Thirteen Reasons Why Challenging Bullying A Presentation by

Thirteen Reasons Why: Challenging Bullying A Presentation by Meg Bargeon

Thirteen Reasons Why • The narrator, Clay Jensen, receives a box of cassette tapes, which contain the extensive audio suicide note of Hannah Baker • Dual narrative: Hannah talking about the 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself, and Clay’s experiences listening to her story 1: first kiss morphs into “first feel up” – starts the rumor mill

Reader-Response Criticism • Transaction: “the equal give and take between the reader and the text” (Latrobe/Drury 255) • “Meaning is derived from the reading experience, a transaction between reader and text” (260) • “Readers transform, or shape, a text as they respond to it” (261) • This book is all about how readers respond to it – therein lies its incredible value to YA Lit 2: voted “best ass in the freshmen class, ” target of inappropriate behavior

Clay Jensen • Reputation for being a really nice guy, and it’s true • Had a crush on Hannah for more than a year before her suicide • Scared of what he’s heard about her, so doesn’t want to approach her • Experiences a lot of guilt about her death and what she went through beforehand • Principle of Signification: Source – speaker and reliability (Latrobe/Drury 264) 3: first true friend turns into enemy, pushes rumor mill

The 13 Reasons Why • Hannah’s tapes start by saying that there are 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself (though she avoids the use of the word until much later in the novel) – Ties to title (Principle of Notice, Latrobe/Drury 262) • The reasons are people as much as they are actions • Instructions: must pass the tapes on to the next person on the list, and if they fail to be passed on, another set will be released to the public 4: Peeping Tom boosts (false) rep of being a slut

The 13 Reasons Why • Each person and their action leads to the next • And each digs further into how Hannah is treated, and how she sees herself • Some stories are small, some are “In the major: end, everything matters. ” 5: “frenemy” at party – shaming picture

Why Would this Text be Banned? • Entire plot revolves around a major suicide – one which had signs beforehand, but were ignored, one with no positive adults to help, and one that is directly related to bullying • Major Bullying – “the snowball effect” – but bullying in a subtle way that is more controversial (Pytash, Morgan, & Batchelor 17) • Also: underage drinking, sexual assault, drinking & driving, 6: Valentine’s date humiliates in public

How do Real Readers Respond? • In the article “Recognize the Signs, ” one preservice teacher said “It made me look at bullying from a completely different perspective because Hannah did not seem like the typical victim of bullying” (Pytash 17) – Principle of Undermining: fighting expectations • Another pre-service teacher said: “ ‘This sounds bad, but if I got voted best butt. . . I probably wouldn’t have taken it badly. And just the fact that she did makes you think about it from a different perspective” (Pytash 17) – Principle of Focus: multiplicity to show meaning 7: stolen notes of encouragement – end of hope.

• “From the beginning, the [public] reaction to the novel has been intense: an outpouring of emotion from readers who connect with the book's message of tolerance and compassion. ” (Brunner 76) • The value of the book comes from how its readers respond to it – and the responses to this book are emotional and powerful. 8: private poem stolen, published, and publically torn apart

Challenging Bullying • Offers a unique perspective: fighting back from beyond the grave – In doing so, the style places blame, guilt, and responsibility on the bullies (and they cannot respond) • “everything … affects everything” (Asher 202) 9: the one kid who did nothing wrong – but the story is incomplete without him

• Reading Thirteen Reasons Why to infuse students with “the ability to read texts critically and try on multiple perspectives on issues of social justice to effect change in the world” (Chisholm & Trent 75) • Transformative Agency: “The courage to act – the stand up for oneself and others – might seem like a daunting task for adolescents. It is, however, an integral component of any successful antibullying agenda” (Chisholm & Trent 80). 10: she and a former friend accidentally permitted a rape – no one cares

• Offers “imaginative rehearsals” for students & teachers (Pytash, Morgan, & Batchelor 15) • Students’ reactions to the text can change their ideas about bullying and, in turn, change their actions 11: stop sign destruction with no responsibility; larger repercussions

Talking with Jay Asher • “It sometimes takes talking about the Golden Rule in a new and intriguing way to make people pause and reflect on it. As Hannah Baker said, you never know what’s going on in anyone’s life but your own, so your actions can affect people in ways you never intended. Most readers tell me they’re now more aware of the little things they do to others, both negative and positive. ” (Gillis 545) 12: her own pseudo-rape. Destruction of sense of self

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1 -800 -273 -TALK www. suicidelifelineprevention. org 13: reaches out to counselor and is turned away

Works Cited Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why. New York: The Penguin Group, 2007. Print. Brunner, Rob. "How This Guy's Mystery Novel is Saving Teen Lives. " Entertainment Weekly 17 June 2011: 76 -78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 May 2013. Chisholm, James S. , and Brandie Trent. ""Everything. . . Affects Everything": Promoting Critical Perspectives toward Bullying with Thirteen Reasons Why. " English Journal 101. 6 (2012): 75 -80. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 May 2013. Gillis, Bryan. "Interview with Jay Asher. " Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literature 54. 7 (2011): 543 -45. Web. 23 May 2013. Latrobe, Kathy H. , and Judy Drury. Critical Approaches to Young Adult Literature. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. , 2009. 255 -280. Print. Pytash, Kristine E. , Denise N. Morgan, and Katherine E. Batchelor. "Recognize the Signs: Reading Young Adult Literature to Address Bullying. " Voices from the Middle 20. 3 (2013): 15 -20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 May 2013.