Clarissa Garza
Clarke
ENGL
12 October 2014
Analysis Paper: “Awkward”
Stereotypes come in many movies, episodes, and pure television. They send certain messages to the viewer’s explaining the causes of what us humans make fun of or label. In the television show awkward season four episode 12 we see the challenges of Jenna Hamilton. A former high school student who is now a senior hoping to make emends for her prior years of mishaps. This year she is being more involved in academics, preparing for college and fixing her relationship with her ex-lover Matty Mckibben. In season four, Matty involves himself with a new character by the name of Ava who is now conceived with his child. Through this seasons we begin to see the different stereotypes that are portraying high school students and what they’re faced at the beginning and end of their senior year (Awkward).
Everyone goes through the cycle of anticipating the first and last year of senior year to reassure your life and what is to come in the rest of the year. In the twelfth episode of season four, Jenna Hamilton begins her first day of high school for her senior year. The automactially start testing and getting focused in school since college are looking into choose students who have a high grade on their first final they take on the first day. Jenna’s best friend Tamara explains that she needs to get ready on focusing on her studies because it is the last grades of being accepted into college and is a big deal for her. She begins by telling her she needs to drink coffee and take concentration pills to focus since that’s what college students do to pass and get high grades (Awkward). This stereotype is used to offend college students thinking that all students use coffee or caffeine to boast up their energy so they can focus on class and work assignments. Some students can either drink coffee to keep them awake to pay attention in class and others can use a good night’s rest the day before and eat a good fueling breakfast in the morning. College is hard, but not enough where you need to constantly need materials to damage your body to focus in class to receive good grades and pass your academics.
When Jenna leaves from speaking to Tamara about her studies and tests, she comes across Matty and his new girlfriend Ava. Ava then rubs it in her face that she is pregnant by Matty to ruin Jenna’s emotions and hurt her. It is later announced to the school by the counselor that Ava is now expecting a child from Matty whom they both wanted to be kept a secret. The counselor then discusses how students who get pregnant in high school wouldn’t graduate, it would lower their GPA and they wouldn’t return after delivering the baby (Awkward). The stereotype given here is that all students that are in high school who are having a baby are not likely to graduate when they are eligible to graduate. Every mother is responsible for their education and it is given to them freely. They make the decision to graduate high school and furthering their academics, not all mothers seem to dropout. It is more a motive after delivering their child and returning back to school. It will not lower their GPA, many teachers and counselors now help students who are conceiving babies and help them reach their grades to a high level so they will be able to graduate on time with the class.
The last stereotype given in this episode is a former classmate that attends school with Jenna by the name of Lissa. Lissa is a former Christian who attends high