- what the topics stir in your own thinking/memory
- associations to others texts, events, references
- your own feelings about the ideas, tone and/or style of the work
- your own feelings about the depiction of the topic
- words/passages that you think are important to extending the significance of the topic
- images that stand out in the work
- repetitions of ideas, words, phrases and/or images
- connections among passages or ection of the work
- identification of symbols present in the work
- speculation about theme
- questions that are raised
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Big Issues faced by Teens
So far in the novel, we have come across several issues (some more overt than others). For this post, I would like you to select any THREE issues that the novel has raised so far and respond to the issues. (Make sure that you make reference to the novel: quotes, paraphrasing, referencing, citations, etc.) Your response could include the following:
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First Comment :D
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! :D->--<
ReplyDelete*Sigh* i'm just gonna keep this short and sweet. Every problem in this book is part of EVERYDAY LIFE. Get over it Hannah, life sucks that way.
ReplyDeleteMy first topic is about Alex and Jessica leaving the group that was formed at Monet's. Sometimes as school progresses, friends start to grow distant and spread apart. You may see them in the hall but they may never see you. Friends over time may diminish or come closer in times of struggle. Most friendships that you form throughout you life will last a long time.
ReplyDeleteMy second topic is about the party that Courtney had Hannah be her ride. Good for Courtney arranging a ride there and back but the bad thing was that she was using Hannah for that reason. Why didn't she get a different friend that was going to the party and drive them both anyways? Why did she use Hannah? Being responsible is one thing but using a person is a totally different idea.
My last topic is about the rumors of Hannah. When you hear something about someone, do you believe it? Do throw away every thought of that person for a piece of information that could be true or false? People believe many things that they may have seen or heard. Would you have preferred to hear the wrong instead of searching for the right? All the rumors about her were wrong and no one thought it that way. They all believed the rumors and now a girl is dead telling the truth through cassette tapes.
The main issue I want to respond to is suicide. I feel this strange ambivalence towards this topic, since I can partially understand the reasoning behind taking one’s life, but I could never bring myself to commit an act like that. One of my major idols took his own life, but I believe his reasoning was understandable, whereas from what I’ve learned so far of Hannah, life seems easy. In her situation, there is no way that I would have done the same. But that also brings me to my second issue; hope. In Hannah’s case, she had her entire lifetime to look forward to. But without hope, she just lost herself in the present, trapped in her own pessimistic head. When really, if she had waited it out, and reminded herself that high school doesn’t last forever, I think she’d still be alive. The story began with her hope of a fresh start, but that was quickly diminished with the start of her first rumour, which leads me to my third issue; lies. Teenagers lie. Now I feel as if they lie more than ever, because there seems to be more to lie about, more sins that are dangled in front of their rebellious eyes. We all lie everyday, whether it’s just by saying LOL on a computer, or saying you have to leave when actually, you’re just bored with conversation. Hannah should have realized that no one in this generation is completely honest, and she shouldn’t have taken it so personally.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSuicide, gossip and relationships;
ReplyDeleteSUICIDE;
One of the topics that come up, well that are mainly what the story is about, are suicide. In the story Hannah has 13 reasons why she chose to end her life in such a drastic way. The reasons may or may not seem silly to you, but how would you feel in her shoes? How every little thing that happens, every thing that people wouldn’t think would affect you actually does. What makes you get to that point when you don’t think your life is worth living? When you think ‘Hey, no one loves me, why am I still alive? What’s the point of me living?’ If you think about it, think hard enough; there is always someone who loves you. Maybe someone loves you and you just don’t know it. Maybe they are too shy to tell you that they like you, or someone wants to be your friend but is too shy to ask? There is always someone.
If you feel like there is no one to talk to, see a councilor or a teacher you trust. Even a friend or parent can talk to you about it. Even if you just need to rant or spill everything to someone, maybe a pet would be good. They might not be able to give you advice or talk to you, but they will listen. Sometimes just talking will help solve a lot of problems.
GOSSIP;
The second topic is gossip. Why do people gossip, you ask? They gossip because they think it makes them superior to others. Like they know all and tell all, and that they are better than the person they are spreading the rumor about. They try to make that person look bad, or like they did something wrong. A lot of the time, it’s for revenge, which can lead to fights, and more rumors spread back and forth, and then it gets out of hand and more and more untrue things are said and twisted. Gossip is a nasty thing. It hurts a lot of people and can cause people to think that the rumors are true. When the rumors were being spread about Hannah, she almost started to believe they were true. The rumors were twisted into something completely untrue and nothing even near what happened and what the rumors said in the beginning.
