Welcome to the English 10 Pre-AP Blog. This blog will be used for several purposes over the rest of the semester. You may be required to respond to posts, questions, articles, videos, cases, etc. You may be directed to complete mini-assignments on the blog or for in class, using the blog as a reference point for information. When we do work with the blog, you will be aware of it in class; if you are absent from class, please check the blog to see if there was any blog tasks that you needed to complete. Note, though, that not all assignments will be completed through the blog; it is just another resource that we will use.
Your task will be to respond to at least one of the following quotes:
1. "In 2007, 14.5% of U.S. high school students reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey."
2. "Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list."
3."I swear if there's ever another war, they better just take me out and stick me in front of a firing squad. I wouldn't object. … Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."
–from "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, page 141
4."Don't ask me those questions! Don't ask me what life means or how we know reality or why we have to suffer so much. Don't talk about how nothing feels real, how everything is coated with gelatin and shining like oil in the sun."
–from "Girl, Interrupted" by Susanna Kaysen, page 125
5."Then I saw it would be pointless to swim as far as the rock, because my body would take that excuse to climb out and lie in the sun, gathering strength to swim back. The only thing to do was to drown myself then and there. So I stopped."
–from "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath, page 179
6."Death and dying has always been a popular theme for kids," said Josalyn Moran, vice president for children's books at Barnes & Noble. "Kids like to read about situations that are worse than theirs and figure out that 'O.K., my life isn't so bad.'"
—from "A Story of a Teenager's Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller" by Motoko Rich
7."For some teenagers, normal developmental changes, when compounded by other events or changes in their families such as divorce or moving to a new community, changes in friendships, difficulties in school, or other losses can be very upsetting and can become overwhelming. Problems may appear too difficult or embarrassing to overcome. For some, suicide may seem like a solution."
—from the University of Virginia Health System's Web page
Think about:
-what the quote means/its significance
-your reaction to the quote (do you agree/disagree with the quote and why)
-comments, questions and connections that you can make from the quote
When you have created your own response to the statement, I would like you to respond to two of your classmate's posts.
Your responses should be posted in the COMMENTS section of this blog post. Please remember to put your name at the end of your response, so that I know that it was you that completed the task at hand. Top quality responses will include the following information:
•Concise with a specific focus
•Shares thoughts, ideas, or opinions
•Opening grabs the reader's attention while introducing the point of the comment.
•Specific details support information in the comment
•Has a "So What?", theme, lesson, or specific point that attracts the readers' attention
•Demonstrates detailed understanding of the task/topic
•Positive tone engages the reader
•Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization is correct
I'm going to respond to Quote #1.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not surprised of how many teenagers have thought about, or attempted suicide. Nobody can understand how hard someones life is. As hard as you try to explain to someone, nobody will know. This survey was taken almost 4 years ago. I can almost guarantee that the 14.5% that they did have, has gone up dramatically. Life these days is difficult. We have to deal with pressure from family, friends and teachers. We have to pass every class with flying colors and not go down the wrong path. If you do, you think you are a failure. For people that have thought about or comitted suicide, they see it as a last resort. They dont understand that there are people out there, that just want to help them. People that want to listen, and will try to understand them. I feel sorry for people that think that killing themselves is a way out. It's not!
~ Becca.G
1. "In 2007, 14.5% of U.S. high school students reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey."
ReplyDeleteTo me, this quote is hard to believe. I had imagined that it would be a lot higher, but when you think about it, that is an awfully large percentage of teenagers. This quote makes me wonder what the main reasons teenagers feel so horribly saddened of their lives. I’d guess that drugs and alcohol, as well as family troubles are big causes, but it is terrible that people feel that desperate that they would take their own lives. I would be interested to know the ratio of males to females, in regard to the suicide rate, as well as the most common age group. I would imagine that Grade 11 and 12’s and older would be the most susceptible. I hope that people would all in all not take their own lives, but if they did, that they thought rationally and had no possible way of getting through their troubles. I hope that this percentage will go down, with more resources for teenagers becoming available.
Emily Byam
6."Death and dying has always been a popular theme for kids," said Josalyn Moran, vice president for children's books at Barnes & Noble. "Kids like to read about situations that are worse than theirs and figure out that 'O.K., my life isn't so bad.'"
