Task 5 - Essay Plan . . .

Para 1: Introduction

In this paragraph, I will introduce what my critical investigation is and explain that I will be coming to a conclusion to see how the representation of teenagers has changed over time and are teenagers being represented in a positive way or negative way. I will be also mentioning in this paragraph that I will be looking at this on the basis of a historical text and a recent text which will allow me to see the difference of the way in which teen genre films are being shown. (G, R, H)

Para 2: What are the stereotypes of teenagers?

In this paragraph, I will be explaining the basic representations that has begun of teenagers and how this is being influenced by different institutions in Hollywood as I will be able to see the difference is how institutions are portraying teenagers for example, are the reinforcing stereotypes or challenging them. In this paragraph, I will also mention the texts that I will be looking at that have represented teenagers which will be contemporary texts and this will realte to the semiotics theory as what connotations are being created of teenagers. For example, 17 Again, Super Bad and High School Musical. I will explain them briefly to show what representations are being created. In this paragraph, I can also fit in the quote "Lewis (1992) sees the teen film as addressing major issues like alienation, delinquency, rebellion, sex and gender, consumption and nostalgia". (G, R, I)

Para 3: How has the representation of teenagers changed over time?

In this paragraph, I will be comparing my historical and current text which will mean that I can look at how the representation of teenagers has changed in Hollywood over time. This will make it more clear as to what changes have occured over time and how the clothing, attitude of teenagers have changed over the time and the use of propps. I will also look at SHEP in this paragraph and see what is changing and happening. This will result to me being able to see is there a positive change or a negative change. This will link to the news and different realities issue as the way in which teenagers are being represented in films, is it reflecting the news view of teenagers? and it will also relate to the violence in the media issue as is there more violence in current films now. Also, if the change is negative, I will be able to fit in this quote "During the course of the twentieth century in America and elsewhere in the industrialized west, a series of social policies, practices and institutions have increasingly begun to treat those under 20 as both distinct and separate from adults, two key terms have emerged in America to mark it: 'adolescence' (term used by psychologist G.Stanley Hall in 1904) and 'teenager' (a term first used in the popular press in the 1920's)." (M, R A, S ,H, E, P)

Para 4: Is this representation resulting to moral panics and all Hollywood productions looking at teenagers in this way?

In this paragraph, I will be looking at whether this representation of teenagers is causing a moral panic and resulting to all Hollywood institutions representing teenagers in this way. This will link to the marxism and hegemony theory as it looks at the way in which the representations can construct the view of the audience. I will need to look at how teenagers are typically being represented in Hollywood films and how this is having a impact on the audience. This will link to the quote "Stan Cohen argued that the media labelled youth culture in a stereotyped and negative way, thus creating "folk devils" and were reported in a way to create a moral panic." (R, A)

Para 5: Conclusion

In my last paragraph I will be coming to a conclusion and looking at how teenagers have been represented in Hollywood films and how it has changed over time. I will be concluding whether it is a negative representation or positive that has changed over time and what are the social factors concerned with this. This will allow me to come to a decision of the representation of teenagers based on whether it has changed in a good way or not. "Martin Barker (1998) goes further, to the extent of dismissing the concept of the stereotype as a 'useless tool for investigating texts'. Its first objection is that stereotypes are condemned both for misrepresenting the 'real world'." I can fit in this quote in this paragraph to back up what I am saying in my conclusion. (R,S, H)