Again, if you need to talk to someone, do it. I can save you a lot of stress and it might help to talk with someone about it. Rumors hurt, emotionally and sometimes physically if something gets out of hand and people take it too seriously. Talk to someone you trust and they can help.
RELATIONSHIPS;
Relationships are not all about dating or being in a relationship for the fun of it. Yes, you should feel comfortable in a relationship, whether it’s a boyfriend, girlfriend or just a friend in general. If it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend, a healthy relationship is one where you can trust and be there for each other, you are happy together and you understand each other. An unhealthy relationship is abusive, or you have no trust, you don’t feel comfortable around this person, or they make you do things you don’t want to. This kind of relationship is clearly not a good one.
Hannah thought that Marcus Cooley was going to meet her at Rosie’s. He showed up late only to make sure she wasn’t actually there waiting for him. He meant it as a joke. These kinds of things are not something you would generally look for in a relationship. If he had actually wanted to go on the date with her, he would have showed up and made it seem like he cared, but he clearly didn’t. Hannah had her hopes up, but then she was let down. Same with friends, Hannah thought that ____ was her friend, but really she was just using her to get rides and keep her “Nice Girl” reputation going. She also thought that Alex and Jessica were her friends, but they slowly drifted apart. Alex was the one who sent out the list that started it all. The list that had Hannah’s name on the “Hot” side, and Jessica’s on the “Not.” It is important that for you to be happy, that you have a healthy relationship with someone. Unhealthy relationships are as clearly said in the name, unhealthy and can lead to not-so-good things.
Heather Coates :)
In response to Shelby:
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you about the fact she should have realized that High School doesn't last forever. Even though it may seem bad at the time, it's not like your spending the rest of you life there. Yes, people do lie, everyone does. It'ssad, but sometimes it is a good thing, like if you don't want to hurt someone you might tell a little lie to make them feel better, but sometimes it can lead into something bigger and the lie just keeps getting bigger and bigger and then it all becomes a big lie. I think if people were more honest it would make the world a little better. Then again, it might make it worse, but you never know.
In response to Heather:
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a lot ... It's pretty overwhelming trying to respond to even one issue, so I'm just going to say that I agree with you, especially what you said about relationships.
Big issues faced by teens:
ReplyDelete1. Suicide: Suicide is a common issue faced by teens. It’s actually a lot more common than you would think, as is other mental disorders. I believe that all mental disorders are connected. There’s suicide, eating disorders, cutting, drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety disorders, social phobia and the list just goes on and on. Usually when people are dealing with issues like this, they are dealing with more than one.
No one can really understand what been suicidal is like unless they are suicidal themselves. I believe that no matter how far you are along the road of considering suicide or even if you’ve already attempted suicide, you can always be saved. From what we’ve read so far in the novel, Hannah is starting to consider suicide more seriously but she doesn’t tell anyone and she doesn’t get help. Even if she was planning to kill herself the next day, I think that if she got the right help (a treatment center, therapy, counseling ect.) and was properly monitored, she could have decided that killing herself was not a good option.
2. Privacy: In the novel, Hannah has privacy problems when a peeping Tom watches her through her bedroom window. It seems that girls always have more privacy problems than guys. When it comes to stalkers, molesters, rapes and such, the victims always seem to be teenage girls. Why is that? Is it because they are more vulnerable? You could be talking with someone on the Internet that claims that they’re a sixteen year old girl or guy. They can pretend to be your friend but they are really a 40 year old man. It’s a scary thing. If I were Hannah, I would have told someone about the peeping Tom right away because you never know when he will be watching. It’s best to stop him as soon as possible so he has less chance to invade your privacy even more.
3. Gossip: Gossip is everywhere. Not just in high schools but at work or anywhere in the community. Gossip is one of the number one destroyers of self-esteem. If people are spreading rumors about you, you start to be more self-conscious and worry more about what other people think. This is a trap that can lead to those mental disorders that I spoke of earlier. Gossip was one of the main reasons why Hannah killed herself.
It’s tough because even if you know that gossip and spreading rumors is wrong, sometimes you just can’t resist telling your friend about the latest rumor. Even if you know that rumors can be manipulated and really hurt someone’s feelings, it’s hard not to say “I’ll just tell one person. It won’t make a difference.” But it does. We need to learn to not spread rumors and avoid hurtful gossip as much as we can.
In response to Luke:
ReplyDeleteI don't think that is a good understanding of the character that we are reading about in this novel. To analyze her, I think you need to think about being in her shoes, because no matter how much you think life sucks, i would like to bet that you have friends to back you up. No matter how good or bad Hannah's life is, she has no one who she can trust. That makes a big difference when you have someone you can confide in, to feel less alone. I find it kind of insensitive that people assume that she did not have enough reasons to commit suicide, when no one but her can say how much things affected her. However, we all have our own opinions, and perhaps we will find out more as the novel goes on.
