Society's Attitude Towards the Elderly

The lines of the poem are short, the sentences are choppy, and one idea seems to flow right into the next from line to line. This hints at a very childlike mentality, as well as a plethora of scattered thoughts in the speaker’s mind, hinting at the speaker’s confusion and distress.

In the first lines of the poem Yeats describes this woman as “old and grey and full of sleep” (Yeats). The speaker of the poem addresses his beloved saying that when she is aged she should read a particular book which will remind her of her youth. She will remember the

Merriam-Webster (1980) defines Ageism: any attitude, action, or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely based on age; ageism reflects a prejudice in society against older adults. Discrimination towards the elderly is apparent throughout society. Society has a negative stereotype related to perceptions on aging. We live in a youth-oriented society that does not view the elderly with respect and dignity due to today’s culture and media. The emphasis that are put on ‘staying young’ are enforced on every level. From plastic surgery to every way you could think of to stay ‘young and healthy’ is everywhere you look. The outlook on growing old is a stigma. The stereotypes that are put on older people can be done subconsciously a variety of ways in our everyday life. A few of these stereotypes are: older people are lousy drivers, they are grouchy, weak and incapable. How many times have you been driving behind an elderly person and became aggravated. Or standing behind an older person checking out at a store, they are older, it takes them a little longer to do things. Or even in the ways people speak about the elderly and the negative energy that goes along with it. If you start to pay attention to it, you will start to realize how common it actually is. These characterizations allow our society to disregard the geriatric population and who they really are. There are numerous quality-of-life issues

Ageism is described by "Ageism in America is Hurting Us All, a webpage about senior living, as “a prejudice against older people” ("Ageism in America is Hurting Us All). Provided by the same source, it is explained that “according [to] the World Health Organization, ageism is most rampant in high-income countries, like the United States” ("Ageism in America is Hurting Us All). According to "Ageism in America is Hurting Us All, they found, in a study, that 70% of older Americans concur they had been insulted or mistreated, because of their age. Furthermore, American Society on Ageing, a website giving knowledge about older adults, reported “the term ‘ageism’ was coined in 1969 by Robert N. Butler, M.D., [at the time was a 42-year-old psychiatrist]”

Ageism simply means and is presumed that older adults are frail, weak, and disabled permeates society. This label cares negative stereotypes, such as discrimination and prejudices. Ageism exists in the workplace, certain cultures, and social classes and within health care.

Older people in modern America are viewed much differently than they once were in the past. Grandparents went from giving every grandchild a very valuable life lesson to being ignored in the streets and at the dinner table. Everyone is so worried about what’s on their phone or tablet that they do not realize how little attention this generation of elders is receiving. Could the recent upgrade in technology be the result of modern America’s neglect towards elders or is it how little people care?

Elderly people are very delicate, therefore they can only commit to a limited amount of labor. Applying people over the age of sixty five to Military type activities would be unbeneficial to our country. Once you get to a page in your life your body starts to wear and tear, therefore it would be hard for the elderly to do anything in the army. Senior’s in general deserve rest, that they have earned through a long, hard fifty-five years of life. Therefore elderly people should not have to serve our country any longer.

Alzheimer’s is a poem of bitterness and sadness. As the poem goes on she explains the older man’s life and memory. The emotional appeal of the poem really hits you when in line 5 it says, “A book he sometimes pretends to read,”. We take reading and simple task like that for granted. Simple things like this are forgotten once someone gets Alzheimer’s. As the poem continues the events occur where the older man doesn’t even know his own wife. Knowing someone that’s your soul mate, and they don’t even recognize you would be very hard thing to swallow for the wife.

To begin with, ageism refers to discriminating and being prejudice of senior citizens (p.1), according to assisted living federation of America (2013). Therefore, Anderson (2013) stated, “some younger people perceive anyone with wrinkled skin or gray hair as old” (pg.1) thus, the issues of ageist stereotypes are associated with the process of aging. Consequently, while discussing with family and friends about the mounting baby boomer populace, there are various respectable and dire descriptions of aging and the elderly. An unpleasant reflection of aging would be calling them old, fragile, socially isolated, and supplementary forgetful. On the other hand, the fine descriptions of older adults would be being more conversant, becoming of additional

Aging is unavoidable in life yet their are so many stereotypes surrounding it. Stereotypes about the aging population play a huge role in how we think and interact with the individuals in the aging population. Stereotypes of aging are mostly myths or misrepresented beliefs about how people of that certain age should act or what their reality is meant to look like without regards for individual differences or circumstances.

Ageism is the intentional and subconscious discrimination against older adults, but it seems the younger generation does not understand that and dismisses the elderly. Showing respect and dignity to the older adult (OA) should be a courtesy ingrained in each of us, sadly, that has been forgotten in today’s society. The younger generations must learn the importance of respecting and take the time to listen to what the OA has to say and spend quality time with them.

There are many stereotypes about the elderly generation, unfortunately people seem to think that when you're older you're not as important as you are when you're younger. One of many stereotypes about elderly people is that older people are sweet and kind and at peace with the world. That's hilarious because there are several elderly people that can be rude or mean. Another stereotype that older people can't learn. What do you mean older people can't learn? Anybody can learn! Another ridiculous stereotype is that all elderly people are sweet and kind and at peace with the world. Well they must not know the people that I take care of every day at my facility, because let me tell you older people can be just as nasty as younger people. That's

The speaker shifts mood, from happy and optimistic to discontent and hopeless. From the opening line to the closing line, we are presented with polarized emotions that are irreconcilable. Especially, the turn at the end of the poem, serves as a conclusion that tells the reader how traumatic the travesty was. The dialogue with the rapists is a one-way: the rapists ask two questions before attacking the victim, but the victim does not respond to them. She only reports what occurred that night, which is narrated using the past tense.

There has always been much controversy regarding older adults and behaviors that should be considered typical to people in this age group. The masses often tend to discriminate older adults as a result of information they see in the media world. It is thus difficult to reach a conclusion about older adults and what should be considered normal for a person belonging to this community. Most people believe older adults to be much less capable to look after themselves and generally in need of special care. Similarly, a great deal of older adults believe that it would only be natural for them to step down from their position once they reach a certain age, as society pressures them to take on such attitudes even if they feel that they still have power to go on.

She wonders if the people contemplate living in the pain and misery or if they want to die. She goes on to notice that the people whose grief is older, who are patient enough, after a while manage to make a show of happiness again but that does not mean the happiness runs deep their "imitation" of a smile is as faint as a lamp with "so little Oil." I feel by the start of the fourth stanza the poem, it was starting to get more hopeful but it takes a more melancholic dip by saying that the happiness, within the people who are suffering, is not enough to keep the smile be on their face for long or even that the smile not even be a genuine one.