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Mental Health Problems of Contemporary Adolescents
Mental Health Problems of Contemporary Adolescents
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“Beatrice Sparks was an American therapist and mormon youth counselor who was known for producing books purporting to be the ‘real diaries’ of troubled teenagers”. The book Go Ask Alice was created and uncovered by supposedly editor, Beatrice Sparks, uncovering horrifying acts upon teenagers. Go Ask Alice is a censored book in some or many states because of the use of sexual content and inappropriate language. In the 1980’s, the “supposed editor”, Beatrice Sparks, was uncovered, and they hoped that her story would deter others from using drugs and sexual acts or rape upon teenagers. Go Ask Alice was published by the parents of the anonymous New Jersey girl after she committed suicide. Sparks states that the “journal entry style’ of the book …show more content…
She loses her virginity while on acid, and is worried that she might be pregnant. Alice continued to use drugs without her family’s knowledge, and was eventually prostituting herself for drugs. She later was found dead from a drug overdose and her diary was published. This book is a powerful way for teens to really experience the tragic consequences of drug addiction. “Teen characters are involved in drugs, prostitution, and etc., but the shocking reality of this book has been credited with keeping many teenagers away from drugs.” This book shows teenagers the consequences of what can happen if you use drugs. This book was banned due to the use of drugs, sexual activities, and inappropriate language. “The novel is presented as the diary of a teenage girl and details her troubled life, particularly emphasizing the reality and perils of a teen drug addiction”. It was censored to prevent teenage drug addictions, teen pregnancy, and suicidal …show more content…
She kind of abused the substance to the point where she used prostitution to get the drugs and later died of a drug overdose. This book was published in the form of a diary in entry form of a girl’s drug addiction. The characters in this novel are introduced to drugs, sexual activities and abuse. It was censored in many states because of the inappropriate behaviors in the book. The public schools and libraries wanted to deter the teenagers from trying drugs and to act upon sexual activities. In 1974, Michigan schools removed the novel because of the language and sexual content. It was unsuitable for students under the age, and for students whose parents weren’t okay with the vocabulary and plot of this novel. Underage individuals could participate in the acts presented in the novel, and could cause serious harm to others. It was censored to prevent the repetition of the plot of the story. Beyond many doubts, Go Ask Alice gave teenagers the wrong perspective on early life, and was selectively removed to restrain any drug use or fondling behaviors in inappropriate ways. Many adults and parents agreed that this is not what the children needed to sustain their life. The banning of this book restricted a lot of negativity and limited the audiences directed
“Crank” by Ellen Hopkins tells the story of a teenage girl, modeled after her own daughter, who becomes addicted methamphetamine, known on the streets as “crank”. The story follows Kristina's downward spiral as she attempts to feed her addiction and copes with the consequences of the decisions she makes.
She dedicates this book to her “..family, and all the families whose lives have been touched by the monster.” Kristina talks about what a horrible person her mother is; a wannabe writer who never spends enough time with her daughter. A step dad who always has a stick up his butt. A brother who is spoiled and is too caught up in sports and video games to notice any change. Her sister is wonderful, but recently came out as a lesbian and caused distance between them so she moved away. Kristina was alone, until she met “the monster”. “The monster” is just a metaphor Ellen uses to describe the drug Methamphetamine, better known a Crystal Meth. Crystal meth can be eaten, snorted up the nose, or
This book portrays the life and choices that fifteen year old Alice faces in her life. Although the character is named Alice, she does not correlate with any specific person in real life. The journals were a combination of different patients Sparks was seeing. Since its publishing in 1971, Go Ask Alice has become one of the most controversial banned books. This is because of its strong commentary on sexuality, suicide, heavy drug usage and teen pregnancy.
This controversial book has been challenged in countless states for many years. In 1997 the Elgin, Illinois school district banned the book from middle school libraries. Catherine explained that the book was banned because “talk of masturbation, birth control, and disobedience to parents occurred”
In conclusion, Blume’s piece “Censorship: A Personal View” was used to debate and inform the hot button issue back then of censorship in young teens literature. She comprised personal experience when handling censorship in childhood and adult life. Her personal experience alone could not hold the article together but by listing others that have lost their jobs or been suspended adds extra credibility to let the readers know how censors and censorship can effect an author’s everyday right of freedom of speech.
That is the way censorship is brought up in the book. Today, however, it affects more than just books. It is used in movies, TV, news, magazines, and the Internet. Words, obscenity, and some vulgar things can be kept from the viewing audience. They can keep certain people, those seventeen and younger from seeing movies, TV, or Internet sites. In the book one character makes a point of saying, “ignorance is fatal.”