Issue 1: Rumours.
ReplyDeleteRumours can be good or bad. Yes, they make make people beleive things but you know the truth so don't give a damn about other people! From expirience i can tell you that some rumours can be very funny and some can be hurtful but suck it up it's life.
Issue 2: Friends
Hannah really needed some. She should stop being such a princess and emo kid saying woah is me life sucks and make friends and feel beeter! News Flash for Hannah! Life sucks! it has sucked always and will forever. These things happens everyday. Sorry people, shit happens.
Issue 2: Best Ass In Class
They wre boys with hormons. Having a nice ass is a compliment. If you took it that bad well you need to get the stick out of your A**. As a form of revenge that was nothing. Just suck it up princess you have a nice ass. Oh and did i mention? You have a nice ass Hannah
I think the biggest issues this book has raised is about friendship, trust and hope. The whole novel has revolved around these three issues, how they entwined and breaking down how each one affected Hannah’s death. These three things go hand in hand, good relationships ruined by untrustworthy people crushing her hope more and more.
ReplyDeleteTo start with friendship I think that this started at Monets, with Alex and Jessica and Hannah being really good friends but having it ruined by Alex wanting to get back at Jessica for shutting him down at the coffee shop. Or maybe he was looking for more attention from her to take their friendship farther, either way it didn’t work; it ruined three good relationships and broke down her hope of survival a little bit more. The next issue is trust, Hannah trusted Ryan that he would keep her poems secret but he abused this trust and published it anyway, taking more hope away from Hannah. Another example was Marcus. Hannah waited at Rosies for over half an hour and when he finally arrived he had a plan to get some action. Another friendship ruined because he was too untrustworthy to just keep his hands to himself and respect her. As for hope, well that was always a factor, with every thing that happened to Hannah it took away more and more hope, taking away the slim chance she had at survival.
In response to Luke:
ReplyDeleteYea, life can suck sometimes, but it can be fixed! Talking to someone can help and even if you don't wanna tell everything, it might feel good to tell someone at least a bit of what you are feeling.
In response to Shelby's comment, the third issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you being that every teenager lies everyday, wether with friends or at home. A lie can be painful or a lie can be helpful. Many lie to impress others or to put ones self higher than the other. A simple lie can turn into a huge matter. So think about what your going to say before speaking.
Three big issues faced by teens are gossiping, privacy and lying.
ReplyDeleteGossip is something that no teen can get away from. Whether it is being gossiped about, being gossiped to or gossiping, it is going to appear at some time. Gossiping can change a reputation, or ruin one, depending on what the rumor is. In the book, Justin starts a rumor about Hannah. The rumor gives Hannah a reputation, one that she didn’t deserve, but people reacted to. The rumor, and the reactions to it, caused her to kill herself. Rumors can be very serious and are never fun for the person that it is about.
Privacy is something that, as human beings, everyone has a right to. However not everyone receives the amount of privacy that they should. We have all experienced that moment when we are walking and we think someone is following us. We are scared because we think that our privacy is being breached. It terrifies us that someone might be following us, because no one knows to what extent he or she will go. Nowadays we have even less privacy, thanks to Facebook and the Internet. We put up information and pictures of ourselves out on the web, where almost anyone can have access to it, if we don’t change our privacy settings. The default privacy settings are very low and don’t do much to prevent people from finding our private information, information that, before Facebook, was never accessible to strangers. The Internet has decreased our privacy in many ways, which should terrify us all. Instead, we turn a blind eye, which may turn out catastrophic if we don’t change something.
Everyone has lied. People that say they haven’t lied are, indeed, lying. Even if it is as simple as saying “I don’t know” to avoid answering when someone asks a question. A big reason for lying is school. People don’t want their parents to know what is going on so they just lie. In the book, there are many examples of lying. The first one is when Clay lies to his mom about doing a school project, when in reality he is listening to the tapes. Clay also lies to Tony about stealing his walkman.
