Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Coming of age introduction
Coming of age introduction
Coming of age introduction
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Coming of age introduction
The Perfect Age
Many of us can't wait to be the perfect age; but what exactly is that age? Is it the age when we will finally find the right one and get married, or when we can legally drink alcohol, or is it when we are settled with families of our own later in life? For every individual, it is a different age and a different dream waiting to be fulfilled. However, once this age finally arrives, it quickly disappears and we revert back to being unhappy.
Have you ever noticed how when you are young, you cannot wait to be old, but once you are old, you yearn to be young again? Why are we never fully content with the "now" in our lives? I remember when I was younger playing with my older cousin. It was in the late eighties, which meant the Madonna craze was in full force. She and I would dress up in our parents clothes and pretend to be twenty-something-year-old Madonna. Similarly, my brother used to dress in my dad's suits and pretend to be a businessman going to an important meeting. At such young ages we could not wait to be older, like our parents.
Another common childhood game is "house." Girls must remember having a fight with other girls as to who will be the father. No girly girl wanted to be the guy. They want to be the mommy and wife, pretending to cook and take care of the kids. At such a young age, kids look up to their parents and desire to imitate them. This is a classic example of not being happy with the "now."
Yet another stage in life where kids want to be older is in the middle school age. Many people hate middle school because it's such a difficult time. People are maturing and trying to figure out who they really are, while in the meantime they make some dumb friendships and some good ones. I know at my school, during seventh and eighth grade is when a lot of kids try cigarettes, drinking, and other drugs. Smoking cigarettes is legal at eighteen, and drinking at twenty-one. Drugs are not legal at any age, but supposedly it is something that an older person would try.
In “Tweens: Ten Going on Sixteen,” Kay S. Hymowitz points out the fact that in modern society kids mature too early, creating a negative trend called tween phenomenon; it occurs when kids become teenagers at a young age and skip the preadolescence period. According to Hymowitz, the evidence presents a troubling picture, tweens are too concerned with the way they look, are involved in criminal activities, are having sex, and are doing drugs and alcohol. The author concludes that the causes of the negative trends are complex, and I believe that she states a reasonable case that should be considered by parents, educators, and psychologists. Without a doubt, the three most negative behavioral trends of many tweens are their need for attention,
“...if you've found meaning in your life, you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more.” (Albom, 118). People can keep from envying others by finding what’s good in their age in the present and not envying younger people because you are aging, “You have to find what’s good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now.” (Albom, 120). To illustrate, everyone always grows older and has the thought of if it is their last day on Earth, this is something people become worried about. “It’s what everyone worries about, isn’t it? What if today was my last day on earth?” (Albom, 64). All in all, you are always going to get older, and you have to learn the growth and perks of being old instead of battling it, or you will always be
Baz Lurhmann’s creation of the film Romeo and Juliet has shown that today’s audience can still understand and appreciate William Shakespeare. Typically, when a modern audience think of Shakespeare, they immediately think it will be boring, yet Lurhmann successfully rejuvenates Romeo and Juliet. In his film production he uses a number of different cinematic techniques, costumes and a formidably enjoyable soundtrack; yet changes not one word from Shakespeare’s original play, thus making it appeal to a modern audience.
...you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but its decades before you admit it” (Gruen 5). Here Jacob is saying that people like to live in and think about their past ages and try to hold on to those instead of living in the present. People lose sight of what’s actually in front of them and usually waste their life way. Life passes to quickly; people need to just go after what they want so that they can live happily with a life filled with no regrets.
...e tragic celebration of young, forbidden love told by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, has been tailored for many motion picture adaptations. The most famous of these adaptations are Franco Zeffirelli’s version and Baz Lurhmann’s film produced in 1996. These two films applied Shakespeare’s most well-known work as a basis for their motion pictures. Both films had similarities, but the differences were much more apparent. Ever since William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been debuted, it has and forever will be an artistic influence for playwrights, directors, and other artists.