ReplyDelete—from "A Story of a Teenager's Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller" by Motoko Rich
-> This quotes talks about how kids are only thankful if they see someone else with less. If they see that someone else’s life is worse than theirs, they feel better about themselves. It’s kind of sad really. It’s like bullying. The kid who is upset and maybe has problems at home will bully the smaller kid to make him seem superior. I completely agree with the idea behind this quote. Since 1970, suicide numbers have tripled. That means every decade, the number of suicides almost doubles. Kids these days seem to turn to ending their lives as a solution. The only thing that will change their mind would be to see that someone has it worse. But what is it in today’s society that is making the numbers increase, and making kids turn to suicide as an answer compared to 50 years ago? Maybe the perfect barbie dolls used to sell everything in this consumer's world? No matter the cause, kids should remember what is special about them and what they like about themselves. Comparing to other people is never the way to be.
Emma-Lynn Whitman
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEdited: Quote number 6 is true, and not true at the same time. As a writer myself, I always go into depth with my characters and scenarios to create something opposite of what I am as a person or what my life has been up to this point. Not necessarily because I like to know that people have it worse than me; I am already aware of that; but because I get a dark sense of satisfaction knowing that I control every detail of these characters lives. When I am reading a book, I like reading darker stories. Not just because I write them myself but also because it’s a nice breath of fresh air. I feel almost as if some of the darker stories are more realistic than a one-dimensional, lighthearted story with characters that come accross as "perfect." We all have a dark side, and I think it's just now starting to come out with my generation because we are becoming a lot more voiced with our personal problems.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteResponse to comment number four, by Susanna Kaysen :
ReplyDeleteMaybe none of you know this, but Girl, Interrupted is a true story, a story of self-discovery, denial, mental illness and freedom. They recreated this book into a movie, leaving it up to Winona Ryder to recreate Susanna Kaysen, with her borderline personality disorder. Kaysen was trapped in a place that she knew wasn't where she was supposed to be. Locked up in a mental institution, of which she unknowingly volunteered herself to examination and treatment. Kaysen feels normal compared to the rest of them. She doesn't understand why she's been drilled with all these different questions; why she hadn't applied for college, what made her chase a bottle of pills with a bottle of alcohol, why she was promiscuous. She doesn't want to know all the answers, she just wants to live. To me, this quote expresses her frustration, it's like a "So what? I don't know all the answers. Eff you!"
~ Shelby
Quote 6).
ReplyDeleteThis quote is true, because when we read about other peopls horrible situations it makes are situations feel less bad.Even though it is hard for them, it helps us deal with our problems in a way. And also makes us appriciate what we've got.
Danielle D
#5 Its slightly creepy but it explains how there is no point in swimming all the way to the rock if your just going to be too tired to swim back. I disagree though because you could swim to the rock get out and take a break and then swim back. Why would swimming to a rock have to result in suicide? Why wouldn't you want to take a break if you were tired? Why would suicide even come to mind in that situation?
ReplyDeleteJennifer
5."Then I saw it would be pointless to swim as far as the rock, because my body would take that excuse to climb out and lie in the sun, gathering strength to swim back. The only thing to do was to drown myself then and there. So I stopped."
ReplyDelete–From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath, page 179
Some people think that suicide is a way out. That they have no other way to ease or destroy their pain. That everyone around them has a far better life than them and they are worthless to everyone and everything. The truth is, suicide is not a way out. It’s a sign of weakness and that you cannot control yourself. You may think that you’re not worth it, but there is always someone who loves you and needs you in his or her life. Be it a family member, or a friend. They still need you there. You can’t just give up, or let yourself go and become a monster, because if you do that not only are you letting yourself become weak, you weaken others with your choice, so in the end you are not just hurting yourself, but the people you love. No one in my life has committed suicide, but some have told me they were thinking about it. I have talked them out of it and they always thank me for it.
Life may not seem worth it at the time but you never know it could get better and that chance is higher than you think. Life is full of chances and opportunities; you just have to wait for yours to come along.
quote 3. "I swear if there's ever another war, they better just take me out and stick me in front of a firing squad. I wouldn't object. … Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."
ReplyDelete–from "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, page 141
This quote to me means that someone can be so ready for death that they don't know how much people care for them. I agree with this quote because this to me is very realistic as I have a friend that is so willing to die because he believes that no one cares or notices, I cared and tried to pull him out but he is pulled out of it by another friend. I believe that people need to surround themselves with the people they love and care for.
Jacob K.
1. "In 2007, 14.5% of U.S. high school students reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey."
