Teenagers often tend to subdue their peers to harm themselves or others as a form of a joke or tease. For the affected students, such an experience is usually associated with fear and the inability to escape the situation. In Roald Dahl’s poem, “The Dentist and the Crocodile”, similar fear can be noticed in the dentist’s reaction to the terrifying sight of the crocodile’s jaws. He is also unable to refuse his patient with treating the toothache and is pressured to play a part in the crocodile’s play (Dahl). According to Moldes et al., when teenagers are faced with negative peer pressure, they are typically expected to cope independently (301). However, such a way of dealing with the problem can be as dangerous as described in the Dahl’s poem. Although in “The Dentist and the Crocodile” the doctor was saved from partaking in a dangerous game, not all teenagers can escape the teasing and fear of peer pressure unassisted. In “The Dentist and the Crocodile”, Dahl presents the idea that fear and inability to escape a dangerous situation without the intervention of other people can be associated with negative peer pressure.
Works Cited
Dahl, Roald. “The Dentist and the Crocodile”. Rhyme Stew. Penguin Random House, 1989.
Moldes, Vangie M., et al. “Students, Peer Pressure and Their Academic Performance in School.” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 300–312, 2019.