The Perks of Being a Wallflower should not be banned in schools even though it explores controversial subject, such as sexual assault and drug use. While exposing students to characters who have been raped or encouraged to use drugs in literature, it might be disturbing for them. It is a way to prepare teens for the fact that people in the real world are often hurt by other people, even by people they love and trust. The book was easy to read but hard to write about and would be better for discussion with parents and teachers and other students. The Perks of Being a Wallflower teaches, and explores the truth, that people often don’t suffer any bad consequences for their actions, and it is up to people to figure things out for themselves, with the help of good friends, family, teachers and psychiatrists.

An example of date rape is when Charlie was younger and he witnesses sexual assault. Years later he talks about it with his friend Sam to try to understand what happened. “Sam just shook her head this time. She then explained about all the things you need to go through to prove it, especially in high school when the boy and girl are popular and still in love.” (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, p.32). This shows kids that staying quiet doesn't help but telling doesn’t always change the situation either. In the article “University of Virginia Fraternity Rape Case: Stopping Sexual Assault on Campus” (written by Brad Knickerbocker, published on Christian Science Monitor), Ms. Erdely writes "Rapes are kept quiet, both by students - who brush off sexual assaults as regrettable but inevitable casualties of their cherished party culture - and by an administration that critics say is less concerned with protecting students than it is with protecting its own reputation from scandal”. Erdely reports, “Since 1998 183 people have been expelled for honor-code violations at UVA such as cheating on exams, but not a single student has ever been expelled for sexual assault.” Don’t expect everything to work out if you just ignore it. This shows readers that there are no benefits from staying quiet and there are no downsides for telling the truth.  

Another example of not saying something when something happens is when Charlie was younger, and he is molested by his aunt who he remembers as his favorite person. For most of the book he doesn’t even remember it happened but knows he has emotional problems. Years later, at the end of the book, when he is in the psych hospital he says “But I kind of figured out that everything I dreamt about my aunt Helen was true. And after a while I realized that it happened every Saturday when we would watch television. The first few weeks in the hospital were very hard...But the doctor has helped me work out a lot of things since then...The thing that helped the most though, was the time I could have visitors.” (page 209) Talking about things helped Charlie get better. If he had said something when he was young he could have prevented a lot of his problems he has currently. Most of the book is Charlie trying to fix these problems. This shows readers if they see something say something, because if they don’t it can produce bigger problems later on in life.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower explores Charlie’s decision to try drugs when his friends offer them to him. Although LSD makes him feel good temporarily, he discovers it isn’t worth the disorienting after effects. While the viewpoint of Charlie seems to be that there’s nothing really wrong with drugs, the book also shows that the use of drugs has no real benefits because they don’t really make him feel better. The article “The Other Teen Drug Problem” (written by Sharon Sloane, published on Christian Science Monitor), even though it’s talking about prescription drug abuse, it confirms this idea that a lot of teens think drugs are ok, “The Office of National Drug Control Policy reported last year that 3 out of 10 teens don't see pain relievers as addictive, and one-third of teens believe that there is "nothing wrong" with occasional abuse of prescription medication.” Even though drug use is not a good idea, it does happen. The book challenges readers to come to an independent decision for themselves, about this important subject matter regarding safety and health issues around drug use.

Sexual assault and drug use are examples of controversial issues that are depicted in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The author; through his characters’ difficult choices about their own involvement with sexual assault or drugs provides a real life example, that teens can relate to, that might help readers to be more prepared to manage these problems in their own lives. I think reading and studying novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower should not be banned but is more beneficial if it is read in reading groups or the whole class rather than for a student to read it alone and write about it because you can take more from the experience if there are viewpoints other than your own. 

Social Awareness Project:

By Theo Gold

812

Table of Contents: 

Community Service in the Teenage Life:

My experience at my local bike park and how working with people in a community changed who I am.

(Page 2)

Changing the World One Baby at a Time: 

Notes on an interview with famous midwife Julie Gold.

(Page 3)

Observing the IMPACT of Looming Homework:

The problems and solutions with everyday homework.

(Page 4-5)

Overview:

My project is about how it takes time and dedication to be deeply involved and connected with what you love. Even if you have to manage your work to get through, it takes time to learn new things and expand what you know. We all change the world everyday if we take our time and listen to our needs and the needs of the people around us.

Community Service in the Teenage Life:

Teenagers deserve time in their busy schedules to do community service. Community service is a way for students to develop their dedication to things they care about and learn how to work cooperatively. I believe that opportunities for community service make the world a better place and provide participants with a sense of belonging. 