ReplyDeleteIf 14.5% of students in U.S. high schools considered suicide. How many do go through with it? How many have? In exetreme situations we often look for extreme solutions. That's why this stat doesn't really suprise me. However I doubt that 14.5% of high school students are willing to throw away their life. High school is just a short few years. Throughout life you meet many adversaries and many "mountains" to climb. I don't think I would ever come to the conclusion that suicide is the only answer when confronted with events that leave negitive impacts on my life. Would you?
Devon Thomsen
Shelby's comment.
ReplyDeleteThat book seems very interesting, and it shows that you don't need to have all the answers, and just because you don't know them , it doesn't mean you are crazy. I would definatly like to read the book and watch the movie.
Danielle D
1. "In 2007, 14.5% of U.S. high school students reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey."
ReplyDeleteOur first impression on this fact was shocking to think about how many teenagers it was effecting. Personally, we’ve known people who have considered suicide. It is a very serious disorder, which is most often conjoined with depression. It’s sad to think about, because teenagers still have their whole life in front of them. And to even imagine ending our lives right now is really upsetting. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem”. Teens in high school are bullied into killing themselves or cutting themselves, teenagers get eating disorder and depression. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain that people can’t control. Knowing about somebody wanting to commit suicide and not being able to help is almost as difficult as being the person considering it.
By:AMY AND KIARA.
p.s i like the font.
Dear Jen. :)
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows how when people have a fight in front of them, they see it as too hard to get through and find it easier to just give up and let whatever happens to them happen. Some people dont understand that they if they stick through it, that it gets easier. We all just need to help eachother swim!
Response to the general message:
ReplyDeleteAlot of the time kids think about suicide to get attention. This is not always the case, but when it is, they just need to be reminded that someone cares about them.
Marie
Jen's comment.
ReplyDeleteI think what she was saying is that she wants to commit suicide, but she knows that if she swims to the rock she will want to get out, and then she will convince herself not to commit suicide.
Danielle D
I would have to agree with you. People expect way too much from kids, and that leads to pressure, which leads to stress. Stressed kids often react badly to anything. I know when I am stressed I am always in a bad mood, and end up being sick. Alot of pressure to pass classes andn get A's in classes happens alot. Parents and teachers should not put as much stress on students to do really well and that will relieve some of the problems.
ReplyDeleteTaelor
ReplyDeleteI like Taelor's comment, and i like how she said "We all have a dark side, and I think it's just now starting to come out with my generation because we are becoming a lot more voiced with our personal problems." I liked it because i also think its true. People go up to the friends and talk about their problems everyday. Im not saying its a bad thing, because its good to talk about your problems to get it out. But people have the tendency to make their personal problems other peoples problems as well, and thats not good.
In response to Emma-Lynn Whitman's post on quote 6.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this is the truth of today's society. Kids now try to find kids with lesser fortune's than they do to make themselves feel better about life. In truth, their making the kids life with lesser fortune, worse. It's a form of bullying that builds up inside the kid with lesser and tears him apart, bit by bit.
Jacob K.
I really like how you took a different approach to this. Putting your opinion and about yourself as the response. It really engaged the reading audience. But your a writer, so I'm not surprised ;)
ReplyDelete(Taelor's post)
Emma-Lynn Whitman
7. I understand that some teenagers struggle with their emotions when certain problems occur within their lives. These feelings lead to thoughts of suicide or death. But I don’t believe that their problems are ever too difficult or embarrassing to deal with because death is not the way to solve these problems. If anyone is ever considering suicide as away out they need someone to talk to. Suicides are a large issue around teenagers but I do not understand why someone would take their own life just because they are unhappy. Many teenagers seem happy but inside they are dying and never talked to anyone about their feelings so instead it stays all bottled up inside and then one day the pain goes too far for them to handle by themselves and they turn to suicide.
ReplyDeleteCaitlyn B
Response to Quote #6:
ReplyDeleteDeath is a popular theme because it is such an easy writing tool to use. Need a climax? Need drama to draw in your young readers? After all, there’s nothing wrong with a good tragedy. A good tragedy should touch the readers’ hearts, because they will have some sort of emotional attachment to relatable characters. The unjust deaths and trauma help hook any tragedy lover in, and teenagers are at an age where drama is everything. Writers will continue to use this tool as long as it is easy and profitable.
-Justin
I agree with you. It’s really sad to think about how many people don’t think their life is worth something to the point where they end it. Even attempting it, or the numbers to people who have attempted suicide are quite surprising and sad.
