Chisholm, James S., and Brandie Trent. ""Everything . . . Affects Everything": Promoting Critical Perspectives toward Bullying with Thirteen Reasons Why." English Journal101.6 (2012): 75 80. Summon. Web.

“Everything…affects everything” is the prominent message in Jay Asher’s “Thirteen Reasons Why”. Author Brandie Trent used this theme and text as the basis for a lesson with her tenth-grade literature course. Through a series of activities and instruction students would delve into the causes and consequences of bullying and suicide. In literary regard Trent would be developing her student’s abilities to be “transformative agents”, “a central goal for teaching literature to adolescents: the ability to read texts critically and try on multiple perspectives on issues of social justice to effect change in the world” (Chisholm & Trent, 75). With 27 students of varying life and academic experiences, the topics explored in the novel were all too familiar for some, while distant and unfamiliar for others yet relevant to both groups. Trent and a special education teacher used read alouds, comprehension, interpretive, and evaluative questions to promote whole class discussion during this 15 day unit (Chisholm & Trent, 76). The decision was made to incorporate Asher’s novel given his “rich use of literary devices, and the multimedia supplements to this text” thus creating an “especially riveting literary experience for adults” (Chisholm & Trent, 76).
Students were encouraged to respond to three prompts: bullying is-, people who bully others-, and people who are bullied by others-. The first prompt yielded responses that characterized the nature of bullying and those who bully, the second prompt students identified reasons why persons bully, and the last prompt yielded responses that described those who are bullied-from this instruction was designed. In order to help students be “transformative agents” they would need to make connections with text and the social world around them to do this three tools were used: a reflections and analysis listing activity, a multimodal and collaborative casual chain activity and a text –to-world wall. They would begin by thinking of the novel in terms of their personal, social, and academic perspectives. Upon the completion of the activities the same prompts from the beginning of the lesson were redistributed. The question the authors asked themselves was if by providing additional direct opportunities for students to consider the ways in which bullying occurs in subtle ways across various contexts might a deeper understanding of the issue be had. The result was change agents were visible, students examined the literature by reflecting on their own roles in “protecting the feelings of others and preventing bullying in their own lives” (Chisholm & Trent, 78). The lesson seemed to encourage incorporating young adult literature that addresses the topic of bullying so students can more closely examine the effects and causes of the behavior as it pertains to their social world, and the social responsibility of teachers to foster a safe classroom environment.
As an educator I found this article to be highly effective in persuading the use of adolescent literature as a means of addressing social, adolescent issues in the school environment. While the conclusion didn’t warrant undeniable strong evidence of change it certainly captivated, engaged, and perhaps sparked a fire for further reflection by the student as to the harms of bullying. For this reason I would not hesitate to share this article with my colleagues. The collaboration of literary techniques, and instruction combined with that of addressing social change provided a well- rounded lesson, and as evidenced by the article impacted students in compelling ways. Remarkable is the inspiration that one feels by the genuine hope for change that the authors (Chisholm & Trent) and Asher conclude with not just for the students partaking in the lesson but the teachers who teach them. The authors successfully took a social issue and collaboratively addressed it through a text that is meant to provoke feeling within the adolescent group-it was seemingly subtle while remaining powerful and truthful!