The thing that I am most dedicated to right now in my life is the reopening of the Brooklyn Bike Park in it’s permanent location. I am part of a group of BMX riders that wants to share their passion for riding with other New Yorkers. The Brooklyn Bike Park was a place to have a good time. It opened spring of 2013 and closed the fall of 2014. The lot was donated by developers for a little more than one year in hopes to make the local community happier before they built condos there. And it did. 

When I decided to help rebuild the park I put my name on the group mailing list. I never would have thought I would be designing a concept myself. I was just sketching some drawings of a bike park and my Dad asked me if I could make a 3D model on a computer. I found a program called Google Sketchup™ and soon had a giant model. I didn’t stop there, I found several concepts of other bike parks and I visited as many parks as I could get to. Of course, my Dad and I wanted to take it one step further and decided to build a jump at our cousin’s house. We went to Home Depot and got some two-by-fours and plywood sheets. It took six hours and then we got to ride it. The experience definitely set me up for the rebuilding of the Bike Park and changed my whole perspective on skateparks and dirt jumps alike.

The reason I’m so committed to the Brooklyn Bike Park is because it is what introduced me to BMX. When I discovered the park I immediately fell in love with it. The layout was great and smooth transitions topped it off. But what really made it awesome was the community around it. Everyone was so nice and the mood was awesome. Strangers would give you tips and I made so many new friends. By the fifth time I had been there I started to volunteer. After storms, we would repair the dirt jumps and build up what had been destroyed. I also would teach little kids, and I made sure that if someone fell they were OK. That made me even more involved. I finally felt part of something bigger. I wasn’t just riding, I was changing the way other people experienced the Bike Park and I think that’s what made me so dedicated. 

Throughout my childhood I always rode on the front on my Dad’s or my Mom’s bike traveling throughout the city. I think that’s where I get this idea of loving to ride a bike. After spending years in the passenger seat I have now finally taken control. I’m making models, researching, riding and also planning things like writing letters for participatory budgeting for a new Brooklyn Bike Park. Without it I would have never shared the joy of BMX with so many amazing people.

Changing the World One Baby at a Time:

“My job as a midwife is to change the world one baby at a time. This is not a statement I came up with. This is a phrase that midwives use to describe themselves and the work that they do.” says Julie Gold, Solo Practitioner in Brooklyn New York. I didn’t know until I spoke with her that being taken care of by a Midwife isn’t common and that when midwifes deliver a baby, they are also helping women feel empowered about their strengths and their right to have choices. Because of her skills and her unique training she can help women feel safe by giving them lots of options including delivery in the hospital or at home. Unlike doctors, and many midwives, Julie does all of her prenatal visits in her client’s homes establishing a deep connection with her patients and their families. Everyday she helps women discover their strengths. As woman go through a massive change in their bodies and bring a new life into the world she helps them feel safe, understood and loved. She helps them understand that they can do their best even in the hardest of situations. She says earnestly, “My hope is that simply by being present, unrushed and focused when I care for each and every woman that she will the develop some of the confidence she needs to trust herself as a mother.”

Observing the IMPACT of Looming Homework:

Right now…I’m worried about Christmas Break. Why, you ask? Because of schoolwork. I’m worried that my Christmas Vacation is going to be ruined by projects, essays, and homework. Part of me would rather skip vacation just so I don’t have to feel crushed by the work load. The problem is teachers don’t understand that when you give us homework and projects over the weekend and especially over breaks, that we often end up spending the whole time distracted by looming assignments. It’s unhealthy and not making us better students. We need to have time to enjoy ourselves, learn different things, and catch up with our families. If we are always assigned work then there is no point in having a weekend  or having breaks. I just finished Thanksgiving Break and my family time was disrupted by schoolwork. Thanksgiving is not just three hours on a Thursday, some families wait all year to get together and relax. No one wants their time off ruined by thinking about schoolwork.

The solution is simple, all schools should have scheduled, homework free breaks during the school year. Schools can adapt to this requirement in a variety of ways. For example, one solution is for every three weeks of school, there is one week with no new homework, or looming projects. Another option is no homework at all. If we spend six hours a day at school why not just make it seven and get all the work done in school. An other easy option that some schools use today is to have no homework and projects assigned over the weekends and over school breaks. The point is that homework without a break teaches us to not fully engage with our work, because all we want to do is get it done and it never stops.

