Ellen Hopkins Crank Essay Topics

Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a novel that all high school students should be required to read because it tackles current issues through free verse poetry. It is a story about the consequences a straight-A junior in high school faces after she is exposed to crank, a powdered form of meth. Even though the topics within the book are controversial (such as drug use, rape, suicide, and abortion), it is on the same level as required reading already in the high school curriculum. Discussions can help students be able to calmly talk about heavy subjects and gain deeper insight. It could also dissuade students from drug use and provide comfort to those who already struggle with addiction.

The contents in Crank are controversial enough for various school

There’s no sugarcoating in the book; it’s brutally honest about the dangers of drugs. The topic is heavy, but the novel can help students learn how to talk about controversial issues in a respectful manner. It could also help understand why people start doing drugs even when they seem to have no problems in life.

The novel could be a method to prevent, understand, and fight drug use indirectly. Ellen Hopkins has stated that she wrote Crank to understand the “whys” of her daughter’s own addiction to crystal meth. Many readers, including middle-schoolers, expressed how relatable Kristina, the protagonist, is and how the book has inspired them to face their own addiction. Teen drug use, while generally declining, still prevails. It’s important that all of us need to educate the population that drug use can make you vulnerable to making choices that will cause your life to only go downwards. Crank, while controversial on the surface, shows that all choices have consequences and that someone’s choices can affect others as well. The application to current issues and the free verse poetry is sure to intrigue high-school students and teach them the dangers of drug