If “seeing is believing”, then how youth is represented in popular films is all true, right? Partying hard, drugs, promiscuity and sour attitude – wrong! The problem is not the unacceptable and risky behaviour, because it only applies to a minority. The real issue is that the way teens are represented on movie screens is unrealistic and over-dramatized which benefits film makers, not the reputation of teens. Right now all we’re seeing are the fictional teens and the false realities that seem to be attached to our popular films.
What’s your perception of teenagers? What has shaped your opinion? It’s pretty much common knowledge to think that all teens are lazy, antisocial and glued to their phones. Film has a large influence on the perception of the public. As one of the most popular forms of entertainment, films have the power to shape the lives and minds of adolescents globally. Many of these films depict life as a teenager, including
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Paper Towns is definitely a teen fantasy movie, also based on the book by John Green. They both have important messages for teens, but when analysing, film does not focus on these morals, which is why there is a misunderstanding of what the film is really about. Perks of Being a Wallflower is also about teens facing real issues – peer pressure, fitting in, bullying - so it is a form of a more realistic representation (EXPLAIN) Because teen life is not all about what we see on movies, school does exist…. The themes are not the only thing that these two movies have in common, they both share scenes of partying and teenagers breaking the rules and engaging in illegal activities. It’s not entirely focused on the negative circumstances, but in attempt to represent teens and portray a message, clashes occur, so the whole purpose of the film and effect on the public is
When you picture a teenager you picture fighting, drinking, or answering back, am I right? However, this is simply not the case. Sure there is the minority of trouble makers. However this minority is exaggerated due to the news showing only this behaviour. This stereotyping has found its audience and crept into television shows and series. This has led to the creation of a mockumentary called “Summer Heights High” which has unfairly represented teen
It’s a very difficult thing for adults to write accurate and believable teenage characters. Often times, people my age are written to be significantly too stereotypical. Apparently, the middle aged white men who write most of these movies think every single teenager in high school is either an athlete with no passions other than sports or a nerd who has never looked up from a book. As someone who has only been out of high school for 6 months, I feel pretty confident in saying those stereotypes rarely exist in real life.
In an essay published in the New Yorker in May 1999, entitled “High-School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies,” writer David Denby analyzes movies targeted towards teenagers and the stereotypes associated with them. He begins his essay by describing the archetypal characters in high school genre films: the vapid popular girl and her athletic male counterpart, and the intellectual outsider and her awkward male counterpart. He then describes the reality of teen life, and compares it to the experience depicted in these films. Next, he analyzes the common theme that the geeky characters are the protagonists, and suggests there are such because of their writer's personal experience and a history of geeks being ostracized. Finally, Denby analyzes the tropes in
‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ fits into the romance and drama genres, but the movie truly shines in its role as a coming of age film. ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ tackles the hardships and pain that growing up can sometimes make you feel, and depicts high school in the most realistic way I have seen for a while. Other coming of age films like ‘Clueless’ and ‘Mean Girls’ portray high school in a sort of innocence, with issues going on in the protagonist’s lives only occurring during their times at school. This film doesn’t sugar coat things. It shows Charlie’s struggles from all different angles of growing up and
The term “literary canon” refers to “a body of books, narratives and other texts considered to be the most important and influential of a particular time period or place.” What books fall into the canon has, in the past, been determined by older, rich, religious, white men; this heavily restricted what books were deemed a socially acceptable influence. Books from authors like Shakespeare and Jane Austen were widely accepted, while more modern readings were not. Today, there is a lot of debate about what sorts of books are appropriate for the literary canon. Generally books in the Young Adult Category are not seen as adequate for the canon, but “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky belongs in the literary canon, despite its
In the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main character Charlie is on a journey with his mental health. There are many high and low points, but it is obvious that he has a serious mental illness. Throughout the movie, Charlie shows many symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is defined as “A disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” by the National Institute of Mental Health, and can be diagnosed through the DSM-IV method. Firstly, there needs to be signs of deviant behaviour. During the movie there are multiple occasions where Charlie blacks out and loses his memory. Whether it was drug, rage or anxiety included, this is still considered both deviant behaviour and a symptom of PTSD. Secondly, there needs to be signs of maladaptive behaviour. At the beginning of the movie, we see Charlie writing letters to his deceased best friend about his negative thoughts and feelings. While it is good to express these thoughts and feelings, it is not normal to articulate them to a dead person. He also experiences multiple flashbacks to the trauma he experienced from his Aunt Helen. Flashbacks are one the most common symptoms of PTSD, and can also develop other mental illnesses such as depression if not correctly treated. Lastly, there needs to be signs of personal distress, which can be seen when charlie expresses quilt about his Aunt Helen’s death before he has a blackout in the snow. When his feelings
Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of being a Wallflower is an explicit coming of age novel that gives teenagers a sense of relation with the 16 year old protagonist, Charlie. This book was a bestseller in the year 1999. This book definitely has a more mature content and is very straight to the point, it includes drug usage from parties, sex, and violence. Although this book has explicit content, definitely do not let that distract you from the story.