          "Take a 15-minute trip to a Big-Box store and you'll see the Girls' aisle dominated by pink toys" says Anne Mayoral in her article 'What is a "Girl Toy'?", published in MAKE magazine volume 41. According to her, most toymakers unintentionally send the message that girls cannot be good at math and science by rarely making toys directed to girls, that encourage play concerning these traditionally boyish subjects. Girls' whole lives can be determined by the toys they play with, she suggests. Her article primarily describes several ways in which toymakers and parents are trying to change this toy-making trend. In addition, she includes a thoughtful list of "STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math)" toys, that are good choices for girls.
       
          The author writes this informative article with compassion and a true belief in her subject. The author has direct experience in the sciences and technology as a rocket scientist, industrial designer and teacher in a hands-on STEAM program for girls. In this concise article she presents two solutions used by toymakers. One option is to make STEAM focused gender neutral toys, or STEAM toys, focused towards girls. She also presents her own personal immediate solution, "instead, the goal is to offer a variety of toys and a chance for hands-on discovery and making, either at home or in the local maker space, and then we let them choose for themselves". Without parents giving a label to girl and boy toys the children get a non-biased opinion on what to play with and who they are supposed to become.

          Even though this article is opinion based, with no scientific evidence, Mayoral's authoritative tone is strong and persuasive. Having no scientific evidence is okay because her professional expertise is evident by her credentials. It would have strengthened  the article however, to have included a personal narrative. What toys did she play with when she was a kid, and what was her parents opinion on gender based toys?  I personally agree with her suggestion, because I have an experience of my own. One of my summer camps involved a lot of woodworking and using power tools. Regardless of anyone's age or gender every camper had the same opportunities. What might come as a surprise to most, was that more boys, including me, participated in the knitting activity where as there were more girls participated in the welding activity.

          No one wants woman and girls to think they can't pursue careers in math and science just because when they grew up as kids they were deprived of these play opportunities. To make her point Mayoral quotes The National Institute for Play, "Play shapes our brains, creates our competencies and ballasts our emotions." I agree with her in every way possible and would add that boys should also not have limits placed on them and have  the freedom to choose what they want play with. She doesn't leave you hanging with her opinion alone, she provides a creative list of toys and projects that will help your daughter expand her imagination way beyond barbies and dollhouses.

          The book Perks of Being a Wallflower has been a controversial topic for teachers and parents for a long time. I myself have read the book and I understand that the book has lots of sex, drugs, and curses. The book, written by Stephen Chbosky, is about fifteen-year-old Charlie who is starting high school. The reason schools might want to ban Perks of Being a Wallflower is because it may make kids think its OK to use or abuse drugs.

          Most people Have experience with drugs and alcohol at parties where they are peer-pressured or just given the option. During the party at Bob's house after a football game, which is any other day for Charlie, he is offered a brownie. Being very naive, he ate  it not knowing it was a pot brownie. When he starts to trip out, people start laughing at him because he is really confused. The people around him are not shocked at all, and act as if it is normal. This makes young readers think that doing drugs is normal and no big deal. Drugs are dangerous and can very easily ruin your life. Though you may think its cool and normal, as portrayed in the book, it’s not and should be something taken very seriously.

          Another time someone may take drugs is if they think it is an "escape". One example of drug abuse is at Bob's house, for a New Years Eve party. Charlie takes some sort of tablet and soon starts seeing things. Some people do drugs for fun, which is still bad, but he is taking them so he can ignore the fact that someone he loves doesn't love him. Once again he is taking drugs at a party which may influence kids to think that you have to take drugs at parties. After reading this section of the book I felt a tiny bit influenced but soon shook the feeling off. I also have no experience with drugs whatsoever and I personally do not agree with people taking them. This just shows that if one naive teen comes across this book they could be seriously influenced.

          This book might influence some one to do drugs and make them think its OK. This is just one of the reasons that teachers want to ban The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Another reason is that some teachers don’t feel comfortable about talking to their students about drugs. I can understand why some teachers are scared. It’s a big deal to talk to kids about drugs, and they don’t want their students to take it the wrong way.  I know that some parents don't want their children from reading certain books, but that shouldn't prevent everyone else from reading them.

Synthesis Page

Time Line/ Synthesis Page for "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:

Oskar's Father Dies:
• His Mom starts to shape-shift. Before she was a quiet person and now once she stated dating she changed. I think this is because she was in grief from the Dad's death.

Oskar Describes the Hunting Game:
• His father becomes the herald. He started these games that he and Oskar play which in a way is the journey of the book.

• As we learn more about his father we find that he is more the mother figure and the mentor. This is shown when he gave comfort to Oskar before he went to bed. He is the mentor because he is really one of the only people who taught him simple things.

