Why Twilight is Ruining America s Youth

Transcription

1 Why Twilight is Ruining America s Youth I. Introduction A. Attention getting opening: I want you all to picture the following scenario: A young girl is in love with a handsome young man. As their relationship progresses, she begins to withdraw more and more. She eventually gives up all contact with her friends, has no hobbies or life outside of him, and relies on him for everything. He hurts her multiple times throughout their relationship, and always finds a way to blame her for this, and even goes so far as to say that her actions could one day lead him to kill her, if she is not careful. I would venture to say that most people would not find this romantic in any way, shape, or form. Yet, the main romance that young girls from our generation strive to emulate is one that follows this exact format. I am talking about the ever popular, and very abusive, relationship of Edward and Bella in Twilight. B. Why your audience would be interested: Most, if not all, of the audience has likely heard of Twilight. Whether they love it or hate it, it has affected their lives, even if only to annoy them when it appears in news stories or newspaper articles. C. Establish your credibility: I have read all of the books in the Twilight Saga, and am also majoring in English, so I can read these books with a critical eye. D. Thesis statement and overview: 1. Abusive Relationships 2. Female Identity, and women in subordinate roles 3. Lack of literary merit Transition: Perhaps the most compelling reason one should not read the Twilight books is the blatantly abusive relationship of the main characters, that the author parades as romantic. II. Body Main Point A: Abusive Relationships Subpoints: 1. Bella has no friends outside of Edward. 2. Edward exhibits stalker-like behavior, and even goes so far as to break into Bella s home at night, just to watch her sleep. (fear appeal) 3. National Domestic Violence Hotline: All of the following can apply to Edward and Bella s relationship: (fear appeal) Does your partner Look at you or act in ways that scare you? Control what you do, who you see or talk to or where you go? Make all of the decisions? Act like the abuse is no big deal, it's your fault, or even deny doing it? Threaten to commit suicide? Threaten to kill you?

2 These are some more signs of an abusive relationship. Has your partner...tried to isolate you from family or friends. Damaged property when angry (thrown objects, punched walls, kicked doors, etc.).pushed, slapped, bitten, kicked or choked you. Abandoned you in a dangerous or unfamiliar place. Scared you by driving recklessly. Forced you to leave your home. Prevented you from calling police or seeking medical attention. Views women as objects and believes in rigid gender roles. Accuses you of cheating or is often jealous of your outside relationships. Transition: Not only is Bella a victim of abuse in these novels, but she willfully gives up any sort of agency she may have, for the sake of serving the males around her. Main point B: Female Identity and women in subordinate roles Subpoints 1. Bella is in no way extraordinary. She d rather spend her time devoted to Edward, than with other friends, or doing anything productive. In fact, she gives up her only friend, Jacob Black, as soon as Edward asks her to. (Belongingness appeal) 2. According to an article written by Erin Meanley, a blogger for Shine, Bella is a domestic diva of sorts. While there is nothing wrong with cooking or cleaning, there is something wrong when the main character of a novel s main goal is to serve the men around her. 3. Female sexuality is evil in Twilight, and whenever Bella attempts to assert herself in this way, Edward warns her that he could hurt her if she does not stop. (Safety needs) 4. All other females in Twilight are shallow or manipulative Transition: Some of the unsavory aspects of Twilight would be, at least, somewhat easier to swallow, if it wasn t for the fact that Twilight has no literary merit whatsoever. Main point C: Lack of literary merit Subpoints: 1. According to Meriam-Webster s dictionary, a part of the definition of literature is: writings having excellence of form or expression 2. Twilight is riddled with grammatical and spelling mistakes 3. The writing style in Twilight is akin to someone taking a simple sentence, picking up a Thesaurus, and making it unnecessarily complex. Transition: I find that the literary sins committed by Stephenie Meyer are too great to be overlooked. Twilight is not only a horribly written book, but it is also a dangerous book that reinforces negative stereotypes of women, and of abusive relationships. III. Conclusion Summary 1. Twilight encourages abuse, and does nothing to help end the already accepted fact of teenage abusive relationships

3 2. It discourages girls from having any sort of identity, or agency, in their lives apart from serving men. 3. It lacks any form of literary merit. Clincher: The fact is, Twilight is an exceptionally popular book. In fact, it is its popularity that worries me the most. After all, how many young girls are going to pick this book up and think to themselves, I want a boy just like Edward?

4 Works Cited "Abusive Relationships." KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. Web. 24 Feb < "Am I Being Abused?" National Domestic Violence Hotline. Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Web. 24 Feb < Chen, David. "How Twilight Is Destroying America and Harming Our Nations Youth /Film." /Film Blogging the Reel World. 5 Dec Web. 23 Feb < "Literature." Meriam-Webster Dictionary. Meriam-Webster, Incorporated. Web. 24 Feb < Meanley, Erin. "4 Reasons Why Twilight Is Bad For Your Love Life - Love Sex on Shine." Shine: Fashion and Beauty, Healthy Living, Parenting, Sex and Love, Career and Money, Food, and more - Shine on Yahoo! Yahoo.com, 10 Aug Web. 24 Feb < />. Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1). Boston: Little, Brown Young Readers, Print. "Mysogyny in Popular Teen Literature?" Web log post. Feministing.com. 14 July Web. 24 Feb <

5 "Twilight Sucks Forum - Thesaurus raep, and general errors list." Twilight Sucks Forum - Home. Web. 24 Feb < &page=1>.