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Glorification or Education?

'13 Reasons Why'

By Kayla ArnoldPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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13 Reasons Why is a show about a girl named Hannah Baker. The first season is about why Hannah killed herself, while the second season is about getting justice for Hannah as her family and friends go to court against the school. 13 Reasons Why has had a lot of controversial scenes, like Hannah's suicide. Some people think these scenes are glorifying bad things, others think they are educating us about hard situations that really can—and do—happen.

1. Hannah's Suicide

The first controversial scene is Hannah's suicide. In the scene, we see Hannah get into a bathtub and slit her wrists. We see the water quickly turn red and she dies. A lot of people think that showing the scene and talking so much about it glorifies suicide. It really doesn't. It shows how that one girls actions affected everyone around her. It shows the pain her friends go through from losing her. It shows just how many people really cared about her, and that if she tried harder she could've figured that out. The realness of everyone's emotions when they find out Hannah died is amazing. It's something we don't hear a lot about. This show educates viewers on what it's like to lose someone in that way, but it also shows what that person was going through that got them to that point.

2. Bryce's Rapes

Bryce Walker is, quite obviously, the villain of the series. He rapes not one, not two, but multiple girls at the school. These girls include Hannah Baker and Jessica Davis. Bryce rapes Hannah in a hot tub at one of his parties. He then rapes Jessica—who was dating his best friend—while she was half unconscious in her room during her party. Justin tries to stop Bryce from raping Jessica but fails. These scenes are disturbing; however, the show puts a warning before any episode with graphic scenes. In today's society, it is important that people be educated on the seriousness of sexual assault and/or rape. These things happen way more than they should and they need to stop. This show may even encourage victims to come forward and report what happened to them.

3. Alex's Suicide Attempt

Alex attempted to commit suicide but, thankfully, was unsuccessful. He shot himself in the head and was rushed to a hospital. Throughout season two, we see Alex recovering from this and how it affected him. This too is an important message. Alex realized that there were a lot of people who care about him and were glad he didn't die. He also had to struggle with everyone "walking on eggshells" around him for fear that they would set off another attempt. This is a difficult issue to address and the show does so very well.

4. Justin's Drug Addiction

Justin leaves town at the end of season one. In season two, Clay and Tony find him living in a shelter and addicted to heroin. They bring him back to town and Clay lets Justin stay with him. Clay and Tony enlist Tony's friend to detox Justin. We see just how hard and gross detox can be. Justin looks miserable doing those scenes. We also learn that addiction can be overcome if you have determination. He stayed determined because he thought Jessica wanted him back. At the end of the season, however, we see Justin start taking heroin again, injecting it now between his toes. This shows how hard it is to stay clean from an addiction. Maybe through seeing this, less teens will become drug addicts.

5. Tyler's Rape and School Shooting Attempt

After seeing that scene with the mop handle, everyone feels bad for Tyler Down. Tyler caused the football team to be cancelled. Because of this, some of the football players gang up on Tyler, smash his head into the bathroom sink and the mirror, shove his head in the toilet, and butt rape him with a mop handle. It is a very graphic scene. In my opinion, it's the hardest scene to watch. But it gives an explanation for Tyler's school shooting attempt and shows that men can get raped too. Yes. They can. The scene is brutal, but oh so powerful. And I applaud Devin Druid (who plays Tyler Down) for how believable he was in that scene. At the end of season two, we see Tyler go into his arsenal of guns and load himself up with bullets, guns, etc. He then proceeds to go to the school and start walking in. Thankfully, someone texted the gang and warned them. Clay, without hesitation, went outside and confronted Tyler. He pleaded with Tyler until he convinced him not to do it. Tyler then got in Tony's car and they drive away leaving Clay with the gun. This scene needed to happen. Gun violence is all to real these days. It also helps to see how Tyler was treated leading up to this event, so we can understand his motives. This is very important. It is very important to educate people on fun violence and show the seriousness of a school shooting.

All in all, 13 Reasons Why has lots of great messages for everyone watching. It's a great show that addresses real problems. I 100 percent recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. The cast is amazing and they do a great job of telling this story and tackling the tough stuff.

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About the Creator

Kayla Arnold

I write about pop culture. Tv shows, movies, music, celebrities, etc. I'm a major fangirl.

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