In the poem “On turning Ten '' by Billy Collins and in the short story “ Marigolds” written by Eugenia W. Collier, both authors talk about how life has changed and the end of their childhood based on situations of their past life. In the poem and the short story, both authors explore the impact of losing innocence by describing their memory and discovering the truth. Both authors show how emotional it was to face the truth and reality based on his and her memories. In “Marigolds”, she starts losing her innocence when she “Never heard a man cry before” (Collier 42) and how she discovered Miss Lottie wasn’t frustrated with the situation at the end but was upset. In “On Turning Ten” he realizes “I skin my knees.
Coming of age is an event that everyone must go through. There are many different types of coming of age events that can happen at many different times. Many different stories illustrate the process of coming of age. Through our studies of different texts we have learned that there is no wrong way to come of age. In “Marigolds” the main character Elizabeth Collier came of age by destructing something someone cared about.
In the novels Night and House on Mango Street, the authors reveal the protagonists struggles with coming of age through the description of their experiences; Reminding the audience that it is possible to find happiness after surviving the darkest moments in an individual's life. In the
The novel Alandra’s Lilacs, by Tressa Bowers, tells the story of a Deaf woman, Alandra, and her mother Tressa. The story begins before Alandra was born and tells Tressa’s narative up to Alandra’s adulthood. Throughout the book, the reader sees the challenges that come with having a deaf child. We see both the achievements and setbacks faced by Alandra and her mother. Although being deaf may seem like a misfortune to most, Tressa reveals her experiences with Deaf culture and seeing deafness in a new light.
In Eugenia W. Collier’s short story “Marigolds”, Lizabeth and her family experience an external conflict against society when the Great Depression’s burdens fall onto them, creating both emotional and financial stress; in this, Collier reveals that external struggle may lead to reckless actions. Early on, Lizabeth describes poverty as “...the cage in which [her family] was trapped…”, alluding to her desire to be free from the bars of impoverishment (Collier 126). Towards the climax in the story, Lizabeth hears her father crying about his inability to support his family without a steady income, which leads to her “...feelings [combining] in one great impulse toward destruction” (Collier 126). In this, Collier projects the idea that strenuous
The narrative, “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, is a story about the life of Miss Lottie’s. This story is taking place in a shanty town during a hot September, where the narrator tells a story about Miss Lottie’s. The main Conflict of the story is about Miss Lottie’s is in a devastating moment in her life feeling depressing and sad for her life and the things happened with her. One Rising Action is when Lizabeth and her friends are gathering stones to throw to Miss Lottie’s yard. The second Rising Action is when Miss Lottie’s witnesses a kind of discussion between her parents and Miss Lottie's can not hear something her mother told her father and he starts to cry very loudly.
There are just a few defining moments in one’s life, when one is not a child, but an adult. In Eugenia W. Collier’s short story “Marigolds”, the narrator Lizabeth recognizes the moments she no longer felt like a child in a heartwarming narrative. Throughout the story, Lizabeth has a difficult time adapting to her new role and has many turning points. Reflecting back on her transition to adulthood, Lizabeth states “... I remember, that year, a strange restlessness of body and spirit, a feeling that something old and familiar was ending, and something unknown and therefore terrifying was beginning”(1) Lizabeth first feels the consequence of her actions one day while destroying her neighbor Miss Lottie’s yard in a childish raid.
Two stories that share the same theme related to the search for meaning are in the stories “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier and “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. The theme both stories share is loss of innocence within their childhood. Both stories view the aspects of discrimination,and the struggles of growing up. In the story Marigolds, it captures the moments of when a young girl named Lizabeth loses her innocence. Lizabeth is a young girl that lives in a poverty neighborhood in rural Maryland during the Great Depression.
The short story "Marigolds" by Eugenia Collier shares a very beautiful message about personal growth. The main character in this story is Lizabeth. She is a colored teen girl who lives in poverty but doesn't care at the moment because she is still young; at the time the story is taking place it is 1928, and in 1928 Lizabeth and her community are in the lower class in the hierarchy. She, her brother, and her friends in the community love to play with each other, and as they do so it helps them forget about the poverty they are in. They all love to bother an elder lady in the community who is known for her grumpiness.
The appeal of adulthood and independence reaches its apex in fervent children. However, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, poet of My Daughter at 14, Christmas Dance, 1981, conveys the paternal perspective of viewing one’s own kin experiencing the “real” world through her daughter’s first relationship. The Family of Little Feet, written by Sarah Cisneros, illuminates the negativities of young girl’s eagerness to physically develop in hope of acquiring attention from possible suitors. While both pieces of literature possess varying perspectives of epiphanies, Gillan and Cisneros divulge the significance of cherishing one’s youth, as the realities of maturity divest children of their innocence.
Joy and rage and wild animal gladness and shame become tangled together..." (Collier 214). According to the article, "What the Brain Says about Maturity" by Laurence Steinberg, Teenagers today face the same chaos of emotions due to slower development rates. Marigolds' main character, Lizabeth, is 14 years old and is living in a black community during the great depression, in the heart of segregation and poverty. It says in the story, "We children, of course, were only vaguely aware of the extent of our poverty...
Flowers For Algernon Daniel Keyes Do you want to see someone get experimented on and tested on then you should read the story “ Flowers For Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes. In the story Charlie Gordon is the main character in the story he is mentally challenged man he is often made fun of . Charlie was smart at a point in his life, but he has lost all of it. Should he get an operation to make him smart again?
The transition to becoming an adult is a somewhat magical experience in many ways. An awakening of the senses, the ability to detect and verbalize deeper emotions and the new and exciting responsibilities of the adult world are just some of the new experiences individuals journey through while growing older. However, as we examine two short stories, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates, and The Man Who Was Almost a Man by Richard Wright, we see that perhaps this fragile stage of life isn't always meant to be taken lightly. The main characters of these stories, Connie and Dave, are examples of how exactly the transition to adulthood and maturity should not be welcomed before its time, and the dangers of attempting to grow up too fast can bring.
Revision of “On Turning Ten” Essay Growing up and living in the adult world requires responsibility, knowledge, and independence. A poem by Billy Collins, “On Turning Ten,” describes a young child as he attempts to grasp the concept of growing up and facing the harsh reality of adult life. The narrator uses a melancholy tone to argue that adult life is challenging, and the best way to cope with these challenges is to reminisce about young childhood memories. The young narrator is convinced that adult life will not be much fun.
The story "Marigolds" by Eugenia W. Collier is a short story that goes through the journey of Lizabeth. Lizabeth is a young girl that goes through an event that transitions her from a child to a woman. She shows many different sides to herself. She is wild, immature, and conflictual. Throughout the story, she comes to show that with maturity comes compassion.