At the age of 9, a little girl is counting down the days until her next birthday because double digits are a big deal. Now she is 12 and is still counting the days until she can call herself a teenager. For years people cannot wait to be another year older… until they actually become older. As people grow up they accept that maturing means taking on responsibilities and adulthood. Having sleepovers and play-dates, taking naps, and climbing the monkey bars becomes taboo. The simplistic life of a child quickly changes into the dull reality of school and work. People will spend years wishing they were older; but when the time comes, they hope to go back to their innocence. In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger writes a stream of consciousness
Many fall into peer pressure that's because of the friends they come across with. Friends can influence them so much once becoming an adult it isn’t the same because your brain has grown out of it. Many also lack confidence while many look like adults their brain resembles a child’s. While their bodies are aging their brain is rearranging itself in a way that temporarily makes it act the same way it did when they were younger. Most teens are overly emotional studies have found that teens have a much harder time speaking and to other people and so they sometimes react irrationally to emotional situations. Many parents wonder what happens to the smart child they use to have many still put in the exact same effort but get different results that's because the brain losses tissue over the years. Losing brain tissue can cause a teen to act immature and not quite like an adult
...ision are contributions to juvenile substance abuse. As you say in class “the brain isn’t fully developed until the age 25”, therefore making dumb decisions are bound to happen. Having a immature mind allows room for error and persuasion to try something from friends may seem to be “in or cool”. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that stress, boredom, and extra money were extreme factors in adolescents’ drug abuse.
Discuss the need for an explanation of human memory, which proposes that memory is a set of stages, rather than a single process.
Have you ever wondered why you find yourself recalling memories that, later you realized, they never actually occurred? If your answer is yes, then you’ve probably personally experienced this. If your answer is no, maybe you have indeed experienced this but, you just didnt realize it or didn’t understand it. Well, in order to understand the whole idea behind “false memories”, one must first understand “memory” in general. When asked about “memory” many will often describe it as “the mental capacity of receiving and recalling facts, events, impressions, or of recalling past experiences.” (Squire, 2009) Some of the common examples that are often described includes the process of studying for an exam or the process of trying to recall where
According to Windle et al. (2009) adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 are beginning to consume alcohol. Adolescents are going through puberty at this stage. This means that they are experiencing greater emotional mood swings, greater emotions when dealing with emotional events, and tend to break more rules and exhibit rule breaking behaviors (Windle, et al., 2009). 19.5 percent of 8th graders and 42.1 percent of 10th graders reported having been drunk in their lifetime (Windle, et al., 2009). It is said that the adolescents that consistently drink through this period of time are more likely to have a harder time transitioning into adulthood (Zhong, et al., 2010).
affect our memory. It is important to be aware of these factors and to question the accuracy of our own memories. commit due to inaccurate eyewitness testimony. Cognitive psychologists have conducted extensive research on the reliability of eyewitness testimony and have found that it can be influenced by a variety of factors, including stress, leading questions, and post-event information. In fact, studies have shown that eyewitnesses are often inaccurate in their descriptions and identifications, which can have serious consequences for the accused.
Children are introduced to drugs and alcohol at a very young age. Many of them see alcohol and drugs in their homes, used by their parents on daily bases. Some of these children don't even realize that it is wrong, "not normal", and not accepted in other homes until they are old enough to understand that situation in their home is a problem and that it is wrong. Minors usually begin using alcohol at around age 13. Statistics show that by the time they are high school sinners, 81 percent of teens have used alcohol. Alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse are more widespread among young people than many adults realize. Drug abuse is also very high.
Adolescences in particular can be easily influenced to abusing a drug or multiple drugs. I believe this happens because teens often lack education, live in an environment where drugs are readily available, are peer-pressured and the lack of proper growth of the frontal lobe. Many factors contribute to adolescences experimenting with drugs. As side from being a child, the adolescence stage is of great importance. Healthy habits and activities are supposed to be instilled within this stage of life. The adolescence stage can be very perplexing and what is made into a habit then is easily carried on into adulthood. Our genes act together with our environment to contribute to the addictive behaviors we are motivated to develop. If addiction is left untreated it can ultimately lead to de...
Humans have three stages of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Each type of memory operates differently and the three types of memory are the key for a human to have a lasting memory. Sensory memory works as the shortest-term memory where the brain acts as stimuli on five senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch); Short-term memory is the ability to process information in an active state and remember the information for a certain period of time; While long-term memory can store information for a long period of time. However, information on long-term memory may decay over time.