Nonfiction Reading Response
After reading the article "Have Phoebe Prince's Bullies Suffered Enough?" by Jessica Bennett, I've learned how far bullying could sometimes go. Phoebe Price was a 15-year-old girl who hung herself in January 2010. After learning how she hung herself, my heart opened up to her. I can't imagine how her parents and siblings must of felt. If I were them, I would be devastated. "What appear to be the worst of their crimes involved repeated taunts of "whore" and "Irish slut" (Phoebe had immigrated from Ireland); threats to "beat Phoebe up"; and, on the day of her death, a crumpled soda can tossed toward her from the window of a moving car, which left Phoebe in tears (Bennett 1). According to the article "Have Phoebe Prince's Bullies Suffered Enough?,when Phoebe got home that afternoon, she texted a friend: "I can’t do it anymore." At 4:30 p.m., her sister found her body, hanging from the scarf she'd given her for Christmas. (Bennett 1)
I think author wants her readers to think about how serious bullying can really be. Whether it's physical bullying, cyber bullying , or emotional bullying, it's hurtful. Phoebe has suffered the bullying since her freshman year in South Hadley, her high school. According to "Have Phoebe Prince's Bullies Suffered Enough? (Bennett 1), students Ashley Longe and Sharon Velasquez engaged in what then-DA Scheibel described as a "nearly three-month campaign" of verbal assault and physical threats against Phoebe.
I can understand how much Phoebe was hurt. She was torn apart. Everyone has those horrible days, but she had them everyday for a while. If something is wrong, let someone know. A parent, teacher, friend, or sibling. I think the author wants us readers to truly understand how serious bullying is. Bullying can be taken to a whole other level. Bullying is wrong, hurtful, mean, and even selfish in a way. Selfish because words or hurting someone could lead to making them make choices such as commenting suicide. I think more schools should have stricter rules about bullying.
I can understand how much Phoebe was hurt. She was torn apart. Everyone has those horrible days, but she had them everyday for a while. If something is wrong, let someone know. A parent, teacher, friend, or sibling. I think the author wants us readers to truly understand how serious bullying is. Bullying can be taken to a whole other level. Bullying is wrong, hurtful, mean, and even selfish in a way. Selfish because words or hurting someone could lead to making them make choices such as commenting suicide. I think more schools should have stricter rules about bullying.
This article has changed my view towards bullying. I learned the severity of bullying and how easily it can change someones life. This article has made me appreciate that I have people I can tell anything to and a safe-friendly school. This reminds me of when I read an article about a girl who committed suicide in 2012. After I read about that I was very sad. Many people commit suicide because of bullying. I think bullying should be stopped. It just takes one person at a time.
Work Cited
Bennett, Jessica. "Have Phoebe Prince's Bullies Suffered Enough?" The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 06 May 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
