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The Youth Of Today Poem Analysis

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People always talk about wanting to return to when they were young. Youth is an indistinct phase of life that one goes through before reaching adulthood. It is considered a prime time in a person’s life when anything is possible. Two poems present different sides of youth that perfectly sums up what being young is like. “The Youth of Today,” by Barry Mowles talks about struggles that current youths are facing in society. Meanwhile, “Modern Youth” by Dr. A. Celestine Raj Manohar, describes the current generation as a group of bright young people who are constantly striving for success. While the two poems both talk about the “youths of today,” “Modern Youth” creates the image of bright, independent adolescents with powerful vocabulary and “The Youth of Today” constructs a dark and dreary tone through imagery. “The Youth of Today” showcases the negative side of the current generation. The first few lines of the poem starts off by saying that older generation made the world the way it is for the current youth to step in to. The phrase “this way” has a negative connotation to show the author’s contempt for the current condition of the world. Mowles also talks about the negative effects of peer pressure when he said, “Peer pressure is weighing down our future generations.” Girls are pressured into looking like media representation of females, where they’re forced to be thin and get plastic surgery for imperfections. Peer pressure was metaphorically described as actual pressure that is pushing down on youths and causing strain. This creates an oppressive image of societal norms weighing down like heavy dumbbells to restrain individuality. Mowles also mentions the negative impact of technology. He describes the loneliness of technology and social media by saying that “children are now living in a virtual world” that does not allow them to communicate face to face. Instead of focusing on the positive impact of advanced technology, such as the ability to communicate globally, Mowles fixates on how technology hinders adolscents’ ability to socialize. This slow disintegration of socializing is a growing issue that countries try to solve with efforts such as the ASBO. ASBO is an anti-social behavior order made in the

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