Maisha Mashtura            
Professor Pastore
English Composition 11000
14 March 2022
The Controversy Behind “13 Reasons Why”
13 Reasons Why is a book and a show that follows the story of a teen named Hannah Baker who committed suicide. It highlights the events leading up to her suicide; bullying, sexual assault, and inadequate resources and support from adults. The book and its show adaptation was released to raise awareness about mental health problems among young adults. Some believe this show opened up conversations about teen suicide that were much needed. On the other hand, others believe it was detrimental to the cause as it glamorized suicide and led to an increased teen suicide rate. This essay explores 4 articles that have various stances on the topic, and the rhetorical principles present in those articles used to establish its point.
My first source is an article from The New Yorker magazine titled Netflix and Suicide: The Disturbing Examples of “13 Reasons Why”. This article explores why “13 Reasons Why” should not have been released and the consequences of its release. The author makes note of many studies that were cautious about the release of this show, as it may lead to an increase in teen suicide. He analyzes the possible reasoning behind a 30% spike in teen suicide rate following the premier of the show. The article also shows various studies that contradicts the idea that there is a correlation between the show and the rate of teen suicide. However, the author points out the obvious relationship between pop-culture and its consequences on the real world.
Lastly, the author ponders upon Netflix’s decision to release this show despite having many
reasons not to. He acknowledges the show’s primary intention of release being to raise awareness about mental health issues but also comments on Netflix’s ability to “apologize without consequences” (Marche). Finally, the author makes remarks about the show’s remarkable popularity and profit and upcoming release of a new season. The author of this article is Stephen Marche, who has written many articles for The New Yorker. The author is credible because he makes it a point to reference many studies throughout his article and uses direct quotes. The audience of this article is the general public as the content of the article can be useful to any teens or their guardians. The purpose of this article is to show the possible real life consequences of shows that are made to raise awareness. It also shows how Netflix will continue to prioritize profit that comes from making the shows, despite having studies that depict the detrimental effect the show has on teens battling mental health issues. The tone of this article is critical, pessimistic, and sarcastic at times. The author makes lighthearted critical remarks at Netflix that come off as sarcastic. He quotes how Netflix plans to handle these sensitive issues responsibly and then says, “Except, of course, when it comes to the option of not doing the show at all” (Marche).  This shows his negative stance on the topic, which is that the best resolution is that Netflix should not have released the show. He also asks rhetorical questions such as, “If you cared, why didn’t you listen to the people who knew what they were talking about? If you listened, why didn’t you stop?”(Marche). These questions are critical of Netflix’s ignorance of the studies that warned them about the possible increase in the suicide rate if the show was released. The article ends with a pessimistic tone as it states, “‘13 Reasons Why’ was a hit. No number of potentially associated deaths will change that. The release of Season 3…will no doubt follow soon enough” (Marche). The genre of this article is magazine, and the medium used is
online. The physical copies of this magazine can also be found. This medium features studies, pictures, and direct quotes. This article was released on May 6th, 2019. This piece was released during a time where teen suicide was a prevalent topic, as teen suicide became the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds in in 2018 (Explore Teen Suicide). The cultural expectation for this article is to be informative, formal, and thoroughly researched. 

