Running head: Genre Analysis

Genre Analysis
Carly McCool
University of Texas at El Paso

Running head: Genre Analysis

Drug Usage in Television

The portrayal of drug usage in television, what used to be a taboo subject has now been
popularized by certain shows with a huge fan base. Drug usage in television has become so
glamorizing, viewers lose sight in what the really entertainment is. The content writers of these
show also lose sight in the fact that many American citizens struggle with addiction. The two
genre being analyzed are three television shows and a new article. The topic of drug usage is
portrayed differently for each of the genres. In the televisions being analyzed take on
controversial topics and ideas with the topic of drugs and substance abuse, and the news article
being analyzed discusses drug use in television and how it is affecting teens.

Running head: Genre Analysis

Audience and Purpose

The three televisions being analyzed are: Nurse Jackie, Breaking Bad, and Weeds. These three
television shows portray drug use. The audience intended for these shows vary, from teens to
elderly. The purpose of these shows are mainly to give an audience a sense of entertainment,
suspense, and drama, which allows viewers to become fans. The second genre being analyzed is
an abc news article, the audience geared toward this genre would be college students and
concerned parents. The article Media Portrayal of Drugs informs the audience on how drugs
have been affecting teens attitudes towards drugs.
Both of the genres provide information that allow an audience to make sense of drugs in
the media, the television shows allow a viewer to decide the morals regarding to drugs, but the
article is providing information backing up the reason why drug portrayal in the media is so
harmful to teens. The two genres provide give information, but the article is shorter and straight
to the point, whereas the television shows are a lot longer and take time to watch and grasp the
idea of how drugs are being used and the way they are showing them on television.
Language in each genre play a big role in how these two genres are trying to persuade or
influence their audience. In the television shows like Breaking Bad targets certain discourse
communities, just like how Media Portrayal of Drugs does as well. The difference between the
two genres is that television shows are able to target a variety of discourse communities with one
show, whereas Media Portrayal of Drugs mainly targets parents who are against drugs.
The audience within these two genres most likely know that drugs can be harmful. Both
the article and the television shows provide some knowledge on how certain drugs can be
dangerous for example overdose and problems within everyday life. The way the genres go about
the subject that drugs are harmful differ in the fact that television tends to make light of subjects
with fact that the main point is entertainment, whereas the article is mainly to inform and provide
logos.

Running head: Genre Analysis

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos:

Ethos
Media Portrayal of Drugs, the article written by Alexa Pozniak a journalist that works for abc
News gives the information within in this article gives it credibility as well as the information
provided. Nurse Jackie, Breaking Bad, and Weeds are all well-known shows that were aired on
channels like Showtime and AMC, they are all on the popular streaming platform known as
Netflix.
The difference between the two genres is the fact that the article has information written
by a journalist to inform the community about how drugs in the media can have a bad effect on
teens, it provides the audience with a credible source due to the fact that abc News has published
many other articles. The topic of drug use within the television shows isnt really credible due to
the fact that the shows are written for entertainment purposes and not really to inform an
audience about an issue. The television shows compared to the article lack a little more
credibility.

Pathos
In both the television shows and the article, the authors provide a sense of emotion. In Media
Portrayal of Drugs, the articles goes on about how teens can effected by what is being shown on
television, it stresses the fact that television is one of the leading causes of teens being so
nonchalant about drug usage, this could pull at the heart strings of parents of teenagers. In Nurse
Jackie, the character Jackie is a drug addict, mother, and nurse, her character is easy to
sympathize with and her struggle with addiction can make an audience get emotional. It is easier
for a television show to pull at the heart strings of viewers than an article because television
show tries to target a larger community or viewers rather than just one type of audience.
Logos

Running head: Genre Analysis

Media Portrayal of Drugs provides statistic evidence that teens are effected by the drug use in
television in the article it stated that As for television, 40 percent of teens in 2000 said programs
make drugs seem OK, down from 44 percent in 1997., this statement provided in the article
shows that it has evidence backing up that also gives the article a creditable source. In the
television shows there is a huge lack of logos, although the shows provide some accurate
reenactments of drug use and how it can harm you, this is not enough to say that these television
shows provide a significant amount of statistics and logic within the shows.
Structure and Delivery
Television shows have a lot of freedom to portray drugs and addition within each episode. It is
easy for content writers to elaborate and expand on a certain type of drug or problem within
drugs, whereas articles sometimes have a limit on how much information the author of the story
is allowed to talk about, they are also confined to certain fonts, layouts, and the use of language
within a story. Television shows and articles are able to expand on a topic that needs to be
addressed in a create way.
Conclusion
Television shows expand on a topic like drug use and addiction, and so do articles, but television
shows allow the viewer to make their own mind up. The viewer decides what is right or wrong
within the drama of drugs and addition. Articles tend to be one-sided, whereas television shows
provide the viewers with a range of characters with different traits and personalities. The topic of
drug use in television is usually trying to provide viewers with an entertaining way to spread
awareness.

References
Falco, Edie, Eve Best, Haaz Sleiman, Steve Buscemi, Craig Zisk, Scott Ellis, Paul Feig, et al.
2010. Nurse Jackie. Season 1 Season 1. Santa Monica, Calif: Lionsgate.
Gilligan, V., Moore, K., Porter, D., Cranston, B., Gunn, A., Mitte, R. J., Paul, A., ... Sony Pictures
Home Entertainment (Firm),. (2009). Breaking bad: The complete first season. Culver City,
Calif: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

(n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2016, from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?

id=116947

(n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439100/