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Victims Of The Revolutionary Era Essay

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Victims of the Revolutionary Era “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” written by Joyce Carol Oates, portrays the fast-cultural transition that heavily impacted teenager’s behavior in the 1960’s. The new style of music is an example of how the rapidly cultural transition highly influenced adolescent’s behavior from that generation, initiating a revolutionary era. It was a time when culture was rapidly changing. A sexual revolution was taking place, leading people, especially teenagers, to question the traditional and religious beliefs of previous generations. In addition, it was a phase which peace and love was emphasized by the ongoing Vietnam war, driving people to promote peace and love amongst themselves for the whole decade, especially through rock and roll music. Even as the “peace and love movement” arose, a series of murders occurred in Tucson, AZ. Charles Howard Schmid Jr., a 23-year-old man, brutally murdered numerous girls and made national headlines. A creepy predator was Oates 's inspiration to create the unscrupulous character: Arnold Friend. Oates creates the perfect picture of a 1960’s typical teenager that gets caught in the middle of the revolutionary era; and eventually becomes a victim of Arnold Friend. Connie is a 15-year-old girl who lives an ordinary life; confused about the girl she is, and the woman she is becoming. Being a teenager is not an easy thing overall, for any girl, in any era. Furthermore, she lives in a fast-paced, transitional

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