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Thirteen Reasons Why

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Submitted By donyaxo
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Donya Zolfaghari
Mrs. Tymoshenko
ENG2D1-02
December 4, 2013
Thirteen Reasons Why

Cesare Pavese, an incredible poet once said, “Nowadays, suicide is just a way of disappearing. It is carried out timidly, quietly, and falls flat. It is no longer an action, only a submission.” Suicide is becoming a very serious issue in our society, as it is becoming an extremely common and unfortunate event that occurs in the life of many teenagers. Often, teenagers resort to suicide as their solution to end the pain and struggles they are forced to endure. The powerful and thought provoking novel Thirteen Reasons Why written by Jay Asher, explores the themes of suicide and depression while teaching teenagers significant morals throughout it. This heartfelt book explains the life of a teenage girl by the name of Hannah Baker, who to everyone’s surprise, commits suicide. However, before taking her own life, she creates 13 tapes, each with a reason that caused her to end her life, and each targets one specific person, then sends them out to the people who contributed to her decision. It is told through the perspective of Clay Jenson, a former crush of Hannah’s, who is also the eighth person to receive the tapes, and must listen to her tapes to understand his role in her decision while he witnesses the pain and hardships Hannah went through. The exceptional examples of symbolism throughout the novel represent the everlasting results of other people’s decisions on Hannah’s life. In addition, one can evidently see through Hannah’s character development, that what people had done or had said, had changes not only everyone’s view on Hannah, but the way she views herself as well. Furthermore, Hannah shows how greatly one, oblivious to the consequences, can have an impact on a person’s life through the many internal and external conflicts. Through the tapes, Jay Asher

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