Author: Thierno Diallo
Research/Audience Assignment
Thierno Diallo
Professor Jewell
ENG 101
25 November 2019
There has been an increase in violence in america. Mass shootings have become a common thing and government officials and politicians are blaming it on video games . Video games are not a cause of violence in america. Throughout the years video games have become more and more popular.There billions of gamers around the world. Video games connect people from all around the world allowing them to meet new people and make new friends.The video game industry is growing industry making billions of dollars and opening up many career opportunities for people all around the world. I have chosen to write a letter two both President Donald Trump and Parents speak to them about why video games aren’t a cause of violence in America.
Dear Donald Trump
Following the mass shootings that happened at Paso , Texas and Dayton, Ohio that claimed the lives of 31 people you addressed the public and suggested that video games where a cause of these violence. According a NBC article In the speech you said “We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace. It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately,“.Before that you made a similar comment after the parkland shooting to Florida’s attorney general. The Times article stated You said “I’m hearing more and more people say the level of violence in video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts,”.These comments caused a big controversy between people who believe video games are a cause of violence and people who believe they aren’t and that your using it as a scapegoat instead of addressing what really is the cause of violence in america.This topic was trending for a couple of days and got many people talking and discussing the issue.The majority of people disagree with you, they don’t believe that video games are a cause of violence in america. Your comment angered many people in the gaming community.These people whose career and hobbies revolve around playing video games believe you are using their community as a scapegoat for the cause of these massacres. Many of these gamers were quick to point out that there are billions of gamers all around the world and that other countries aren’t facing the same problems america is . There are millions of gamers in america alone if gaming is a cause the cause of violence then there be way more violence in america then it already is. According to an article on CNN previous research done had suggested that video games were a cause of violence but newer research found out that because previous researchers lacked experience with the new technology that research was done poorly. A LA Times article states that research done in current time found that there is no evidence to link video games to real-world violence. Video games aren’t the cause of these massacres mental illness, bullying, abuse are just a couple that are the real cause of violence in america . Implementing restrictions on video games it will not stop the violence in america because video games aren’t the problem
Dear Parents
I know most of you have heard about the comments by politician and president trump blaming the violence in america on video games.I know most of you are worried that these comments and that video games might cause your children to become violent. I can assure you that video games are not a cause of violence in america. Countless researcher show that video games have no links to real life violence. Video games have opened up many amazing opportunities for people. It has allowed billions of gamers for all parts of the world to connect and meet new people and make friends. It has allowed people to travel around the world and compete with each other to huge amounts of money. It has opened up careers for people earning them millions of dollars a year playing video games. Video games are a great way to relax after a hard day’s work. Research also shows there positive health effects contributed to gaming . According to a blog post by Art Bamford Ph.D. student in Media Studies “studies have shown that gaming can improve hand-eye coordination, complex problem solving, memory, and a young person’s ability to pay attention for longer periods of time”.He also states that video games also help foster friendship allowing people to open up and talk to people .Video games have brought many people together and is not to blame for the increased violence in america.
Citations
1.)”No,there’s still no link between video games and violence” Los Angeles Times, Aug 06 2019
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-08-06/video-games-violence-studies
2.)“Video games unlikely to cause real-world violence, experts say” By Arman Azad,CNN ,Aug 82019 https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/05/health/video-games-violence-explainer/index.html
3.) “Trump Blames Video Games for School Shootings. Here’s What Science Says” By Jamie Ducharme , Time, March 8 2018
https://time.com/5191182/trump-video-games-violence/
4.)”Fact check: Trump suggests video games to blame for mass shootings” By Jane C. Timm , NBC News, Aug 5 2019
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-check-trump-suggests-video-games-blame-mass-shootings-n1039411
5.)”3 positive effects of gaming.”By Art Bamford, blog, Oct 08, 2018
https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/3-positive-effects-of-gaming
Reflection
My Topic for the Annotated biography Assignment was hip-hop.While I was researching sources for this topic I found many similarities between them.One of the similarity I found between the sources was that they were all through the artist’s perspective throughout the songs the rappers would use “I” and describe how he viewed and felt about different things and topics.Another similarity I found between the sources was that they all talk about their life before becoming rappers and what they went through to get to where they are today. Also the sources talks about the street life and how it got them into making music.In all the sources the rappers deliver a message to their fans either to motivate them or give them a view into their lifestyle and challenges they face.Through this assignment I was able to learn how each rapper use life experiences and turn them into hit songs that delivery a message.What i would like to learn from this topic is how each rapper finds their different flow and style and how they are able to implement it into their music
Throughout this assignment I felt like had a difficult time finding the right sources i wanted annotated for my topic hip-hop after researching for a while I was able to find sources i was familiar with and it made it easier to annotated. I believed that my greatest strength when it comes to writing is being able to imagine through the writer or author perspective and understand what they are trying to say. I would like to continue to grow as a writer and be able to write more in detail explanations in my assignment by brainstorming ideas. I can achieve this by participating writing more and expend my view my writing about different topics which will helping strengthen my writing skills.
