How Popularity May Bring out the Dark Side of Humanity in Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Korman

Have you ever really wanted one thing in life? I mean like you really wanted it. What would you have done to get this thing that you really wanted. This happens to many people throughout the story of the “Jake Reinvented”. All though there are many themes throughout this book, I think one of the very important or I guess main theme in this book is that some people will do anything to get what they want. They will even give up something that they really love or are good at. They will lose friends, get in trouble and even get sent to some other town to get what it is that they want.

High school is a big time for change in a teenagers life. They go through problems with friends, family, grades, and sports. For Andy Jackson, a 17 year old student at Hazelwood High School, he went through all of those troubles. He plays for the basketball team with his friends Rob Washington, Tyrone Mills, and B.J. Carson. One night after basketball practice, Andy was drinking alcohol and driving which led them to get in a car crash. Andy, Tyrone, and B.J. escaped the car with a few cuts and bruises, but Rob got stuck and burned to death. Rob’s death brought Andy to blame himself. He turns away from his friends, his girlfriend, Keisha, and his family. Andy changes negatively after the car crash; he becomes insecure, he closes up his feelings, and he turns emotionally weak.

Teenagers today face a number of problems, ranging from peer pressure and alcohol, to depression and rape. These severe topics can have an intense effect on a growing child, now, and in the future. Many modern teenagers face the daily struggles of harmful situations, and the good and bad in them. In The Perks of Being a Wall Flower, Charlie faces almost every bad situation imaginable, in a heart breaking and realistic coming of age story. Charlie does not have the grandest high school experience, but the book represents the harsh and cruel reality of what so many students face today. Charlie, also being on the unclear side of what he was experiencing, was also hit hard with the outcomes of his actions. Drugs, alcohol, and sexual interaction contributed to the difficult standards that are held to growing students, in their fight to fit in. Every teen has faced the harsh reality of peer pressure and abuse, which takes a harsh effect on its victims. In the beginning of the story, Charlie faces the death of one of his friend Michael, to suicide. Starting the beginning of Charlie?s coming of age story, also known as a freshman in high school. Throughout the book, peer pressure, substance abuse, the fight to be normal, and the hope to have friends in the first place pushed Charlie to take the wrong path in some situations. Charlie?s coming of age story represents the teenage life today

One thing most people will never understand is Theme but today I will be explaining one of the many themes of Jake Reinvented. What I will be talking about is the theme Most of people love the idea of someone but not the real person themselves. This theme says that people like someone because of what they look like, what they do, and how they think but don’t like people who are weird or ugly or awkward. I chose this theme because this is the way the real world works and most people get left out because of what they look like. I will be giving specific quotes and information directly from the book to help explain my point and help you the reader of this theme paper understand my theme. I will be writing on 3 different points with 5 quotes or examples and I will explain the points and quotes as well.

Chris Sheller is a successful sophomore in High School. He is about to graduate into the 11th grade as the soccer team captain and with 3 honor rolls. His family isn’t the wealthiest, so he has learned how to be humble and support himself and others. He has great social intelligence and is driven to meet his goals. Chris will be graduating this year with his best friend, Rocky. Differing from Chris, Rocky is more laid back. He is a successful C-D student with more interest in women than his schooling. He is not favored by his teachers, nor by his bosses. Although he does have a desire to work in the medical field along with Chris. Years later, Chris and Rocky are confronted with an opportunity that could change their lives. An invitation to Harvard University. They both choose to embark to the college to see what is in store. Because a teenager’s choices through life can affect their reputation as shown in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, teenagers often miss the fact that their reputation and the image that they uphold is incredibly important.

So many different social groups and classes call for a huge amount of stereotypes. Jake Ryan, Samantha’s all-time crush, is dating the most popular girl in school, Caroline. Caroline is a social butterfly, captain of the cheerleading team, known for having a perfect body, and of course idolized because of Jake Ryan. Although she is almost perfect in every way, she never really loves Jake Ryan like a girlfriend should. Since Samantha is not very popular, she never thinks Jake Ryan would even give her the time of day. One day Samantha drops a note on the floor that says that she has a crush on Jake Ryan. Jake finds out and asks his friends about her and they have never even heard of Samantha. Despite Samantha’s unpopularity, Jake Ryan looks over all of the stereotypes. The book defines stereotyping as, “judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people” (Ferris 116). He really starts to see Samantha’s beauty even though she does not know