Big Issues faced by Teens
ReplyDeleteThe main issue the novel has raised so far in my eyes is the impact that people don’t realize they are making and how it can affect others lives. For example Hannah said “And what about you- the rest of you- did you notice the scars you left behind?… No. Probably not. … Because most of them can’t be seen with the naked eye.” Hannah suffered emotional abuse followed by the physical abuse from the rumors that had been spread. Which comes to my second issue that everyone has to face at one point in his or her life, gossip. It’s mean, nasty and it hurts having false information or even just made-up information spread about you behind your back. Many people seem to believe everything they hear even if it is so outrageous and out of character for that individual. For example Justin started the rumor about Hannah and him at the park doing more then they actually did, leading to repercussion that only Hannah had to feel or be a victim of. When Hannah was put on the Hot or Not List this also lead to the same results. She was taken advantage of at the Blue Spot Liquor when a guy from school walked in and smacked Hannah’s ass and then said to Wally the clerk “Best Ass in the Freshman Class, Wally. Standing right here in your store!” That action taken was uncalled for and invasive of Hannah’s personal space. However everything personal had been taken; Tyler took her privacy from home, rumors took over her school making it difficult to fit in and Ryan took the privacy of her own thoughts away by publishing them in the newspaper at school. She thought she had to other escape then to commit suicide. This is my third issue and one of the largest issues faced my teens today. Many never get the help they truly need and have never talked to anyone about the hardships they are faced with. Statistics show that suicide is the third leading cause of death for people 10-24 years of age. That is scary why would someone take their own life, it is so unfair to everyone else around them. How would you feel if your child took its own life and you had no idea why? That feeling of you could have helped them if you knew what was going on in their lives would stay with you the rest of your life. Also if you had close friends they would hurt to see you kill yourself too. Before anyone takes their own life they need to look and see how bad it actually is, nothing is ever too bad to resort to take your own life. If you are having suicidal thought you need to speak with someone immediately and get the help you need. Counseling will provide the information you need to get back and live a healthy life.
Big Issues faced by Teens
ReplyDeleteBullying:
In this novel, bullying is a big issue in Hannah’s life. We recall through the novel, numerous people bullied Hannah. Some of the people she actually trusted. Bullying makes you have low self-confidence and makes you feel like you have low self worth. Every one of us has either been bullied, bullied somebody or has known somebody doing these things. Bullying affects 1 in 5 school-age children around the world. It’s estimated that 160,000 kids miss school everyday due to the fear of bullying by other students. Bullying causes suicide and un-necessary violence. We think this is really sad because we have seen bullying before and it ruins lives.
Gossip:
One of Hannah’s first experiences with being gossiped about was with Justin. Her ex-boyfriend. He told started a rumor that Hannah was easy and that she was a slut because she supposedly did things at the park, sexual things. Hannah doesn’t make a big deal out of it and doesn’t tell anyone the truth because she knows that she did nothing wrong. And the people that really cared about her should believe her side of the story, the truth. Gossip can be so hurtful. We have experiences with it and we’re sure many other people. Most people get into fights with their friends, and their ‘friends’ will say rumors and secrets about them because they are mad at them. Friendship always turns into gossip because when you have nothing to talk about you talk about other people, everyone has gossip in common. Some people try not to gossip and to stay out of it, but it actually it decently hard to do when you are faced with it so much everyday when your going to high school.
Peer Pressure:
Peer pressure can be shown in many ways. Whether it’s at a party pressuring others to drink, or do drugs, or pressuring others to do sexual things. This is really common among teens. And it’s also one of the hardest issues to deal with because in the moment that you’re getting pressured, it’s hard to do the right thing. No matter how many times you tell yourself “I’ll never do that” because the situation makes is a thousand times harder to listen to your conscience.
By: aMy & KiArA
in response to Jacob:
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason why she used Hannah is because she was trying to make it seem to Hannah like they were going to the party together as friends. She was trying to help rebuild her nice girl reputation which she had damaged with Hannah. She basically wanted hannah to think that they were friends.
Big Issues faced by Teens:
ReplyDeleteGossip: Is everywhere… It’s in schools, in workplaces, at the mall, etc. People seem to feel the need to gossip. It could be to make them feel better about themselves, or it could just be something random like that they don’t like the other persons clothing. Whatever the situation is it can still hurt someone’s feelings. I’m not going to lie, I myself have gossiped and I now realize that it was an unnecessary comment. If you think about it, gossip is just idle talk or a rumor, and it’s usually about the personal or private affairs of others. But whether you mean for it to get out or not it still does. For example, in the novel Justin spread the rumor that him and Hannah did more then just kiss. Even though they didn’t, everyone believed they did just because Justin said so. I truly think that that is just sad. Just because someone says something doesn’t mean you have to believe him or her, especially if it’s someone that you didn’t truly trust in the first place. If you want to know the truth go to the source.
Suicide: In the novel suicide is clearly the main topic. Why Hannah killed herself…I have yet to find out. But what I do know is that it most likely could have been prevented. In my opinion her reasons so far were not quite reason enough. I know that the rest of the tapes will prove me otherwise…at least I hope they do. People just ‘take’ their lives, its sad and depressing, and usually someone could have been there to help the person through it. I have noticed so far in the novel Hannah has never really had a long-term best friend, and most of the time that’s all you need. She had Jessica and Alex at the start but when they took their separate paths she really only had acquaintances. Many people seem to need that shoulder to cry on, that person to vent to, and share all your feelings with. Yes, they usually have their opinions on what you say, but that’s what helps you to realize what your doing or thinking of doing is just pure non-sense.
