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.
Being scared to grow up is normal. In the story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, growing up can change the way you think and act. That is something you can think about while reading about a character named Lizabeth, who is now telling the story of how her life was in her little village during the Great Depression. Lizabeth was going through a transition between 14 and 15, so all her mind was tangled up in a knot. The author tells us how this was a significant moment in Lizabeth's life while she was going through a tough time growing up.
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.
We often encourage people to actively pursue their happiness while also wanting to discourage them to escape from reality. However, avoiding your issues is also a way of pursuing happiness, even though this route will prove to be temporary. In the literary piece, “Horses of the Night” by Margaret Laurence, the author describes the story of a boy named Chris, who, due to his financial conditions, is forced to move from his home in Shallow Creek to dwell in Manawaka, in order to attend high school. Chris’ character is used to demonstrate the idea that individuals may escape from the miserable aspects of their lives in order to stay happy. Through the course of this work, you witness the changes Chris undergoes, through the eyes of his six-year-old cousin Vanessa, which ultimately lead to his downfall.
During the formation of the United States of America, the values that were set into place for an American society shunned the recognition of anyone who was not of a certain race or gender. This continued with the fruition of the enlightenment ideals as these were also developed with a select few in mind, which were mainly privileged white males. These untold standards of being an “American” lead to the direct pre-meditated murders of hundreds of the Osage which is recounted in the book, “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann. Since the Osage were benefiting from the needs of White people, in operating their land within a within a capitalist system, this fact was threatening to white society who were “supposed to” benefit from the enlightenment
“Marigolds”, a short story written by Eugenia Collier, conveys the message of the struggles upon approaching adulthood. Similar to “Marigolds”, Anne Estevis addresses the theme of maturity in the story known as “The Whistle”. The theme can be depicted by the character’s actions and realizations. However, the theme being set in the past, allows it to be pertinent to modern day life. The reasons being: children back then were burdened with more responsibilities, the maturation age was younger back then, and historical events and settings can provide symbolism yet, also personal connections.
Alice Walker uses imagery and diction throughout her short story to tell the reader the meaning of “The Flowers”. The meaning of innocence lost and people growing up being changed by the harshness of reality. The author is able to use the imagery to show the difference between innocence and the loss of it. The setting is also used to show this as well.
In “The Flowers”, Alice Walker explores the woods through the eyes of a little girl named Myop, but she soon realizes the world isn’t as nice as flowers. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Joyce Carol Oates follows a young girl named Connie who is focused on others and her own appearance, until she is introduced to the world in a unexpected way. Both Walker and Oates use young girls to show the harsher sides of the world and how their childhood changes to adulthood in different ways. The main thing that Myop and Connie have in common is that they are both females, but their looks and the way the live are totally different.
Calligraphy can take you places you've never been before. My Author Wilson Rawls was born on September 24, 1913. First, Rawls decided to become a writer because he read a book name "Call of the Wild" and wanted to write,but his family didn't have enough money to buy pencils and papers. His book "Where the Red Fern Grows" is about a boy and his passion to become a hunter. He needed hunting dogs to hunt, but his family didn't have the money so he stores money for 2 years and buys hunting dogs and then the adventures start.
In Alice Walker’s short story “The Flowers,” Walker masterfully portrays the coming of age of a young girl named Myop as she goes through a life-changing event that shatters her naive outlook on the world. Her maturity blooms as she comes to terms with the harsh reality of the world, indicating that her summer - her innocence - came to an end. Walker uses dynamic diction, playful imagery, and profound symbolism to reveal the inevitability of growing up by coming to recognize the shocking truth of reality. Walker begins the story by establishing an ambiance of childhood innocence through the use of jocund diction.
However Once the story started to display a darker and more secret tone a new setting was introduced. The forest brings about feelings of danger and darkness, all the while Myop is “making her own path”. The solitude of her journey shows the possibility of trouble, creates suspense and prepares the reader for a dark surprise ending. When the darkness that was foreshadowed is finally introduced, Myop show a innocent curiosity as she is “unafraid, to free herself. Also ironic Myop
“The Flowers” by Alice Walker is a short story written in the 1970’s. The story focuses on Myop, a ten year old girl who loves to explore the land in which she lives. Myop decides to travel deep inside the woods to unfamiliar land where she discovers the decomposed body of a man. It is then Myop quickly grows up and suddenly becomes aware of the world in which she lives. The story relies on symbolism to convey the theme of departing innocence.
This quote encompasses two very important aspects of Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton: pretending and unhappiness, two things that are directly linked. When Count Olenska arrives in New York after leaving her husband, the traditional society is startled, to say the least. Although her family is trying to help her get acclimated, they want her to follow all of their rules, despite her personal unhappiness that would result. Her family all want her to go back to European husband who was unfaithful to her, despite it not being what she wanted. Additionally, Archer marries May, even though he loves Ellen, to keep up appearances and be accepted in the old society.
The Age of Innocence is focused around Newland Archer and May Welland’s (an upper-class New York couple’s) impending marriage. While everything originally seemed to be going well for the couple, with Newland Archer highly awaiting the marriage between him and May, Edith Wharton soon introduces May’s cousin, Ellen Olenska, who is shrouded in mystery and scandal (due to her affair and flight away from her husband) which threatens the bliss of the newlywed couple. Wharton puts into question the morals of 1870s New York society and the elite that are so revered there, and she notes how although the upper-class is put on this pedestal above everyone else, in reality the people are savage, brutish, and backstabbing. Logically speaking, the upper-class
Everybody experiences loss of innocence at one time or another, whether it is during the teen years, in college, or at a first job. But, sometimes, this loss happens too early. In the short stories “Games at Twilight” by Anita Desai and “Journey” by Shirley Geok-Lin Lim, the loss of a child’s innocence is expressed differently. In “Games at Twilight”, loss of a child’s innocence is demonstrated through the realization of an individual’s insignificance in the world, whereas in “Journey” loss of innocence is communicated through the realization of sudden responsibility due to tragedy.
