How does the literature present the teenager?
In the poem We Real Cool, by Gwendolyn Brooks, the contemporary adolescent is presented as a person who is looking for an identity and will do almost anything to become who they and their peers want them to be, and at the same time not want to give up their pride. The theme and representation of identity in the teen is when the word “we” is stated in most lines of the poem. The word “we” conveys that as a group, the boys have an identity. The boys commit careless and aimless acts in order to get attention and seem like they are a lot more “hip” than they really are. Being careless and aimless leads into the next representation of the adolescent. Teens are presented as full of pride and unwilling to give up that pride. When the boys say “we real cool” (Line 1), it shows their pride. It can be arrogance, self-assurance, or insecurity. Most adolescents feel arrogance, self-assurance or insecurity at some time in their life. And like I previously said, the boys commit careless and aimless acts for attention. The group seems to come from a poorer neighborhood, and when the boys say that they will “die soon”, they live on the prophecy that they will not make it past a certain age and they will never become economically stable. They take pride in their careless acts because it makes them stand out from the little that they have.
Did the authors get it right? Does literature accurately define the teenager?
I agree that the author correctly represented the ideas because it does represent how teens want to have an identity and that teens have their pride. But, I agree to disagree that literature represents the contemporary teen for the reason being that not all teens act carelessly and recklessly to have an identity and to seem “cool”. Even though there are a lot of teens who do these things to get attention and an identity, there are a lot of teenagers in the world. There are a lot of them who take pride in having an identity of being a good kid and not doing stupid things to seem cool. They take pride in going to school and getting a college degree. I think that adults over generalize and stereotype teenagers because of a group of them that think they can do whatever they want and get away with it.
In the poem We Real Cool, by Gwendolyn Brooks, the contemporary adolescent is presented as a person who is looking for an identity and will do almost anything to become who they and their peers want them to be, and at the same time not want to give up their pride. The theme and representation of identity in the teen is when the word “we” is stated in most lines of the poem. The word “we” conveys that as a group, the boys have an identity. The boys commit careless and aimless acts in order to get attention and seem like they are a lot more “hip” than they really are. Being careless and aimless leads into the next representation of the adolescent. Teens are presented as full of pride and unwilling to give up that pride. When the boys say “we real cool” (Line 1), it shows their pride. It can be arrogance, self-assurance, or insecurity. Most adolescents feel arrogance, self-assurance or insecurity at some time in their life. And like I previously said, the boys commit careless and aimless acts for attention. The group seems to come from a poorer neighborhood, and when the boys say that they will “die soon”, they live on the prophecy that they will not make it past a certain age and they will never become economically stable. They take pride in their careless acts because it makes them stand out from the little that they have.
Did the authors get it right? Does literature accurately define the teenager?
I agree that the author correctly represented the ideas because it does represent how teens want to have an identity and that teens have their pride. But, I agree to disagree that literature represents the contemporary teen for the reason being that not all teens act carelessly and recklessly to have an identity and to seem “cool”. Even though there are a lot of teens who do these things to get attention and an identity, there are a lot of teenagers in the world. There are a lot of them who take pride in having an identity of being a good kid and not doing stupid things to seem cool. They take pride in going to school and getting a college degree. I think that adults over generalize and stereotype teenagers because of a group of them that think they can do whatever they want and get away with it.
"Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine
The song "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine is about not wanting to obey authority. The lead singer of Rage, Zach de La Rocha, does not agree with the authority of the country and this closely relates to teenagers in school not liking the authority teachers have.
Sources
Mays, Kelly J. “We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Spencer Richardson
Jones. New York: New York, 2013.
Noodlefluff. "Rage Against the Machine- Killing in the Name." YouTube. YouTube, 8 Jul. 2011. Web. 19 May 2014.
Mays, Kelly J. “We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Spencer Richardson
Jones. New York: New York, 2013.
Noodlefluff. "Rage Against the Machine- Killing in the Name." YouTube. YouTube, 8 Jul. 2011. Web. 19 May 2014.