The novel Go Ask Alice written anonymously tells the story of one girl’s struggle with drug addiction. The conflict in this novel is person versus self. The protagonist is struggling against herself trying to overcome addiction. The mood is depressing. The main character reveals how drugs ruined her life, which evokes depressed feelings in the reader. The point of view is first person. This is a publishing of a teenage girl’s diary and she wrote in first person. The conflict, mood, and point of view make this book a work of realistic fiction.
But the fight for a better life won't stop just because you aren't ready. What we're doing is not something you decide to do when you feel like it. Whether you're ready or not, this struggle will go on.” Pg. 159. The drug issue is relevant in the world today because kids, especially teens, use it as a way to escape the reality they are living in. Some use it to have fun but others to forget of what they are living in and to relieve the “stress” they might have. Reading fiction can teach students the harm and danger of certain things, like drugs. It can show what it does and how it can affect you in the future and even though it may take away the hurt you are feeling, it will only come back when that feeling is gone.“When you win we win but when you go down you go down alone” Pg. 159. The author shows by this quote how not everyone is willing to go down when you go down, but only succeed when you do. This is relevant in the world because when you are doing good everyone want to be surrounded by you, but once you fail no one is there to help you. This relates to the thesis because it can teach students the harm drugs can cause when using them for a temporary
“ Parents in one school district called the book “pornographic and obscene” in 1977.” Nathaniel Hawthorne was unable to give an opinion on the banning of his book because he passed away. Many people feel that the books should be banned in middle school, they also feel that the best time to read the book is their sophomore year after learning sexed because they are more understanding of the book. While others some most parents feel that age reading the book in their senior year or in
The book has a lot of sexual content throughout. Sexual content is more or less avoided in school unless it is being taught. Here, “The exhilaration of the moment vanished and he sought it in vain, like seeking ecstasy’s memory an instant after jacking off and encountering only shame and guilt.”(Page 10) is an example of this content. As a result of passages like this, parents may not want their children reading this novel. There is another quote on page 42 stating, ”Like how he sometimes felt horny when he roughhoused a kid or tackled a guy viscously in football and have him and Extra jab when he had him on the ground.” If a parent saw that line they may wonder what the teacher is reading to their child. Which may bring up arguments. Those are two
“ I believed the people who romanticized those years, the ones who told me to embrace irresponsibility before I was slapped with the burdens of corporate adulthood” (23). Zailckas’ alcohol binging started at a very young age and followed her for nearly a decade. She turned to alcohol because of her peers who told her to live it up while she was still young and before she had to take on all these adult responsibilities. In the novel, “Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood,” Koren Zailckas opens up about what caused her alcohol addiction and how it left her with lifelong physical and emotional effects.
Throughout her entire life Amy, the main character in Gone Girl’s movie adaptation, was faced with unobtainable standards that were impossible to reach. This is enough to drive even the strongest of people mad. Due to her parents novel of “Amazing Amy”, she was forced to play the part of the cool girl, and never truly was able to express herself throughout her life. The only part of the novel that truly occurred was that both versions of “Amy” were married. She would go to great lengths to express herself as an individual.
Do you ever feel you have everything under control when you really don’t? That’s Kristina Georgia Snow’s memo about meth, as her journey is followed through the Crank series. Crank is about a innocent, 17 year old girl named Kristina, who is on her way to graduating early when she has to go spend one month in the summer with her estranged father. While visiting her father, she falls in love and tries meth for the first time. The book follows her experience being addicted to the “monster” and the consequences that come with it such as hurting her friends and loved ones. The book ends with the teen becoming pregnant due to a product of rape. Glass, the second book in the series, starts off with Kristina, also known by her "alter ego" Bree, has the baby. She names her baby Hunter Seth. Kristina being clean during her pregnancy, quickly relapses and her life slowly starts to crumble around her. Ellen Hopkins own experience dealing with her daughter’s meth addiction influenced her theme of a life spiraling out of control shown through character, style and imagery in Glass.
There has recently been a renewed interest and passion in the issue of censorship. In the realm of the censorship of books in schools alone, several hundred cases have surfaced each year for nearly the past decade. Controversies over which books to include in the high school English curriculum present a clash of values between teachers, school systems, and parents over what is appropriate for and meaningful to students. It is important to strike a balance between English that is meaningful to students by relating to their lives and representing diversity and satisfying worries about the appropriateness of what is read. This burden often falls on teachers. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss censorship in schools and to argue that the censorship of books in the high school English curriculum is limiting and takes away literature that is meaningful to students.
At the beginning of the story Alice is a little girl who is very curious, but also quite scared of being alone. First of all, she has an inquiring mind that brings her down the rabbit hole and, even if her way of thinking could remind the adult kind of thoughts, she still acts like a child. A clear example of this kind of behavior is when she finds a bottle with the words “DRINK ME” labeled on. Before drinking f...