Writer Alexandra Robbins writes a non-fiction expose following the lives of various overachievers at Walt Whitman High School. The purpose Robbins conveys in the book is that college admission expectations have made high school a very cut-throat environment, leading students who try to meet these expectations to have deteriorating emotional and mental health. Throughout the book Robbins uses strong forms of imagery to get across the idea that stress is negatively impacting many students health and uses shocking statistics to show that students are turning to self –harm and suicide to deal with stress.
Robbins uses imagery in a scene of a Whitman student named AP Frank who acquired seventeen AP credits in the course of his high school career.
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For example “a student who failed a Chinese dictation exam leaped to his death from his high-rise apartment. He was seven” and that there was a “114 percent spike in suicide rates among fifteen-to-nineteen-year-olds between 1980 and 2002.” This powerful story about the seven year old shows that stress in school is appearing earlier and even young kids are pressured to be their best. The competiveness of school at an early age, therefore gives students an overachiever mentality during childhood which prohibits failing of any kind. Robbins uses the statistic of the 114% spike in order to convey that high school is getting harder and students are under more stress and they cannot handle this pressure. Many students feel as if there is no one to turn to because their parents and other adults did not undergo this excessive amount of stress when they were young. The anxiety is so crippling some think there is no hope that things will get better, or they are worried they will let their parents down that the easiest solution is dying. Stress in high school is a problem that leads many teens and children to suicide, and Robbins highlights this with the statistics
“Conquering the Freshman Fear of Failure” an article written by David L Kirp is a piece that illustrates the link between fear and doing bad in school. David Kirp writes about the psychological result of giving students an environment where they will set themselves up for failure. He tries to promote the scientific study where it mentions that intellect and genetics have very little correlation. Kirp believes when you put students in a discouraging environment and plant failure in their minds, nothing can be achieved. He grabs his audience’s attention by channelling into their sympathy and bringing credibility to his argument.
The outcome of Rhetorical Analysis and Argumentation was met in the essay “Suicide in High School.” In this essay, we had to analyze the book Perks of Being a Wallflower, a book that is considered controversial and inadequate for students in various districts. The reason why it has been banned and challenged very frequently is because of its explicit content (lines_). Throughout the process of this writing this essay, I had to consider the arguments that deemed this book inadequate and adequate for students, but my overall goal to create an evaluation based on these factors and determine its suitability in a high school course. In this essay, I determined Perks of Being a Wallflower, was a great fit for my school based on the curriculum objectives,
Alexandra Miles is not you average high school senior at Spencer High School. Alexandra is an expert at manipulating her peers in order to take what she wants, and this year it’s to be crowned Homecoming Queen. Throughout her life she competed in beauty pageants, and has never lost one. Though this year she is struggling to keep her head above water because of her father’s death and her mother’s lack of attention. This doesn’t make Alexandra soft, if anything, it makes her stronger.
Ever since she was young, Blue’s dad pushed her to be the best student she can be. His goal for her is to attend Harvard University and has made it her goal as well. When Blue was young, her dad bought her a desk specifically for writing her college application. Her dad describes the desk as “the perfect surface on which to draft an admissions essay to make any Harvard graybeard shiver in his dress slacks.” (Pessl 52) Because he has set a big goal for her, Blue learns how to work hard in school and stay focused on her long term goal instead of getting caught up in high school drama.
Writing Style The Overachievers, by Alexandra Robbins, is Alexandra Robbins, is the empowering story of eight students, and a glimpse of their lives during the duration of one school year. Each student underwent an idiosyncratic situation, whether it is battling ADD, peer pressure, or stress. During the duration of the duration of the school year-and high and often times unrealistic expectations put on them by themselves and their parents-each student hit the lowest point in their lives, but manage to resolve their problems, and resume living their normal lives. Robbins uses a clear, bold language and tone along with intentional stereotypes, as well as powerful diction, and didactic language to help develop the story. Robbins uses a clear, bold language and tone in her unique style of writing to help develop the story of these eight young adults.
