An Introduction to Leaving the Comfort Zone
Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth. 1948.
No matter how much humans believe they are in charge of their own lives, the nature of life is uncontrollable. The uncertainty of the future is hard on adults, but especially tough on teenagers who are still discovering who they are. Once teenagers leave the comfort zone of home, they are solely responsible for their actions and opinions, which influence their lifestyle. Literature reaches across the differences of all people, providing comfort to people who feel like they are the only ones experiencing the nature of life; this familiarity is especially helpful for teenagers who are just learning to cope with life's events independently. For this book, we base our literature upon three different life events, looking for pieces that would have a message specific to teen life. Literature is tricky to define, but we define it as “a documented form of expression.” The definition we operate under allows us to use many different art forms, such as books, novels, short stories, poetry, music lyrics, scripts, and paintings. Most people consider paintings as an artistic piece and not literature, but paintings use symbols to convey messages to people who see their paintings. Artist's express their feelings through their work, just as writers show emotions through their words. Students will benefit from exposure to all of the aspects our definition of literature provides, growing academically and culturally.
We created the chapter organization with events of life first, leading into how one becomes an adult from the challenges they face. The "Friendship and Relationships" Chapter bases its literature on the bonds people have with each other and how they can be joyful or tortuous. "Tragic Events" is a chapter reflecting the sorrow life can have, educating teenagers on how to cope or giving them a relatable situation. Growing up is a difficult part of a teen's life, and our chapter "Becoming an Adult" embodies the responsibility, maturity, and real world discoveries young adults experience as they become independent. In order to help students comprehend each piece, the beginning of every work has background information on the author and why this piece belongs to the chapter it is in. Random writing and analyzing hints throughout the book help educate students in English, and also improve their responses to essay questions at the end of every piece. Lastly, our book includes an appendix with four papers based on essay questions found in the book; these papers include hints on how to format a paper, samples of MLA and APA citation, and two paper planning examples. Our sole mission with the organization of this book is to help students comprehend literature by making it applicable to the world around them, allowing them to begin to understand who they are. RLS
We created the chapter organization with events of life first, leading into how one becomes an adult from the challenges they face. The "Friendship and Relationships" Chapter bases its literature on the bonds people have with each other and how they can be joyful or tortuous. "Tragic Events" is a chapter reflecting the sorrow life can have, educating teenagers on how to cope or giving them a relatable situation. Growing up is a difficult part of a teen's life, and our chapter "Becoming an Adult" embodies the responsibility, maturity, and real world discoveries young adults experience as they become independent. In order to help students comprehend each piece, the beginning of every work has background information on the author and why this piece belongs to the chapter it is in. Random writing and analyzing hints throughout the book help educate students in English, and also improve their responses to essay questions at the end of every piece. Lastly, our book includes an appendix with four papers based on essay questions found in the book; these papers include hints on how to format a paper, samples of MLA and APA citation, and two paper planning examples. Our sole mission with the organization of this book is to help students comprehend literature by making it applicable to the world around them, allowing them to begin to understand who they are. RLS
Formatting by: RLS