Wintergirls Analysis

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Wintergirls Conclusion: “You’re talking. You’re eating. You’re blooming. That is all that matters” (276). These victory words spoken by Dr. Parker to Lia in Laure Halse Anderson’s Wingergirls indicate that Lia is not only a survivor, but also a beacon of light for others who struggle with eating disorders. Anderson led her readers down Lisa’s dark, gloomy, and twisted path intricately weaving the right amounts of drama, tragedy, and hope giving this fictional work just the right amount of realistic sting to grab the audience’s attention. While I worry the believable “tips and tricks” of manipulation portrayed in this work could send some, who may already be on the brink of destruction, into a complete out of control spiral, Lia’s character,…show more content…
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders indicates that 50% of all women will struggle with unhealthy eating habits though only 1 in 10 will seek professional treatment. The same report indicates Anorexia and Bulimia, as in Lia and Cassie’s case, is responsible for a combined 8% of deaths related to eating disorders (2009). Adolescents in these situations are searching for meaning and on a fragile mission to…show more content…
While I learned a great deal, perhaps my greatest takeaway was from a social worker guest speaker, Emma Foster, which taught me “professionals should always be [involved in] active evolution [by active conversation” (2014). Groenke, Maples, and Henderson suggest “young adult literature provides a medium through which adolescents and their teachers can confront and grapple with the social complexities that comprise adolescents’’ lives,” a claim to which I agree (29). The works in question are sensitive and often hard to read can help one recognize they are neither alone in their struggle nor are the free from societal responsibility. Furthermore, when these works are put to use in “a classroom that purposefully positions issue of race, ability, gender, power, and class is one that provides iforum for students to question assumptions and seek information” (30). In other words, this type of literature sparks conversation and ignites

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