Friendship: “We should go to a party together” – Courtney “Why”- Hannah. The key to friendships is the first time you ‘hang out’. By asking someone to go to a party with you for your first ‘hang out’ is really risky. Sometimes the person is truly sincere and actually wants to spend time with you and get to know you, but other times…not so much. Generally people know when they’re being used, and Hannah, she knew right off the bat. She knew she was just Courtney’s ride to the party. When they got to they got to the party Courtney split, she went to find other people to hang out with. She didn’t want to spend time with Hannah she wanted to go find her actual friends. You know what Courtney also did? She spread a rumor about Hannah…at the party. Hannah knew she wasn’t going to have any fun there so she told Courtney to find a new ride and left. ß That is not the friendship you want. You want someone you can spend time with and have fun together. Someone that you can talk to ‘forever’ and not get bored.
In Response to Luke:
ReplyDelete1) hahahaha
2) I found your statement interesting. I never though of it from a guy's perspective. I still do find the "NOT" side of the list to be degrading, but for Hannah to go and get upset about being on the "HOT" list is kind of silly...
"Issue 2: Best Ass In Class
They wre boys with hormons. Having a nice ass is a compliment. If you took it that bad well you need to get the stick out of your A**. As a form of revenge that was nothing. Just suck it up princess you have a nice ass. Oh and did i mention? You have a nice ass Hannah"
ISSUE ONE
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues in the book that stood out to me the most was Alex and the Hot/Not List. Categorizing people in that sort of way, and then sharing it with others to destroy other’s reputations is wrong (at the very least). In High School unfortunately, people take it so seriously! They believe one person’s opinion of them is everyone’s opinion. With a list like that, Alex has made those people really observe certain things about themselves. Good or bad, it’s degrading. Hannah said something that definitely made me agree with her: “It gives people-some people-the go-ahead to treat you like you’re nothing but that specific body part”. To expand on that, I would say that she is stating that when someone says something about you, good or bad (especially about your body), people start to notice that certain thing more. That forms into the new way that people know you. You start becoming that superlative or name. In the book, she was no longer Hannah, but “The hottest butt in freshman class”. It’s never a good thing. It’s like being called a number by the government.
ISSUE TWO
The second issue that really caught my attention was when Marcus stood her up at Rosie’s. Marcus was dubbed her “Dollar Valentine” and they agreed to meet at Rosie’s that night for ice cream. He didn’t show. It was a shame to read how devastated she was. She not only wanted another chance at liking someone, but another chance to show people that she isn't the girl who wants to get in a guy's pants, but a girl who wants to just find love.
I have never been in the situation she is in, but I know what it's like to be rejected. No matter how much esteem you have, it always brings it down. Then you start questioning yourself instead of the other person. You think things like: "What's wrong with me?" rather than: "What kind of girl/guy do they go for?". I guess both questions could eventually end with you still feeling bad about yourself, but if they go for a person who isn't like you, chances are your relationship wouldn't have lasted anyway and you probably would have been more hurt than you are now. Think about it.
*ISSUE THREE
The event that I thought was the worst was when Courtney took Hannah to the party and then ditched her. I am definitely a people person. I give and give and people take. However, I get nothing in return. It's my nature, it's how I was raised, but I also consider it a defect. I give to those who don't give a crap about me. Hannah trusted Courtney and gave her a ride. She expected something back: a friend to hang out with at the party. A chance to hang out with the popular girl and get a bit of a better rep. Yeah… no. The ride came through, not the hanging out. I really felt her pain at that moment. The difference between me and her is, I've learned over years and years of this. Now, I stand up for myself. If Courtney would have said she wanted to hang out with other people, I would have said "sure". She would have smiled and walked away. I would have smiled and walked away. I would have gone to my car, and side-swiped Tyler on the shoulder. He would have asked for a ride. I would have seen his camera and then have replied with a simple: "You're kidding, right?"
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Shelby:
ReplyDeleteI would really like to comment on what you said here:
"In Hannah’s case, she had her entire lifetime to look forward to. But without hope, she just lost herself in the present, trapped in her own pessimistic head. When really, if she had waited it out, and reminded herself that high school doesn’t last forever..."
Isn't it funny how everyone is always wanting us to live in the present? They want us to be in the moment. But sometimes the moment isn't that great.
Why don't we just live anywhere but the past?
And enjoy happy moments and live for the future?
