ABOUT THE PROJECT
by: Karli Wachtel
The purpose of this project is to be able to observe the ways in which adolescents express themselves over history and what motivates them to do so.
Writing is such a powerful mode of communication and writing in a diary, whether it is a traditional hard copy or a modern digital version, provides adolescents with an outlet from their everyday life struggles.
The primary sources are meant to demonstrate how youths use diary writing in different contexts to cope with their surroundings, thoughts and emotions, and occasional loneliness.
The secondary resources used throughout this project are meant to aid in analyzing primary texts as well as to help readers understand the motivations that today's youths have in using social media as a means for logging their thoughts.
AMST-401/ENGL-380: Literature for the Adolescent
Final Assignment
Over the course of the semester, one of the overarching themes that was integrated throughout every read text was the freedom of adolescent self-expression and reflection. From The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, to Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank, adolescents constantly grappled with the pedagogical role adults assume, looking to find a place to share their personal stories and internal thoughts without judgment.
I believe that the rawest form of self-expression emerges from the diary format because the words on the page come directly from the mind of the adolescent. The Diary of a Young Girl was a text that showed the continuous development of a young mind, allowing readers to feel what the writer, Anne Frank, felt and not just see it. In this story, Anne has to be quiet in many ways -- literally and emotionally -- so she finds a haven in her diary where she can spill her inner thoughts while simultaneously preserving her story.
With digital platforms being integrated into almost every form of society, I wanted to explore the transition between diary writing in the traditional form to the digital form; specifically looking at adolescents’ utilization of blogs and social media. After research, it seems as if the motivation to express oneself is consistent but the words that are actually used rely upon whether or not the writer anticipates the content being public or private. The traditional writing examples I observed through my research demonstrates that youth look to find solace in their diary space when they are going through an impactful life event. Adolescent words are raw on the page because they are in need of an outlet. With the integration of digital mediums, however, every person’s voice is amplified. The frequency at which people can write and publish their words and thoughts are unlimited. Now, while adolescents can use the digital space like a diary, their words are widely accessible by the public eye -- particularly their personal network. With this in mind, adolescents write each word knowing that their audience will perceive them in a particular way because of it, whereas traditional diary writers write freely without caring about the public eye. This here is the main difference between traditional and modern diary writing.
Holding constant, however, is adolescents' inspiration to speak out and document their stories in the face of struggle.
I crafted my thoughts for this project, into a blog to embrace the modern technique of diary writing I explored.