Oskar Breaks the Vase and Finds the Key:
• Oskar becomes the wide eyed innocent hero. This is because when he does this he is naive yet has the courage to continue or start this journey.

• His father fulfills the herald position. This is true because without the father putting the vase and the key there he would have never started the journey.



Oskar: Wide eyed innocent hero.
Father: Herald, Father Figure, Mentor.
Mother: Shape-shifter.

            The book Monument 14: Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne is the sequel in the series, Monument 14.  The book is about a bus of high schoolers and a bus of grade schoolers that, in the middle of a hailstorm, crash into a supermarket.  They soon learned, as they take refuge in the supermarket, that the hailstorm was caused by a volcano eruption.  Throughout the first half of the story the main character, Dean,  just follow instructions and let everybody tell him what to do and how to do things,  by the end he is shown as a leader and respected by all.

           The first example of Dean changing is one Caroline gets infected by a rat bite.  Dean would normally just stand around and continue helping everyone else, then really pay attention to the main problem.  The second he knows it's infected he runs to the pharmacy to get to get antibiotics. He continued to look over her as a father figure and as a mentor. This shows that Dean in almost any problem to know what to do and how to do it. This also shows that he is very prepared for anything that comes his way.

           I'm not so heartwarming example is when a man tried to plow through the wall the store with a tractor to get food.  As this happens he is exposed to toxins in the air which, depending on your blood type, turn him into a bloodthirsty savage.  With some weapons on hand Dean, under the influence of the toxins, goes out and kills the man.  Surprisingly, this shows that Dean  was taking the leader figure.  It shows this because he was willing to kill a man for several children and a girl he loved even though she might kill them after under the influence of the toxins. This information proves he slowly taking the leadership position because he's really willing to do anything for the people he loves and cares about.

           Another not so heartwarming example is when the air force cadets break into the store. In an attempt to knock them out and save everyone else,  who hid the one they heard them coming in, Dean put sleeping pills in their drinks.  when he did this he was risking getting beaten to a pulp and Angie life for they would kill him or seriously injured and if they found out.  He also put it in juice which not many of them might drink only a few. This shows that Dean is willing to sacrifice his life and or his health for everyone else once again.

           By the end of the book, as you can see, Dean has fully developed from someone who is merely a follower into a leader that almost everyone respects.  From simply treating a wound to sacrificing his life Dean has it all covered.

Summer Reading Reflection

          Before I read the Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline, I never really knew anything about orphans or the system. The book is about a young girl named Niamh  who came from Ireland to New York in 1929. When their house in New York burns down killing most of her family and leaving her mom unstable to take care of her, she ends up getting put on one of the orphan trains that ran around the country from 1845 to 1929. At one of the meetings she’s picked by woman who has no care for her but only to work.  She made several nice people but in the end the woman is unstable to take care of her when the economy crashes. She is sent to  another house which doesn't work out for her and the she finally finds a resting place with a middle aged couple that needs help with their store. But this is only half of the story. In 2011 seventeen year old, Molly, who has been in the foster care system for many years was caught stealing something and has to do 50 hours of community service instead of juvenile detention. Her boyfriend helps her out and find her a job helping a old lady clean out her attic. When she gets there she finds out that Vivian, the old lady, Has an orphan story to tell herself.

          What I learned from this book was that being an orphan has really changed from the 1900s to now. For example when Niamh goes to  her second home the house is destroyed. There’s no plumbing or electricity, all the kids sleep in one room with mattresses just lying on the floor and the house is slowly decaying. In Molly’s home she has a nice room to herself, a bookshelf, a bed and lots of other necessities that most people have. This shows the most foster care systems now pick very wisely and make sure that the people taking in the foster children have a steady income, a decent living space and will treat the children they’re taking in as their own children. It also shows that people don’t adopt children for work but to help them if they need it.

           When I was reading this book I also put myself in the place of the characters, and I was very shocked what I found myself thinking and doing. When I put myself in the place of Niamh, in 1929,  I realize I want to enable to take it and I would've been shocked by the way people treated me. I also realized how privileged every day people are to have a nice house that has running water and electricity.  I know I also wouldn't have been able to pull myself together and be able to live on life as I knew it.  if I put my place in Molly's I'm pretty sure I wouldn't put up with my foster parents and told the foster care system about how they were treating me and that I wanted to be moved.  In the end I would've definitely gone and told someone, and done something about the horrible situation I was in.

            After reading this book it definitely change my perspective and taught me a lot about how the foster care system worked and  the differences from the old-day system and the current system.  This book was very interesting and I recommend it to anyone who wants an easy, yet very interesting read.