“Man learns through experience, and the spiritual path is full of different kinds of experiences. He will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and they are the very experiences he needs to encourage and complete the cleansing process.” (Baba) Life develops from experiences , some of which are negative. In the progression of life obstructions such as loss of innocence will be met. Loss of innocence is an event that everyone goes through as a result from transitioning into adulthood, however others experience it earlier. For instance, veterans see various things in war that may change their life and the people around them. Another example would be the pressure of family expectations to which confuses and hinders their own path through life. …show more content…
It is clear that everyone has to go through the bad before they get to the good even when it is the less expected. Author’s Information Rudolfo Alfonso Anaya was born on october 30, 1937 in Pastura, New Mexico.
“He graduated from the University of New Mexico and worked as a public school teacher in Albuquerque before becoming director of counseling at the University of Albuquerque” (Encyclopedia Britannica) Anaya based his books on the “Chicano Literature.” (The Biography) As a boy he had a pool accident that broke his back, in which, made him take life as the pearl it really is and started questioning “life and human existence.” (Cliff Notes) In Bless Me, Ultima (1972) he reflected it on his early life experiences. Anaya felt that would help him “know himself better” and “shape him as a person.” In the novel, the main character, Antonio, has to figure out what he wants to be in his life despite everything that comes his …show more content…
way. Time Period In the late 1940’s, post World War 2, America’s economy was at its finest point. It was as if everything had to go back to normal, by which many people were not okay with. It was the time when people wanted to make life changes and “buy newly-built homes in the suburbs.” (American History...) A major social influence was the Baby Boom. The population skyrocketed because veterans were coming home from wanting to start a family. Even though segregation was still at stake and people were still cautious about communism. (Sullivan) Many innovations were created in the country of liberty and Americans were living with carpe diem. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for all Americans. Thousands of soldiers came back from war with trauma. For anyone to experience a situation like that, will eventually affect their life. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event, experiences or even witnessing.” ( Mayo Clinic) Bless Me, Ultima describes how Antonio’s brothers come back from war just like Lupito with PTSD. That atrocious experience caused them side effects of “flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety”,etc. Antonio’s brothers Leon, Eugene and Andrew decided to ignore their parents and move out of their house and Lupito killed a sheriff. (Vincent and Caitlin) As Antonio’s siblings wanted to get away from home to gain their independence and because of the war everything felt so foreign. Not everyone has the same outcomes after something so traumatizing, some may heal even sooner than others. Just as war can be a major impact to your normal life ,can be compared to witnessing a horrific situation. In the novel, Antonio does get PTSD after learning that Lupito is dead, Tenorio kills Narciso, Florence drowns and Ultima die. Being too much for a child, he too, gets too a point where he has to see life from a different perspective and needs to get away. Loss of Innocence It is not rare for a child to grow up fast now a days, in fact, in present day it is so common.
“ When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about our future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” (Rothfuss) Everyone rushes to get to a point that they didn’t expect at all in life. The future could be such a frightening stage, a leap to the unexpected. It is out of the hands of people to get what they want, most of the time because of life experiences. Growing up in a depressing community post war will be an automatic change in life perspective. Veterans are scarred, wives feel helpless and children change. As things start to slowly change, a child's mind set does too. They question life more, act to what they think they should be acting in certain situations, and sadly, start putting the toys
away. Parent Expectations It is clear that as a parent you want the best for your child.Most of the time, a career of your choice. Unfortunately, that stops a child from going for what they believe would be the best for them. In Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio’s mother, Maria, wants him to be a priest and his father, Gabriel, wants him to be a farmer. With both parents barking in a child’s ear it is difficult for him to make both of them happy. The child is already trying to find himself , why confuse him even more. The most important choice as a parent is to always support one of their own to what they decide to do. A child goes through the unexpected growing up, with parents conscious about it or not, and sometimes the best to do is, let them chose for themselves. Their choice, their life. “I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we’re supposed to make. We waste so much time making decisions based on someone else’s idea of our happiness - what will make a good citizen or a good wife or daughter or actress. Nobody says, ‘ Just be happy - go be a cobbler or go live with goats.’” (Bullock) When someone finally starts to experience life, it is totally their choice to decide how they want to live it. Even after experiencing war or death trauma, early loss of adolescence, and the confusion of what they're expected to be one should have a clear idea. Life is not always going to be perfect and as planned, but the only way to develop is with experience of the good and the bad.
To reach maturity requires a loss of innocence. For example, when a child finds out there is no Santa Claus, he is caught between a magical belief and a reality that he is unwilling to accept. It's a coming-of-age experience that changes his outlook on life forever. The child has lost some of his previous innocence and must face life's harsh realities. This process can be confusing and painful. In some ways, a loss of innocence forces us to become more mature by gathering wisdom and knowledge from a metamorphic experience. Metamorphosis is as much a spiritual change as it is a physical one. It is a natural process that helps a person grow and develop.