ReplyDeleteTo Emma-Lynn!
ReplyDeleteI agree. When people see someones life is harder then theirs. They feel better. Also if they see someones life that is amazing they feel horrible. Some people just cant understand how lucky they are. We see life as a punishment when we should see it as a gift. We think "What did I do to deserve having such a crappy life?".. Nothing you're just not giving it your best!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDanielle's comment on Shelby's comment:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danielle, Answers arnt always the answer if you know what i mean. Sometimes its better to not know the answer and that doesnt mean your crazy, it just means that your better off not knowing.
In response to Becca;
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to take suicide seriously for me now. I know that sounds completley heartless and horrible, but people are starting to find little reasons to want to kill themeselfs. When I think of my mom's life and childhood, she had a really rough life and she's still here today. People are now going depressed over breakups and other small things when in all reality, you'll get over it in time. It's the people that are emphasising small things who take the attention away from people who actually have real reasons to want to commit suicide. I know I'm in no position to say who is honestly depressed and who isn't, because I don't know everybody's lives, but still I wonder what made our generation so touchy to smaller things. I have a million reasons as to why I could be upset, but I also have a million more as to why I'm happy.
Our pessimistic attitudes are starting to get on my last nerve.
My response to #6
ReplyDeleteThis quote is beyond all matters believeable and very true. Being a teenager myself, I know it's true that we all hit a time where life seems rough, and it's almost a comfort that we read or listen to another one worse off than ours, we compare our own situations with others and it makes us feel that our lives aren't the crappiest after all. If anything it's probably why the stereotype of the 'emo' and depressing kid is the one who listens to sad music, dresses dark, and reads books about suicide and tough teenage lives, it's almost like a soothing factor I believe, makes them feel better.
--Sarah Chadwick
Quote 1:
ReplyDeleteI think there are many people with big problems, like in school or maybe with your family, and in their opinion the only way out of this pain is to commit suicide. I can understand his or her thoughts but to commit suicide doesn’t help anybody. There will be even more pain. Your family and your friends will suffer. I think it would be selfish. There is always a way out.
Julia S.
Maries response to the general message:
ReplyDeleteTrue, people often do things to attract the attention of others, and its not always suicide.
Response to Devon's comment (On quote #1):
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered desperate solutions for desperate situations. People are not remembered for what they consider, they are remembered for how they chose to act. Nice comment.
-Justin
Quote #4
ReplyDeleteI think that this post is so true. We don’t know what life is or why things happen. We don’t know why we suffer, or feel pain, all we know is that we do and, eventually, it goes away. Everything is sugarcoated. We are lied to all the time, because lying is easier, because we think that hiding the pain and the imperfections will make them go away, when really it just makes them worse when they finally resurface. We are protected and sheltered from the world, from reality. When we are finally set free, we are shocked and surprised at how life is, how reality is. When really we should have known what reality actually is. We should have grown up in it. What we think is shiny and perfect is just a cleverly composed lie, to make us feel better. We don’t know what reality is. We never have.
Justin's response
ReplyDeleteI do agree that death seems to hook the readers and touch their hearts.
Response to Jacob :
ReplyDeleteI've read Catcher in the Rye, and honestly, it isn't that Holden (the main character) is willing to die, it's that he doesn't understand what he has to live for. The book takes place over only a short period of time, and yet he goes so deep into his own mind. Also, even though it was a slightly depressing book, by the end of it, I had a better appreciation for life. I guess that's why they call it a classic.
All in all, good response bud.
In response to Devon Thomsen's comment on quote 1.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Devon, how many of that percentage of students actually go through with it? Suicide is not the answer to your problems, you should consult with somebody you care about and tell them about your state. In truth I would like to know the number of sudents that went and sought help.
Jacob K.
In response to Emily:
ReplyDeleteI had to do a video project of depression and suicide and the ratio of males to femlaes as far as suicide rates, indicates that female attempts are higher. Drugs and alcohol isn't really the cause of wanting to commit suicide in teens, Teens have a reason before hand and they seek an escape through drugs and alcohol. Family issues are definitely a cause, but most of it is stuff that people put on themselves. if people chose to be happy, they strive for it and achieve it. People who drown on the negative and only look to the bad stuff in their lives become depressed. It's personal attitude and how you take things to heart. Esteem is also a big issue and kids these days need to remember that they all have something to offer the world. :)
6."Death and dying has always been a popular theme for kids," said Josalyn Moran, vice president for children's books at Barnes & Noble. "Kids like to read about situations that are worse than theirs and figure out that 'O.K., my life isn't so bad.'"
