Coming Of Age

The book grasps all parts of growing up in a unstable environment, with the parents getting divorces, moving away from friends to go to a new school, the meeting of new friends the getting falsely accused of things you say you did not do but still get in trouble for, feeling like nobody likes you, feeling like running away and the lazy never wanting to get up out of bed mornings. The author, Bridget Lowry, Is trying to portray the problems of growing up and I think she succeeds in this novel. This novel is very exciting and adventurous I do recommend other students read this book

Most common cultures have rituals, celebrations, or traditional ceremonies to acknowledge the coming of age of boys and/or girls. The Hispanic culture have a traditional “Quinceañera” for young teenage girls turning age 15 to recognize her coming of age as a woman. Jews have “Bar Mitzvah” for men or “Bat Mitzvah” for women to celebrate coming of age. Although in some cultures, celebrating coming age is nothing less than actually celebrating; but in other cultures, such as Aborigine culture, rather than having a huge celebration, young teenage boys, age thirteen, are enduring an essential evaluation. In this stage of their life, their elders test them to see if they are “man” enough to survive by themselves.

In the short stories, “Saving Sourdi,” by May-Lee Chai and “The Moths,” by Helena Maria Viramontes, the main character of each short story goes through their own coming of age experience where they are forced to mature in order to overcome an obstacle. Chai explains her main character, Nea’s, struggle as she is forced to mature and overcome the departure of her older sister, Sourdi, from her life after she gets married and moves away. Viramontes, on the other hand, depicts her narrator’s struggle as she is forced to mature and overcome the death of her Abuelita on her own. Despite their very different approaches, both Chai and Viramontes successfully convey their main character 's struggles in their journey from youth to adulthood.

They both have gone their separate ways where Penny has become a psychotherapist and Primrose got employed to tell stories to kindergartners. Despite their differences, they later end up at the house again where once they were evacuees, “The two women met in this room on an autumn day in 1984. They had come with a group, walking in crocodile behind the guide. They prowled around the room, each alone with herself, in opposite directions, each without acknowledging the other’s presence” (Byatt 358).Here, Byatt presents the imagery on how the two women appeared at the same house after all these long years. Additionally, at the house they both wonder what had happened to the little girl and whether if she was devoured by the beast or was she even real at all and if they had made her

Despite lowering the age to vote and drink in the 1970’s, Australia continued the practice of giving a key too 21-year-olds on their birthday, symbolising their “coming of age”, and with it, the underlying expectation of respect and the adherence of social norms, just as how to act appropriately in public. Between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, the transition to adulthood was defined by, and adult identity rooted in, the attainment of “spousal status” with the formation of a family to follow (Kenyon & Heath 2001b). “Adulthood” was steeped in the achievement of material symbols; marriage, houses and children (McNamara & Connell 2007). While it was evident in my interviews that the attainment of such material symbols are no longer defined

Maybe Primrose had mad and imaginary friend due to the loneliness and fear of being sent away. Also there's the idea that Penny is actually a friend of Primrose but had died, now Primrose sees her ghost and keeps in contact with it. This is symbolic to the story because primrose is finding comfort and safety within a friend that is maybe isn't really there or exist. ( Bryatt 325)

Coming of age is a recurring theme that is universally known throughout many different pieces of literature. Whether it’s influenced on true experiences, childhood memories, or even based on one’s current juvenile reality, many of theses works have a correlation between them that include many similar ordeals and struggles that the character goes through in order to metamorphosize into taking their first step out of childhood. One prominent theme that often appears is how one experiences and faces a time of tribulation and other walls that stand in one’s path. In effect, hardships mature and enlighten one, causing the loss of something such as childhood innocence. Lastly, these three combined points finally lead to one’s metamorphosis out of childhood. All in all, these three factors take one out of childhood, and slowly allows one step out into the reality of this world.

In coming of age stories, the protagonists often experience a pensive and dramatic moment where either they break through to adulthood or retreat to childhood - it is this moment that unveils the magnitude of growing up for the reader.

“Three little girls. Snatched from their mothers' arms. Spirited 1,500 miles away. Denied their very identity. Forced to adapt to a strange new world. They will attempt the impossible. A daring escape. A run from the authorities. An epic journey across an unforgiving landscape that will test their very will to survive. Their only resources, tenacity, determination, ingenuity and each other. Their one hope, find the rabbit-proof fence that might just guide them home. A true story.”

This experience impacted Channeary’s life as she rapidly lost her innocence at the age of six. Channeary was only ever exposed to peace and serenity in her village, but that changes very quickly when she is exposed to death and war. The quote ‘she rose and walked a few paces into the bush, where she picked up a branch, returned and placed it next to her mother's body’ really proves Channeary’s innocence and how she has to begin to mature faster to survive.

The ways that the roles of older brother Sam and younger brother Tim change throughout the story. In the beginning of the story Tim’s role as a younger brother when Sam was at Yale was he had to milk old Prune and do his brother Sam’s chores. But, at the end of the story his role as a younger brother was the responsibilities of running the tavern with only his mother. Tim also, worried about Sam being a Rebel in the Revolutionary War. The roles of older brother Sam changes in the story. In the beginning of the book Tim admired Sam because he was his older brother. At the end of the story his role was to fight in the war because he wanted the glory.

Any kind of major war is important for students to know. I have found three short stories from the book, Coming of Age around the World that I believe we should integrate into our curriculum for the students to read and learn about. All three of these stories are about different wars from around the world. The first one is “In the Shadow of War” by Ben Okri, it takes place in Nigeria after their Civil War. The next story is the “Last Gamble” from one of Andrew X. Pham’s memoirs. This selection is about a family escaping Vietnam after the Communist took over. The final selection takes place in Northern Ireland with the British taking over. It is called, “Everything in this Country Must” by Colum McCann. Our students need to understand what is

“The Graduate” is a coming of age story as the film attempts to relay a message of an innocent boy being pushed in an unwanted direction through a society filled with expectations. It focuses on the development and the maturing of the young college graduate and his journey from being in the world of a child to adult. It captures what it is to be young, restless, skeptical and confused. It is reflective of a time when no one has any idea what the future has in store. It is Benjamin’s notion of the uncertainty of reaching adulthood, he struggles to accept this transformation and the idea of how frightening the future really is.

Coming of age is maturing from the juvenile world of fantasy and sugarcoated truths and being able to see the world for what it truly is, like an adult. In this novel some experiences that show this coming-of-age theme are portrayed through Dill, Jem, and Scout. These experiences range from Jem beginning puberty, to Scout acting like a mature lady at the the Missionary tea with her Aunt Alexandra, and Scout recognizing Boo Radley as a person. There is one experience that I believe is the most important, which is when Dill begins to recognize how colored people in his community are treated unfairly. In this scene Dill, Jem, and Scout are at the trial. The children are watching the trial from the top of the balcony with Reverend Sykes when Dill

The town turns quickly turns to a frenzy, when all of the younger kids start roaming the streets looking for their parents. The really young kids, between the ages of 1-9 years-old have absolutely no clue whats going on or where their parents are. Some are crying, and they are absolutely terrified.