ROAR BLOG #3: The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager

Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
April 9, 2010

Roar Blog #3

Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hine begins to talk about high school and how it was different from past generations. In past generations high school was not a big deal to go to because teenagers were making money to help support their families. The first high school that was built was in Boston in 1821 and that school is now known as English High, but other high schools were not built until till many years later. The first students that attended these schools were young women, because most of them didn’t bring in enough money to support their families like the young men did.
In time, high schools around the United States started to change because more students were attending and education was finally becoming important to American teenagers in the 1930s and after World War II. Today education is still very important and like Hine said that many teenagers have problems with their family, themselves, and society, but they still continue to go try their hardness in high school. These teens are thinking of their goals and dreams, so they know that have to finish school in order to make these goals happen for themselves.
High school meant a large amount of teenagers spending time in an environment that was about education, but sometimes these teens thought that they were adults and they could make their own decisions. Hine touches on young women sexuality and how it changed from the past to the present. Before the 1920s, teenage girls were seen as innocent and many of them didn’t even kiss anyone until they were married. The act of kissing or showing affection to someone who were not family was an act only adults would be doing. This all changed when the 1920s hit and young women were showing their sexuality to the world. Teenage girls were changing the way they dressed, the music they listened to, the dances they did, and how they behaved. These girls were seen as leaders because adults and children looked up to them. Most people like what they were doing, but of course there were people who didn’t like how they expressed themselves.
The people who didn’t enjoy what these teens were going said that the teens were misleading themselves and were disrespecting their families. They saw them as “loose girls” and people who didn’t have any morals. Although some people didn’t enjoy seeing teenage girls express their sexuality, this was the start of something new. It began a more sexualized society that has continued to this day.
*Summarized pages 138-184

Quote:
“To reject your family is one thing; there may be very good reasons. To reject high school is to reject the society as a whole” (Hines 139).

Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it tells the truth about how many people feel about high school. High school is very difficult at times, but in the end it is preparing a teenager to be successful. In today’s society, many jobs ask for a high school diploma because it shows people that teens have received an education. High school is a stepping stone to be successful at life. Teens would always have problems with their families, but if they reject high school that could end many of the goals or dreams that they had for themselves. Thomas Hine’s writing style makes the readers think. He gives enough details to explain what happened in the past and the present, and then the readers are able see the steps that society or teens took that changed everything. Hine makes the readers think if teens had changed for the better or for the worst, when it come to a particular topic.