As I was working on my Lesson Action Plan for class, I couldn't help but stumble over the idea of perception in Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why. What is perception and how does perception change from the narrator's point of view, the reader's point of view and how would the outcome have changed had Hannah, the subject of the story, perceived the actions and events around her differently?
Of course it is obvious to see that in this story two main themes include 'actions have consequences' and 'be kind to everyone for you may never know what they are going through.' But the less discussed is that of perception. Hannah goes through the book discussing the actions that these 13 character's had in her ultimate death. She perceives one girl as being nice to everyone for only her own purposes. She perceives a boy as too shy to talk to her. Another boy as only going out with her as a joke. But what if all of these perceptions are the result of a girl who is depressed? A girl who believes that everyone is out to get her? High school is not easy for anyone. The actions and events, as presented by Hannah, are not the nicest and can in fact be painful. But if we take a step back and perceive these actions as individual and juvenile, which they were, can't it be said that perhaps Hannah was being overly sensitive?
I am not by any means saying that students shouldn't take this book and read it for what it is. A story that teaches about actions having consequences. A story about how the tiniest events can have a huge impact for others. A story about how you never really know what is going on in someones life. But what I am saying is this story offers insight into how the perception of this story can be different for every character involved. I am not really sure where I am going with this 'rambling' post, but it is just something that was on my mind.
Let me know what you think!
No comments:
Post a Comment