13ReasonsWhy-MovieComparison

Bell 2

12/16/13

Ashley Bowman

Claire Elise Murray         Thirteen Reasons Why- Movie Comparison

            The main character in Thirteen Reasons Why is a teenage girl named Hannah Baker. She recently moved into Crestmont with her parents. While attending school, many rumors and negative events happened to Hannah. One of these events included losing her closest friends. All of these things being said about her overwhelmed her and eventually led Hannah to the decision to end her life. She left behind tapes sent to thirteen people that affected her or influenced her decision to kill herself by overdosing in pills. Thirteen Reasons Why is closely comparable to the movie Cyberbully featuring Emily Osmet.

            In Cyberbully, a teenage girl named Taylor Hillridge (around the same age as Hannah) receives a laptop for her seventeenth birthday. With the support of her friends, Taylor quickly signs up for a social networking cite used by the majority of her classmates; Cliquespace. After having Cliquespace for a couple days, rumors about her start being posted. Also, a fake account (later we find out was created by her friend) gets to know her then uses what she said against her, humiliating Taylor online. The foul comments only get worse, soon the comments continue at school. Thinking nothing could get worse, Taylor takes an attempt at killing herself by overdosing on pills. Thankfully, she was unsuccessful and was found by her friends before anything else got worse.

            Thirteen Reasons Why and Cyberbully are closely related. First, for the obvious similarities; they both try to take their lives by overdosing on pills, both have friends that turn on them, and people at school were starting rumors about them and also calling them foul names. Those similarities are easily seen throughout both summaries. Another clear similarity is that they both go to public school and are about the same age, Taylor being 17 and Hannah 16. Both had about the same mindset about what was going on in their lives, because they go through almost the same exact thing.

            Some difference between Thirteen Reasons Why and Cyberbully include where most of the bullying takes place and the response to this bullying. In Thirteen Reasons Why, most of the bullying happens at school and Hannah’s reaction isn’t revenge it is simply trying to ignore it or at least seem like she is. In Cyberbully, as the same says ‘cyber’ most of the bullying takes place online. Although, the bullying also makes its way to school eventually. Taylor also deals with the bullying in a different way; she strikes back at the bullies with rude comments similar to what they were saying to her. So at the same time as being the victim, she was also being the offender.

Book Connections

Bell 2
12/16/13
Ashley Bowman
Claire Elise Murray                                  Book Connections

 

 “I hope your ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life.

More specifically why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes,

you’re one of the reasons why.” (Asher7)

Throughout Thirteen Reasons Why I have been able to make many different connections. One of those connections is text-to-world. In this book there are two major topics presented; suicide and social acceptance. The reason for these topics and thoughts by Hannah Baker are her classmates and so called ‘friends’. In society people don’t understand that their little comments or actions can have a negative effect on others. In this case in the book, Hannah traces her thirteen reasons on why she chose to take her life. Most of these reasons were small and the person doing the actions didn’t realize they were greatly affecting her.

Another connection I made is text-to-text, or in this case text-to-movie. The movie Cyberbully featured on ‘abc’ has many similarities to my book. Cyberbully is about a teenage girl, about the same age as Hannah, that attempts to kill herself because of her ‘friends’ turning against her and rumors that were being spread about her. Almost the same exact thing happens in Thirteen Reasons Why. Hannah kills herself due to friends turning on her, rumors being spread about her and just life experiences. For example in Cyberbully, two of Taylor’s friends turn on her and the same thing happened in Thirteen Reasons Why. Two of Hannah’s friends; Alex and Courtney turn on her.

The last Connection that I made was text-to-self. This book relates to me from past experiences. It’s not that I have tried to kill myself or anything, although there have been tough times; I am mostly relating this to me from the look of cause and effect. For example- Hannah based her decision and life on what others said and did; the effect was her ending her life over those factors. In my life, I tend to care too much what others think about me, that’s how I base decisions a lot. So I feel like Hannah and I have many similarities.