The listening police officer sits up in his seat. "A little early for a shoot out," he mumbles, "especially in this city."

The radio re-awakens after a short rest. "All units precede to Central Middle School. Proceed with caution."

The police officer doesn't quite know what to think. "What kind of a low-life would shoot up a school?" He proceeds to the crime scene, siren howling. He hops out of his car and joins a few other officers at the school's entrance. Another shot is fired. Weapons drawn, they slowly make their way inside.

About ten feet from the door, a body lies motionless, a gunshot in the back. Apparently he was trying to escape. They roll the body over, hoping to find some signs of life. They find only an eleven-year-old, dead, the look of fear and surprise frozen on his face for all eternity. Such is the scene deeper inside the school. Bodies are randomly strewn about like leaves deposited by the wind on a fall afternoon. Seven bodies total. Creeping further in, the police officers finally find life, locked behind door after door in classrooms.

For a filmmaker to say, "Movies have little influence on people", is idiotic. Movies do affect people. They influence people's feelings about every human act and emotion. That's the purpose of art. It is why Shakespeare's ideas are still read. It is why people still look at the powerful sculptures made by the Greeks. If a filmmaker can say that they are an artist, and many of them love to refer to themselves as "artist's", then, like a painter, or sculptor, or writer, their work does effect people's sense of what love or hate means, and how, as people, we go about expressing them. A film is nothing more than an extension of thought. When a person stands in the Sistine Chapel and looks at the expression of Michelangelo's thoughts and feelings above them, it affects them. So, too, does the film.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on television by the time he or she has completed sixth grade. Further studies have determined that, by the time that same child graduates from high school, he or she will have spent 22,000 hours watching television-twice as many hours he or she has spent at school. In a study by the Center for Disease Control, it was shown that homicide rates have doubled between the introduction of television in the 50's and the end of the study in 1994. Other possible causes for the increase in violence were the "baby boom" effect, trends on urbanization, economic trends, trends in alcohol abuse, the role of capital punishment, the availability of guns, civil unrest, and exposure to television (Bruno 124).

rous other factors contribute to these problems..." (Associated Press 2). The committee did, however, conclude that, "Viewing violence can lead to emotional desensitization toward violence in real life. It can decrease the likelihood that one will take action on behalf of a victim when violence occurs." They also concluded that, "Children who see a lot of violence are more likely to view violence as an effective way of settling conflicts. Children exposed to violence are more likely to assume that acts of violence are acceptable behavior," and, "Viewing violence may lead to real-life violence. Children exposed to violent programming at a young age have a higher tendency for violent and aggressive behavior later in life than children who are not exposed" (Associated Press 3). The committee has good reason for believing that television affects children. A 1989 five-year study by the American Psychological Association has indicated that the average child has witnessed 8,000 !

The rest of the school's population is safe. At the end of the corridor, however, one more body waits to be discovered. This one is different f

Some common words found in the essay are:
School Proceed, Associated Press, America Carnes, Denzel Washington's, University Philadelphia, Ward Interview, Disease Control, Information Age, Friends Drugs, Psychological Association, associated press, violence lead, influence society, children exposed, carnes 9, carnes 9 movies, american academy, psychological association, american psychological, association american, affect people, violence lead emotional, association american academy, viewing violence lead, lead emotional desensitization,
Approximate Word count = 1852
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)