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In the Ice Storm by Rick Moody, Moody introduces us to two teenagers, Wendy and Paul Hood. Wendy and Paul are siblings from New Canaan, a small town in the Connecticut suburbs. The two siblings go through tremendous events in their life ranging from sex, love, to loneliness. Today’s teenagers share some similar aspects to Wendy and Paul. Because of society’s disregard for young adults, loneliness can lead them to potentially dangerous paths; this is a continuous problem that is relevant from the 1970’s to modern day society. First off, there is Paul Hood, the oldest child of Benjamin and Elena Hood. Paul is sixteen and was sent by his parents to St. Pete’s, a boarding school in Stamford. Paul compulsively follows The Fantastic Four, a comic book by Stan Lee, which he finds very similar to his family, and is constantly comparing each of the character’s to one of his family members. Since Paul did not grow up with any affection from his parents, and was casted off away from his home; this sanctions Paul’s quest for love. Although people frequently surround Paul, he somehow constantly feels alone. Ultimately, this leads Paul to turn to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of his emptiness. Moody elaborates, “Paul had given up trying. Paul bought oregano and he thought it was good shit. …show more content…
He borrowed nutmeg from a master at school, hoping to catch its buzz… He has overdosed on cold pills” (Moody, 84). Additionally, there is Wendy Hood, whose intense hormones and lust lead to various sexual encounters with both, girls and boys.
Wendy feels lonely without her brother, and without any love from her parents. From a young age, Wendy’s parents abused her physically and mentally. The narrator states, “Wendy’s first spanking was the great organizing event of her memory…Her father humiliated her with language until she did so (take down her pants)—called her a slut and hooker and a princess. It wasn’t difficult to degrade her with language – she was four” (Moody, 237). Wendy’s sexual adventures her make her a constant topic at school. She is constantly out casted at school as a slut and
whore. In comparison, today’s teenagers compare to Wendy and Paul, in that they share similar aspects. Like many teenagers, Wendy and Paul experiment with sex, alcohol, and drugs. For example, Wendy has oral sex with Debby, one of her classmates. Many of today’s young adults, experiment with their sexuality in order to find who they really are. In addition, there are teenagers, whom like Paul, experiment with alcohol and drugs. As a result of loneliness many teenagers who look to drugs and alcohol to release stress, fill void. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 58.2% of 12th graders drank alcohol and 34.9% smoked marijuana/hashish. This statistic shows the amount of teenagers experimenting with drugs and alcohol, like Wendy and Paul. In conclusion, throughout the book, because of the loneliness Wendy and Paul feel, they turn to sex, drugs, and alcohol. Because of the absence of affection from their parents, Wendy and Paul look for love by experimenting with dangerous substances. Even today in 2016, this is very common. Many young adults don’t feel heard, so they find comfort in other places. Rick Moody sends the message to readers regarding harmful consequences of loneliness, which lead young adults to potentially dangerous paths that can affect them in the future.
In “Westbury Court,” author Edwidge Danticat tells the readers about how one drastic event in her childhood can completely change her whole life. Danticat grew up in an apartment in a seemingly unprivileged area called Westbury Court in Brooklyn, New York. One day after school, she came home with her younger brother and immediately turned on the television to watch her favorite show. Suddenly, she and her show were interrupted by an abrupt knock on the apartment’s door. Apparently, there was a deadly fire coming from the apartment across from theirs. By then, Danticat realizes the importance of the phrase that her mother told her after the tragedy, “Sometimes
In the classical short story 'Among the Mourners', written by Ellen Gilchrist, a thirteen year old female deals with 'difficult' times. Aurora, the protagonist, is an average teenager who is faced with emotions of mortification and lust. 'Among the Mourners' conveys Aurora's feelings through the wake her parents have at her house, her new boyfriend, Giorgio, and her parent's marriage. Many times Aurora seems to be being over-dramatic through actions towards her family and boyfriend. Also, Aurora has the predisposition to tell lies, extend the truth, or even make her own belief up about a particular event. Finally, like any adolescent boy or girl, Aurora is boy crazy. Therefore, Aurora is a typical teenager because she is over-dramatic, stretches the truth, and is boy crazy.
