Adulthood In Judith Ortiz Coffer's Catch The Moon

Youth is often paralleled with an utopian ideal that adults cling to. In “Musée des Beaux Arts,” Auden asserts the the idea that age is not equivalent to youth, and these concepts do not affect the natural order of society, “Its human position: how it takes place / While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along: / How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting / For the miraculous birth there always must be / Children who did not specially want it to happen…” (3-7). In A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, all the authors use adults who act like youth, and youth whose maturity level surpasses their age to depict the disconnect between age and youth. Each author uses an age difference related to a maturity level to assert that youth is merely a permutation of attitude, and is not related to age.

In our world, every single person has to face a singular event in their life. This event is considered as an amazing experience, but some wishes to never face this event. This event is labelled as adulthood. Adulthood is a very confusing and complex event. During this event the world seems way better than the childhood, it is considered fun and free. But in the eyes of many it is a world of cruel and unjust society. Why a person thinks like that? Is there any reason why people is scared of reaching the adulthood? Gerontophobia, the fear of impending adulthood, which is showed as the biggest fear of Holden Caulfield in the novel The

As one begins to face life challenges, one’s maturity is put to the test. In the story, “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the speaker allows his ego to rise above him which ultimately causes the death of his brother. On the other hand, the speaker in “Shaving” by Leslie Norris acknowledges that his father is dying maturely steps up and takes his father’s role in the family. The speaker in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Annabel Lee,” has an immature response towards the death of his loved one and cannot cope with the reality of the situation. The speaker in each work has to rely on their maturity to lead them through the hardships life has to offer. All three authors make clear that maturity drives one’s ability to cope with life’s challenges.

The story Marigolds, by Eugenia Collier, shows the harsh reality of becoming an adult in the poverty stricken times of the 1930’s. The story follows a girl, Lizabeth, as she makes the tough transition from a innocent child to an adult. As Lizabeth grows into an adult she experiences new emotions such as empathy and compassion, but in order to do so she loses her childish wonder and innocence. The story touches on themes of compassion, love, and hope associated with adulthood, but also the pain and defeat that comes with it. It shows the innocence and wonder of being a child, but also the fierce and intense emotions of adolescent. These immense differences between youth and adulthood helps to contribute to the the main theme of this story:

Maturity is the feeling of needing to prove that one is sophisticated and old enough to do certain things. In the short story “Growing Up,” Maria’s family went on a vacation while she stayed at home, but when she heard there was a car crash that happened near where her family was staying, she gets worried and thinks it is all her fault for trying to act mature and angering her father. Society wants to prove how mature they are and they do so by trying to do things that older people do and the symbols, conflict, and metaphors in the text support this theme.

The age of adulthood should be raised to 25 because the adolescents of today no longer have to face many of the tribulations that helped adolescents of the past mature into adulthood. In his article, “What is the Age of Responsibility”, Alan Greenblatt contemplates the notion that the youth of today do not mature as fast as they used to. Greenblatt states “Through the middle of the 20th century, the onset of adulthood seemed to come earlier and earlier. War was partly responsible for that, as 18-year-olds went off to fight in world war II, followed by the wars in Korea and Vietnam. On the homefront, manufacturing jobs didn’t require a diploma.

Over the years, the legal drinking age in the United States has been heavily debated. Some argue that the legal age to drink should be 18 or 19 because people at that age are recognized as adults; others argue that the drinking age should be 21 because people who are able to drink should be more mature and have their lives better planned out. Although people are legally adults at 18, they are not yet mature adults; in fact, according to NRP, “emerging science about brain development suggests that most people don’t reach full maturity until the age 25” (“Brain”). Before earning the right to legally drink, people should allow their bodies to fully develop and gain a better knowledge of how to organize their lives. The drinking age should remain

People pass through different stages of development throughout their lives. In the process of this, many changes are experienced that affect the life course. There are various theories as well as theorist to choose from in order to gain a greater knowledge of an individual’s development. In this paper I will analyze the Life Course Perspective and Levinson’s Theory of Seasons of Adulthood. After analyzing these theories, I will apply the concepts of The Life Course Perspective and Levinson to my father’s life.

“Emerging adulthood” article written by Arnett states that emerging adulthood is a stage that has been introduced for the beginning of the age 18 till 25. This new stage is a bridge that connects the adolescences and adult childhood. Various characteristics have described to define the emerging adulthood. The methods that have used includes the age of change, the age of possibility, the age of feeling in between and age of identity exploration. Emerging adulthood is time has been given to young people where they learn how to become adults. This stage helps them to explore their choices, educations, and careers. Arnett also states that emerging adulthood most likely to seem in the developed countries rather than countries where adulthood is more cultural based. This stage is very

Young adults everywhere ae confused along with anyone who has been paying attention to the laws affecting young adult’s epically. The laws can be confusing for law makers let alone young adults. According to the New York Times article,” How old is enough?” they say,” People mature at different rates…more problematically any given person’s abilities also mature at different rates.”(Page 3) Therefore a professor named Steinberg says, “It makes sense to dole out rights and responsibilities

Late Adulthood is the stage of the human life cycle where an individual nears the end of their life. The life expectancy in the United States has slowly increased over the years therefore allowed many to further analyze the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development during late adulthood. The stage of late adulthood has been emphasized by ageism and the stereotypical "old" person but, will be further educated by the normative development of the life cycle of late adulthood. For the “old” experience dramatic changes in their development as they face loss, death, and illness.

The use of alcohol is very controversial to all people especially to adults and young adults. Some adults feel that young adults are going to get alcohol poisoned or get abused by others. Young adults feel that lowering the legal age for drinking would be beneficial to their life and health. The legal age should stay the same because people’s health will be affected, crime and violence will increase, and people’s social lives will be affected. Many organs can be damaged by alcohol and this can lead many problem in the future. Crime and violence are run by alcohol due to the fact that people have no sense of reality going through their brain when intoxicated. People get isolated because they are not do the other kids of their age do Alcohol

One issue that I feel passionate about is the drinking age. I think that 21 is too old, however, I think that 18 is too young. It it were up to me I would make the drinking age 20. To start, 20 is a good age to allow people to begin drinking because once you hit 20 you are no longer a teennager. Even though 18 is legally when you become an adult, you are still a teenager, which means you are not an adult. As soon as you turn 20 you are no longer a child, and can officially be considered an adult. Secondly, by the time you turn 20 you have been allowed to drive a car for four years. Driving a car requires a great amount of responsibility, one slip up and multiple people can be killed. If a person can be trusted to drive for four years, they should be trusted to drink responsibly. Finally, by age 20 most people have finished high school, work full time, or are in college. If people are old enough to complete these responsible tasks, they should be trusted to drink.

“...adulthood is marked by qualities of character such as responsibility. [...] When children and adolescents take on a level of responsibility that is understood as more typical for those at older ages, [...] young people begin to feel like adults. Certain responsibilities during childhood and adolescence can be expected to challenge cultural understandings of these life stages as relatively carefree and dependent upon others.”

Turning twenty-one years old puts a person in a position to be universally regarded as an adult. Both Samuel Johnson in his poem, To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age, and A.E Housman’s, When I was One and Twenty, recollect memories when they once dealt with this adamant yet subtle time in their lives briskly unaware of the troublesome times that lied ahead. The writers’ use of provoking details, vivid imagery and a hint of irony, create a visually appealing description regarding the stubborn new adults, while both speakers recall and account their own experiences.