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Understanding Historical and Cultural Context

1. What is the mode of production of your chosen text? Be sure to explore every aspect of the text—it’s type, how it was originally printed, was it mass produced, is it a digital text, how is it procured, is it free or does it cost money, etc.

The mode of production for The Perks of being a Wallflower was published in 1999 by MTV. It was an immediate success with teenage readers and by 2007 sold over 700,000 copies. This is a book geared mostly towards adolescents because it is highly relatable to people at this age. This book was mass produced during this time and was popular becaue of the issues that it dealt with and the controversy associated with it.

2. Why was this text produced? For informational purposes? For the purposes of marketing (to sell something)? For entertainment purposes?

This text was produced for a combination of reasons, I think. It was produced to relate to people like Charlie, the main character. The setting of the book is the early 90’s which is associated with rebellion and new ideas. I think it was informational to the reality of adolescence and what goes in a young person’s life. Charlie is at very awkward time in his life, when sexuality comes into play, as do drugs. I think that society overall is a bit unaware about these things, and they were even more unaware in the 90’s. There is still a general negative connotation with homosexuality, and this book touches on that topic in a very interesting way that I think can be educational. I think it was produced also for entertainment reasons so that we can see the world through Charlie’s eyes. This book talks openly about imperfections and awkwardness and this is entertaining. Life is not a fairy tale and I find that books that are more realistic, like this, are far more entertaining.

3. What constraints was the author under? What can you find out about the author’s response to being banned or challenged?

Stephen Chbsoky wasn’t under any specific constraints while writing the book, but he was trying to find this character through the writing. He wanted to write a different type of a book, that was a far cry from traditional books geared towards adolescents. Also, Chbosky says that Charlie is a reflection of him personality wise, but his high school experience was very different. Chobsky feels that the banning is terribly unfair because one family will complain about the book’s content, and the book will be banned. He felt that the book has a lot of important lessons that can be useful for teens and when one parent complains and other parents are ok with the book, that it is totally unfair for it to be banned.

4. What cultural aspects produce this text? What kind of citizen does it imagine (an American citizen? British, Indian, etc?)? Is a regional dialect used? What about a dialect limited to an age group (ex: valley girl speak for teens, etc.) How does that impact your views on the characters?

This book takes a look at several cultural aspects of our society. It looks at homosexuality, sexuality, drugs, awkwardness at adolescence. It imagines a young teenager going through high school and the awkwardness of it all and the changes he encounters, physically and emotionally. The dialect of the book is very casual and simply written. The book is set in Pittsburgh so the dialect is northeastern and easy to understand. The dialect is definitely geared towards teens/adolescents because it uses slang, and uses profanity and the dialect directly correlates to the issues presented in the reading (i.e. homosexuality, drugs etc). My view on the characters is that they are normal teenagers dealing with issues that we face(d) at some point in our lives. I like how the author made them out to be very normal, humble people that are easy to relate to.

5. What histories produce this text? What are the events in history which had to have occurred in order for the author to produce this particular piece of material? (For example, Huck Finn couldn’t have been written without the knowledge of the Civil War and American slavery.) You might have to dig deep for an answer to this one, so get out your shovel!

This book was written in 90’s. This was when punk music, rebellion occurred and this book accurately reflects that. It reflects the “grunge” age when drugs were becoming popular with younger people, teens were rebelling, homosexuality was coming out of the closet. For example, Nirvana was huge during this time and the drug use referenced throughout the book sort of relates to that and how Kurt Cobain was a heavy drug user. Nirvana was also very influential during this time and was a big part of the grunge age. Throughout the book, there are several references to classic works of literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, as well as others. These books tie in with Charlie’s personality and how he develops into his own person. He is a very intelligent boy, but gets involved with bad influences as well. He uses these books to understand and to escape from reality and understand the world around him

6. What “questionable” material have you found within your text? Does that material work with any of the above questions? For instance, if the text used racial slurs, that slang may have been considered acceptable within the time/culture it was produced (ex: the slurs used in Huck Finn).

The questionable material I have found is the language, drug and homosexuality references, and sexual references. Throughout the book, they talk about homosexuality and often the word “faggot” and “fag” are used which can very offensive. There are sexual references dealing with Charlie and how he begins to discover his body which can be considered inappropriate depending on the age group. Charlie also begins to experiment with drugs and alcohol which can also be considered inappropriate. There is profanity used also, which can be considered questionable. I think the slang can be considered acceptable based on the time period because this was a time when homosexuality especially was starting to become a norm in society. I think that this book can also be educational on a time period when society was changing and this was how such issues were perceived. I can also understand why it might be banned because it takes a rather blatant stance on the issue, but it is realistic which we must take into account.

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