The 21st century literature consists of genres ranging from romance to horror, but the most popular genre is dystopian societies. The award winning series, Divergent, is a story about a crumbling society with a corrupt government who tries to take control of their people. The plot begins with a test… the aptitude test. This test is taken by teens when they turn 16 to help them choose their path in life, however if they fail this test, they are shunned from society and doomed to live “factionless” for the rest of their life.
Teenage students nowadays are pressured into taking a life changing test themselves, the SAT. Run by a corporation who seeks only money in life, our society is now based on the one thing that ruined Divergent’s. If you pass, you’re in. But if you fail, who knows where life will take you.
According to NPR news, “adolescent-medicine specialist Kenneth Ginsburg, who authored the report, says more and more teens are being sidelined by anxiety and depression.”
Anxiety and depression can greatly affect a teens life. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “ Children with depression may display these symptoms: difficulty sleeping or concentrating, change in grades, getting in trouble at school, or refusing to go to school, mood swings, withdrawal from friends and activities, etc.”
So why should teenagers be put through all this stress for one test? Why should a students college dreams rely on one test? A GPA does not solely rely on one test, it is based on a cumulative grade report and how a student performs in school. Therefore, a requirement for college should be based on a student’s performance in an educational environment, not on a 4 hour test.
Today’s society is slowly succumbing to the fears literature hopes to tell.