Annotated Bibliography Hip-Hop
Thierno Diallo
Professor Jewell
ENG 1001
30 October 2019
Annotated Bibliography Hip-Hop
DaBaby.”Intro.” Kirk , Interscope Records, 2019.
https://genius.com/Dababy-intro-lyrics
“Intro” is the opening track to the DaBaby’s album kirk it send a strong message that with hard work and dedication you can outcome any challenge to reach your dreams. In the song the north Carolina rapper reminisces about his past and reflects on his rise to fame. In the song he talks about his poor upbringing and the challenges he faced to reach success. He mentions that he was broke most of his life and at one point he was living with a friend because he couldn’t afford a place. Then his debut album Baby on Baby went number one and his whole life change.His songs went viral entered the billboard hot 100 opening up huge opportunity for him like being able to perform the the 2019 BET awards which he talks about in the song. In the song he mentions that at the same time his album went number he got the bad news that his father had passed. He able to bounce back from the lost of his father and write a new album and dedicated this song “intro”to his father. Through the song he talks about his family and how its is the most important thing in his life and how he is thankful to be in a position to take care of both his friends and family. DaBaby was able to overcome the challenges he faced and reach his dream of becoming and rapper.
NBA Youngboy. “Lonely child.” AI Youngboy 2 , Atlantic Records, 2019 https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lyrics/8539990/youngboy-never-broke-again-lonely-child-lyrics
On “lonely child” Youngboy wants people not judge a person without knowing what that person has been through in life. The 20 year old Louisiana rapper vulnerable bars speaks to how his fame has put him on this pedestal and he feels as if this pedestal has isolated him stripping him of his human status. In the song he talks about how he misses his grandmother who raised him and that miss all the friends he has lost to gang violence. He talks about his rise to fame how he grew up with nothing and was able to make a name for himself but it was painted in a bad image people believed that he was this violent and heartless kid but . He wants people to know he has feelings and he has been through a lot of pain in his life he’s lost friends and has had people hurt him.
Polo G .“Finer thing” Die a Legend , Columbia Records, 2019
https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/polo-g-interview/
On “Finer things” Polo G wants listeners to not let their past define who they become. In the song he talks about what it was like being raised in the north side of Chicago. At a young age he had to hang around gang members and sell drugs to survive. He mentioned there was no heros to look up to where he lived and how they look up to the villains. He talks about the pain he felt losing his friends to gang violence. He decided he was going to leave the streets and focus on music while in jail. He talks about how he was able to use the pain and struggles he faced and turned it into a passion to write music.He made a name for himself become a successful rapper and leave the things went through in the past.
Nas. “ Hate Me Now” I Am , Columbia Records , 1999
https://genius.com/Nas-hate-me-now-lyrics
On “ hate me now “ Nas wants the listeners to not let hate and criticism bring them down but use to make them stronger . In the song Nas recalls all the hate he received following his success in the rap industry. He talks about how people dislike him because he had flashy clothing and expensive jewelry he wore. He talks about how other rappers hated him because he was known to be one of the best rappers at his time. He states that he didn’t let this hate get to him but it made him stronger . It motivated him to work harder and make more music earning him critically acclaimed titles and huge record sales. Nas used this hate and criticism to improve his career and make himself more successful.
2Pac. “Keep Ya Head Up” Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z, Interscope Records, 1993
On “Keep Ya Head Up “ 2Pac wants his listeners to respect women and embraced the strength and importance of women.In the song he talks about how women are so often stereotyped, and scapegoated in hip-hop culture but they are the ones who fuel man and make them a better person. He mentions how grateful he was for his mom and that he wouldn’t be where he is now if it was for her. Throughout the song he questions how people can hurt women and disrespect them when at least one point in their life they have been loved and taken care of by women. 2Pac states that his listeners should stand up for women and treat them well . He also wants to send a message to women to keep their heads up and keep thriving.
J.Cole “Love Yourz” 2014 Forest Hills Drive , Columbia Records 2014
https://spoonuniversity.com/healthier/j-cole-love-yourz-song-has-a-lesson-for-everyoe
In the song “ Love Yourz” J.cole delivers a powerful message that you should be grateful for the life you live. He explains in the song how he had once believed that being successful would bring happiness to his life but one he achieved it, he realized he had lost sight of the people and blessings he had around which was what brought happiness in his life. In the song the line “No such thing as a life that’s better than yours” repeats over and over to emphasize his message that how important it is to be aware of the blessings around you , no matter what you believe you are lacking. He talks about how there will always be things in others that you can compare yourself to and that can’t control what others have in their lives, but you can control how you view what you have. He wants his listeners to understand that money can’t bring happiness and to be grateful for the things in their lives.