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a story written in the first person about a young girl named Melinda Sordino. The title of the book, Speak, is ironically based on the fact that Melinda chooses not to speak. The book is written in the form of a monologue in the mind of Melinda, a teenage introvert. This story depicts the story of a very miserable freshman year of high school. Although there are several people in her high school, Melinda secludes herself from them all. There are several people in her school that used to be her friend in middle school, but not anymore. Not after what she did over the summer. What she did was call the cops on an end of summer party on of her friends was throwing. Although all her classmates think there was no reason to call, only Melinda knows the real reason. Even if they cared to know the real reason, there is no way she could tell them. A personal rape story is not something that flows freely off the tongue. Throughout the story Melinda describes the pain she is going through every day as a result of her rape. The rape of a teenage girl often leads to depression. Melinda is convinced that nobody understands her, nor would they even if they knew what happened that summer. Once a happy girl, Melinda is now depressed and withdrawn from the world. She hardly ever speaks, nor does she do well in school. She bites her lips and her nails until they bleed. Her parents seem to think she is just going through a faze, but little do they know, their daughter has undergone a life changing trauma that will affect her life forever.
From a very young age, Bone was sexually abused by her step-father, Glen Waddell. Like Bone, Dorothy Allison also suffered abuse from her step-father, starting at the young age of five years-old. During the time of the novel, and until recent years, it was unthinkable to speak of any sort of abuse outside the household. Throughout history, children have been victims of abuse by their parents or other adults, and fo...
An example of the cycle followed by her father, his father, and his father before him is told when Blunt recalls a major blizzard in December 1964 that trapped the family and some neighbors in their small homestead. She unemotionally describes how her father simply proceeded to go through the motions of keeping the pipes from freezing, calmly accepting the fact that he could do nothing as the storm progressed and he could not prevent loss of a of their livestock. Or how when he first ventured out to check on the animals in their nearby barn and nearly lost his way back in whiteout conditions. Later, when the storm passed, she told of playing amongst the frozen corpses of the cattle, jumping from ribcage to ribcage, daring her older brother and sister to cut off pieces of the animals, all with the calm acceptance that this was so normal, nothing strange about it.
1) Our quester(s): two seventeen-year-old, broken teenagers. Theodore Finch, a bipolar boy that thinks about his death 24/7 but doesn’t want to die, and Violet Markey, a misunderstood popular girl
Murphy expresses how justifying bad deeds for good is cruel by first stirring the reader’s emotions on the topic of bullying with pathos. In “White Lies,” Murphy shares a childhood memory that takes the readers into a pitiful classroom setting with Arpi, a Lebanese girl, and the arrival of Connie, the new girl. Murphy describes how Arpi was teased about how she spoke and her name “a Lebanese girl who pronounced ask as ax...had a name that sounded too close to Alpo, a brand of dog food...” (382). For Connie, being albino made her different and alone from everyone else around her “Connie was albino, exceptionally white even by the ultra-Caucasian standards... Connie by comparison, was alone in her difference” (382). Murphy tries to get the readers to relate and pity the girls, who were bullied for being different. The author also stirs the readers to dislike the bullies and their fifth grade teacher. Murphy shares a few of the hurtful comments Connie faced such as “Casper, chalk face, Q-Tip... What’d ya do take a bath in bleach? Who’s your boyfriend-Frosty the Snowman?” (382). Reading the cruel words can immediately help one to remember a personal memory of a hurtful comment said to them and conclude a negative opinion of the bullies. The same goes for the fifth grade teac...
Love, one of the biggest aspects of human nature, affects everyone in different ways. In the novel by Stephen Chbosky, “the Perks of Being a Wallflower,” the main character Charlie, negatively affected by his loving relationship with his aunt Helen, develops many social issues. The novel, a coming of age story about overcoming many obstacles as a teenager, follows the main character, Charlie, and the challenges he faces. Throughout the story, Charlie struggles with the loss of his beloved aunt. When he begins High school, he has a harder time than the typical teenager for many reasons. His close relationship with his beloved aunt is the source of his companionship issues, depression, and insecurities.
Twisted Sisters, a novel written by Jen Lancaster, is about Reagan Bishop, a psychologist who struggles accepting that her sister, Geri, is the family favorite. She ends up discovering some things she never knew about her sister. The theme of this book is definitely friendship. Reagan was named after the president Ronald Reagan, because she was born not long after he was elected. She grew up in Chicago with an older sister, Mary Mac, and a younger one, Geri. Reagan couldn’t be more different from her two sisters, she was tall with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a love for academics. On the other hand, her sisters had a short and plump physique accompanied by red hair and freckles. Reagan moved on to a prestigious private college and fulfilled her dreams of becoming a psychologist. She was very careful about what she ate, and she loved going on long runs. Reagan was even featured on a cable show titled, I Need a Push! You’re probably thinking, wow, Reagan’s got a lot running for her, right? Wrong. She was a psychologist with a few issues of her own. In this paper, I will explain the ...