ReplyDelete—from "A Story of a Teenager's Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller" by Motoko Rich
I definitely agree with the quote "Kids like to read about situations that are worse than theirs and figure out that 'O.K., my life isn't so bad.'"
And that quote isn’t necessarily good or bad. If it makes them feel better about their lives and makes them realize that they are actually better off than they thought, than why not??
I know that some people always feel really sorry for themselves and hate their life. But at the same time, they feel guilty because they know that there are people out there that are suffering more than they are. There are kids out there that have no food or water and are dying from incurable diseases. It kind of makes you wonder, “is my life really that bad?”
Humans are constantly comparing themselves to others. They rely on those comparisons to determine whether they are good or bad at something, pretty or ugly, intelligent or not ect.
In response to Devon:
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you. There's a lot more to life than just the events of highschool, and I believe that your happiness is your own choice. Things that happen in highschool should make you stronger and have a better understanding of the major life lessons we all need to learn. I think suicide is a form of running away. I think there's a lot of people that need to sit down and think things through before they jump into something as extreme as taking their own life. It's tragic that people would contemplate this, but it's also selfish at the same time.
Response to Devons
ReplyDeleteSome teenagers have no support system and feel like when problems are forced on them they only way they think they can end is by death and the U.S. has a higher population then Canada so i thought that number would be for Canada
In response to Emily's comment...
ReplyDeleteI agree, the percentage seems a lot higher than charts say, seeing that I alone know a few teens who have contemplated suicide, even some who actually built up enough to actually do it.
I disagree about the grade group though, I'd belive it would be more in the range of 10-11 grade students, it puts the pressure of goihng into a new school environment, friends change, grades becoming a big importance in our lives, if you add the importance of school life to our stress of home life, it's overwhelming.
It's sad, and I think exactly what we need is real help for them to lower those numbers, what I think would work much better than hotlines and internet sites is others their age who can relate to them and help them through it, see adult councellors who try and help through their technological education on how brains work doesn't really get through to us, we need it from the heart.
to Marie's response on the general message...
ReplyDeleteIt's true that suicide is commited/contemplated for attention, but I"d belive that a lot of the time it's because of neglect, and they're trying to reach out, find out who really does care for them.
Response to Julia's response to Quote 1
ReplyDeleteI agree
Even If you think that you couldn't possibly be in any more pain that you already are in, people will care when you're gone.
-Justin
Quote #6
ReplyDeleteI feel this is very true that kids like to read about other people's problems to make themselves feel better but I have also noticed that alot of people also like writing about pain and suffering. Why? From reading a lot of others writing I've noticed that its an attention seeking behavior. Its not that they really hate their life that much, they just want people to feel bad for them, to give them attention. In some cases pain is easier to write about because in our regular lives we're always asked to describe it, for example, if you hurt your foot people will ask, what does it feel like? How badly does it hurt? Whereas if you're feeling good people rarely ask, how good does it feel? Pain is therefore given much more description, because when we're in pain, we want the world to know, we want to get better and a lot of the time it's not possible to do alone.
Response to Justins comment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, at this age drama is everything, but it can quickly overwhelm kids and that can quickly lead to rumors which can lead to depression and so on. I think it could be the influence of the media and these kind of drama stricken books that cause teenagers to act this way. Maybe if everyone toned down the drama it would become normal and everyone could just relax.
7."For some teenagers, normal developmental changes, when compounded by other events or changes in their families such as divorce or moving to a new community, changes in friendships, difficulties in school, or other losses can be very upsetting and can become overwhelming. Problems may appear too difficult or embarrassing to overcome. For some, suicide may seem like a solution."
