Task #6: Introduction

Intro
  • 13 reasons why- brief summary- highlight issues and debates
  • Representation of mental health and suicide in the media- problem with glorification
  • Mention films that have dealt with suicide
"And she died alone. And you could have stopped it. And I could have."  

There have been many debates over the representation of suicide in the media and its ambiguous meanings and messages that it presents to the audience. Inevitably there is always controversy over displaying explicit scenes in film and TV. The Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" (2017) created by Brian Yorkey, is a teen drama about Hannah, a high school student who commits suicide after being mistreated by the people in her school. The show follows the stories of 13 people who contributed to the death of Hannah, who she sends tapes to, which explain how they have had an impact on her. In the last episode, Hannah's suicide is explicitly shown to the audience to inform them on how suicide is a major issue in today's society. However, there have been many debates regarding the show's use of explicit scenes, as some have argued that the series in fact, glorifies suicide and makes it seem desirable, especially to a younger audience. This significant issue was explored in the 80s cult classic"The Breakfast Club"(1985), where we could argue that the theme of suicide was not taken as seriously as more recent films and TV shows. This touches upon the idea that society has become more emotionally literate towards sensitive issues such as suicide and mental health. Additionally, other films such as "Elephant" (2003) and "Bowling for Columbine" (2002), explore the relationship between mental health and high school shootings. This is also another important debate as it explores the issue of mental health amongst teenagers and how it can have an impact on their behaviour. This essay will explore the representation of mental health in 13 Reasons Why and the glorification of suicide in the media.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moonlight Film Trip

Talk about it This film is about a young black man growing up in a poor area of an American city. Based on other films you have seen, what expectations do you have about its main character, and the sort of film this may be? I expected the film to be about the main character overcoming the obstacles he faced throughout his life and possibly even moving out of the "poor area" to pursue his dreams. However after watching the film it did not conform to the typical expectations and instead showed how Chiron grew up in a place that he's always felt uncomfortable with, but still managed to outgrow his fear of discrimination. Discussion points • Chiron is a character of few words. Why is this? How do the three actors use body language to communicate Chiron’s emotions to the audience? Why is he reluctant to make eye contact with people? Chirons character doesn't talk to people as he doesn't trust them. Also if he did he believes that they would not understand the
Read more

Critical Autonomy Task

How far does Beyonce's visual album Lemonade promote the views and values of Black Feminism? Word Count: 495 Black Feminism is a term referring to the empowerment of Black women, as a result of the oppression they have faced throughout the years. It first gained popularity in the 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement in response to the sexism and racism they had faced. In today's society this term still remains relevant as certain inequalities are still being experienced by this particular demographic. In relation to this, Crenshaw's ''theory of intersectionality'' highlights the difficulties that black women face: since they experience race, class, and gender oppression simultaneously  if it quite difficult for them to differentiate between them. This therefore shows us that due these combined inequalities, the movement of Black Feminism, is used to ''stand up'' and fight against discrimination. Beyonce's visual album Lemonade, d
Read more

Summer Project: proposal

Media text:   13 Reasons Why (2017)- Netflix Teen Drama Media issue/debate:  How teen dramas portray psychological problems. Does the show glorify suicide? Link to Media key concepts (MIGRAIN) - at least THREE:   The narrative revolves around a high school girl,  Hannah Baker, commits suicide after a series of demoralizing events. One of her classmates, Clay Jensen receives a series of tapes each explaining how a certain person and/or event, led her to make his horrifying decision. This links to my concept as it explores the way in which different experiences can affect someones emotional/psychological state.  The ideology behind the series was to bring about awareness of ''teen suicides'' as they have been a significant issue in the last couple of years. The preferred reading for the show would be to inform students to respect each other and see how discriminating and bullying an individual can lead them being insecure. This therefore links to my concept as it
Read more