Everyone goes through the transition from childhood to adulthood. Boys become young men, and girls become young women; this is a significant stepping stone in the “journey to maturity.” Of course, becoming mature does not happen over night. Instead, it is a long process of learning from experience, which gives the young adult a new outlook on life and a new set of skills. The initiation theme is discussed in the article “Greasy Lake,” by critic Dennis Vanatta who argues that the author T.C. Boyle has created a narrator who is reflecting on his youth and an evening that would prove to be his stepping stone in the journey to maturity.
In Mary Pipher’s passage, Saplings in The Storm, Pipher claims that young big-hearted girls are changing as they age. She claims that the nature and source of these problems come from the fairy tales, which capture the essence of change, and approval of others. The elements of language that she uses are tone and rhetorical devices. This passage is made in order to appeal to the audience about the situation and to get them interested in the situation. As adolescent girls grow up they start to lose their inner kid that was once inside them.
In a shanty town that is desperate for the necessities of lives lived the 14-15-year-old Lizabeth. The typical house was a rundown, wooden cabin-like house in a town facilitate ones in poverty. Marigolds by Eugenia Collier shows the story of an adolescent that went through the time in which she discovered true compassion and innocence. The most effective contributor to the most major milestone of Lizabeth’s change was a simple, glorious flower.
Exhibited across all three works of literature, children’s identities are often shaped based off of their parents’ level of care and commitment, and the community that surrounds them—whether it be good or
Hood lays the foundation for the story and the generational gap from the opening line of the short story. They had Quarreled all morning, squalled all summer: how tight the girl’s cut- off jeans were, the “Every Inch a Woman” T-shirt, her choice of music… her practiced inattention, her sullen look. (Hood 410) The grandmother struggled with the girl and her free spirit as if the grandmother had been apart of this story before expecting a different result; she hoped for “The surprise gift of a smile” (Hood 411).
Sandra Cisneros’ short story “Eleven”, poem “My Wicked Wicked Ways”, and book The House on Mango Street have many similarities and differences in terms of style, tone, theme, character and setting. In the short story “Eleven”, Sandra Cisneros manages to convey a powerful message about growing up from the perspective of an eleven year old. The story starts out with Rachel, the protagonist, who is turning eleven today. It starts out with her at school while she's in math class.
The Rebellious Age Throughout all of history, the actions of teenagers have been scrutinized by adults. This scrutiny can be seen in short stories such as, John Updike’s “A & P,” as well as Max Apple’s “Stepdaughters.” For “Stepdaughters” we can see the rebellion through the 15-year-old Stephanie’s continuation of shot-putting, despite her mother’s disapproval and her stepfathers ‘neutral’ position. While in “A & P” the rebellious behavior of wearing their bathing suits into the store is disapproved upon by the manager, whereas the employee feels they have done no wrong. The stories’ conflicts have similar features: antagonists who oppose the choices of the teenage girls and protagonists who support the girls.
Sexuality in adolescence Sexuality is the most notorious and common sign of development in adolescence. “The House on Mango street”, by Sandra Cisneros is a coming of age novel, where Esperanza transitions from a girl into a young teen. In her journey, Esperanza comes across many challenges, she is forced to grow up by life’s adversities. In the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, a mother advises her daughter and scolds her into becoming a decent woman. In her guidance, the mother is worried about her daughter’s sexual activity and warns her about the consequences of improper behavior.
Sandra Cisneros paints the uncomfortable picture of growing up in her 1991 short story Eleven, a piece formidably portraying how age deals with hardships differently as life progresses and wisdom gathers. Cisneros fashions a loss of innocence through Rachel within a merciless world, utilizing the techniques of repetition, similes and symbolism to further emphasize life lessons learned through age. Through the use of repetition, Cisneros stresses Rachel’s running from wolves, breathing heavily at her feet, at an age young and spry. These wolves lacked teeth, unable to be deadly, but still instilled fear.
According to scholastic.com Lisa Yee has written 14 stories. Also, according the scholastic.com Rachel Vain has written 30 stories. One story written by Lisa Yee is called “Girl Can’t Dance” which is about a young girl in middle school who gets famous and loses all of her friends because of it. Also, a story written by Rachel Vain is called “Good Enough” which is about a girl who cannot afford a shirt like everyone else has. “Good Enough” and “Girl Can’t Dance” both have many similarities and differences, including the character changes throughout the story and the mood of the two stories.
The poem To a Daughter Leaving Home by Linda Pastan refers to a mother’s emotion about her daughter going away . Throughout the poem ,the narrator use the process of teaching the girl how to ride a bike as a metaphor in order to compare to empty-nest feeling that families go through whenever children leave the house .The use of details such as “the hair flapping/behind you like a /handkerchief waving/goodbye” create a perfect imagery of this complicated moment. This line touched me specially because I lived this moment when I left my parents in Brazil .There are interesting facts about the author life that can apply to this poem . Due to the time period in which the writer got married , the 50’s, she had to relinquish her desire to write in
Graham technique is a modern dance technique created by American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. Argentine tango is a social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In this comparative essay, I evaluate the relationship between Martha Graham Modern Dance and Argentine Tango in terms of their historical context, each dance cultures’ current contexts, dance elements, and conclude with an analysis of dance excerpts. The origins of both dance cultures are similar as they were originated with the influence of Europeans at the end of the 19th century. In 1875, when the laws of immigration were realigned, Argentina faced an influx of immigrants that lead to resentment between the newcomers
Carolyn Kizner’s pantoum “Parent Pantoum” (1996) laminates that the speaker is conflicted about her daughter’s adolescent behavior and attitude. Kizner explores the speakers discontent between herself and her children using metaphor, juxtaposition, and parallel structure. Through her contemporary pantoum, Kizners speaker marvels at her “enormous children” (1) in order to try to understand how the girls can “moan about their age” (6) but still appear in “fragile heals and long black dresses” (7). Kizners pantoum addresses the speakers view on how kids act when they are in their adolescent years with a bewildered tone, however; as the poem progresses, the speaker develops her own ideas about why teens behave the way they do in a hopeful and proud tone.
In the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.
“Poem for My Sister” written by Liz Lochhead, is a poem describing the relationship between two sisters and their experiences. As with almost all siblings, the younger sister looks up to her older sister and strives to be like her whereas the older sister in this poem has been through numerous hardships and troubles in her life and warns her stubborn sister to not follow in her footsteps. The reader can relate to the poem as they are either an adult or a child and both ages apprehend the feelings and emotions that the characters are experiencing. A deeper meaning this poem suggests is that the experience of adulthood should be seen as advice for the upcoming generations.