Theme 3: Regret
ReplyDelete“I can almost hear Hannah’s voice speaking my next thought for me. “Then why didn’t you try harder?”” Page 148
Consider Clay, the teenager who could be considered the novel’s secondary protagonist. We don’t know why he is on the list yet, and neither does he. At numerous points throughout the tapes, Clay thinks he could have done something to help save Hannah from her fate. One example is the quote on page 148 and the other is the “Oh my Dollar Valentine” that he didn’t take seriously.
Clay’s regret is something we know exists, what about all the others who received the tapes? Some people, like Marcus, don’t seem to care about the fact that they’re on the list. One person who does seem to care is Tyler. Consider the photograph in Monet’s, the one of Hannah and Courtney Crimson. If he didn’t care, why would he have bothered following the map and visiting Monet’s? It’s unlikely that he had that photograph on hand during a casual visit to the location.
What about Courtney Crimson? Clay felt that she would have been heartbroken when she received the tapes.
How would you feel, If you appeared on the list of reasons for why somebody committed suicide? Even if you didn’t do anything intentionally cruel, wouldn’t it rip at your heart and leave you in unbearable emotional pain? How often and for how long would you think thoughts of “I should have done this”, or “Why didn’t I take that chance?”
Appearing on those tapes is no small event. It’s a rude, painful awakening, like being splashed with ice water. I don’t blame Clay for his regret. Whatever he did wrong, he’s going to live with that the rest of his life. It’ll be a black stain on his youth, and we all know how much fun those are.
-Justin Jordan
There are three things I’ll list that are issues to teenagers. When not noticed or helped, they can be serious. These happened to Hannah and eventually escorted her to her demise. The majority of who read this can probably relate.
ReplyDeleteThe first is distrust. It wasn’t Hannah’s fault she didn’t trust anyone; it was what she resorted to after so many betrayals. It isolates people from others, making them want to be alone and away from the pains of others who aren’t caring, when what they might need most of all a person who can help them and keep a friendship. Distrust affects us all here and there, and if we don’t take heed of body language and the acts of another feeling like that, it can be serious.
Next, are rumors. Yes, the most ridiculous, stupid act of teenagers, hell, I bet adults do it too. True or false, they are aggravating, frustrating, it riles up people easily. It may not be a big deal to others but they really make an impact on a person. It’s hurtful under all the ridicule and anger. It’s hard to stop and a person can be stuck with it for a long time, sometimes even forever. It makes others assume things about the victim, like Hannah.
The last problem, is something that is most suitable as a devastating issue to both the victim and everyone around that person: suicide. Not just the permanent action of it, but also the aftermath of grief after, even the thoughts of considering it are haunting. The most serious of issues, its memory tags along with loved ones who can’t forget, losing a person close is probably the hardest thing to endeavor. 13 Reasons Why is such a powerful book because it has a topic that happens in real life, and not a very rare occurrence either. If nobody notices the signs of a person in need of help, the end results can be brutal.
--Sarah Chadwick
Some of the big issues in the novel and in our society in general for teenagers I think are bullying, gossip, and relationships.
ReplyDeleteBullying is obviously a big cause for Hannah’s death. Pretty much everyone in Hannah’s tapes, has bullied her in one-way or another. Not even just physical, mainly emotional, and mostly without even knowing the impact on Hannah. From Zach stealing Hannah’s notes, to Jessica refusing to stay friends with her.
Gossip is another large factor in Hannah’s life and suicide. Her whole life in this town was largely gossiped about, probably due to the interest in a “new girl”. From Justin making up stories about what went down at the park, to multiple other jerks trying to look macho. If people had not listened to the silly rumors, people would have thought differently about Hannah, and half of the horrendous events would not have occurred. I can personally relate to this, because I have heard stories about myself, that are definitely not true, sometimes you just have to laugh it off, but sometimes it hurts more than that, and affects you in many other ways, such as Hannah’s case.
Relationships are the base of all friendships, and ironically lead to a lot of heartache and tears as well. People don’t realize how many relationships they have, not just dating situations. With parents, teachers, peers, friends, we have plenty, and how healthy they are relate to your happiness. I think it is important to have good relationships, but we learn the most from the bad ones, which Hannah has had plenty of.
Big Issues Faced by Teens:
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues in the book was when Marcus and Hannah were in the booth at Rosie’s and he kept pressuring Hannah to makeout or whatever but she wouldn’t let him and then he got really angry. There is always a situation where you are going to have to tell someone no, believe it or not sometimes it’s difficult to do. If you are feeling uncomfortable and a person is pushing you to go further than you want, you definatly need to tell them to stop. There will usually be one of these two reactions: a) they will respect your decision. Or b) they will get angry and insult you. Option B is what Marcus chose. I think Hannah did the right thing by shoving him out of the booth because she didn’t want to do anything with him, even though Marcus called her a tease she still saved herself.
