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Coming of age literature essay
Coming of age literature essay
Literary theme: coming of age
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Michael CuencaCuenca1Ms. Lindsay BertoloENG 2D5 February 2016Coming of Age: An essay on The Skating PartyComing of age appears in many intriguing forms allthrough The SkatingParty. The Skating Party highlightsthe life of a young girl named Maida, and her Uncle, Nathan. Throughout the story, the theme of “coming of age” is present. Coming of age refers to the abolishment of a false security, loss of innocence, or the acceptance of reality through a kind of disillusionment. The latter is not always expressed in the same way, rather it may be revealed through experience, conversation, and simply through a person's maturity. Both Maida and Uncle Nathan go through coming of age, which they achieve in different ways. In "The Skating
Imagine your two favourite people in the world hanging on a cliff. If you could only save one of them, who would it be? It would be a difficult choice that no one would want to make. However, that was what Uncle Nathan had to experience in “The Skating Party” by Merna Summers. In “The Skating Party”, the protagonist, Maida was walked through the events that led up to Nathan ending up never getting married. The story possessed an engaging plot, with the intentional suppression of detail creating suspense. One of the primary recurring themes in the story was one of unpredictable emotion.
... age of Gene Forrester. Because Finny causes Gene to grow up, we are able to realize that one must grow up to move on in life. In that process of growing up, several people impact your life. This novel shows us how our identity is basically created by those who are present in our lives; however we must not measure our abilities against another person (Overview: A Separate Peace 2). We are shown how the impact of one person can make a great difference. The goodness in people is what one should always take away from a relationship. This is shown in the relationship between Gene and Finny. The experiences Finny gives Gene cause him to grow up and become a better person because of them.
. her narrow silk suit with hamburgers and french fries printed on it will glisten in the brilliant air . . .” (13-15). The majestic image of the girl illustrates the mother’s pride in her daughter’s confidence during the predominantly male party. As a result of the girl’s poised demeanor, the mother is likely to be pleased with her daughter’s ability to uphold the expectations of an adult. Rather than feeling apprehensive and uneasy about a party favoring one gender, the girl overlooks this distinction and carries herself admiringly. In addition to developing an adult-like composure, the girl also experiences an awakening of her sexuality. Her seductive feelings and allurement toward the boys is becoming more conscious in her thoughts. Emerging from the pool, the water from the girl’s body is described to “sparkle and fall to the power of a thousand . . .” (22). The girl is beginning to understand sexual attraction and her appeal to the opposite sex. The mental image of prestige that is suggested by her newfound “power” heavily contradicts the representation of innocence and naivety of what was once the girl. The girl is no longer oblivious to sexual desires and hesitant of change. Instead, she carries around her femininity and allurement as a badge of
The evolution Andy has from seeing things idealistically to realistically, the ignorance to knowledge transition and the selfless rather than selfish decisions all bind together to demonstrate a maturing development; this is an often-required aspect found in stories of the coming of age genre. Furthermore, this growth is a candid experience that all adolescence will undeniably face and gaining this maturity is something that one must develop; it does not come with age alone. All members of society will go through this change at some point in life. These maturing experiences are the unavoidable guarantee of entering
Two of Edith Wharton’s greatest novels, The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome can be seen to have similarities in the situations the characters go through and themes that are used. Each of these novels has it’s own themes and traits that makes it great, but after examining each novel it is evident thatthere are underlying themes that link the two stories together. Perhaps the most obvious is the weakness that both Ethan Frome and Newland Archer seem to have in there lives. The feeling of being trapped, and wanting that sense of freedom is also an important part of both novels. Of course there are themes and symbolisms within each that contribute to the great differences between the two. In The Age of Innocence, mortality and immortality is one of the greatest aspects or themes; and in Ethan Frome the weakness of Ethan’s character can be seen as one of the main focus’.
This story demonstrates that growing up is a necessary and frustrating task. However, people must handle anything that life throws at them with wisdom beyond their years. The aging curse prevents people from staying young and innocent, instead forcing them to enter adulthood and tackle the challenges facing them.
Tragically, Nathan did not save both girls, during the ordeal the moon was hiding behind the clouds and Nathan could not make out faces, he grabbed the first set of hands he could and the other pair went under without a trace. Winnie and everyone else share the feeling of, how ironic and sad; we all know Nathan wanted to save his love Eunice.
picks up several other skaters and sets off to find a good spot to aggressively
in the style of the hanging man. Not only this, however, but the skates are long-bladed.
After being mesmerized by figure skating at the age of eight, I became a member of the Markham Skating Club. As a competitive figure skater, I must perform various jumps and spins in a choreographed program. I have participated in numerous competitions in Central Ontario and have received multiple medals for my achievements. Yet, my achievement as a figure skater stem from the adversity that I faced throughout my skating journey. This sport has imposed challenges to both my mental and physical strength that have ultimately constructed the qualities of dedication and humility within myself.
The irony of life is that as a person grows older, they want to experience their youth again, while at the time they are young all they want is to be older. In "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros, Rachel is only eleven years old, yet she would rather be one hundred and two. She feels that the old age will give her the respect and wisdom to be able to stand up for herself. The coming of age theme represents a cumulative concept in which each year builds upon all the other ages.
Adolescence is the stage in life when you are no longer a child, but not yet an adult. There are many things that still need to be explored, learned and conquered. In the film Thirteen, the main character, Tracy Freeland, is just entering adolescence. While trying to conquer Erikson’s theory of Identity vs. Role confusion, Tracy is affected by many influences, including family and friends that hinder her development. Many concepts from what we have learned in class can be applied to this character from identity development, to depression, to adolescent sexuality and more. In this film Tracy is a prime example of an adolescent and much of what I have learned this year can be applied to her character.
"Literary Analysis of The Age of Innocence." Literary Analysis of The Age of Innocence. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. .
Every experience we go through will, in some way or another, help each of us to develop understanding. Coming of age is a life-long journey, but there are major events or experiences you can go through that will play an important part in become an adult. As time goes by, we will all experience trials, blessings, heartache, joy, and love; each of these periods in our lives will have an extraordinary impact upon who we become. These escapades, will enable us to come of age. The importance of coming of age develops from the experiences that create memories, teach life skills, and inspire character.
In the novel, When We Were Two, written by Robert Newton, in 2011, it is evident that the protagonist Dan has ‘come of age' during multiple difficult times during his life. There are many events during his journey which challenged and impacted him. Dan searches for his identity throughout the entire novel but not only until the end does he truly find himself. The writer has positioned the reader to view Dan as courageous, confident and independent through the entire novel. As a result of this during the journey of his life he has ‘come of age' is various ways such as courage, confidence, and independence.