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Young Adult
简体
Young Adult
青少年

How to Make Comparisons

Date: Jan 24 2012

Themes: School

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

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Most people are happy to leave high school behind and begin their adult lives. But in the new movie Young Adult, the main character is a woman whose grown up life hasn’t yet started, even though she’s been out of high school for years.

In the film, Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, an author of young adult novels, who acts more like the teenagers in her books than a mature woman. When Mavis decides that her high school sweetheart was really her soul mate, she returns to her hometown to try to win him back—even though he’s already happily married and the proud father of a baby daughter. Hear Amy and Jason talk about Young Adult, and their own experiences in high school.

大多数人对离开高中,开始他们的成年生活而感到高兴。但是在新电影《青少年》 (Young Adult)中,女主角尽管已经离开高中多年,但是她的成年生活还没有开始。
影片中,查理兹·塞隆 (Charlize Theron) 饰演的梅维斯·加里 (Mavis Gary) 是一位青少年小说作家,她的行为更像在自己书中所写的青少年而不是成熟的女性。当梅维斯发现她高中时候的男友就是她真正的灵魂伴侣时,她决定重返家乡并试图重新获得他的爱。但他此时已拥有美满的婚姻并且已经是一个小女孩的父亲。听听艾米和詹森谈论《青少年》 (Young Adult),以及他们各自的高中经历。

Dialog

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Jason

Jason

Amy

Amy

Jason:  Young adult novels seem to be popular now with people who aren’t even young adults.

Amy:  It’s true, I mean, Twilight, that definitely has crossed over.

Jason:  Yeah. Why is that? I mean, what’s with the young adult scene?

Amy:  I don’t know. Maybe there are a lot of people out there who just haven’t grown up.

Jason:  Huh.

Amy:  Yeah, it’s like that new movie Young Adult.

Jason:  What’s that about?

Amy:  Well, it’s about a writer of young adult novels who kind of hasn’t grown up herself. She still wishes she were back in high school. And she’s kind of this mean girl who was really popular in high school, and just hasn’t done very much with her life. So she ends up going back to her hometown and trying to win back her high school boyfriend, who’s now married with a baby.

Jason:  Oh. It’s interesting to me that she idealizes high school, because I always suspected that writers of young adult novels actually had a really bad high school experience, and that they were sort of compensating for it by writing about it in their adulthood.

Amy:  Right.

Jason:  Because it seems like the heroes of those books are often awkward outcasts.

Amy:  I agree that it’s weird. Like, she is not a character who I could identify with, because I was definitely happy to be done with high school, and would never look back on those years as the best years of my life. You know, I feel like it’s so much easier to be out of high school.

Jason:  Wow. Yeah.

 

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Discussion

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Jason talks about the popularity of young adult novels, or novels written for and about teenagers. He says that many adults enjoy these novels, as well as younger people. Amy thinks these books might be popular with adults who haven’t fully grown up, like the main character in the new movie Young Adult.

In the film, an author of young adult novels who was popular but mean in high school returns to her hometown. She feels that high school was the best time of her life, and she wants to win back her high school boyfriend, who is now married to someone else.

Amy says she couldn’t identify with the main character in Young Adult, because she was happy to be done with high school. She doesn’t think she would ever want to return to that time in her life.
What was your high school experience like? Would you ever want to go back to high school? If you’re in high school now, are you looking forward to leaving high school?

 

Comments

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 julito

julito

Argentina

Interesting, I was about to ask the same question. did  Fernandinha´s mother  set an example by fairly grading her daughter´s notes.    

02:11 PM Jan 24 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

How was your mother grading your test Fernandinha? , was she more lenient towards you …


 

02:07 PM Jan 24 2012 |

Fernandinha

Brazil

High school was my first step to freedom.

That’s because in primary school I was student of my mom (she was the math teacher in the school) and I was in a kind of “Big Brother show” in the school. Everything I did right or wrong, every sneeze and yawn my mother knew. Such a nightmare! Hehehehe. (Of course nowadays my mom and I laugh about that situation and assume our mistakes)

But in high shool things changed. I changed the school and I was on my own. My grades were excellent and I was more confortable. My experience there was great.

