What is a good definition essay?

A good definition essay explains a word, a term or an idea beyond common

dictionary definition. The writer inputs what he/she thinks about the topic and explains what
it personally means to him/her, regardless of how the dictionary or society in general defines
it.

The following definition essay redefines cartoons on television.

The Secret Life of the Cartoon Character

A cartoon is a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give

the illusion of movement. It becomes a television show once given a story or plot,

characters and a setting. Naturally, in this day and age where high technology is

prevalent, the television is considered a must in every home. So most kids or teens

spend a lot of time in front of their TV sets, immersing themselves in Invader Zim’s

quest for world domination, or Scooby Doo’s ghost hunting adventures. Now, this kind

of behavior has been considered unhealthy (especially by parents), because according

to them, cartoons don’t offer anything particularly useful in a moral or ethical way. They

elaborate that these shows deal with ridiculous themes, useless conversations, and

sometimes they even present a twisted view of reality. Nevertheless, I am bound to

disagree because although a lot of people dismiss them as hogwash, some cartoons

are more socially and morally healthy compared to reality shows, sitcoms and soap

operas.

When I was a child, I used to watch cartoons religiously on TV. The Powerpuff

Girls, Rugrats, Tom & Jerry—you name it, I watched them all. As I began to grow up, I

kept on thinking that someday, I would eventually outgrow my fondness for them, telling

myself it was a phase I would sooner or later get over with. But to my great surprise,

until now that I’m in college, I continue to watch them. Because of this, my mother

berates me for watching ‘childish shows’. At first, I did try to watch shows ‘appropriate’
for my age, but I realized I missed my beloved cartoons. Supposedly mature soap

operas and heavy reality shows held no interest for me. I began mocking the drama of

them all, and I yearned for the happy-go-lucky life of SpongeBob Squarepants, an all-

time favorite character of mine.

A lot of mothers and fathers continue to be displeased about how their teens

carry on watching these cartoons. Sometimes, they claim that these shows are

responsible for the current adolescent culture which is utterly perplexing and mind-

boggling to the 30-year old and the older. They ask us, “Why watch that kind of

nonsense that will never help you with your studies, your career and with life in the long

run?” Most teens would sigh and keep silent upon being bombarded with this question.

But if I were to answer for myself, I would say that on the contrary, cartoons do in fact

help you get through with life. They may be mere drawings that move, talk and dance or

sing. They may be horses that can fly, dogs that play the piano, and potatoes that

shockingly walk and heat soup in a microwave oven. But they don’t stop there. If one

pays closer attention, cartoons actually teach us that friendship has no bounds

(SpongeBob and Patrick), they emphasize teamwork (Powerpuff Girls), and they send

out a message that life has no limits no matter how old or young you get (The Rugrats).

Then there comes the problem of reality. It poses the question of how we expect

cartoons to teach us about life when in the first place, those characters aren’t real and

aren’t alive. Admittedly, some concepts in cartoons like singing spiders will never be

encountered in real life, but there is one simple solution as to how we can overcome this

barrier: we look beyond the obvious. Once you strip away the gibberish solely intended

to entertain bored audiences, you actually expose what lies underneath the whimsical

façade of cartoons. That is when we get the core, the message that cartoons can

preach. They can ask us what we are doing with our lives, they can criticize, and they
can gloat by saying “Look at us. We’re only farm animals that talk, but we’re all the best

of friends. Are you?” As a matter of fact, I believe that the ghoulish, macabre Addams

family expresses more values than real-life families. They may live in a dilapidated

mansion beside a cemetery and have a butler who looks like Frankenstein’s monster.

But their family’s mother and father never fail to swear their undying love to each other

in every episode, in front of their kids. Do all husbands and wives even do that today?

Maybe something as simple as that is what frustrated couples need: a constant

reminder from each other that they are still in love. For me, if you look beyond the

comical conversation and the corny jokes, cartoons can be an inspiration to us. Just

because they are hand-drawn and exhibit big eyes or abnormally huge noses doesn’t

mean that they aren’t allowed to be socially relevant and contribute to the world’s

condition.

Maybe, we DO stereotype cartoons. We say they are childish, stupid and

useless. Then again, we’ve analyzed a lot of hidden agenda involving government

matters, economic affairs and media issues. Isn’t there similarly a message behind

cartoon characters’ lives? I believe that we should extend the scope of the saying “Read

between the lines” towards cartoons on television. Perhaps if more grown-ups watched

cartoons, they would realize that it only takes four boxes of pizza to make yourself feel

better, after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or they could possibly take out a leaf

from Patrick the Starfish’s book and start telling their best friends, “Knowledge can

never replace friendship. I’d rather be an idiot and be your friend, rather than be a

genius and not have you by my side catching jellyfish.”

Note: This essay is publicized solely for reference purposes and/or study material.
© 2010 by Jedidiah K. Singco