Recommended: The importance of the individual in literature
The most hated plot in America is the underdog’s demise- the empathetic pain of scrutiny, and the failure we all miss to escape. The scrawny, glasses-wearing outsider is often the underdog, the hero we all cheer for. The one who makes all the refinements in a society that is stagnant to change. And his most successful storytelling, or retelling, is that in the setting of high school. He walks awkwardly down the hall with his shoulders slightly hunched inward and mouth slightly ajar.
The Gainesville Murders were a popular case that involved plain view searches. Five students in Gainesville were murdered from a stabbing. There was a lot of controversy surrounding this case and how evidence was obtained. Danny H. Rolling, who was sentenced to the murder of these five students, believed that evidence was obtained in an unlawful way. Mr. Rolling also believed that he was wronged in countless ways during his trial.
The adults in Salem, Oregon in Stephen Karam’s Speech & Debate had good reason to treat the teens as if they were children. If Diwata, Solomon, and Howie were an accurate representation of the other students at the school, it is no wonder that the parents, teachers, and school board sought to exercise an abundance of control and provide too much guidance in their lives. The three teens dealt with “grown-up” issues throughout the play, but they tried to tackle them in characteristically childish ways. In the opening scene of the play, viewers are introduced to Howie, an openly gay 18-year-old.
Bulman is based on why Hollywood films represent students and education in constant way that can be predicted by the actors/plot social class based on American culture. The difference among urban, suburban, and private school genres are separated and compared to find their consistencies in films. Bulman uses Durkheim’s theory of individualism (utilitarian and expressive) to indicate how individuals are dependent on one another and although it is a product of social life, it can restrict some from recognizing their connection to the social life. This foundation of individualism guides the reader as the book further breaks down how the films ‘choose’ their plots to portray a stereotyped social class. Urban schools are in need of a savior, suburban schools have student heroes and do not need education, and the private school that challenges the culture of privilege are the three sections
The young prophet, Imam Hussein once said, “death with dignity is better than love with humiliation.” In Ernest Gaines novel A Lesson Before Dying, presents the importance of dignity through the journey of a young black man and his wrongful conviction. The lesson that dignity comes from loving and being loved through the actions and thoughts of Grant Wiggins, Reverend Ambrose, and Jefferson is taught. Who these characters love, who they care for, and how and individuals that love them, define the dignity they feel and experience in their lives.
Greg was not able to live without music, however, he did not enjoy the typical rock and roll accustomed to typical teenagers of the time. Greg felt like he is a part of the out-group that could not be “inspired by the bands that formed the fabric of this burnout drug culture”(18). This helps him on his journey to understand the punk style and becoming a part of the punk in-group. Graffin states the values that exist in the punk in-group. “It [sex] became more of an act of rebellion”(19).
The book I have chosen to review is Boy 21, a fictional read that is written by Matthew Quick. Quick is a New York Times best-selling author debuting in novels such as The Silver Linings Playbook and Love May Fail. To best describe this book, it is a captivating read that is comforting for the mind, as it canvasses the raw and unflinching life of a high school senior who displays love for basketball and life relationships. Furthermore, set in a troubled Belmont city of Philadelphia, Quick incorporates the presence of mobs and violence which is captivating towards the reader and audience. I was intrigued about how the novel was written through Finley the main protagonist, which was Quick’s childhood perspective of life in Philadelphia and his passion towards basketball.
Conformity is gradually oppressing the world in which we live in. This ideal is prominently illustrated in the film Pleasantville which is directed, and produced by Gary Ross. Pleasantville is a great demonstration of the dangers of abiding by society’s expectations, and the freedoms that come with rebelling to these expectations and embracing change. Gary Ross uses several literary techniques such as; colour (symbolism), and character development to indicate the lack of creativity, and originality in society. Throughout the film, Ross illustrates how obstructive conformity can be to society, and how rewarding rebelling to societal norms can be for not only self growth, but societal advancement as well.
Greg finds himself arguing whether to comfort his friend Rachel who was diagnosed with Leukemia or to keep living his ordinary and commonplace life. Spending time with Rachel would lead to people believing he was in her friend group. This would eventually lead to the creation of enemies which is what Greg wanted to avoid in the first place. Whether Greg should show Rachel the movies he and Earl made is another man versus self conflict. Greg must make his own decision whether or not to embarrass himself by sharing his unprofessional video shorts to someone other than Earl or himself.
Joey Evans Mr. Milroy English 10 Honors 17 January 2023 The Loss of Authenticity The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth dives into the world of cliques, friend groups, bullies, and social status in high school. Author Alexandra Robbins explores the lives of several different high school students, including Whitney. Whitney is a member of the popular group, the hostile clique that excludes others and makes fun of people in different groups.
The main characters are Claire Standish, the princess; Andrew Clarke, the jock; Brian Johnson, the brain; Allison Reynolds, the basket case; John Bender, the criminal, and Richard Vernon the principle. This movie shows five young adolescent people trying to figure out who they are in high school. Which can be very difficult with peers and the awkwardness of being a teenager. The first part of this movie opens to each of the characters being dropped off by their parents. When Claire’s
This is the story of Todd Anderson, a character in the film Dead Poets Society. Todd is sent to an all-male school where he is expected to match that of his older brother who was celebrated while at the school (Weir). Todd represents the many individuals who have been denied a voice in determining the direction of their lives.
Bring it On: All or Nothing The film I chose to watch is the third installment of the Bring It On series, which are all mostly unrelated stories loosely held together by the thread of cheerleading as a main plot point. I went with the third movie, released in 2006, because it attempts to have something to say about race, and was actually written by a black woman, though whether it survived rewrites and succeeds or not is to be questioned later. The basic plot is that the lead character, Britney, is the captain of the cheerleading squad at a very white, suburban school called Pacific Vista.
This movie digs deep into the role of high school stereotyping, but still keeps a warm comedic feel to it. At the start of the movie, each character has there own “clique” they are apart of. While in detention the characters
Getting all of the characters the same personality that they had in the play but with a modern twist to it. Slang is the new English, slang id the new language, if the movie didn’t have any type of slang in it then it wouldn’t have been a modern teen movie. The school environment in this film is a very similar layout to the schools that we have now. In a school courtyard/quad there are groups or cliques; there is the popular group, the “wanna bes” and then the “nerds”; same with the film; but in the film there are other groups in the film to add to the school environment, these groups are the stereotypes of people.