College was the second step to freedom and it was an amazing part of my life.

Anyway, although these period of my life were great, I would not go back to any of them. My time is right here right now.

01:51 PM Jan 24 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

The character of this film really took the act of stalking to a whole new level. There’s a term that would fit her well, a home wrecker. But I haven’t watched the movie so I’ll try not to be too judgmental on her. However, I just couldn’t resist the need to rant about this whole scenario. : )



What makes her think she has any right to break up two people that are obviously fully rooted in a promising relationship? Maybe she was the attractive girl in high school all the guys tried to court, and possibly this one guy was among the ones who got kicked to the curb because he didn’t meet whatever standards she had back then. So the guy had accepted the fact that she was probably out of his league, and found someone else. And now by God, he’s happily married with a kid on the way. You see that all the time, the high school hottie ends up being the adult loner or the frantic stalker. What she fails to understand is that you can’t force someone to love you at the snap of a finger, or at any given time you find fit for your own sake. I understand she’s an author and she sort of had an overdose of her love story fantasies medicine, and now she can’t seem to split apart reality and fiction. She might also be aware that with her bombshell looks; no guy can resist any of her advances. That’s not always the case, and seducing is not always the right thing to do. But she’s taking her chances.



On the flip side, if the guy still has dear feelings for her and wishes she were the one he had married, the girl she would have liked to conceive his kid, it’d be a different ball game. Having the girl of your dream throwing herself at you, might seems very tempting and hard to ignore. Now it’s up to the guy to really decide whether or not he wants to dump his wife for a girl he hasn’t been in touch with since High School. If the guy has any sense of good judgment and responsibility, he would know that’s a risk he shouldn’t take. I would advise him strongly not to fall under the paws of this femme fatale and save his marriage. Or maybe fill out a lawsuit against her for meddling into his family affairs.



(I don’t know where Hollywood has been drawing their inspirations from lately. But all these latest movies are mostly about some unlikely romance situations. I mean who on earth would be driven to do such thing? But I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that this guy had fallen head over heel over her once more, and thrown his marriage out the window to satisfy a life-long lust, and had made out with his high school angel.)  :—)


Now tackling the subject of immaturity and dwelling on the past. I don’t know if this one of the perks of Middle Age Crisis, but very often I hear of some mothers who try to keep up with their teenage daughters. I mean, they have some kind of subtle competition between them, like they’ll wear the same outfit and see who gets the most compliments. Some mothers would go as far as to try and seduce their daughters’ boyfriends… (Okay; this is getting out of hand here, this is not Jerry Springer Show, this is English, Baby.Cut it off). I understand there are crazy people out there, true, in hindsight; I’ve heard some men claim that they get approached by more women when they’re clearly wearing their wedding rings. Is it a myth or a fact? If so what’s the attraction about this whole theory?






Speaking of which, I’d like to know how Jason’s wedding preparation coming along.
The past two lessons featured him and Amy, that’s a pattern I find quite suspicious
Ok, ok I’m just stirring up stuff…. Tongue out

01:31 PM Jan 24 2012 |

clutchmann

clutchmann

Hungary

I had some good moments when I was a student in my secondary school but if I summarize my era there it is better to be adult.


My memories are much more better about my university studies. I often remember those years because I felt more freedom there.

01:00 PM Jan 24 2012 |

Zaccarias

Zaccarias

Brazil

It’s true that everyone has a piece part of childhood alive inside. Jesus taught us to live likewise a child. The nostalgia is not a bad feeling, but is bad to live in nostalgia. C. S. Lewis explains that “There are better things ahead than any we leave behind”. The life goes on…


When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. Now we see only an indistinct image in a mirror, but then we will be face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1Corinthians 13:11-13)


May God bless you all.

12:57 PM Jan 24 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

Kotleysa , I owe you one, the next coffee is on me.    thanks

12:05 PM Jan 24 2012 |

1 person likes this

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Julito, the well-educated person is not a sign to be privileged in the society. I have two good friends, which have no education except of school education, but they are interesting and clever people to have a friendship with. They work hard and they enjoy their lives. Well -educated people are often  too proud of themselves, but in fact  there is nothing to be proud about. They tend to exaggerate their own position.  