Charlie, the main character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, tells his story through a series of letters written over a span of one year, or Charlie’s freshman year of high school. Author Stephen Chbosky, tells the story of a young man trying to find his way and also trying to make friends in school. Along the way, Charlie has trials he must go through, and not everything results in a happy ending right away. Eventually, all is well in Charlie’s life, but he must struggle in order to finally be content and happy with his life. Charlie’s coming of age story is told through his trials of trying to fit in by going to parties, drinking and even doing drugs while many of his relationships are hurt in the process. Just as every other high school student, Charlie wants to feel like he belongs, even if that means becoming someone that he is not. Along the way, not only is Charlie hurt, but also his friends Sam and Patrick. The relationships with these two friends, and Charlie himself are tested by all of their actions and how they live their lives.
Teen films are the definitive genre that captures the adolescent zeitgeist during the 1980s, and its popularity still hold cultural relevance in the present day. The teen films produced during the 1980s effectively represent youth concerns and the coming-of-age narrative, in terms of adolescent identity, the different roles characters play, sexuality, gender, relationships, class issues and the generational divide. Exploring these issues is essential for recognizing the cultural significance of this specific group of films and how they are important in addressing concerns of the adolescent coming of age narrative. The Breakfast Club by John Hughes is an exploration and reflection of the changing Hollywood industry, political, economic,
Teens are rebellious troublemakers. It’s just something that’s in their blood. Each one shows it in a different way. There are many movies that show teens coming of age and going through this phase. “Rebel Without A Cause”,“American Graffiti”, “Breaking Away”, and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” all show how teens are growing up.
Every kid who grows up in the suburbs loves to visit the big city. Stephen Chbosky’s novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is based in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that is filled with the problems most suburbs face. Further, Chbosky continuously describes different very troubling mental illnesses which directly and indirectly affect his main character Charlie and all the people around him. Moreover, the proximity in which Charlie lives to the city contributes to his relationships with his friends and family. In the cold suburbs of Pennsylvania, life is different than life in the city, this greatly influences the lifestyle of people throughout the novel.
A concept of a stereotypical teenager in the 20th century was to grow up through childhood but not surpass the values, beliefs and attitudes of a typical adult. In the 1998 film, the audience is shown a great selection of characters, symbolism and setting which reinforces the idea of a teenage role that shows a new perspective that affects society.
By definition A teenager, or teen, is a young person whose age falls within the range from 13–19. They are called teenagers because their age number ends with "teen". Today Grady and I will be adressing the represenatation of teenagers in the media and how and why they are percieved the way they are.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age film about a 15 year old boy, Charlie, who has been through much trauma. As a freshman Charlie is left with no friends, because of the suicide of his best friend Michael, but he has the support of an english teacher who inspires his dreams of becoming a writer. Eventually, step-siblings Sam and Patrick discover that Charlie is lonely and in need of a friend, so they take him under their wing. Sam, Patrick, and their group of friends have much wisdom about life, because they are older, much of which they share with Charlie. Under the wing of Sam and Patrick, Charlie becomes more excited about life. Although, he still struggles with the side effects of past traumas, and dreads the day his new friends leave for their lives after high school.
Negative effects of Mass Media for teenagers, The exposure of sex images and excessive portraits of violence in movies and dramas have instilled negative thoughts and taboos in the mind of these teenagers for they have been consistently getting increased exposure to things which are not suitable for their age.