When faced with which direction we should go as a class for our last unit, it is very arguable which book is best suitable to read. Part of this indecision is between “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (“Perks”) by Stephen Chbosky and “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a “coming of age” novel that explores the reality of mental health, self discovery, and perception. Scythe is a future-based dystopian novel where disease and aging are eliminated and there are “scythes” chosen to kill and control the population. Out of these two options, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower" would be a better read because it allows for personal growth within readers, students can relate to the characters, and it is relevant towards high …show more content…
Reading this allows you to see what life is like for people who struggle with problems that may be different from yours. Seeing life from a different point of view can make you more empathetic and understanding towards people who are different, which is an important life skill to learn. Learning from her issues may allow you to find some insight for yourself on how to handle your struggles, if you are able to relate to her. All of it gives you the opportunity to grow, which is important for the development of your own character. While Scythe does show what life could be like living in a dystopian setting, “Perks” gives the readers more of a chance to personally connect to the story by using a more realistic setting with character conflicts that can be relatable. Another reason “Perks” would be best suitable to read for class is the ability to relate to the characters and themes. Beyond Charlie, the novel explores the challenges of insecurity, bullying, and sexuality– issues that are all deeply embedded in the high school …show more content…
This level of relatability sets itself apart from Scythe. Even though Scythe offers thought-provoking dilemmas, us high school readers may feel disconnected from the text. The characters instead explore the power dynamics of the “scythes” where they have to kill people in order to survive, which is fairly different and unrelatable to the struggles we face as teens. Lastly, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” would be best read as a class for its relevance to us high school students. As young adults it is important to find our way through the complexities that are our youth, making “Perks” a more impactful read than “Scythe”. The story discusses challenges that most of us are facing as we grow up: family dysfunction, mental health problems, and navigating our love life, completely mirroring our teenage experience. Although “Scythe” presents an interesting dystopian premise that explores the themes of mortality and power, it does not resonate as strongly with the real life challenges that us students face on a daily basis. Making “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” a more appropriate read for
For many years people have argued about the inclusion of The Cather in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger in the high school english curriculum. This is such due to the inappropriate and adult oriented themes within If considered, many times within the novel the main character will face situations in which that the negative and vulgar themes will blossom into something meaningful that the reader can benefit from as a person and as a student. While the vulgarity and adult themes in The Catcher in the Rye are indeed inappropriate for adolescent students, ultimately its underlying themes of self discovery and possessing moral values provides life and ethical lessons that can be applied in the classroom as well as on a daily basis and therefore, the novel should be included in the high school curriculum for students to learn.
Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. P138_157. From Gale Virtual Reference Library.
The Perks of a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a captivating novel that follows the transformation of a boy referred to as Charlie throughout his freshman year of high school. During the course of the book Charlie, his sister, and friends fall in and out of relationships. Each one of them is seeking the love and attention of another person, even without directly expressing their emotions. Love is a recurring theme in this book, even though it is shown in different ways.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Unbanned! The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, is banned due to the use of drugs, alcohol, and smoking. There are occurrences of homosexuality, homosexuality and offensive language. There have been multiple occasions with sexually explicit content and has been deemed unsuited for minors. I believe this book should not be banned for any grade higher than elementary because it deals with real life situations and delivers a very powerful message that many people can relate to.
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The book provides new insights and a fresh view of the world in which adolescents live.
The book The Catcher in the Rye was published in the year 1951 and has been the subject of constant debates and controversies. The novel has not only been the target of criticism, but has also sparked discussions on its effectiveness for use in high schools. The novel is about a period of three days in the life of Holden Caulfield. The novel’s most criticised points are its issues such as profanity, irrational behavior, and teenage sex, but it still gives very important lessons to young readers because it teaches tolerance, discipline, religion, and rational behavior. More specifically it teaches that desirable behavior will make them and society better, and as such, I do not think it should be banned from high school curriculum. This paper analyzes the reasons why The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from English classes that are taught in high schools.
Once banned for the profanity alone and just for Holden’s story, J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is one of the many controversial books that are in some schools today. This novel gives us an “up close” look into Holden Caulfield's life and his perspective, specifically a certain time in his life as he mourns his brother. Throughout the novel, we see Holden's experience in an unstable mindset and patterns along with changes over time. Because of its realistic insight of a teen’s life, many teens today are able to relate to the novel because of Holden's emotional state and change.
While societal attitudes attitudes may change over time, the challenges associated with the transition from childhood to adulthood remain constant. The ideas of individuality, alienation and loss of innocence fortify the theme of coming of age across the texts The Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Catcher in the Rye, a bildungsroman novel written by J.D. Salinger in 1951, focuses on teenager Holden Caulfield’s transition from childhood to adulthood in 1950’s America, whereas the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower directed by Stephen Chbosky in 2012 follows teenager Charlie experiencing a similar transition in 1990’s America. Despite their varying contexts, these ideas are presented in both texts through the use the
The role of identity plays an important role in all adolescence which can help shape their future. In psychology, identity is the conception, qualities, beliefs, and expressions that make a person or group. The movie, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, illustrates how teens struggle with identity. Charlie is an anti-social freshman who is befriended by a group of high school seniors, who introduces him to the world of drugs, love, sexulatity, friendship, and lies. His friends play a huge role in his development. Throughout the movie, Charlie was able to build upon his character and develop friendships that gave him a new perspective that life needs, to live life rather than watching it.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age film that chronicles the life of a boy named Charlie. Charlie is 15 years old and has just begun his first year of high school. He will give a detailed account of the joys and pains of his freshman year in high school. He begins by writing letters to an unknown stranger, but then, you realize that stranger is you. Through these Charlie tells his story from his perspective. He will experience many highs and lows related to the adolescence phase. The highlights of the paper will focus on the biological/physical, psychological, social, spiritual, cultural issues, as well as his strengths and challenges.
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
They are all middle to upper middle class Caucasian adolescents living in a suburban environment. Sam, Patrick, and the other 3 members of their clique are all seniors in high school and Charlie is only a freshman. Through the experiences of Charlie and his new friends, The Perks of Being a Wallflower provides excellent examples of cliques and crowds, dating scripts, the identity status model, externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and
Insecurities often trouble young people making high school difficult to manage. There are many new pressures that come with being a teenager and friendships are often the key to surviving high school. At such a young age, most teenagers have not discovered themselves yet and they need the help of others to uncover their true potential. In the coming of age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie searches for his identity and finds it with the help of his friends. Charlies good friend Sam, physically and mentally influences Charlie to becomes a more mature and confident person when she teaches him how to navigate relationships and helps him rediscover his past.
It was a long and hard road to find my spirituality. Long ago I was an atheist, but after many months, even years of searching and thinking I began to find my own sense of religion. The steps cannot be done in one night. Not even in one week. They need constant revision and repetition. Sooner or later you will find your own spirituality.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower has a more modern setting than a Catcher in the Rye, taking place in the years of 1990-1991, in America. The 1990s were a much more accepting era in American culture, relative to the time period of A Catcher in the Rye. The conformist culture of Cold War America was an afterthought and replaced with a more individualistic set of ideals. This can be seen in the 1990s grunge movement, where American rock artists challenged the conventions of society, by writing about taboos, such as mental illness and suicide, alongside labelling the mainstream as hypocritical. This movement directly manifests itself on a large and small scale throughout the novel. On a smaller scale we see the impact of the grunge culture on Charlie, when he puts the music of grunge band Nirvana on one of his mixtapes. On a larger scale, the idea of discussing taboos becomes one of the main themes of the novel, which allows Charlie to come to terms with his grievances.