Are you a parent of a developing young girl? Have you noticed the rapid physical changes they’re going through? If so, you are not alone. Countless parents are experiencing this, and so is Dave Barry. He recently explained this topic in his editorial, “Where Did My Little Girl Go?” and for me, I completely understand his point of view. It seems as though the duration of puberty for girls is instantaneous.…
* “Pimps and Hoes” sets up men to be domineering and controlling while women are viewed as…
In the beginning of both the poem and story the authors give a very visual description of the women. They are both considered to appear on the outside as if they are "a faerys child" - beautiful. But when you look into their eyes a sense of being "wild" is within them. The wildness that the men see in their eyes foreshadows their merciless nature. The wildness alludes to and foreshadows the womens animalistic and heartless actions. In both storys the women seduce multiple men with their physical attractiveness in order to gain control of them and make the situation benefit them. The authors use imagery in their texts by explaining in detail the womens outstanding physical features in order to make the reader picture the women in the same way that the narrator does. Steinbeck and Keats effectivly project the images of the women into the minds of the reader.…
In both short stories the main characters are of the opposite sex, which changes the viewpoint of both stories. Connie, at fifteen years old, is sexually active and…
In the articles by Tannen, Kingston, and Ehrlich, they all have something in common which is about the surrounding community that they grew up in. The community that Tannen describes is that how they exclude women from being able to do a man's job. In Kingston's article he describes how a Chinese girl, which is her, is being treated and at least trying to fit in with the other kids when she was growing up. Ehrlich's article basically ties in on how an outsider tries to fit in but can't even though he "looks" like the rest. All three of these writers describe how hard it is to at least be treated equally by trying to fit in. They all intend to give the readers a more in depth knowledge of sexist, discrimination, equality. But throughout these three articles, the one that stood out the most was "About Men" by Gretel Ehrlich.…
In my opinion, i think the authors are the ones who want the love and sex. For example, the poem To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time the speaker is Robert Herrick and in the poem To his Coy Mistress the speaker is Andrew Marvell. Although in To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, the speaker is much more creepy and weird. I feel like he is a older man, he is intelligent, and I would guess that his emotional state would be that he is jealous. In the poem To His Coy Mistress i think the author is a reasonable man, he is middle aged, and his emotional state is based around love and desire of wanting a beautiful…
Sellers, H. “Energy.” The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students. Ed. Leasa Burton. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 69-100. Print.…
The short stories, "A&P" by John Updike and "Greasy Lake" by T.C Boyle are both very similar in their tone and style. Both stories have two main charechters that are lost in their late teens years. The main charecter in "A&P" is attempting to impress a couple of teenage girls by taking a stand against his boss, while the main charechter in "Greasy Lake" is taking a stand agaisnt society by drinking and rebelling in any way possiable. Both main charecters have a similar style about them when they both decide to make some life changing decisions out of impulse.…
It comes as no surprise to anyone that teenagers are sometimes naturally moody, angst-ridden, and emotional as they transition from childhood to adulthood. No one, that is, but teenagers. For adolescents such as myself, the shifting position that teenagers come to in these years is awkward at best, and painful at worst. The sudden responsibility and pressure thrust upon a teenager in the latter years of high school (and often before) is near impossible to easily adjust to, especially when there is no real preparation offered. When left at the confusing crossroads of a seemingly transitory crisis, teenagers are faced with serious internal and external conflicts, often manifest in manic-depressive and abusive tendencies, as displayed in Salinger’s…
When reading the two stories one can see the troubles the two young women are dealing with on the path between adolescence and adulthood. However, it’s not just the girls in the story that deal with these fears. Most young women today deal with fears incorporating maturity changes from a girl to a women, loss of virginity, as well as the search for one‘s independence. Girls who are maturing into women may develop a fear of body image. Losing your virginity is also a big fear, and very scary for girls because the chance of getting pregnant dwindles in the back of their mind. Moreover, the search of independence is a significant trepidation, due to the fear of the unknown. Many young women search to find the woman they want to be, but can become confused with how others may perceive them, and define their character. Although the story does not state that Connie was raped, one can infer that she was placed in an awkward and alarming situation in which she had to choose whether to fight for her adolescence or physically cross the boundaries into becoming an adult. Neither Connie nor Julie overcame their fears, but they managed to deal with the inevitable events and situations, thus, proving that they were becoming mature young adults on the right…
Anna, an adolescent girl, is very much in love with her boyfriend who is three years older than she. He is putting a lot of pressure on her to have sex. At the same time, she is anxious about her parents’ attitude towards her boyfriend. Her mother constantly warns her about dating an older boy and assumes that he intends to take advantage of her.…
In David Updike’s “Summer”, Homer vacations at a beautiful lake with his friend Fred’s family and experiences his summer time with Fred’s sister Sandra. He was attracted by Sandra’s pure appearance; however, he is too shy and timid to express his unfamiliar feelings to her. Sandra has few senses about Homer’s feelings since she is innocent and lacking of awareness. In Susan Minot’s “Lust”, the protagonist loses herself in lust. She keeps searching love and fulfillments among different boys. She is addicted to meeting and adopting her partners although the relationships with them bring her few gratifications and a never-ending void. In David Updike’s short story female sexuality is portrayed as naïve, innocent, and pure, whereas in “Lust” female sexuality is casual, promiscuous and hollow.…
In America, beauty is associated with being young and having flawless skin and no wrinkles. A woman in late adulthood could look in the mirror and sees wrinkles, age spots, bags under her eyes, and sagging breasts; she might think she is not beautiful. What are older women supposed to do? Should they deny their sexuality because American society reveres youth? The youth obsessed American culture creates a stigma against the older adult, especially females since men are perceived as sexier with age. Once a woman can no longer bear children or loses her mate, people might think she becomes asexual. The truth is sexuality continues throughout the life span, but many women accept…
All of these short stories are about the loss of innocence and the attempt to gain it back. The characters are stuck between innocence and adulthood. And, interestingly, nearly all of the stories feature an interaction between a child and an adult, the child generally being an ideal or a tool for the adult to regain innocence - but not always. In some, even the child is struggling with the loss of ideals.…
The themes and symbolism for the stories “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid work with the structure of said stories to create an understanding of a girl’s sexuality and how others attempt controlling it by providing symbols that uncover the truth that lies behind the words. In, “Hills like White Elephants”, the American man consistently and angrily persuades his girlfriend to have the operation based on a foundation of false promises. Symbols that undercover that message are “Jig”, drinking, white elephants, and communication issues. In, “Girl”, the daughter’s mother attempts to control her sexuality through advice and scolding. The symbols in that story include food, cloth, and Benna.…