NCJ Number
117041
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Literature and creative writing can be tools for adolescents to use when they confront their feelings about suicide.
Abstract
The author, an English teacher, has taught Romeo and Juliet for more than 15 years without focusing much direct attention on the issue of suicide. After a suicide and a suicide attempt among students at her school, she reconsidered her approach to the play. She also interviewed the school's counselor, social worker, and substance abuse specialist to learn more about the pressures that lead teenagers to try suicide, the clues that someone may be suicidal, and ways to use this information in teaching. Articles in the media have also noted factors underlying teenage stress and risk-taking behavior. Some ways to incorporate this information in classroom activities are to use a survey of common statements about suicide, writing interior monologues for Romeo and Juliet, distributing a checklist of the pressures and danger signs of suicide, and conducting role plays using the characters from the play. Teachers should also reassure students that telling on someone will probably not destroy their friendship.