12:01 PM Jan 24 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

In argentina is the same as in Belarus,  first stage is Elementary school (mandate)    then high school and  University. I understand Kotleysa, the tough  part is the last one. tons of coffee  and cold feet..   I have only gone  to elementary ,we were poor and had to work , ehh julito  no excuses . you were lazy. hehe

11:53 AM Jan 24 2012 |

1 person likes this

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

First of all, Belarus has slight different pattern of education than it is in USA and other countries. The conception as “primary school” and “high school” has informal character.  I mean  Belarussian children start their school life at 6 years old and their studying lasts 11 years at school. They finish the whole course of school education at 17 years old. The school education has 11 classes (grades). The first four classes it is so-called “primary” school inside the whole course of the school education. I suppose the primary school in USA has its own building. The high school has its own building as well. Belarussian schools have one building where “primary” and “high” school operate together. Such system has the advantages and disadvantages of course, but we got used to that system, because  it has been invented at the time when our grandparents were kids themselves. Eventually, in case you successfully finished school ( it means 11 years of studying), you can try to take preliminary exams to the University. It is not easy to became a student of University, because it is not easy to pass the exams. I hope the same situation exists in many countries with exams. Amy, you are right it is much easier to be out of high school, but believe me it is much and much and much easier to be out of University, because the hectic students life, with a “cold feet” before each exam ( even when you confident that you know 100%) takes all power away. You become completely “breathless” from the studying. I recollect my University days as a learning day and night. My friends , other students and I have no time for the leisure. Sometimes we somehow were able to arrange the parties to forget about our heavy “session of exams” we have successfully passed.  The positive moment in the school life and University lives it is our youth. This word can’t be compared with anything else. The first true friendship, the first love and the first step to the adult life. Each age has its own advantages but the school and University years are the brightest ones.Smile

11:19 AM Jan 24 2012 |

harry india

India

Nice

10:45 AM Jan 24 2012 |

serena_xu

China

My high school is awesome.There I met my best friend and got to know her well.I especially enjoyed the first year of high school.The new environment was so exciting.I had this secret crush with one of my classmate and we got along very well.He was funny.At one time,he sat across me and had his mouth watering,acting like he was so much into me that he couldn’t help drooling over my beauty.Unfortunatily, we were set apart the second year because he wished to study science and I prefered arts.So we were designated to different classes.I never told him that I liked him and I still think it’s very romantic by doing so.Yes,I want to go back to it if I can.But that’s not gonna happen in real life.Just a thought.

09:00 AM Jan 24 2012 |

AUL

AUL

Azerbaijan

I havent watched the movie but i can say thatyoung adult relating to the condition that person grew up


i m teenager baby :) Thanks To GOD I have no reason for beeing young adult

06:43 AM Jan 24 2012 |

1 person likes this

ola33

ola33

Japan

I didn’t watch the movie, so it’s difficult to comment. But what I think is that Mavis Gary has got a midlife or early midlife crises and when you  have it, the’re some unexpectable and unpredictable things happen. A person is trying to find his/her happiness no matter what, sometimes beleiving in his/her own lies, like that woman decided that he’s the only one in this world and is struck to be her soul mate. Good gracious! There’re many men around, eh? Not only the high school mates. Well, it’s true also, love is kind of a sickness, right, Julito. When you head over heels in love with someone, you can’t think reasonably. And I love Charlize Theron as an actress. She’s adorable. Well, just offering my sympathetic shoulder…  


 

03:23 AM Jan 24 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

The character of this film is not only immature ,she is also sick. Winning back the love of her high school  times  at the cost of ruining a well-settled family ?  the whole thing sucks.

06:55 PM Jan 23 2012 |

bernard90

bernard90

Russian Federation

I also like Amy can not identify with the main character of this film. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t happy at school. I was pretty popular and it’s unforgettable period of time in my life.  But… Now I have another life, not better then at school, that’s shouldn’t to compare, it’s smth another and interesting. I suppose only people who cannot realize themselves wanе to come back to school and what is the most srazy to win back somebody.

12:25 PM Jan 23 2012 |

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