On Growing Up Analysis

“Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun” - Nina Dobrev. Growing up is about learning new things, but not forgetting what was fun in the past. For kids, growing up means everything is new and unknown, and for some it is terrifying. In literature, characters develop and show physical and/or mental growth as the plot progresses. The authors of “Bangs,” “On Turning 10,” and To Kill a Mockingbird use literary tools to convey the theme of growing up, and show how children in the texts are struggling to live up to others’ expectations.

In the poem “Bangs” by Jodi Balfe, the author uses symbolism, reveals internal conflicts, and creates different tones to convey the theme of growing up. In this poem, the speaker had “an extra

This could mean either two things: he is either dissatisfied with growing up or he simply states growing up is a common thing that happens to people. Growing up could be a bad thing for him since he compares it to chicken pox, which is an annoying contagious disease. This poem deals with the realities of growing up, as he refers to turning ten as a disease, similar to chicken pox, because sooner or later, people get it, just how everyone turns 10 after they turn nine. Everyone must grow up eventually, leaving the simple and happy lives behind and accepting the real world and its burdens that follow coming of age, which is simply just a part of growing up. The author also uses imagery to portray how the narrator feels. Even though there were fun times he has had, he is “mostly at the window watching the late afternoon light… [his] bicycle never leaned against the garage… all the dark blue speed drained out of it.” He finds this the beginning of sadness, where he must “say good-bye to his imaginary friends,... to turn the first big number” (3-4). Here he seems to see only the negative side of growing up, like the way the light on his tree house looks so serious, and the way his bicycle leans against the garage with all of its “energy” gone. The speaker is also

In the seventh and eighth chapter excerpts, Jem’s experiences changes in character/emotion. On the day Jem and Scout Finch find out the knothole in the Radley’s tree was cement-filled, it shocked them, Jem was also devastated. When they were heading back home, Jem wanted to stay outside and when they went in the house Scout noticed “he had been crying… but [she] thought it odd that [she] had not heard him” (7). Jem crying shows how he is growing up. This change in his character proves he is maturing more into an adult as the story progresses. Usually when children cry they are loud and immature about it while adults usually cry more quietly, which Jem did. Also, this shows a sensitive side to Jem because the tree gifts Boo left in the knothole was a sort of comfort for him and a way for Boo to communicate with others from the outside world. This makes him upsets since this comfort is gone and because Boo now is out of ways to communicate with anyone outside of his home. Another change in character occurs during the fire in Miss Maudie Atkinson’s home. While Jem and Scout stand far out of the fire’s reach, Jem’s mind blew up! His spilled all of his and Scout’s secrets about what they have been doing the past summer (having to do with the Radleys), making Atticus, his intelligent father, listen to every word. When he finishes Atticus says