Bullying: a Social Issue

Bullying: a Social Issue

  • Submitted By: mimi94
  • Date Submitted: 01/05/2010 9:31 AM
  • Category: Book Reports
  • Words: 457
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 3

English 10-1
Ms. Shehab
Bullying is a social issue that is on the rise every year, whether it be in schools or even in one’s own family. The most susceptible people to bullying are teenagers, just like Connie from “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” and the unnamed protagonist from “My Crap Life.” Connie is being mentally persecuted and bullied by Arnold Friend, which led her to take risks, responsibility, and sacrifice for her family. She uses her appearance to fill in the void that has resulted from being bullied. Meanwhile, the unnamed protagonist is a lonesome teenager that didn’t “fit in” with the crowd in his school. He is also mentally and emotionally abused by his family members, especially his father. He used his imagination to get revenge,and to feel superior to those that bullied him. Eventually, that led to him having a nervous breakdown. Therefore, both stories stress on the dangerousness of bullying and its effects on the teen mind, and shows how some teenagers try to compensate for their powerlessness through different means.
Connie and the unnamed protagonist both used different means to compensate their powerlessness. However, Connie changed into a complete different person because she “grew up”. Part of growing up is taking risks and sacrificing your own life for others just like Connie did to her family. When Arnold Friend showsup at her house insisting her to get in the car he says “‘[y]ou don’t want them to get hurt, now, get up, honey. Get up all by yourself’” (10). Connie eventually gets up not knowing what she got herself into, but despite all that, she walks towards Arnold just so that nothing bad would happen to her family. Regardless of Connie’s positive personality change, the unnamed protagonist’s locked up angry personality remains the same but eventually leads to a nervous breakdown. He uses his imagination to feel superior, however watching the seventh grader get beaten up by the milk boy reveals his true power; he...

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