The second issue in the book that I noticed was rumors. For example when Justin spread the rumor about Hannah and him at the park. This rumor made a reputation for Hannah that she didn’t even want, which made everyone treat her differently. Maybe if that rumor wasn’t spread, Hannah would still be alive. The truth is that nobody knows how what they say is going to affect a person until after they say it. So were just better off with telling the truth or just not saying anything at all.
The third issue is was self esteem. This wasn’t really a huge thing, but I consider it really important. A lot of people, especially girls don’t have very high self esteem and when people make fun of them or say mean things it breaks them down even more. It is so easy for people to believe that they are worthless, and when you believe that , life gets hard. Im sure everyone has felt this way at some point in there life. I think Hannah’s self esteem got teared down and she believed she was worthless and that nobody cared. And I think that is a huge reason why she committed suicide.
Danielle D
Gossip:
ReplyDeleteGossip starts numbers of times in life. It brings some down, others it makes them happier. Some use it to gain popularity, give them a higher status in their social life. In that process they might bring others down, either with them or without.
So far in this novel a large issue is gossip.
Kids are going around spreading facts on people. Some true some false.
Personally I try to stay away from gossip, but as every so called “teenage girl” does, I do spread gossip.
I find it disappointing that if someone hears a piece of information about someone, They are able to throw everything they know about that person, away like it’s a nothing. And then suddenly believe this so called rumor. They may think, or even treat that person a different way.
The three big issues among teens!
ReplyDeleteGossip, Suicide and Relationships..
Gossip:
We all know that gossip happens. It’s something none of us can really avoid. There are so many different kinds of rumors that people can say. There stuff about being a slut and boys, or something you did at a party, or something you said that someone took way too seriously. I personally have had rumors spread about me; of course they were just a stretched truth that someone thought would be a good idea.
In Hannah’s case she pretty much just has to deal with boy drama. One stupid boy decided that he would tell the story of getting under Hannah’s shirt when really all they did was kiss. So, Hannah got a bad reputation and every boy wanted a piece of it.
Suicide:
I think that at some point in your life, suicide has had to cross your mind. Unless you are an overly peppy person, there will be points in your life where you will get super sad. Most of us wont take it so seriously as Hannah did. Most teenage can move on or have friends that help out and make life worth living. I know I do.
Relationships:
**Sigh** In High School, it really seems like the only important thing is having a boyfriend or girlfriend. Or seeing if the guy you like, likes you back. These things really consume most of our time. The majority of us haven’t even met the person we will marry. And yet we are obsessed over the fact of “love” when most of us haven’t felt anything more then puppy love. And yeah, I know I’m only talking about a romantic way of love, even though there are so many more aspects to a relationship. But this kind is the kind I wanted to talk about. Soo.. Deal with it ;)
~Becca
All because of a angered boy; Revenge
ReplyDeleteDrama:
A big part of the drama at Hanna’s High school was that a foolish boy decided to create a list of “Who’s Hot and Who’s not”. This could have been just for a joke, but the result was not pleasing to everyone.
This list started the corruption of Hanna’s social life in her high school.
After the list was handed out it lead to people doing things they normally wouldn’t have done. And for some reason this list gave them the right to do what they did? Possibly even made the guilt they had after what they had done, disappear.
Which I do not understand.
Coourtneybone
The first obvious topic that comes to mind when I think of this book, is suicide. It's a tough topic for anyone to really accept whether you've felt it or not, because it all seems very surreal. Everyone deals with rough spots in their life, and I believe you really chose if you want it to let it control you or not. Hannah had a choice. She could get help, and really try to get her life on track or not. Your own happiness is your choice. Hannah simply chose to be unhappy.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I think everyone can relate to Hannah and everyone can relate to Clay. Things that happened to Hannah happen to ordinary people everyday. We learn through painful experiences, but it doesn't mean we should feel obligated to die. Suicide isn't the only way to make it end, because nothing ever lasts forever.
I wonder though, what made Hannah the exception? She's not the only person who goes through stuff like this. What about the people on the tapes, what had happened in their life leading up to that point? I bet it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine like Hannah expected it to be. We're very caught up in ourselves all the time, and seem to enjoy wallowing in self-pity.
First topic: the party
ReplyDeleteCourtney used Hannah because she needed a ride. Why hadn’t she asked some of their many friends? Why even Hannah, the person she ignored for such a long time?
Second topic: the list
Hannah’s name was on the list for the best ass. I think she shouldn’t have taken it so seriously because it could have been every other name. It hadn’t refereed to her personality it’s just a list. It didn’t mean anything.