A recent study released by Pearson that questioned over 400,000 students in grades 6-12 shows that only “48% of students think their teachers care about them…and only 45% of students think teachers care if they are absent from school” (Hare, 2015). This shocking statistic demonstrates what American students think about their teachers. Most students are under the impression that their teachers don’t care about them. When teachers don’t care about their students and allow them to fail, many students with unrealized potential give up on education. Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average” describes his journey through high school on the vocational track after the results of his “tests got confused with those of another student named Rose” (Rose, 1989, p. 2).
Mike Rose shares his personal story to the public in “I just wanna be average”, as he reveals the many flaws within the educational system of a high school in an economically depressed neighborhood in Los Angeles. He effectively directs his arguments towards both educators and parents by utilizing emotional and logical appeals. By convincing the audience to fear that children placed on remedial tracks are being hindered rather than assisted, the author causes both awareness and a feeling of duty to change the way we handle teaching children. Rose presents his argument by aiding the reader through the eyes of his younger self as he retells the story of his years in high school.
In Chapter Seven: Lessons From My Year as a Freshman, Rebekah Nathan summarizes and answers questions on the knowledge she gained from becoming a freshman. The author begins the chapter with a cross-cultural conversation between professors and students. She discusses how professors are not aware of the students living conditions or the effort that goes into achieving a high GPA. Likewise, the students do not understand professor rank and advancement.
So all in all, in the process of trying to achieve high grades, student neglect relationships, moralities, and happiness. In essence, the notion that high grades lead to a successful life compels students to primarily focus on grades and sacrifice sleep, family, religious beliefs, and other necessities to
In Mike Rose’s essay “I Just Wanna Be Average” he explains how students as well as teachers struggle throughout the school day. Teachers have the ability to make students want to learn or shut off the brain completely. They constantly say that “education helps people get somewhere in life and every class everyone need to take for granted” but most teacher do not help the student get there. Rose is right how teachers can fail students just how they act in the classroom and if teachers want to help people be successful they need to act it. Mike Rose’s unqualified teachers set him up for failure.
Students and Seroquel In a piece titled "Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges", Peter Gray (Ph.D.) examines the growing trend of mental instability among university students. Collegiate faculty, and, in particular, college counselors, have reported higher rates of psychiatric disorders in campus resident 's year after year. Though Gray concedes that this problem is multifaceted, he places the majority of blame two parties: academia and parenting, proposing that their tendency to fold under the slightest of pressure compounded with an ever-present overbearing streak is rotting higher education from the inside-out.
In many high schools, 9th graders read stories from different times and of different genres in their english classes. Notably, one of the most prominent stories read by high schoolers is The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. However, there is controversy that high schoolers should not read this Shakespearean play because many argue that it is not relevant to what teens deal with on a daily basis. Despite the fact that the tragedy takes place in the 14th century, teens were no different back then. As a matter of fact, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet presents topics that present-day teens still struggle with such as brain development, tunnel vision, and how to correctly approach suicidal teens.
High school isn’t necessarily the best four years of everyone’s life. In a short time the audience was shown the complicated endeavors many teenagers either overcome or become wrapped up in. Although Brian is extremely successful in his academics he struggles deep beneath his skin with extensive pressure and societal acceptance. Brian Johnson is one example of someone who was almost defeated by the difficult
As of 2015, 5 in 100,000 girls and 14 in 100,000 teenagers commit suicide (Lewis). Teenagers are becoming more vulnerable and schools seem to be taking no notice. If these lives could be saved, it would help so many families across the united states. The National Institute of Mental Health states that there “are as many as 25 attempts of suicide to every one that is actually committed” (Eco Child’s Play). Suicides can be prevented by treatment of the illness.
Most of the students were under pressure, but some of them would choose suicide to end their life because they can’t suffer the pressure that the life given. According to Robert, (2014), “The pursuit of high test scores not only brings pressure to students, but also to teachers, making the relationship between teachers and students worse.” That is because teachers always made their students in pressure for good in exam for their afterwards working