One
in seven students in America have either been bullied or have bullied someone
else in their lifetime. Over half of students in various schools have personally
witnessed an act of bullying occur. From these statistics we can see that
bullying seems to be a major problem in our society today. However, bullies are
not just modern villains, bullies have been around for a very long time, as we
can see in Edgar Allen Poe’s short story Hop Frog which took place
around the 16th century. In the story Hop Frog the act of
bullying and its repercussions can easily be made relevant to current young
readers that deal with bullying on a daily basis.
In the short story of Hop Frog, the main character
named Hop Frog is a dwarf and a cripple who is tortured relentlessly by the
cruel and rotund King and his council. Hop Frog, as the King’s jester is
forced to do ridiculous things usually against his will. At one point during
the story the King forces Hop Frog to take a sip of wine. Wine is a torturous
substance for Hop Frog that makes him go crazy to the point of insanity. The
fact that the King forces Hop Frog to do something that he begs not to do is a
common act of bullying that occurs often in modern schoolyard situations. Many
students and young adults all across the country experience this sort of
brutish harassment. Walking to lunch one day a student may encounter a bully
that forces them to give up their lunch money leaving them hungry and
vulnerable. When students get older and move onto college there is still
instances of bullying, for example, in fraternities the act of hazing can be
seen as an act of victimization that can cause some psychological and physical damage.
Bullying has always been around and the fact that it is a theme in Hop Frog shows
this idea. It also shows that Edgar Allen Poe’s short story is still relevant
to the young people of today because we can learn a lot from events of
the past. History does not always have to repeat itself, bullying can stop if
people realize that harmful things can come of it.
Another aspect of the short story Hop Frog that is
pertinent in today’s young society is the idea of revenge that greatly goes
along with bullying. In the case of Hop Frog, after being tortured by the King
and having his companion physically harmed by him, Hop Frog decides to take
revenge. In his insanity Hop Frog decides to trick the King and his companions
and have them cover themselves in tar, chain themselves together, and act like
monkeys. In the end he humiliates them and sets them on fire in his rage,
basically burning them to a crisp. In todays society revenge might not be
quite so deranged but it is prominent among the young adult population.
Even outside of the context of bullying, revenge is an act used by many
people in certain situations. In many extreme cases of bullying the
victim will often take action and seek revenge on their bullies. For example,
the Columbine massacre occurred because the killers were bullied in school and
they wanted to take revenge upon their classmates. In one bullying
statistic it is said that revenge after being bullied is the main motivation
for school shootings. Revenge for bullying is a tragic but somewhat common
theme in society today, and the events that occur in Hop Frog greatly
correlate to the problems occurring with young people today.
The story of Hop Frog written by
Edgar Allen Poe years ago is still relevant to the world of young people today.
The themes and the characters that Poe creates in the story are significant to
young adults today because they resemble what is going on now and they show the
disastrous affects of bullying and revenge. Young people that have been bullied
can look to Hop Frog and see that his actions were a little drastic and they
can learn that revenge does not need to be so lethal. They can also look to see
that they are not alone as victims. People have been bullied for a very long
time, since the very beggining of time, and we can see this in the story of Hop
Frog.
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