From a young age, one of the first few questions we are asked is the following: “what do you want to be when you grow up?” While most children push such a thought to the side, this question slowly appears more often in different shapes and forms as we age. Eventually, by the time of college applications, the thought of our future is forced to the forefront of our mind. The simple thought of which college to choose slowly spirals into more convoluted and brain numbing questions that will only leave the individual stressed and lost in thought.
One of the art pieces I’ve been contemplating on choosing is a graphic novel called Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi (December 2017-Present). This series depicts the coming-of-age story of a senior in high school trying to find his place in society. After an eye opening encounter with a fellow classmate’s painting, he made the spontaneous decision to pursue an education and career in art. However, this decision doesn’t come without failure. Alongside a multitude of obstacles, the series tackles various themes such as the desire to be understood, the dichotomy of hardwork v.s. Talent, the discovery of oneself, and the management of stress and mental health. I chose this particular series/artwork because I believe that anyone who has ever experienced the stress of college applications or been conflicted with their life choices can truly relate/empathize with the story and its themes. I plan on using the themes and issues depicted in the series to portray the social and political issue of mental distress in relation to maturing/growing older[Thesis]. While I do think this could be an interesting topic to write about, I need to make sure that the essay is more than just a book report while also expanding on the ideas I plan to incorporate.
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Period-1-Tsubasa-Yamaguchi/dp/1646511123
I think this is a great topic because it is relevant to most teenagers as they all need to experience a transition from a kid to an adult. Mental health is important because it greatly impacts an individual’s life.
This sounds really beautiful Athan! I would approach the paper thinking of it primarily as an inquiry into the modern day teenager/ young adult, and the challenges (social, political, economic) that uniquely face this generation, and which may not have faced generations previous. You can use this text as your primary jumping off point or foundation through which to explore these open-ended ideas. Excited to see where you go with this!