In Fast Times at Ridgemont High, characters engage in many expressive relationships that weaken the status hierarchy often found in the high school setting. “The mall is the common gathering place for characters outside of school, and status relations are easily visible here” (Heckerling, 1982). Since the mall is such an integral part of the film, one witnesses the shift of status relations over time. According to a 2000 study, “For these young people the mall was a social magnet that drew them away from the hassles encountered at home and school towards a haven of warmth and safety. He describes the mall as a kind of ‘neutral ground’” (Matthews, 2000). Mark ‘Rat’ Ratner works in the mall as ‘assistant to the assistant manager’ at the movie theater, which is clearly not the most prestigious job on that side of the mall. Stacy Hamilton, on the other hand, works at Perry’s Pizza Parlor, a seemingly higher-ranked job. With a bit of help from Damone, however, Mark approaches Stacy at the mall to ask her on a date. This begins the friendship and future romance between them, establishing an expressive relationship that connects the slightly awkward Mark to the popular Stacy. The strict status hierarchy associated with high schools is diminished when popular individuals like Stacy do not mind interacting with and creating strong relationships with those viewed as less popular, such as Mark. Additionally, Stacy’s brother Brad contributes to the deconstruction of status relations. A

Clarence wasn’t very excited about the upcoming school year at his new school, just starting highschool with a bad rep isn’t good for street cred. In fact Clarence was anxious about attending his new school, he didn’t know what people would think of him, how they would treat him, would they leave him out of all the class activities and parties if they had known what he’d done? Clarence, sitting in his room thinking, hears a beating at his window. Confused, Clarence glances through his heavy gay curtains into the pitch black night. He scans and searches through the weed and bushes only to find his best friend,

Not only is Junior unpopular and alienated, but the victim of taunts and bullying as well. Furthermore, he’s considered a traitor after he transfers to Reardon. At Reardon, he’s called names and endures racial jokes until he finally finds acceptance through basketball and surprisingly finds friends with similar interests. Ultimately, Junior comes to the “huge realization” that not only does he belong to the Spokane Indian tribe, but to no less than 13 additional groups (Basketball players, cartoonists, bookworms, and sons to name a few). It is the first time he knows that he will be “OK”, sending a positive message to readers that identify with his struggles. By reading about characters similar to themselves, young adults can see that their challenges are not unique and are shared by other adolescents (Bucher & Hinton, 2009)

When Craig got into the best high school in New York, he felt triumphant and smart until the first day of school. It was then that he realized that “the other kids were geniuses” (95) and that “[he] wasn’t gifted” (96). This is where peer pressure starts to come into Craig’s life, making him feel inferior to his classmates because he cannot do as well as them. This influences Craig to feel negatively about himself because he believes that he will never catch up to his peers, ultimately leading to his depression. Because of peer pressure, Craig’s self esteem became so bad to the point where he became

How did a boy’s jelousy made him to use drugs to grow muscles and to look better than his friend, so more girls will pay attention to him? This book is about Kalen being jealous of his friend Scout, because scout went to the gym and worked out and created a great body in the summer. When Kalen and Scout see each other after the summer break, Kalen is jealous of Scout’s body. Kalen is concerned of him losing his girlfriend Amber, because she is attracted to muscular boys.

Ashton Dexter is the epitome of the typical school bully. Even as a baby, his mother was afraid to change his diaper as he urinated every time he did not receive the food he demanded with his babble of words. When he attended school, his teachers assigned his seat at the very back of the classroom fearing his unapproachable presence. One bright, sunny day, a group of smiling students boarded the school bus and happily talked amongst each other about their day. Lastly to step in was Ashton Dexter, the most disliked student at Deer Ridge Elementary School. As the tyrant walked down the narrow aisle, the aroma of the school bus abruptly changed as the smiles of the students faded and dark, gray clouds blanketed the glowing sun. Despite his short

Traumatic experiences, difficult home lives, and the effect of drugs can leave a significant imprint on the rest of an individual’s life. The context which individuals are surrounded by during their developmental years has a significant impact on their mental health and development. In the documentary, The Bad Kids this idea is depicted through the portrayal of adolescence and early adulthood periods of the individuals at Black Rock Continuation High School. The film portrays the lives of at risk teens, who are given a second chance to get their life on track and earn a high school diploma. However, there are complications and set-backs that are holding them back from accomplishing their goals.

Jasmine Edwards looked across the leaf covered field of Princeton at all the students going to and from classes. “How I love fall!” she exclaimed, thinking that no one was nearby. “You know, smart people sometimes talk to themselves right?” a voice asked from behind her, making Jasmine jump. She turned around to see a boy who looked about eighteen, with slightly tousled dark blond hair, blue eyes, and a tanned complexion, studying on a nearby bench. Looking up from a law textbook, he smiled and said, “Sorry if I scared you

She told her son, “No sweetheart, you are perfect just the way you are.” Johnny said but people are making fun of me at school. She quickly replied, people do not understand you. You are just different, but that doesn’t make you any less beautiful and smart.” The following days in school, Johnny kept being picked on because of his size, and his self-esteem continued to get lower and lower. He did not understand what he had done wrong and why he was being treated so differently. He would hide in the bathroom for lunch and when it was time for recess; he kept to himself. He battled with this every day, becoming more and more upset, and eventually he became depressed. His mother just thought it was kids being kids she did not understand the extent of his emotions. She continued reminding Johnny that he was perfect, just the way he was. Johnny started feeling overwhelmed and began to eat more and more. As johhny grew up and became an adult, he went through many challenges.