By: Simone Daniels
One day after not being able to find anything on TV I turned to Killer Kids out of curiosity. I thought that the show was absolutely cringe worthy at first but, as it went in I found myself becoming more and more intrigued by it. Many of the kids had seemingly perfect lives so when they lashed out and murdered someone no one could fathom what would make then do something so heinous. The detectives would go through the process of solving the case and sometimes they would find undetected mental illnesses. They come to understand the harsh reality that without the illness being detected there is no way anyone could have seen this coming. Killer kids is a twisted show about twisted tales of twisted kids. Imagine being a parent of one of these kids. What would be going through your mind?
Simone- I think the most powerful part of your piece was the last two sentences. These gave me context and peeked my interest (as a parent.) It is provocative and ropes me in... so why not start with it. Grab me right away. I think sometimes we are trained to build up to the punchline and then hit it home- Consider giving me the punchline first.
ReplyDeleteI have found this a good technique when I write.I do a draft- then look at the end sentence or two in my paragraphs. In my second draft I often use those endings first. Writing can be thinking out loud. Sometimes it takes a few moments for me to gather my thoughts.
I can't even imagine the grief and guilt these parents must feel. Do you think that TV and the media exploit and sensationalize these stories? But, then again, some great writers like Edgar Allan Poe drew stories from current events. Maybe it would be more palatable to me if the stories were fictionalized, more like Law and Order.
ReplyDeleteHi. Simone;
ReplyDeleteI would like to reinforce the comments that others have made about your piece by saying that you raise some very serious issues about crime, mental health and the juvenial Justice system. I think that you have challenged us to think about how we can improve as a society in regard to these issues. Please keep writing.
How do you know if someone needs mental health help? It is very hard to be a parent especially hard if you want to be a good parent. There is always the fear that you are doing something wrong no matter how how you try. Back to your writing, you give the information about the subject which lets the reader (even one who has never seen the show) understand your reasoning. Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading your next piece.
ReplyDeleteYou raise some interesting questions in your piece. The relationship between mental health and crime is a complex issue, so keep reading and keep writing about it. I like how you ended your passage with a rhetorical question. It really made the reader become personally invested in the issue. I also like your line "Killer kids is a twisted show about twisted tales of twisted kids." Your choice to use repetition in that line was particularly effective.
ReplyDeleteI like how you've communicated your own shock at the choices that kids can make. Questions your piece raised in mind include, Who decides if someone is sick? What if they aren't mentally ill, but just certifiably awful? What does society do with awful people who can't be rehabilitated?
ReplyDelete