Thursday, April 28, 2011

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is the story of high school student Craig Gilner and how his ambition lead him to spiraling out of control, landing him in a mental hospital. Craig, who merely wanted to succeed at life, decides that going to the right high school will help him land a spot at a good college which will then get him a good job. He studies nonstop and is granted admission into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School. However, once there, Craig becomes overwhelmed with what's expected of him academically. The pressure of school causes Craig to stop eating, stop sleeping, and begin using drugs with so-called "friends." One night, he decides he has finally had enough and decides that he is going to kill himself. Just before he jumps off a bridge, Craig calls a suicide hot-line and is then admitted into a psychiatric hospital. He meets the other patients, who have problems of their own, and gets the support of his worried family. Craig finds that drawing helps him cope with his anxiety and soon recovers and leaves the hospital.

1.) Craig gets a phone call from his best friend, Aaron, during one of his first nights in the hospital. Aaron is with a bunch of Craig's other friends as he talks with Craig. Aaron doesn't quite understand why Craig is in the hospital and believes his problem is that he just needs to calm down more. If one of your friends went into a psychiatric hospital, how would you handle it?
2.) In the book, Craig meets a lot of the other patients, like a man who is scared of gravity and a girl who cut her face up with scissors, who are staying at the hospital. Though most are older than him, Craig is able to make friends with them. If you were in Craig's position would you try to make friends with the other patients who may not seem so normal?

11 comments:

Abby M. 1-2 said...

2. I guess that I would just try to remember that though the people don't really seem normal too me, there is no real definition of normal anyway. And maybe in the end it doesn't really matter if you are "normal" or not.

Sarah N. 7-8 said...

1. I think that if one of my friends ended up in a psychiatric hospital I would still try and support them, so that they could recover.

2. I think that in the beginning I would be scared and only focused on my own recovery. However, I think that eventually it would get lonely (only focussing on yourself). I also think that you could use one another for strength and support.

Sara D. 7-8 said...

2. I agree with Sarah. I would be scared of them and I'd feel like I don't really belong there. Eventually, I would have to accept the fact that everyone has problems and the other patients aren't any different then me, so I would try to become friends with them.

Laura P 7-8 said...

1.) Sarah I agree with trying to support one of your friends if they went into a psychiatric hospital, because support is probably something they need.

Laura P 7-8 said...

2.) Abby, I agree that there is no real definition of normal and i also agree with Sara and Sarah that at first I would feel out of place, but I would hope that eventually I would try to befriend them.

Jacob C. 1-2 said...

1. I would offer support and assistance to my friend.

2. I think it would be very difficult for me to make friends with people just because of the fact that they are so different.

Madi Y 7-8 said...

1) If I had a friend in the hospital, I think I would try my best to care for them and be there for them. I would not make a big deal about it or put them down because of it.
2)I think I would. Everyone in the hospital needs friends. And each of them obviously had their own issues.

Nathan S. 7-8 said...

2) I would definitely make friends. They sound like highly entertaining people, and most of my friends are borderline insane anyway.

Heather B. 1-2 said...

1.) I would hope that I could be supportive, because it is obviously not the fault of the person. I hope I would have the strength to be the friend that the person needed.

2.) I would hope I could make friends with the other people, because I think having friends would make it more possible to live and survive in a place like that, than trying to do it alone.

Rafiq O. 1-2 said...

1.) I'd be genuinely concerned and a little worried.

2.)Yeah! Beats being by myself :) Plus, I'm sure they have some great stories to tell :)

Anna W. 1-2 said...

1. If one of my friends went into a psychiaric hospital, I would be concerned for their mental health and well being. I would try my best to help them through what put them in the hospital in the first place.

2. I think if I were in Craig's position, I would talk with the other patients and try to be supporitive. However, you need friends who are a good influence on you, so I think the real decision if I would become real friends with them if they weren't a danger to me.