Five teenagers who don't' know each other spend a Saturday in detention at the suburban school library. At first they squirm, fret and pick on each other. Then after sampling some marijuana, a real encounter session gets underway. The stresses and strains of adolescence have turned their inner lives into a minefield of disappointment, anger and despair.
At the age of ten, most children are dependent on their parents for everything in their lives needing a great deal of attention and care. However, Ellen, the main character and protagonist of the novel Ellen Foster, exemplifies a substantial amount of independence and mature, rational thought as a ten-year-old girl. The recent death of her mother sends her on a quest for the ideal family, or anywhere her father, who had shown apathy to both she and her fragile mother, was not. Kaye Gibbons’ use of simple diction, unmarked dialogue, and a unique story structure in her first novel, Ellen Foster, allows the reader to explore the emotions and thoughts of this heroic, ten-year-old girl modeled after Gibbons’ own experiences as a young girl.
Being a teenager is quite an awkward time in a person’s life, it is like being a mutation, half-child and half-adult, losing innocence along the way. Around the age of 14 people hit high school and life begins to change for both males and females. Girls and boys officially start their journey into women and men, hitting many bumps and hurdles on the road to discover themselves. In the novels, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, two very different boys begin the voyage into adulthood both making mistakes and facing obstacles along their way. Within these two stories the reader delves into the secrets of what exactly is ailing the minds of american males. In both novels, the boys face a
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
Many characters do not recognize that Wendy also needs to grow and has a life of her own. Rather, Smee suggests to Captain Hook that they “kidnap these boys’ mother and make her our mother” (Barrie 86). Throughout the story, although mothers are highly praised by a clear majority of the characters for differing reasons, it seems that women are only portrayed as mothers who stay home to complete household chores, clean up, and look after children. This, in fact, does not display the true capacity of women and what they do for societies today. The pirates, who are the villains in this story, merely see Wendy as a mother and nothing else, and selfishly wish to have her against her will. It is crucial to understand that the pirates are not entitled to Wendy and cannot force her to do what they please. She is still young and must learn skills to live as well as be brought up by her parents rather than look after others at her young age. Although she matures more rapidly than the other children, she still requires guidance and words of advice from her parents. Often, parents give their children a sense of emotional stability and teach them to be the best person they can, therefore, if one lacks this, it can negatively affect them in the future. The pirates also do not consider Wendy’s personal choice in the matter, whereas Peter does when he says he
At the near beginning of the novel, Cory and Carrie are both five years old, and know almost nothing of the world but their family and play. This is illustrated on page 14 when Carrie and Cory play in mud after being cleaned and dressed for a birthday party, and complain to Catherine about having to take another bath. They tell her, “One bath a day is enough!...We’re already clean! Stop! We don’t like soap! We don’t like hair washing! Don’t you do that to us again, Cathy, or we’ll tell Momma!”. Throughout the book, Cory and Carrie suffer abusive acts from their grandmother, such as when they are threatened by their grandmother to be whipped if they disobey her (p. 92), are starved for two weeks to the point where they had to drink their sibling’s blood for sustenance (p. 251), and are poisoned with arsenic for months (p. 396-397). Catherine was always a mother for them, she cared for them when they were sick (p. 362-363) and told them stories to calm them down (p. 172-173), and Christopher was always a father for them, ushering them to eat healthy food they didn’t want (p. 167) and trying his best to give them what they wanted and what they needed (p. 281-282). Through their older siblings they were able to make it through the three years they had been abused and locked away in an attic like rats, and were kept from suffering trauma afterwards because of it. Near the end of the book, it is described how they played together, in a joyous way that it would seem no one who suffered what they did could, “...Cory was plucking a tune on banjo...as Carrie chanted simple lyrics he’d composed...And I sang to him that special, wistful song that belonged to Dorothy in the movie The Wizard Of Oz, - a movie that the twins adored every time they saw it…The look on Cory’s face as he