External Input That Changes Everything In Teenage Wasteland By Anne Taylor

Input That changes Everything

“Teenage Wasteland” by Anne Taylor explains how external input can change a person’s attitude and how discipline is required during a child’s life As parents or guardians of any child, it is important to know that any amount of external input can alter a child’s life. Even from a young age of three years old to around the years of adolescence which is 13 to17. In the case of the story called “Teenage Wasteland” a boy named Donny is influenced by external input therefore changing his attitude and actions toward certain people. In this story, Donny’s main influence is his tutor Calvin. From the start of the story Donny’s grades were going on a downwards slope and into the D and F range. With input from the

While doing this Donny’s principal requested that Donny would receive tutoring from a tutor named Calvin. While in the zone of influence of Calvin, Donny’s teachers “ noticed how his attitude”s changed” (Taylor 36). With this being said it shows how this influence actually changed Donny for the better in school. Though at home Donny still acts like his parents are not on the same level both mentally and emotionally. Explaining how external input, either being at school or at another location changes a person action and attitude towards a person either being for the better or worse. Nevertheless, Calvin is not the only person who was an external influence on a certain character. While Daisy was at home, Mrs. Evans calls Daisy reporting the news that Donny’s grades have been dropping from C’s to D’s. While with this influence Daisy’s attitude and actions have changed towards Calvin from being kind to being suspicious. After the getting off the phone with Mrs. Evans Daisy blurts out “ Talisman! For a Talisman, she’d give up her time with her daughter and money”. (Taylor 37)

Whatever the way they chose it is necessary to have any kind of discipline. It shows that not anything goes for the world that we live in. Learning this a important to gain this insight because it will prepare a child for the harsh reality in the real world. In the case for Donny and Daisy, this is a prime case where no discipline is not displayed and the attitude of Donny is the final result of this. With this Daisy is forced to gain a reflex of forgiving Donny for the little and the big things that he commits in school or out of school. With this Daisy reflex forces her to say “ Of course she trusted him… a reflex”. (Taylor 38) With a simple change in disciplining could have changed it, but it is too late for Donny. At the age of Donny he will think that he knows more than his parents. Knowing it is hard for some parents to inflict punishment on their children, but in result of not discipling their children a unwanted personality will form. This goes for Donny as well, in result of not being disciplined correctly he is making many ill thought decisions, such as underage drinking and smoking. While being confronted by Daisy in front of Calvin he explains how another person actions by saying “ He put these beers in my locker and a rumor going around”. (Taylor 39) Finally, Donny’s real colors have been revealed by the confronting of Daisy. His true actions which is lying and his true attitude