetime television shows and commercials men outnumber women three to one (Media issues: Gender portrayal, 2001). According to the Screen Actors Guild women accounted for only thirty-seven percent of all primetime television and movie roles in 1998 (New Screen Actors Guild employment figures reveal decline in roles for Latinos, African Americans and Native American Indian performers, 2001). Girls account for just eighteen percent of major characters on children’s action shows (Rideout, 2001). Unfortunately, such shows are targeted toward the most easily impressionable group. Females were present between twenty-two and forty-five percent of the time in popular media (Signorelli, 2001). Older women are virtually non-existent on television and in movies simply because they can no longer pull in ratings. Others may argue that women in the media are shown as being independent and relying on themselves instead of others to accomplish goals (see Appendix A). A recent study showed that more women than men on television shows relied on themselves to solve their own problems, and nearly equal percentages of men and women counted on themselves to reach their goals (Signorelli, 2001). Many television shows promote the idea of professional women relying on themselves to make a living. Outstanding examples include the professionals on “E.R.,” “Providence,” “Law & Order,” and “Family Law.” Commercials also show women being in control twenty-nine percent of the time compared to just two percent for men (Signorelli, 2001). Nearly a third of magazine articles emphasized independence, and very few promoted the idea of relying on men (Signorelli, 2001). It is obvious, however, that the media sends limiting messages about the priorities of women. More often than not, females are portrayed in the context of relationships and love. Men, on the other hand, are usually shown working and furthering their careers (see Appendix B). Out of more than two hundred television shows surveyed, none devoted its plot to a female character’s academic or career ventures (Signorelli, 2001). Twenty-seven percent of women in movies are seen dating compared to just sixteen percent of men (Media…, 2001). Even more disturbing is the fact that forty-one percent of men on TV are shown on the job, while only twenty-eight percent of women are depicted working (Media…, 2001). Additionally, females tend to be more motivated to have romantic relationships than men. Up to thirty-five percent of women in the movies and on TV strive for love-based relationships, but only twenty percent of men in both areas have the same goals (Signorelli, 2001). Men are also more likely to want to succeed in a job than women are (Signorelli, 2001). Magazines targeting women feature nearly triple the amount of articles on dating as there is on school or careers (Reich, Magazine advertisements, 2001). Arguably, women are often shown as strong, honest, and intelligent characters. The sitcoms “Ally McBeal” and “Friends,” though widely criticized for using exceedingly thin actresses, depict women as being extremely candid and able to make a living for themselves. Ally of “Ally McBeal” is an accomplished lawyer who is never too shy to make remarks about fellow co-workers. Even statistics show that females are shown being sincere and able. About an equal number of men and women are seen behaving in an honest, direct way in the movies and on television (Signorelli, 2001). Additionally, almost the same percentage of men and women are shown using their intelligence in these areas of the media (Signorelli, 2001). Moreover, almost twice as many women as men use intelligence to accomplish their goals (Signorelli, 2001). Unfortunately, relatively few women are portrayed as being technologically intelligent, and those who are tend to be shown in an asexual way. Generally, females in the movies or on television are there just to be sex objects or to help in non-technical areas. Movies, including Lawnmower Man and Electric Dreams, show women as being love interests of computers instead of actually using them (Reich, Images on TV and in the movies, 2001). In the film and T.V. series Weird Science two hormone-driven teenage boys use their computer to create an ideal woman who has the power to grant them any wish. Other instances show female computer users as isolated and having poor social skills. Sandra Bullock’s character in The Net rarely left her apartment or socialized with non-computer users. Many of her conversations were conducted on the phone and over the internet in chat rooms. Whoopi Goldberg was also a victim of isolation in her film Jumping Jack Flash (Reich, Images…, 2001). In a review Robert Ebert noted that Goldberg plays a computer operator in a big New York bank, and… finds herself in the middle of an international intrigue… In the course of the movie, Goldberg will nearly fall off the roof of the British Embassy, and will get shot at by spies, chased by hit men and dragged in a runaway phone booth. She will crash an embassy ball dressed like Tina Turner, outsmart the British computers, carry on war with her boss at the