Reference no: EM133580570

Question: Balancing Screen Time: A Rhetorical Analysis of Lisa Pryor's "Relax and Let Your Kids Indulge in TV"

Screen addiction has been an issue for multiple generations, and many parents think it needs to be addressed. In the article "Relax and Let Your Kids Indulge in TV", originally published in The New York Times in 2017, Lisa Pryor narrates both the experiences of her childhood and her children's and links the similarities between the two when it comes to technology. After researching addictions to technology in the 21st century, Pryor examined her own life and wanted to express her views on the topic by writing this article. In this article, the author employs rhetorical appeals, a reflective tone, and descriptive language to examine the technology addiction multiple generations have had to compellingly argue for a balanced perspective on screen time in the 21st century.

Lisa Pryor in her article "Relax and Let Your Kids Indulge in TV" examines her kids' addiction to technology and compares the pros and cons. She begins by explaining that when she was a child, she spent much of her time watching television with her family. She goes on to say that society views technology as an addiction that underlies various health problems. While she does agree with many claims from parents on how children spend too much time on screens, she feels that completely eliminating technology is an extreme response to the matter that does more harm than good. Ultimately, Pryor concludes that having leisure time is perfectly healthy when balanced with other activities, so if parents allow their children to use technology in moderation, it is perfectly fine and should not be viewed as an addiction.

Pryor isn't the only person who thinks that screen time should be viewed positively. According to the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, "The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a consensus statement that noted that screen time can be used to enhance social support and connection, community participation, and civic engagement" (LeBlanc et al.). This source shows that other doctors agree with what Pryor has to say. They also agree that screen time can be a productive use of time, and add that it can help with connecting with other people and engaging in community activities. While Pryor isn't making the exact same argument on how screen time is positive, both Pryor and the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine end up with the same conclusion that screen time can be beneficial for children and that parents should start to view it in a positive light instead of the negative view they currently have. Pryor utilized research similar to the article above to increase her credibility and the foundations of her arguments.

Pryor was considered a credible source to the majority of the readers because she is a doctor, and can offer professional and critical views on the subject. Showing how she experienced technology in her life and has seen how it affects children from a parents' and doctors' perspective is one of the ways she employs ethos in her article. The author also integrated some data from other sources, such as Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, to appeal to reason and rationality which helps her strengthen her argument about the challenges associated with screen time. This adds a factual and logical dimension to the article which provides further evidence on screen addiction which is how the author adds logos. The author also appeals to pathos within the article. She starts off with some reflections about her family's experience with technology. She then goes on to connect on an emotional level with the readers by mentioning moments she spent with her brother watching television together during her childhood. By appealing to ethos, logos, and pathos she makes the readers more confident that she is giving a well-balanced argument.
The author also uses some other literary devices to make her writing stronger. Pryor uses diction by trying to paint a picture with the words she uses. Some of her strongest examples are "illicit thrill", "peach velour sofa", and "squat and heavy" (Pryor). She does a great job getting to the point by using short sentences to make an impact on the reader. An example of this was when she said "We are a family addicted to television." (Pryor). The author also uses a reflective tone to help the readers feel more connected to her family's struggle when she acknowledges screen addiction and the guilt that is associated with the addiction. She then goes on to convey a sense of acceptance and a desire to get a perspective that is balanced on the issue. An example of a reflective tone in the passage is when the author says "Perhaps my writing this is just an attempt to wash away guilt, but I have even made peace with our love of poor-quality screen time, so long as we are still doing the other things that make up a good life" (Pryor). This quote shows the author's journey towards reconciling their family's screen addiction with their values and priorities and reflects a sense of acceptance and understanding. The author is taking the readers along on the internal thoughts and processing of her emotions. Pryor also tries to write in a certain order to make the readers more engaged throughout the way. She starts off with her father's interest in television, then talks about her experience with television growing up. Lastly, she describes her perspective as a parent watching her own children grow up watching television a lot. This structure is effective because it helps readers see the evolution of the author's experiences and thoughts over the years about screen time usage, and the use of data mentioned throughout the article helps reinforce her argument that screen time is good in moderation. Overall, the various rhetorical strategies the author used to give us a convincing argument on the topic of screen time and make it so most readers end up agreeing with her.

The author creates a great argument on why screen time isn't necessarily a bad thing for children and writes in a way that helps the audience understand why she feels this way. This article is significant because it makes it clear why there is a need for a balanced approach and the challenges of perfection in parenting. In this article, the author employs a reflective tone and descriptive language to examine the technology addiction multiple generations have had to compellingly argue for a balanced perspective on screen time in the 21st century. Many readers will find that the way Pryor wrote this article was beneficial since it offered a balanced perspective that is usually not found in opinion-based articles.