Where's the Spot for "Non-Dreamers"?

Where's the Spot for "Non-Dreamers"?
Opportunities, Goals, and a Better Tomorrow
Quote Interpretation
"There are tons of books about the popular kids and some books about geeks. How many books are there about average kids? Kids that are passing, aren't in clubs and have no clue what they will do after high school"

Wrapping up "Prom", by Laurie Halse Anderson, I feel that sometimes the characters may be more deeper than it looks. Ashley Hannigan as mentioned before is now forced to led the prom committee since Natalia, the original head is stuck in the wheelchair. After many days of hard work, begging, and suffering, the senior prom is finally ready. And yet, Mr. Gilroy banned her from going to the senior activities because of the mistakes she had made before. This made me referred to one of Ashley's old thought. "There are tons of books about the popular kids and some books about geeks. How many books are there about average kids? Kids that are passing, aren't in clubs and have no clue what they will do after high school." It made me feel about how the normal people always gets the least amount of attention, which is why they are always wandering around without a goal to achieve.

Ashley is nothing more than a regular student who attends a regular high school. I think that she feels lonely, like the school had gave up hope on her because of what she used to be, even though she is already starting to change, bit by bit. I'm surprised about the massive amount of books that I've read, which are mainly about popular kids with problems. If a popular kid or a smart geek forget to do his/her homework or fails his/her test, the teachers will always comfort them with nice words and encourage them to try harder next time. On the other hand, when a kid who always gets into troubles faces the same situation, the teacher may criticize them or threaten to call their parents. They basically don't stand a chance because they aren't expected to do more than what they have been doing. I feel that it's unfair because those are the people that actually needs the most attention. Someone popular or smart in the school are able to handle their problems better than the messed-up kids but people, even adults, tend like them smart ones more and give them lots of opportunities. It feels that not everyone is treated equally, even in the modern days.

To add on, I think that Anderson also meant to tell readers about finding a goal. "Kids that are passing, aren't in clubs and have no clue what they will do after high school." I feel that this is also describing myself. I seriously don't know and does not want to even think about my future. I find it difficult to write a letter to my future-self. I can connect with Ashley, because I also feel lost with the directions that I should go. As a student, my job is to learn, study, and take tests. But what happens after that? What would happen when school is all over? Will my life fade along with it? I suppose that Anderson had the intention to tell readers that you should take the opportunities there are to find a goal for yourself. You should make others pay attention to you by paying more attention to yourself first. If you want to do something, do it immediately because you'll never know when the chance will be gone. You should not waste time and think that there is always a tomorrow for you to finish up with what you had to do.

In brief, I can tell that Anderson wanted to say that you should get a "life". Every step you take to reach your goal may be difficult, because others don't pay much attention to you but as long as you work your way up, you will get what you get. Your success in the future will surely cover up the mistakes in the past. It changes everything by having something you would want to do. This does not mean that you have to be like Martin Luther King though. Just be someone who can dream and achieve.