My second source is an academic journal titled Why We Must Defend Suicide in Fiction. This article defends the show 13 Reasons Whyagainst those who are critical of the topic of the show by talking about how it raised mental health awareness among teens by addressing the variety of issues they face due to social media and lack of response from adults.  The authors of this text are Marco Scalvini who is a credible lecturer working at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Flandina Rigamonti who is a psychodynamic psychotherapist and counselor. The target audience for this article is the general public, more specifically “Arendt and colleagues” who wrote about creating regulation the way suicide is depicted on screen as well as “parents, educators, and therapists” (Scalvini, Rigamonti 1). The purpose of this article is to inform people about how 13 Reasons Why “reflect on the problems of teenagers in the age of social media” and “tackles suicide and opens a dialogue with those most in need of it” (Scalvini, Rigamonti 1). The authors take an approving stance on the show and are critical of those against the depiction of suicide in media. They use an accusing tone towards those the adults to convey their stance, stating their disapproving view of the show is due to their “failure to confront their own children” (Scalvini, Rigamonti 1). The article was released on October 18, 2017 after the show’s release caused backlash in the media. The genre of this article is a journal article and the medium is online.
My third source is a New York Times article titled In Month After ‘13 Reasons Why’ Debut on Netflix, Study Finds Teen Suicide Grew. This article provides insight on how the show 13 Reasons Why affected the teen suicide rate, if there is a correlation between them, along with statistics and expert opinions from studies published. The author of this article is Benedict Carey who is credible because he has written for many reputable newspapers such as New York Times and Los Angeles Times. The audience of this article is the general public, more specifically those concerned about the outcome of the show’s release in terms of teen suicide rate. The purpose of this article is to show the various responses followed by the release of the show. It states the show “alarmed many health experts, who believe it glamorizes the topic for some young people” while on the other hand it also “impressed critics, along with viewers young and old, who see it as an honest portrayal of adolescent distress” (Carey). The tone of this article is straightforward and informative, providing study finding and statistic to determine whether there is a correlation between the show and teen suicide. The author’s stance is neutral as he counteracts each study with an opposing finding and never directly supports one opinion over another. The article was released on April 29, 2019, following the release of many of the research articles published about the correlation between 13 Reasons Why and teen suicide. The genre of the article is newspaper and the medium is online. This newspaper is also available in a physical form and the article features many quotes and statistics from studies.  
The fourth source is a journal article titled Teacher to Teacher: What Literature Fosters the Examination of Bullying Behaviors?. This article explores how literatures about bullying and suicide can be used as a learning tool for students who experiences many forms of bullying in their everyday life. The authors of this article are Katina Childers and Annamary Consalvo, who both have a PhD and are high school teachers. Their target audience are teachers who intend to use the book 13 Reasons Why to teach students about bullying through a different perspective, which is clear because the title states “Teacher to Teacher”. The purpose of this article is to show how literature can be used to help students “critically consider actions and consequences” when it comes to bullying and being bullied (Childers, Consalvo 2). The authors have a positive stance on the book’s portrayal of bullying and its ability to help readers “examine the character of characters through the flexible distancing of an imagined world where readers can critically reflect on the character’s action” (Childers, Consalvo 2). The tone of the article is encouraging as the article offers the following advice as well as many others, “Teachers can invite students to consider the following: What would the same action of bullying look like in your school?” (Childers, Consalvo 2). The article was released in July 2012, which was after the book was placed on the “top ten (book ban) list in 2012 for drug and alcohol use, sexual content, suicide, and being unsuited for age group” (Gomez). The genre of this article is a journal article and the medium is online, featuring quotes and pictures. 
The four sources provided various perspectives on the effects of 13 Reasons Why. My first three sources all have the same audience, which is the general public. However, they all have a stance that counter one another. Marche would argue that Netflix should not have “publicized suicide narratives”, whereas Scalvini and Rigamonti would respond by saying those publication can be used to “demand the government to invest more in mental health services for young people”. Carey would list both points in his article, but stay neutral while stating, “Either way, more detailed work will be needed to make a conclusive case”. Carey’s stance does not work well in my opinion as it leaves the audience feeling ambivalent on the topic, not knowing whether to support 13 Reasons Why or not. Although the fourth source has a different audience of teachers, the authors would agree with Scalvini and Rigamonti’s point that educators “need to talk to children and young people openly, not censor what they read or view” (1). Childers and Consalvo would go on to say, the book helps students “examine how bullying affects students so profoundly the consequences can be life threatening” (2). Despite being of different genres, all the sources use an online medium. They are also all written with credible sources which is the cultural expectation for these articles as they are published on reputable platforms, such as academic websites and newspapers. 
Work Cited
Marche, Stephen, and Jia Tolentino. “Netflix and Suicide: The Disturbing Example of ‘13 Reasons Why.’” The New Yorker, 6 May 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/netflix-and-suicide-the-disturbing-example-of-13-reasons-why

“Explore Teen Suicide in the United States: 2021 Health of Women and Children Report.” America’s Health Rankings, https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/health-of- women-and-children/measure/teen_suicide/state/ALL. 

Scalvini, Marco, and Flandina Rigamonti. “Why We Must Defend Suicide in Fiction.” BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 359, BMJ, 8 October 2017,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26951589.

Carey, Benedict. “In Month after ’13 Reasons Why’ Debut on Netflix, Study Finds Teen Suicide Grew.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2019, 

Childers, Katina D., and Annamary Consalvo. “Teacher to Teacher: What Literature Fosters the Examination of Bullying Behaviors?” The English Journal, vol. 101, no. 6, National Council of  Teachers of English, 2012, pp. 26–27, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23269402.
Gomez, Betsy. “Banned Spotlight: Thirteen Reasons Why.” Banned Books Week, 17 Sept. 2018, https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-spotlight-thirteen-reasons-why/.