Can someone read my essay and tell what to fix and/or add?

What if the author had used “looked at” instead? punishment would be deemphasized. punishments would be seen as less harsh. the meaning wouldn't change.

When you see information in brackets, these are dialogue stage directions setting actor names

What is the main difference between hearing and listening? a) hearing is easy; listening is hard. b) hearing involves the outer ear; listening involves the inner ear. c) hearing is the physical activity; listening involves processing the information. d) none of the above