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.
Alexandra Robbins, a choice award winning author, discusses high school life and the ‘cafeteria fringe’, or the outcasts in school who often sit on the outskirts of the cafeteria during lunch, separated from the populars, in her non-fiction novel, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth. In her book, she elaborates on why outcasts are often excluded and she comes to the conclusion that, “Like most outcasts in school—including many of the thousand-plus people I contacted for this book—these “characters” were
He’s a really nice boy” (75).Miss Narwin gave Phil chance after chance and kept convincing herself that Philip was a nice kid and a good student. She tried so hard to still believe he was a good kid, even after his repeating behavior in her class. Miss Narwin overwhelmed like everyone else, being forced to stay at home and just listen to all the chaos around her due to the fake news that started with Philip. Miss Narwin complains. “I should be in school right now this moment, teaching my students the literature I love”(172).The job that
Recently moving into Bellport, 12 year old Eric Hayes needed new friends. Soon, he meets a popular boy who is also 12 named Griffin. They quickly became friends once Eric found out about Griffin’s kind heart after he saw Griffin helping old seniors with their groceries at a grocery store. But, when school started, Eric realized Griffin is not as good of a friend he first thought of, as Griffin is always bullying and stealing. Eric knew that this was wrong and wanted to do something to stop it
The main theme of the book, Speak, centers around feelings of isolation. Before beginning her freshman year, the main character, Melinda, attends an end of the summer high school party. For reasons that are not made known until later in the story, Melinda ends up calling the police, which causes the party to get busted and makes everyone hate Melinda. In addition to being an outcast among her friends and peers, Melinda also struggles in her relationships with the adults in her life. Throughout the course, we have discussed how many topics of adolescence can be critiqued through books and movies.
Through their friendship, Arthur faces his problems and learns to help others. Their relationship shows us that even unexpected connections can lead to personal growth, healing, and a deeper understanding of the world and the people around us. As Arthur starts to see things from the Junk Man's perspective, he learns the value of empathy, kindness, and offering others a second
Elementary school is a big step, especially getting ready for middle school. For example if one is bitter towards someone, meaning jealous or angry, then their middle school years won’t go very well. They will go through being angry and it will make them focus on less important stuff rather than their studies or sports. Similar to the boy in “The Jacket” by “Gary Soto,”he goes through his life being jealous of kids that are happy or have good relationships and new clothes. The boy does not like the jacket his mother got him and does not appreciate it enough, even though it gets the job done.
This telling of a tragic story is able to influence the readers to romanticize the story of Ethan, Mattie, and Zeena, while the novel itself stays true to its naturalist roots. This is important in the development of the plot and the audiences connect to the characters as the readers begin to root on the forbidden love that Ethan and Mattie have, and then in turn, by the end of the novel have pity for all characters. Towards the end of the novel, the narrator has a conversation with Mrs. Hale about what he saw, which gives the readers yet another perspective of the story. “Mrs. Hale answered simply: ‘There was nowhere else for her to go;’ and my heart simply tightened at the thought of the hard compulsions of the poor” (pg. 179). This interaction between the narrator and Mrs. Hale further allows for irony to emerge as their descriptions of the emotions they felt towards the accident influence how the reader feels.
In most “coming-of-age” stories, the main character undergoes a vast amount of change. The main character’s values and attitude completely depend on this change. All or most of these changes rely on influence from other characters or main events in the story. In the book by Mark Frost, The Paladin Prophecy, a teenage boy named Will surprisingly scores off the charts on a National Test. His score announces that his whole world is about to change, leaving his world behind.
High school isn’t necessarily the best four years of everyone’s life. In a short time the audience was shown the complicated endeavors many teenagers either overcome or become wrapped up in. Although Brian is extremely successful in his academics he struggles deep beneath his skin with extensive pressure and societal acceptance. Brian Johnson is one example of someone who was almost defeated by the difficult
After a lot of hard work, Auggie began to make friends. Reading this book even changed my perspective on other people and their feelings. So, not only did Auggie achieve his goal, but he helped other people
The film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, follows the story of Charlie as he braves through the challenges of freshman year. Throughout his first year, Charlies experiences friendship, alienation, love, mistakes, depression, acceptance of past events and newfound motivation. With the help of his love interest Sam, her stepbrother Patrick, and other likeminded individuals, Charlie is able to gain a sense of belonging and a boost of confidence that ensures his survival for the high school years yet to come (Halfon, Chbosky, 2012). This essay will delve into an in-depth analysis of adolescence from a socio-cultural perspective, using events from the film to provide examples and further enhance arguments. Furthermore, topics highlighting what I believe to be the most crucial aspects of adolescence will be discussed.
“The hardest part of growing up is letting go of what we are used to and moving on to something you are not”-Paul Walker Growing up is one of the hardest, as well as one of the most important parts in life. Growing up should be fun, but in Scouts case learning about the cruelty and the reality she is living in is no fun. As the novel advances Scout experiences various emotional changes because of different events that take place. She starts to realize the unfairness that exists between different races and the discrimination that is rounding at the time.
Imagine going somewhere that you would absolutely despise going to. You go there, and after you arrive home, you think about your experiences there and realize that you actually had a delightful time! This is how Auggie, from R.J. Palacio’s book, “Wonder” feels. Auggie is a 10-year-old boy who has been homeschooled his whole life. Everything about him is normal, except for his face.
From this day, I still remember how lonely I felt and how badly I wanted to be accepted. I dreaded to go to recess because I wasn't sure what type of crowd I would “ fit in” with. As I walked in class, I saw everyone divided into various cliques and eventually I found myself every week trying to fit in with a different one. I tried my best to act like those kids in order to fit in, I changed so many things such as my attitude, my clothing, my hairstyles and how I spoke in the span of one year. I was so desperate to feel like I was not alone and had real friends that I basically would’ve done anything for others to like me.
