Coming Of Age Essay

It is only natural for teenagers to struggle with their sense of identity. One of the biggest challenges one faces during their “coming of age” is trying to discover various parts of themselves. I will be exploring the idea of how family and friends can socially influence an individual’s identity and affect the process of finding one’s true sense of belonging. I will be exploring this idea through the four texts; The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger.

     Childhood is a time where children learn about the world around themselves. They see and experience many factors that influence their everyday lives, which help them grow stronger when they become adults. In 'Girl'; by Jamaica Kincaid and 'The Lesson'; by Toni Cade Bambara the characters within the stories learn valuable lesson with help them grow to become better individuals. In 'The Lesson'; the character of Sugar undergoes a realization that society does not treat everyone equally, that not every individual has the same opportunity and equality that they should have. In 'Girl'; the main character learns that she must be perceived as a woman and not as a slut, her mother brings to her

the most part. These years in a persons life have often been referred to as emerging adulthood.

Summative - Write a literary analysis that develops an original thesis about the Coming of Age genre. Be sure to incorporate at least three stories.

“Watch, they will die, die faster than the other generations, they always choose wrong Giver why don’t you understand?!” The Chief Elder said enraged, her steps firmer on the tiles.

“The community broke into complete chaos. Everybody and everything was out of order. When the wave of painful memories hit, the people dropped to the floor and held their heads in excruciating pain. We should have thought this through more carefully Jonas. I would never have believed that such anarchy could become in such a peaceful community. But the memories were too harsh. Riots were started. Fires burnt down the buildings. Some jumped into the river and died just

Rituals around the world all teach valuable lessons that help initiates see the value and importance of life. Each culture has different rituals that provide experiences for their youth to learn these valuable lessons of life. Many coming of age rituals are intense procedures. The Amazon's Satere Mawé youth enter adulthood through the bullet-ant glove initiation, teaching courage and endurance, and the crocodile scaring ritual that the men from the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea participate in teaches them pain and accomplishment.

Most of the time, becoming an adult is planned. There are religious ceremonies, the gaining of a driver’s license, and other forms of new responsibility to signify the coming of age. Sometimes though maturity comes at you like a freight train. It comes at you in the blink of an eye and there is no stopping it once it hits you. You are forced to grow up and take on new responsibilities that you thought you wouldn’t have to take on until many years later. It's up to you though to decide what to do from there. You can either try and run away from the problems you have come to face or you can take the train head on and conquer what has been presented to you. I decided to face the train.

In my interview the interviewee was my dad, and he graciously took the offer of being the interviewee. One of the main moments of him “Coming of Age” was when he finished High school. After his high school life he.. had no plans for anything no plans for college, for a specific role, for anything really, as he states himself “No I did not, I just went straight to work”. He had no idea what to do with him and his 1st of 3 babies already coming, he had to do something. So the first thing he did was well searched for a job. His first job wasn’t fond, due to the fact he had to take subways, trains, and ect. just to get to his job because he had no car. so for him life wasn’t easy at all at the time. Before we continue on des

Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody was published on 1968. This autobiography is memoires of Anne Moody about growing up poor and black in the rural Mississippi. The book was divided into four parts from childhood until her late 20s that described the experiences of Anne Moody in the Civil Rights Movement and her struggles against racism.

However "It's fine, if you don't want to tell me right now. I know you'll tell me when you're ready." Belle-Mere said as her daughter went deadly silent with the question. Climbing down stepping on branches as footholds so she won't fall down and just when her head is about to decend further Naruto speaks stopping her decent.

Whether it be due the malleable minds of children, or the turbulent world around them, dramatic changes in life are an absolute certainty. Young, naïve children are highly impressionable. Their parents teach them one thing, their friends another, and society, yet something else. Fickle, they morph in and out of the plethora of ideologies and mindsets laid out in front of them. This leads to a disorienting and rather confusing child-to-young-adult life, one without a clear sense of morality. The lack of focus upon what is right and wrong, inherently subjective terms, continues into our early adult hood and, for better or worse, seemingly defines the child for the rest of his or her life. This universal theme has been explored for many years through films aptly called “coming-of-age” stories, recently, and perhaps most effectively in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012). This film revolves around Sam and Suzy, two recently pubescent kids, their romantic affair, and their effects on the world around them. The film not only captures the youthful dynamic between the two protagonists, but explores the “coming-of-age” theme through Anderson’s signature flat perspective and through the actors’ portrayals of these characters.

young adult is often referred to as the "coming of age," or growing up. The

"Middle age is when your classmates are so old and wrinkled and bald, they don’t recognize you". -Bennett Cerf     

It was a beautiful day in the village. The forest flourished with lush, green trees filled with life. The town square was bustling due to the weekly market that takes place there. Vika was 6 when the first disturbance occurred. She was playing at home with her dolls when it happened. She heard it. Felt it, too. The ground shook and there was a mighty crash. She raced to the town square to find her mama, only to find out that the entire village was already there. They gathered in a circle in the center. The air was full of suspense and tension. Another bigger crash occurred. It seemed as though it was coming from the other side of the wall that surrounded the village. People waited. Minutes turned into hours. After it became clear that there wouldn't be another crash, the villagers stepped cautiously out of the circle of protection they had formed.