bank, break into Elizabeth Arden's and fall in love through the computer with Jack Flash. What she will not do is play a single scene with another actor in which the basis of the dialogue is simple human conversation (Reich, Images…, 2001). With notable exceptions a large majority of women are portrayed as being helpless and physically weak. In a recent study children stated that worrying about looks, crying, weakness, and flirting were qualities they associated with girls (Heintz-Knowles, 2001). Playing sports, leadership, and wanting to be kissed, on the other hand, were things that children felt male characters displayed more often (Heintz-Knowles, 2001). Sports programs and action-packed children’s shows enforce this idea more than any other form of media. Females rarely appear in sports programs except as sex objects, supportive spouses or mothers, or spectators cheering for men. In children’s action shows the few female characters are less aggressive and hostile than the boys are (Rideout, 2001). On the television show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” the two main females are dressed in yellow and pink, clearly feminine colors (Rideout, 2001). In addition the sole Smurfette enjoys picking flowers and is all too caring. Girls are, in fact, twice as likely as boys to show affection, and boys are sixty percent more likely than girls to use physical aggression (Heintz-Knowles, 2001). The media sends girls strong messages about a woman’s ideal appearance and the importance of this appearance to their life. According to the media, the perfect woman would be thin, young, and white with flawless skin, hair, and nails. As much as forty-six percent of women in the media are thin or very thin compared to just sixteen percent of men (Signorelli, 2001). Women are much more likely than men to receive comments about their appearance and to spend time in appearance related activities (Signorelli, 2001). Television has even been proven to warp the idea of what an ideal person looks like. Before TV was introduced to Fiji in 1995, just three percent of young girls suffered from eating disorders. By 1998 the number had jumped to fifteen percent (Strom, 2001). Children have also noticed this emphasis on attractiveness for women and girls in television shows. Nearly sixty percent of boys and girls say female characters on TV are more attractive and thinner than the women and girls they actually know (Thin women prized on sitcoms, 2001). To enforce these ideas laugh tracks are played more often while an average weight or overweight person is on the television screen (Thin…, 2001). Additionally, thin women are severely over represented in all forms of media. Females are too often shown as victims of violence, particularly sexually oriented violent acts. Many popular video games demean women and treat them as sex objects. Killing prostitutes earns points in Duke Nukem, 3D (Violence, women, and the media, 2001). The game also awards players for harassing women and shows them tied to columns pleading, “Kill me” (Violence…, 2001). Slasher films, such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street, show graphic scenes of violence toward passive or weak female victims. Not only are attacks on women more graphic than those of men, the number of violent acts involving female victims is higher as well. Eleven male characters fall to violence for every ten men who commit violent acts on primetime network television (Violence…, 2001). But for every ten women who cause violence, sixteen women become victims (Violence…, 2001). On MTV alone more than a third of the instances of aggression depict sexual violence against women (Violence…, 2001). Numerous music videos demoralize women and distract viewers from seeing them as humans with real feelings and emotions. Popular artists, especially rappers, use lyrics that convey messages that rape, physical abuse, murder, and sexual dominance are accepted and even desired in some cases. Marshall Mathers, the popular rap artist otherwise known as Eminem, has often been criticized for his violent lyrics describing the murders of his estranged wife, Kimberly Mathers. In “Kim,” found on the Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem raps in a crazed stupor vividly describing himself choking and stabbing Kim to death (see Appendix C). On his previous album, the Slim Shady LP, Eminem describes to his young daughter the process of dumping Kim’s body, who has been recently murdered, in a lake (see Appendix D). The media portrays women in a negative fashion. Instead of demeaning women the mass media should show positive roles that young women could identify with and imitate. Sadly, the female gender is not the only group the media discriminates against. Homosexuals, the elderly, and minorities are just a few targets the media tries to smother. In fact, the media represents society as a whole in a negative way. This, in turn, contorts prejudices and the way certain groups are perceived. Unfortunately, chances are that the mass media will continue down the same path it has trodden for many years to come.