Example Essay Directions Thesis Statement= Topic + Claim + Reasons (1 sentence, last sentence in intro) Intro- Background information, references to common sense knowledge, relevant quotes from authority figures, definitions, etc. End with thesis statement. Body Paragraph- Topic Sentence (which reason is that paragraph about. Remember to go in the order of your thesis statement). WHY does the REASON prove the CLAIM in your own words? Evidence (cite). Transition, counterclaim (other differing points of view). Refutation (why are they wrong?) Evidence (cite). Closing sentence. Rinse and repeat for each reason. Example 13 Reasons Why is a trash tv show because it romanticizes suicide, it perpetuates untruthful stereotypes, and the teen suicide rate has increased since the premier of the show. 13 Reasons Why is a television show on Netflix that premiered in March of 2017. Produced by celebrity Selena Gomez, it has gained mostly positive reviews from show critics and a loyal teenage fanbase. It has also gained the attention of medical professionals worldwide. The question of the validity and true value of this show has come into question by many. 13 Reasons Why is a trash tv show because it romanticizes suicide, it perpetuates deceitful stereotypes, and the teen suicide rate has increased since the premier of the show. 13 Reasons Why is a show that undoubtedly romanticizes suicide to its young, impressionable viewership. As the main plot progresses, the audience is taken through Hannah’s “reasons” for killing herself. However, instead of that being the primary focus of the show, the audience experiences Hannah’s journey through the lens of Clay, a boy who was in love with Hannah during her lifetime. Viewing Hannah’s story through the eyes of Clay skews the narrative and forces the audience to sympathize with Clay’s romantic feelings for Hannah instead of having Hannah take center stage in her own story. Clay even laments, “I cost a girl her life because I was afraid to love her” (13 Reasons Why). Clay makes Hannah’s suicide about himself, instead of about the struggles that Hannah went through. For a concept that is supposed to be about giving a voice to a dead girl, Clay being the audience’s eyes does the exact opposite—it robs Hannah of her voice. The audience sees what Clay sees, and feels what Clay feels—which, more often than not, is a kind of hopeless regret about having lost a romantic interest, not the feeling of having Conclusion- Answer the questions, “why is this topic important?” “Why should the reader care about this topic?” “How does this topic relate to either modern times, or other topics of study?” lost someone in general. Some teenagers might argue that the show does give scenes solely from Hannah’s point of view, and therefore in those moments the audience is devoid of Clay’s perspective, thus forcing the narrative back into her hands. These people will say that these scenes force the audience to finally feel for themselves what they should be feeling—and there is some truth to this. There are a small handful of scenes that are completely from Hannah’s point of view, that force a reckoning upon the audience. However, the problem lies in the content of the scenes themselves. The scenes from Hannah’s point of view can only be described as horrendously gruesome. The sensationalizing of these gruesome scenes is an example of what Hollywood does best: show the brutality women suffer not from a point of view of understanding, realism, and empathy, but from the point of view of gore, sensationalism, and torture. Not only are those graphic scenes a horror to watch, they also go against the official recommendations of how to talk about suicide. A conclusion drawn by over 50 worldwide studies states that it is best not to show the “method” of death, as it can lead to copycat incidents in impressionable youths (Todd). Talking about suicide is important, bringing awareness to the issue is, of course, important— but the way it is talked about is equally as important. Ultimately, it is best for most teenagers to forgo watching 13 Reasons Why. When it comes to something as important as suicide, society should look to medical professionals, experts, and media that seeks to educate, not sensationalize. Though censorship in itself can be problematic when applied to say, the government or the media, censorship sometimes can be a necessity. In the case of 13 Reasons Why, censorship can be potentially lifesaving.
