Essay on The Importance of a Personal´s Life in Speak

In “Denaturalizing Adolescence,” Nancy Lesko uses rhetorical and historical readings to examine the truth about adolescents by challenging the universal characterizations that they are “coming of age.” When describing adolescence, Lesko states: “The knowledge about adolescents is

Many children are victims of violence; this violence may be physical, or emotional, direct or indirect. In certain situations, the child’s experience

Psychologists usually agree that the teenage years are among the most difficult periods in one’s life. Most teens are trying to figure who they are, what they believe, and how they fit into the world around them. Beginning in the late 1970’s, a whole genre of fiction, referred to as coming-of- age literature, emerged and serves, at least for many teens, as believable presentations of young people learning to navigate the difficulties of their lives, often fraught with feelings of rejection, seemingly unresolvable personal turmoil, social problems, school and family issues, etc. Indeed one value of reading is to see and better understand some aspects of ourselves through studying others. The reading of SPEAK, a somewhat controversial

Trauma experienced by adolescents is an extremely prevalent epidemic that is rarely discussed. In 2003 the National Survey of Adolescents (NSA) reported that 40% of adolescents have witnessed violence, 17% have been physically assaulted, and 8% have experienced sexual assault (Kilpatrick, Saunders, and Smith, 2003). Boney-McCoy & Finkelhor (1995) conducted a telephone survey of 2,000 adolescents (ages 10 to 16) and reported that over 40% of adolescents disclosed at least one experience of violent victimization. In another 1995 survey, 41% of 2,248 urban public school students (grades 6th-8th and 10th) were surveyed reported having witnessed a stabbing or schooling within the past 12 months (Schwab-Stone et al., 1995). In 2007, a continuation of a North Carolina study was conducted and found that by age 16, more

recording observations over time, through written records, builds a picture of the young person life and allows us to recognise patterns and changes in their behaviour. Children and young people who have been physically abused may be fearful, submissive and aggressive after the abuse has stopped. The abuse has taught them that hitting is a way to control others and solve problems. The beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that appear after physical abuse can cause problems with friends, struggling to maintain and keep friendships. They may be distrustful of authority figures at home or school becoming fearful of their carers and those there to help them. They may feel guilty, ashamed, angry, helpless or hostile resulting in anxiety disorders or depression.

In this paper I plan to discuss the developmental stages of adolescence. Adolescents are also referred to as "teenagers" or "young adults." Adolescence begins after the childhood stage and ends right before adulthood. The years of adolescence range from 12 years old to 21 years old. The years of adolescence can be quite a roller coaster ride. Young people in this stage encounter a great deal of changes in their life as they prepare for adulthood. I will discuss emotional, intellectual, physiological, and social domains of development and how it relates to adolescents. I will also discuss some helpful tips for teachers to aide in communicating effectively to adolescents and understanding their

The core-concept of an individual is largely influenced by one’s ability to regulate internal emotional states and one’s behavioral reactions to external stress. Children who experience trauma have difficulty managing their emotional states thus leading to poor perceptions of themselves. A distorted sense of self can potentially lead to loss of autobiographical memories, poor body image, and disturbances in sense of separateness in which the person may appear detached and distant (Carr, 2012). It may also lead to difficulty with impulse control which includes aggression

Teens are wild, mad, insane, and occasionally deranged. We’ve all seen it, and if it wasn’t obvious enough then read “The Terrible Teens” by Elizabeth Kolbert. In her essay, she uses various rhetorical devices such as, metaphors, and climatic word order to keep her writing intriguing. She even keeps the essay credible by showing personal examples of her own teens. Throughout Kolbert’s essay, she effectively uses rhetorical devices, and methods of development to help establish the idea that neurology helps to explain teenagers wild behaviour.

First of all, with the use of plot and character as dramatic elements, MacLeod is able to depict the main characteristics of the nature of adolescence, mainly the search for identity and the quest for independence. Among the scientific community, adolescence is believed to be the most crucial period in human development. It is a period of “rapid biological, social and psychological change” (Soto, et al. 330). There are the transformations that define puberty, there are changes in the relationships and attitudes towards adults and peers, and many teenagers struggle to form a coherent identity (331). In the process of discovering their identities, most adolescents become self-centered. Having not yet

Psychologists usually agree that the teenage years are among the most difficult periods in one’s life. Most teens are trying to figure out who they are, what they believe, and how they fit into the world around them. Beginning in the late 1970’s, a whole genre of fiction, referred to as coming-of-age literature, emerged and serves, at least for many teens, as believable presentations of young people learning to navigate the difficulties of their lives, often fraught with feelings of rejection, seemingly unresolvable personal turmoil, social problems, school and family issues, etc. Indeed one value of reading is to see and better understand some aspect of ourselves through studying others. The reading of SPEAK, a somewhat controversial book

This book largely has three sections which are Kids Brave New World, Inside the Lives of Today’s Teens, and Helping Our Kids Cope and Grow. I will describe and make important points for each of the chapters.

Victimization comes in many different forms such as assault, child physical/sexual abuse, stalking, theft, rape, sexual harassment, and domestic/relationship violence. There are several negative outcomes that have been linked with childhood abuse and neglect such as neurobiological changes, emotional and psychiatric disorders, interpersonal issues and substance abuse problems (Min, Singer, Minnes, Kim, & Short, 2012). According to Reid and Sullivan (2009), children and adolescents are very vulnerable and are the most highly victimized individuals of the population and the kinds of victimization that they experience can come in many forms (Finkelhor et al., 2009). This victimization is known as poly-victimization (Finkelhor et al., 2009).

As an adult reader who has crossed over to the reality of life, reading about these characters can be a transparent, futile exercise because as adults looking back at youth we have the experience to know where these characters are headed before they even start their journey. However, for young adults who are still in the throes of existential angst this is a powerful novel that handles teenage rites of passage and coming-of-age issues such as loyalty, friendship, belonging, and even death and loss very well.

Stories of teenage years and coming-of-age have always enrapt children, teens, and adults alike. But why do they? These groups share virtually none of the same interests, and reside in very different emotional levels of life. In every other form of media, these groups can scarcely coexist—the prospect of watching Power Rangers for the six hundredth time would make any parent blanch, and the thought of their four year old asking to borrow his parents’ copy of The Canterbury Tales is laughable. And surely no other age group would condemn themselves so deeply to internet culture than teens. Coming of age stories, however, are the exception. Nadine Gordimer beautifully explains this phenomenon in her short story “A Company of Laughing Faces”.

There are many types of trauma that can effect an adolescent and without the proper treatment of the traumatic event the adolescent can have difficulty adapting and developing into adulthood. Kathleen J. Moroz, of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, defines trauma as a physical or psychological threat or assault to a child’s physical integrity, sense of self, safety of survival or to the physical safety of another person significant to the child. She goes on to list the types of trauma a child may be exposed to. Abuse of every kind, domestic violence, natural disasters, abandonment, serious illness or an accident are just a few traumatic events that can effect the development of a child. (2) When these events occur as an acute event