ReplyDeleteYou can sum it up in a word: hormones. Teens find changes to be much more drastic than children. For example, when I was seven, my parents divorced. I didn't talk all too much to either of my parents, and until I could comprehend all that led to their divorce, I didn't understand why. I thought it was because my Dad was made to walk home one day when my parents were in a fight. My sister was two and remembers nothing of it. As a teen, a divorce would have been much more overwhelming; the fact that I didn't understand all that much of DIVORCE in the first place made it easy to cope. Take a teen of divorced parents and take away, say a family member. An aunt or an uncle, maybe a grandparent. Then the whole family is stirred, and depending on the relationship(Mom's sister, Dad's Mom), Someone(s) will be especially broken up. Take a teen of divorced parents(Grandpa's recently deceased and now Dad's a wreck), and move her to a new city. Mom got custody, but you get visitation rights. Every third weekend. Your bunking in Gramma and Grampa's basement suite while Mom gets a(n) good/alright job. Also, new city = new friends. Lets hope we start off on a good foot, or there won't be any friends either. So, a sivere situation. Parents get divorced. Grandpa dies. Dad loses job and gets depressed. Mom gets custody, moves to new city, stays with Gramma and Grampa. No friends. That would suck. I could possibly empathize for suicide contemplation in that kind of a situation. But only a contemplation. You get help because killing yourself isn't only hurting yourself. You hurt your Mom, your Dad, your whole family. More than that, you also effect people who knew you or, maybe just knew your name, knew 'of' you. It's probably the most selfish act out there.
Jennifer
ReplyDelete#5 Its slightly creepy but it explains how there is no point in swimming all the way to the rock if your just going to be too tired to swim back. I disagree though because you could swim to the rock get out and take a break and then swim back. Why would swimming to a rock have to result in suicide? Why wouldn't you want to take a break if you were tired? Why would suicide even come to mind in that situation?
Response to Jennifer:
I thoroughly agree with what you were saying.
How does suicide have anything to do with swimming?
Was it on the persons mind when they were writing this?
Were they in a dreadful mood, going through tough times?
Doesn’t make sense to me.
In my opinion I would have swam to the rock right away knowing that I could rest when I got there.
The whole ‘quote’ confuses me and constructs more and more questions. I find the quote frightening, and unpleasant.
-Courtney
Response to Rebecca's comment:
ReplyDeleteI think that depressed teens need to understand that there are people out there who do understand what they are going through and even if you can't find those people, there are help gruops who will listen to you and try to understand your problems. If you think you have nothing left to lose then there's nothing wrong with seeking help.
Marie
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletein response to rebecca:
ReplyDeleteshalisa said...
Really good response!
I definitely agree. No matter how well you try to explain what its like to be suicidal, the person never fully understands unless they themselves are in that position. And people that have those issues feel embarrased and alone. They don't want to tell anyone. It's really sad.
In response to Jennifer:
ReplyDeleteI think that this quote is implying that the person is trying to commit suicide. They're trying to drown themself. The reason that they don't swim to the rock is because it would be to difficult to sit there and drown yourself if the shore was just a few feet away. The closer they are to the shore, the harder it will be stick with the original plan and keep drowning themself.
Response to Julia's comment on #1:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. If depressed teens are considering suicide because they can't handle some kind of pain or distress, they probably haven't considered how their action could affect their family and friends. They probably haven't considered that their actions could make other people depressed because of guilt or other feelings.
Marie
Shalisa - Humans are constantly comparing themselves to others. They rely on those comparisons to determine whether they are good or bad at something, pretty or ugly, intelligent or not ect.
ReplyDeleteVery true, this is a sad truth as we all have to realize that we are unique, as cheesy as that sounds! Your strengths may be others weaknesses, but everyone is different! So much stress is put on us these days to be like others, when really, if everyone is like others, who will just be themselves.?
Part two: Hannah
ReplyDeleteI feel that Hannah is a normal teenager.
So far in the novel she is going through alot of which many teens are going through today.
Theres gossip and drama, with boys, family, friends.
She seems so innocent and i find it disappointing that she ends up taking her own life, in a sort of effortlessly way.
I would really like to know what really made her decide to finally end her life, since so far her stories to me havent seemed very drastic.
I also want to know how everyone she chose to send her tapes to, fit into her story and what kind of impact they had on her decisions.
I think Hannah should have reached out more, i feel she didnt try very hard to seek for help with her condition.
Coourtney
Quote 1:
ReplyDeleteI think there are many people with big problems, like in school or maybe with your family, and in their opinion the only way out of this pain is to commit suicide. I can understand his or her thoughts but to commit suicide doesn’t help anybody. There will be even more pain. Your family and your friends will suffer. I think it would be selfish. There is always a way out.
Response to Julia S.
I agree with you.
I dont think i have ever fully understood suicide.
Such as the thoughts of those thinking of committing it.
How could someone do that to themselves, throwing there whole life away, everything they've ever worked for.
Its hurts me and how much that could effect their family and friends.
~~Coourtney