As years go by in the life of a human being, it is inevitable to not see a change in that human being, regardless whether those changes are physical and or mental. Supposing that every human being stayed with the mentality of a child, the world would be incoherent because none of the humans would be capable of passing that phase of their life and gaining the knowledge and experience that would allow them to continue to the next phase of their
Going through the same thing every day can be comforting and change can create chaos in the everyday routine. After the youth leaves change will set in but will change the outcomes of the activities that occur. Some parents will enjoy the free time that has been presented and others will fade and not know what to do. Older generation parents have readjusted before and have had to change their life to incorporate the youth coming into their life; some transitions were easier than others. Some of the parents find that moving out of their community is not the way to change the pace of life that is occurring. Yet the change of moving would create a drastic change of pace; some of the parents in Ellis tell Carr and Kefalas, “They fear that the outside world will expect them to change too much of who and what they are” (21). Making a change would require something that most parents don’t have, and that would be wanting to leave. Most of the older generation are content with the life they have; yet the ability of having a change of pace is enticing.
The world has experienced many changes in past generations, to the present. One of the very most important changes in life had to be the changes of children. Historians have worked a great deal on children’s lives in the past. “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”- Author Unknown
As an adult, you've typically reached your social, economic, and environmental pinnacle. In Wes(p)’s case his destiny had already been sealed at this time. At age twenty-five he was convicted of felony murder and was sentenced to a life in the Jessup Correctional Facility. When asked about this for an interview on CBS May 10, 2010, 4:16 PM, Wes(p) quotes, “I thought that I had to be on the streets and live a life of crime. I thought that was my only real talent…” This, proven by Wes(p) himself, goes to show how influential environment is on destiny. Because Wes(p) was basically raised and grew up on drug ridden streets, he was thought to believe he would never be anything more than a product of the Baltimore streets. For that reason, Wes(p) ended up as nothing more than a product of his poor environment. Wes(a), however manipulated his environment to make the most out of his destiny. From the summer of 2005 to the summer of 2006 Wes(a) was deployed in the town of Khost, on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He describes the environment as, “Spending so much time with my fellow soldiers reminded me why I had joined the military. The camaraderie, intensity, and passion for the job, and the sense of duty to something larger than myself, was something I had missed deeply. (Moore 177)” All individuals in the service have been trained to be adaptable and meet the constantly
During the course of life, one must experience different changes or actions that will mold us into the person we will become. It could be as little as receiving the 1st "F" on a test or the passing away of a loved one and they all add up to some kind of importance. Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare has Hamlet, the protagonist, struggling through life to find his true self and strives to get hold of his spot in life. However, he is always inhibited to seek vengeance for his father's unlawful death.
From when a child is born, to adulthood, everything done because of them, to them, or in front of them leaves a “puzzle piece” in their brain. By the time they have reached the age of 16 and up, they most likely have already decided or already have become the kind of person they want to be. What they have witnessed and experienced throughout the years of their upbringing has left enough puzzle pieces for them to piece together the type of person they will be. If the child witnesses abuse, they will remember that. If the child witnesses prejudice and racism, they will remember that. If the child witnesses the complete opposite of that, such as acceptance, fairness, and acts of love; they will remember that. From the ages of ten to fifteen, research shows that “early adolescent brain goes through a growth...
Rudolfo Anaya is an successful author , he was known for his award winning books such as “Bless Me Ultima” and “Zia summer’’He also has other published books, short stories, children books, and even poetry. Rudolfo had many talents , he was just a hard worker who wanted nothing in his life , but success.
Rudolfo Anaya’s novel Bless Me, Ultima, exploited the Spanish, Mexican and Native American teachings. Amidst it, a child becomes consumed by a world beyond his years. New Mexican culture is established by religion and driven by pure legacy of faith. The Catholicism that New Mexico originated from is guided by the church, where the beauty of its surrounding nature allows it to flourish. Antonio Marez, is a mirror image of the Author, Rudolfo Anaya. Antonio is born within this Chicano Movement, however, he fights a battle of uncertainty as he dwells
Orientation, introduction, moving in classes, fraternity exams midterm finals, all flying by with the roar of drag car screaming past you on the side. That is how this past semester has felt like. So far everything has been a blur, "tunnel visioned" towards the end that is now wider as I start to comprehend all of the emotions and information from this past semester. Sitting here in front of my computer finishing on of the last essays I will write this semester about the thing that I have done this semester. Tired, hungry and wanting to go home have been the reoccurring themes so far in my college career.
We begin life young and innocent, we make choices without much life experience, so we do not always understand those choices, but as we gain more knowledge and experience we analysis the paths and decisions we chose. I began a path I believed I was destined for. In all my innocence, I thought I had everything
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.
The idea that development is considered lifelong has to do with the psychological sense that individuals do not stop encountering situations that can have a potential influence on their development. While infants and toddlers come to mind when generally speaking of learning opportunities, a man or woman in their mid-fifties can still experience events that will impact their development. One’s mentality or behavior does not stop growing at a certain age because there are plenty of chances for development throughout the course of one’s life.
There are two different but similar stages in a person’s life: childhood and adulthood. I remember when I was a child, all I ever wanted to do was being an adult. Now that I am an adult or semi adult, I wish to be a child again. Looking back at my childhood everything seemed so easy. Now that I’m out in the “real world” everything seems to be ten times harder. As we continue to grow and develop we go through several stages of life. These characteristics can be distinguished by these similarities and differences: our thoughts in each stage, our actions in each stage, and our experiences.
...through 8 different psychosocial stages of life. Each step has to be completed in order to have gained knowledge and to be able to be successful in the next stage of development. Researching this topic has taught me that we can’t skip over skills and expect to have success or live happily ever after. I now realize how important learning from my mistakes can be. Childhood becomes the remembered past and adulthood the anticipated future (McAdams, 2001).