Literature Can Help Students Learn How To Steer Through Life’s Difficult Decisions
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Dear Editor:
I offer the following as a reply to the parent letter published in the April 20 edition.
Teenage years are a maelstrom of physical, emotional, and mental changes as adolescents transition from childhood to adulthood. Along the way, they will encounter various life experiences – exposure to alcohol and drugs, peer pressure to commit unlawful acts, temptations to engage in sexual activities. They will experience death, abuse, and atrocities either personally or vicariously. Many of them are ill-prepared to discuss these deep issues with anyone, much less a parent. Literature and art can be the opening students need to broach certain subjects; thought-provoking and controversial literature and art can allow students to discuss certain matters within the context of a story or image they may feel too uncomfortable to discuss otherwise.
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a story of a teenager navigating his way throughout his ninth-grade year, a year marking the beginnings of adulthood, and documents his experiences through a series of letters. Charlie’s letters show us the experiences of and decisions made by teens from the 90s; one can only imagine how much more difficult adolescence has become for modern-day teens with constant access to social media. An incessant barrage of pressure from influencers and posters coupled with a storm of biological changes can leave teens feeling lost and out-of-touch; Charlie’s ordeals and his reactions can spark conversations about these modern issues and methods of coping with them. Imagine a conversation of “How did Charlie react? Do you agree with this?” or “Have you encountered a similar situation? How did you feel and/or act?” These conversation starters allow students to explore complex topics with an adult.
A large portion of these 17-year-old “children” will be graduating in a year and moving on to college or the work force. Either option will see them encountering problems and issues that adults face. Not every day is filled with sunshine and happiness. There will be difficult decisions and issues. Students need to learn how to respond to these. Literature with its “fictional” stories can teach them how to steer through life.
Thank you,
Anna Smith
