The+Perks+of+Being+a+Wallflower




 * __NOVEL STUDY ASSIGNMENT__**


 * TITLE:** __The Perks of Being a Wallflower__


 * AUTHOR:** Stephen Chbosky


 * BRIEF SYNOPSIS:**

- “Dear friend” - “Dear friend” was referred by “she” because he/she did not try to sleep with someone even though they could have - friend Michael commits suicide last year of elementary - used to talk to psychiatrist - 15-year-old Charlie afraid of starting high school - Aunt Helen - older brother, older sister, kind but firm father, quiet but worried mother - extended family barely tolerable with various issues - Charlie is socially awkward (“participate”) - English teacher “Bill” > __To Kill A Mockingbird__, __The Great Gatsby__ > extra books to read, assignments to write - senior “Nothing” > Patrick = gay - senior Sam, Patrick step-sister = Charlie’s crush - accepted into less popular crowd of senior class - regular Rocky Horror Picture Show participation Fri nights - inadvertently introduced to drugs/alcohol/sex - starts dating Mary Elizabeth - alienates himself from group after kissing Sam instead of her - returns to group after defending Patrick from Brad - shares some kissing with Patrick - Sam going away to university, sexual encounter - Charlie’s repressed memories come out - ends with a prologue that wraps up a little too easily considering the build-up & the magnitude of the revelation


 * BRIEF EXPLANATION:**

Grade 12, College Preparation - content of text requires a mature readership - analysis of these themes require mature & academic readership - approach to text can be modified to apply to a less academic readership
 * a)** GRADE LEVEL/COURSE: ENG4U Grade 12, University Preparation, //possibly// ENG4C

- subjective construction of human memory - loneliness/isolation/self-destruction - “participation”/being yourself OUTSIDE yourself - power > gender (Charlie’s sister, Mary Elizabeth), aggression (Charlie’s fights), authority figures (Bill, relative’s behaviour) - love > family, lover (straight/homosexual), friend
 * b)** MAIN IDEAS/ISSUES/TEACHING POINTS:

- a few somewhat explicit sexual scenes (but not gratuitous) - some homosexuality - some occasional teen drug use, teen alcohol use, teen smoking - sexual abuse/incest - Charlie’s family seems too calm > only his extended family seem to really have problems - the epilogue seems to be neatly resolved > Charlie’s reaction to devastating news is extreme, but he seems to pull out & be ok with everything to easily - Charlie like a lazy Holden Caulfield
 * c)** ISSUES/CHALLENGES:

i) - students can be the “Dear friend” & respond to Charlie - students must select several “letters” of Charlie’s that they feel are significant > assignment can be written format (return letters) > assignment could be a video response
 * d)** ONE POSSIBLE ASSIGNMENT/ACTIVITY:
 * some other format approved by teacher

OR

ii) - students can write their own version of Charlie’s “Dear friend” letters > all the same conditions as above assignment apply

BECAUSE

> allow for demonstration of reading comprehension in their selection of passages > allow for demonstration of meta-cognition of their own writing process, strengths & weaknesses writing and for different audiences/readers > allows for practice of organizing ideas through identifying them, sorting them and putting them in a coherent context appropriate for the format
 * allows for experimentation in form so that they explore the different purposes of