Perks of Being a Wallflower... Were getting to the end of our Story

As we come to a close on the book Perks of Being a Wallflower, I thought I could just use this post to just state some important meanings or a short summary of this great book so far.

Fifteen-year-old Charlie is coping with the suicide of his friend, Michael. To lessen the fear and anxiety of starting high school alone, Charlie starts writing letters to a stranger, someone he heard was nice but has never met in person.
At school, Charlie finds a friend and mentor in his English teacher, Bill. He also overcomes his shyness and approaches a classmate, Patrick, who, along with his step-sister Sam, become two of Charlie's BFFs.
During the course of the school year, Charlie has his first date and his first kiss, he deals with bullies, he experiments with drinking, and he makes friends, loses them, and gains them back. He creates his own soundtrack through a series of mix tapes full of iconic songs, reads a huge stack of classic books, and gets involved in the Rocky Horror Picture Show audience-participation culture.
Charlie has a relatively stable home life, though, with supportive, if distant, parents to fall back on. Unfortunately, a disturbing family secret that Charlie has repressed for his entire life surfaces at the end of the school year. Charlie has a severe mental breakdown and ends up hospitalized.

The next chapter is Charlie's final letter and I am nervous on how he's going to end his letter.

Perks of Being a Wallflower (Movie)

"The film is a funny, heartfelt if admittedly formulaic feature that boasts first rate performances and a genuine affection for its characters – affection that viewers will likely find contagious." Tom Clift, Moviedex

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 2012 American comedy and is a film adaptation of the 1999 novel which I am currently reading. The film was directed by the author, Stephen Chbosky.
This was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the film was released on September 21, 2012 to positive critical response and commercial success earning $33 million worldwide. The film stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.

To watch this amazing trailer click here!

Quotes !

Perks of Being a Wallflower is such a great book! I really reccomend it to anyone. It is so easy to relate to, just a simple book about teenagers going through what we will go through. Since Stephen writes this book like a diary basically (letters to no one), he puts what he thinks out there making thought provoking points and quotes and thought I would share some I personally really liked-

“So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“Even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

You can find more quotes from the book HERE!

Book Connections - Perks of Being a Wallflower

My Perks of Being a Wallflower connections ....

Text to World - The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a text to world connection because it relates to many freshman surviving their first year in high school. Like Charlie, many of them have to face challenges such as, family drama, friendships,peer pressure, and relationships. As Charlie matures throughout the book he starts to realize who he is and what he capable of. Many freshman feel lost in the beginning of their high school years , but they start to get more comfortable and learn like Charlie what they are capable of and who they are as they mature and deal with more challenges.

Text to Self - Me , being an average teen • just like you. It's easier for us to relate to a book about teens v.s a book written 100 years ago. Perks of Being a Wallflower talks all types of life styles that are present in the U.S. 

Text to Text - Good Will Hunting relates to The Perks of being a Wallflower because in both stories someone helps the main characters turn their life around.  The professor in Good Will Hunting helps Will stop getting in trouble and try to use his brilliance to get him somewhere in life.  Sam and Patrick in The Perks of being a Wallflower become friends with Charlie and help him make something of his freshman year. Also, Bill, his English teacher, gives him books throughout the year and looks out for Charlie. He is a great mentor to Charlie.

Krista Ramsey Introduction Activity

I chose Krista's peice, "Our kids tell the story of why preschool is a must."

This column written by Krista just talks about how President Barack Obama mentioned preschool in his State of the Union speech last month and then benifits of preschool vs if your child has the option of not to go and doesnt.

The line that I think is written the best  is, "And numbers do matter. It's just that children matter more.  Somehow, we've been sold the point that only studies can show the impact of preschool on a young child. Yet it's one educational initiative we've watched first-hand."
This line effects the reader because if you have a child or a kid and you want what is best for them you may do a little background looking and researching. If the numbers prove and that equals what to others think then Ramsey is right, numbers do matter but children matter more.

The style of this column is casual. I know that her column is casual because she doesnt use that much elevated diction or hard sentence structures. In one of her sentences she states, "Now think about children who have every advantage stripped away – no books, no dependable adults, no conversation, no music, no art materials, no structure, no emotional warmth." This sentence shows a casual style because she is just listing off some everyday things.

My Threee Questions------>
1- Since this article was written over a month ago, what other actions have taken place?
2- Is it true for all kids that go to preschool start kindergarten and go through kindergarten with ease?
3- Did Krista always want to be a writer and a columnist or did her passion grow over time?

When and Where? -- Perks of Being Wallflower

Setting

 



In Perks of being A Wallflower, Charlie's brother goes to Penn State, which is about 140 miles west of Pittsburgh. Then Sam decides to go there, too. If this was all we knew, we could assume that they'd chosen a nearby college. But you know what they say happens when we assume. Thankfully, we have a couple more clues. 

Charlie's dad's relatives live in Ohio, which according to Charlie is a two-hour drive. Now this isn't a math class, but we can safely guess that Charlie's family lives in one of the states surrounding Ohio. The book takes place at the highschool, parties, his house, the stadium and through the tunnel. The tunnel represents the fact they have freedom. Sam, one of the characters loves going through the tunnel to stand and let the wind fly through her hair and let her feel like she isnt consrticted in her world.

Family is Family!

Charlie's Brother and Sister 

At the end of the second part we are introduced to Charlie's sister and things aren't great for Charlie's sister in the relationship department. She and her boyfriend have a nasty relationship. When he hits her she stays with him and continues dating him until she gets pregnant, She starts to wonder if she still has time to changer and become a better person. After she tells her boyfriend about their baby, he denies that it's his, and she decides to have an abortion. Charlie is the only person she tells and they really start to bond! After talking about his sister, we are then introduced to Charlie's Brother. Charlie sums it up as: "My brother likes posters of girls and Diet Coke cans" (2.12.4). He plays football for Penn State on scholarship. Then for a while, he had a girlfriend named Kelly, whom Charlie is strangely obsessed with. Unlike Charlie and his sister, he didn't do very well in high school. He was "something like 223rd in his class," according to Charlie (4.13.55). But he's not just some dumb jock. He's also kind of a peacemaker between his grandfather and the rest of the family. Charlie says, "my brother always understood my grandfather." (2.6.9). Charlie goes on talking about some of the other people in the book but I feel like he focused on his brother and sister the most.
I don't know really why he did this but I really enjoyed him focusing on his siblings.
But in the end, family is family. We may not always get along, but they are always there for us. When we wake up they are there, when we come home, they are there, when you need them- they are always there for us. Family is something you never want to let go and not have.