Sisters (and other friends) before Misters - The Importance of friendship and Understanding Ones Self-Worth

Although the novel Drama by Raina Telgemeier if formatted as a comic book. The style of the writing in no way lessens the important themes Telgemeier highlights. If anything, this fun, simple, and easy to read style only adds to the novels charm. Drama has several important lessons that are not only beneficial for teenagers, but for readers of all ages. While reading the second half of this novel my favorite moments were when the young characters trusted themselves, and their friends while embarking on scary and new journeys. These two components teach readers the importance of self-identity and friendship. 

 

A few examples of when we see characters make difficult decisions, resulting in them trusting themselves, and making the best decisions for themselves, are in the storylines of Jesse and Callie. Jesse’s character is portrayed as shy, sweet, and introverted compared to his extroverted twin brother Justin. Jesse openly shares with Callie how he would like to perform but would rather give the spotlight to his brother in order to avoid the scrutiny of auditioning. However, in the final night of the play when the lead actress walks off stage, and the production seemed to be falling apart. Jesse decided to take her place, put on a dress, and preform in front of the entire school to save the play.  Jesse not only conquered his fear of performing, but he also realized that he too deserves a bit of spotlight. I think the message Telgemeier was trying to relay to young readers is that there is enough space in this world for everyone. Each character portrayed depth and personality. Although some personalities like Justin or Bonnie are bigger than others that does not negate the importance of quitter personalities. Justin trusted in himself, and it resulted in him saving the play, showing off his talents, and exploring his sexual orientation. 

 

Telgemeier does an amazing job of portraying the idea that your choices are your own, and they should not be based off other people. Sending the message that it is better to base your thoughts, opinions, and decisions on what is the best for you, even if it is a difficult pill to swallow. We see this with Callie’s character and her relationship with Greg. With Callie being the main character of Drama, the audience gets to grow with her throughout the book. In the beginning we see Callie devastated that Greg essentially rejected and ignored her after they kissed. Callie went from being sad and devastated about Greg, to being fun, confident, and a great friend. I think the change in her demeanor, and personality throughout the novel is a creative and fun way to show the intended younger audience that bad things happen, but it does not have to define how you move forward. 

 

I enjoyed how when Callie worked so hard to get back to herself and make the play a success Greg came back to apologize. Although Greg apologizes, he does not give Callie many chances to respond and rather tries to kiss her and asks her to be his girlfriend. Callie respectfully, and effectively declined his advances because she knew that she deserved better. Telgemeier again does a great job at portraying self-worth through the characters. It is very important to give students who are most likely starting to be interested in others romantically a clear depiction of right and wrong when it comes to relationships. Yes, Callie liked Greg initially, but he treated her rudely, and that is not something anyone should dismiss because an apology was given. 

 

Lastly, my favorite element of Drama is the aspect of friendship. Every main character faced a difficult decision, but none of them went through it alone. Self-worth, and identity are very important, but having a safe space, along with good friends is also important. Showing readers that they can ask for help, they can make mistakes and still come back from it. Drama was a great novel that all teenagers should have access to due to its safe way of educating difficult real-world social issues that occur in every school setting whether faculty, and parents care to admit it. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Bronx Masquerade

  Paige Holley Dr. Ellis Banned Books 5 February 2024 The Bronx Masquerade   In the first half of  The Bronx Masquerade  by Nikki Grimes students in Mr. Ward’s class find that they have more similarities than differences by listening and sharing their poetry in class on Fridays. Each student faces real world struggles that impact their personality and thought process. Students shared aspects of poverty, body images, fear of failure and more through writing poetry. However, as the novel progress’s readers can see a clear shift in students outlook on their classmates and their futures. The Bronx Masquerade gives readers a valuable lesson regarding expression and gaining confidence through artistic expression.    The sharing of personal feelings, thoughts, and beliefs through poetry has allowed students to feel heard. The confidence they have gained has not only become apparent in their poetry but their actions as well. One student who has shown a lot of growt...
Read more

“The Promotion of Justice:” Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Image
This is the third time I have read Peter-Hans Kolvenbach’s “The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education,” and with each reading, I am afforded new perspectives on what it means to receive a Jesuit education and the responsibilities I have, as both a student and person, to advocate for the injustices I encounter. (Wow, so many thoughts, where to start). I am always so focused on the justice piece. And yet reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” has had me reflecting on what the “Promotion of Justice” means without faith. “Despite the opportunities offered by an ever more serviceable technology,” Kolvenbach writes, “we are simply not willing to pay the price of a more just and more humane society” (32). I often leave conversations about injustices today, my subconscious fighting between feelings of overwhelming disappointment and frustration, and motivation. I see a glass half empty; I see non-existent progress; I see peop...
Read more

Melissa and Scott

We, as a society, tend to focus heavily on the negative repercussions of coming out—rejection, judgement, even cruelty. Especially in our class, where we lean into challenging conversations about. But there are so many reasons to celebrate coming out, and I felt as though Alex Gino did a wonderful job at conveying this message in   Melissa . I wanted to specifically talk about Scott, Melissa’s brother, and perhaps the most stereotypically teenage boy character I have ever read about. In the first half of the book, it is clear that Melissa and Scott have a somewhat strained sibling relationship. Melissa almost seems intimidated by her older brother, a reaction that may be inspired by the similarities between Scott’s character and that of Melissa’s school bullies. After coming out to her brother, however, Melissa is grateful for Scott’s nonchalant, yet supportive response. “Scott snuck glances her way too, but where Mom’s eyes with filled with concern and confusion, Scott looked at G...
Read more