How does the literature display the teen?
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, the teenager is displayed as someone who is controlled by love, someone who fights for love and what they want, and someone that moves from person to person. For instance, Hermia reveals Lysander’s side of letting love control him when she says, “There my Lysander and myself shall meet; / And thence from Athens turn away our eyes,” (i.i.217-218). Lysander is “in love” with Hermia and cannot help but follow her so that they can be together. The literature is displaying teens as people who allow love to control them. Teens do not want to be left by their lovers and Lysander does not want to be left by Hermia. Lysander lets love control him, like several teens today, and he chooses to follow Hermia so they can be together despite the consequences. In reality, teens do not want to lose what they can call theirs. Furthermore, Lysander represents teens fighting to be with someone by fighting to be with Hermia, when he says, “I am beloved of beauteous Hermia: / Why should not I then prosecute my right” (i.i.104-105)? Lysander tries to prove his worthiness of being able to love Hermia by explaining his love and having a tenacious attitude in order to be with her. The literature displays teens as individuals that are very persistent and individuals that will fight for those that they “love” despite the consequences. Teens are full of pride and though they may not truly be in love, they do not want to lose what they are able to call theirs. In conclusion, Lysander uses his new love for Helena to display how teens move from person to person when he says, “In Hermia’s love I yield you my part; / And yours of Helena to me bequeath, / Whom I do love and will do till my death” (iii.ii.165-167). Lysander represents the teen in the literature because he decides to love someone else, Helena. The literature displays how teens are never truly in love and how they are people that want to experiment in order to discover love and who they are. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare displays teens as people that allow love to consume them, people that are persistent and will not lose someone, and people that move from person to person because they are not truly in love.
Is the literature accurate? Are teens better represented now than in the literature?
The literature is accurate with the way teens are represented in society today. Teens in society today, like the teens in A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare, are controlled by love, are people that do not want to lose someone due to their pride, and are people that move from person to person. Teens today are controlled by love and often follow their lovers around in fear that they will
someday leave them due to the immature relationships that teens have. Teens are also full of pride and do not want to lose the people that they are "in love" with. Teens do not usually have real love relationships because their relationships are based off of infatuation and experimentation. Teens will fight for their "love" because they do not want to be left. They fight for the sake of not losing someone, not because they truly appreciate the person for all their beauty. Teens also move from person to person to truly discover what love is and to discover themselves. Teens need to gain experience on the topic of love, so when they find someone they do not like they move onto the next person.
"Who you Love" By John Mayer, ft. katy perry
The song "Who You Love" by John Mayer featuring Katy Perry talks about how love is an unexpected thing, and you cannot control it. You never know when you will fall in love or who you will fall in love with.
Works Cited:
JohnMayerVEVO. "John Mayer - Who You Love Ft. Katy Perry." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 May
2014.
Mays, Kelly J. “A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare" The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed.
Spencer Richardson- Jones. New York: New York, 2013.
JohnMayerVEVO. "John Mayer - Who You Love Ft. Katy Perry." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 May
2014.
Mays, Kelly J. “A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare" The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed.
Spencer Richardson- Jones. New York: New York, 2013.