Third topic: Suicide
It's the topic of the book and I think it's a really important theme in our generation. There are many teenagers with big problems in this world who wanted to kill themselves. I think we should speak more about such things in school and in our environment. It is tried to hide suicide from the population and there are many more persons who commit suicide and nobody knows about them. We should try to pay more attention to the men around us so we can perceive the signs and help them early enough to save their life. I know the feeling when you think there is no way out and nobody could ever help you but you just have to trust people and they would stand by you, no matter what has happened.
Where would a rumor come from? If you think about ethnic stereotypes not all of them are completely ludicrous. Some stereotypes hold to be true and are present in some of that racial group. Would that mean that a rumor is actually based on something? Would it be a wild story? Look in to how the rumor between Hannah and Justin. They didn’t go as far as the rumor stated but it still came from somewhere. Are all rumors to be distrusted? Perhaps they are true if played down a bit. It is easy to say, “Just ignore them” but they obviously do get to you. Why would someone want to “Make Mountains out of molehills”? Which leads me into my next topic…
ReplyDeleteMotivation. Hannah’s life as she says it was in the gutter, spiraling down a drain with no hope or options left. Except for one. Suicide. Why did these things cause her to commit suicide? Life is about challenges; it is about blood, sweat, and tears. No pain, no gain. If life were easy you would not be who you are. What would motivate all the people on the tapes to do what they did? Why did Zach steal the notes to get back at Hannah? How did she exactly motivate him to do such? Sometimes we just do things we don't understand, everything happens for reasons we just don't know. Most of it comes down to a game of revenge. To quote Mahatma Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".
What would be the motivation to inflict what you've struggled with upon others? I think it comes from the lack of wanting to be alone -- we all strive to have company. Someone who knows our situation.
Trust. Where can it be placed? I cannot relate directly to the negatives of trust because I like to deem myself trust worthy and I feel the people around me are equally as trust worthy. But I guess for every sucker dead, there is a hundred more to take his place. Trust is a delicate thing. It can be broken easily and you may never be able to repair it. However trust is an important, and rewarding virtue as well. So much more is to be accomplished with trust. If never placed, never received. Do you feel safe with trusting people?
-Devon
Suicide: I think that Hannah killed herself because she was suicidal and she was provoked. It seems to me that some people are suicidal and some people are not simply because that's who they are. What I'm saying is that most people would not have killed themselves in Hannah's position but she did because she had a lack of survival instincts.
ReplyDeleteMarie
Trust: You have to admit, Hannah has some trust problems. They are not all her fault but she does do things a bit differently. In this book so far their has been a clear pattern. Hannah meets someone, then she starts to trust them, then they stab her in the back. I blame that mostly on bad luck. One of her trust problems that is mostly her fault is the way she reacts. She over thinks the problem in her head and makes it into a bigger deal than it is. That is pretty normal and I'm sure it happens all the time, but the weird part is that she doesn't do anything about it. She doesn't confront the person or even try to get revenge. Until she makes the tapes.
ReplyDeleteMarie
Confidante: A confidante is someone you can talk to about anything and they are ALWAYS there to listen. Hannah used to tell Alex and Jessica her problems and when that stopped working she wrote poetry. She really needed one reliable person to be there for her. Alex and Jessica weren't very good friends as we have now learnt and writing poems doesn't have the same effect as talking with a real person. A real person can assure you that everything is okay and poems only made her more depressed. I think that when the poems stopped working for her and she started to have suicidal thoughts, that is when she should have talked to a counselor or something. Thats what they are for - people who need help with their problems. Hannah needed help because she has problems but she didn't go and get it. For some reason after everyone had let her down, betrayed her and taken advantage of her, she thought that everyone was magically going to notice she was upset, run to her side, help her back onto her feet and care for her forever. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work like that.
ReplyDeleteMarie
Rumours
ReplyDeleteHannah obviously has had many rumours spread about her within the first while in her new school. Tough stuff, and I'm sure that anybody can sympathize or at least empathize with that. As a result, I'm sure we all know that your
Self Confidence
Is effected by the fact of a private truth or out and out falsehood being spread around the school. And there are many ways that we would deal with this. In Hannah's case, she has other domino effect events that pop up that lead to an alternate decision, one rather than sticking out her chin and battling through highschool. Although I do believe Hannah had a chemical imabalance of sorts, she made it apparent that
Suicide
Is also an option. Most teens think of suicide at some point or another just not seriously, and if every teen went through with it, we'd have major population problems going on. I'm sure we can all sympathize with the thouoght at least, and with her depression, as our hormones tend to cause moods our to fluctuate. So, I guess to conclude, all teens go through issues, but not many end as severely as Hannah's situation.