Joliet
Central High School
Joliet,
Illinois
Teacher:
Communities Roles in its
Youth’s Rite of Passage
by
Crystal Lawson
Grade 11
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things.”
1 Colossians 13:11
Holy
Bible; King James version
A
rite of passage is a point in life where maturity is met.
Webster’s defines Maturity as fully ripe or grown, meaning ready to
be plucked. Rite of passage can
also be defined as a place where a boy becomes a man or a girl becomes a
woman. But what and who decides
when this point is met?
In
many cultures the girls are nurtured and taught by the older women.
Boys are taught outside the home by the older men.
Once they have learned all to be learned and have met an appropriate
age, both boy and girl are considered mature.
Once maturity is met in some cultures and countries such as African and
Somoan marriage is pronounced.
In
American culture, children are just given food, shelter and education.
Maturity is determined differently to many groups of American youth.
Some groups consider themselves mature once they are able to provide
food and shelter on their own. Others
are mature once they can provide just food and shelter, another just
education. Majority consider
themselves mature once they participate in the birth of another human life.
The
difference between these two civilizations is the adult role.
In many foreign cultures the elderly are valued.
Some foreign consider the elderly to be wise because of their years in
the world. The majority of
American cultures despise the elderly. In
fact, some of the elderly despise themselves. you Americans getting old is
their greatest fear. “children
make you old”, says one mother of seven children.
The adult role in many foreign cultures is not a question or
discussion. Parents are the
highest authority in a child life in many African cultures. Once maturity is
met parents are second in authority next to the law of the land.
In
American cultures children practically raise themselves. Parents say children
make them old, by giving their children just the necessities the parent
doesn't feel tied down. Young people make their own rules and take their
parents for granite, as the parents do to them. By making their own rules
young people also decide their own rite of passage. Young people turn to their
peers for guidance and direction. Depending on the peers attitude and outlook
on life decides what advice and standards are passed on throughout the group.
Rite of passage has different meanings depending on the group. In some groups,
sexual experience, others may consider physical appearance. One group in
particular, gangs, use the fearless ability. Being able to be fearless in any
situation and abide by the standards of the gang determines each members
maturity.
No
matter which Rite is choose each displays the lack of mature adult influence,
which is the solution to the whole issue. If adults and parents displayed
maturity and how important growing up is, American youth wouldn’t have such
a hard time with growing up. Preservation
or youth is America’s main problem. Adults act immature to prove their youth
to others, young people follow the adult’s example and don’t know what
maturity is.
Young
girls giving birth stunts childhood. In
many American cultures the average older girl watches the younger children in
the working single parent homes. Once they are influenced by the sexual
experience rite of passage they try it. The major result is teen pregnancy.
Therefore putting away their own childhood to take on the adult affair of
raising children.
Rite
of passage is essential. They come regardless of situation, race, culture or
age. Physical, mental and
emotional rites of passage occur naturally. A rite of passage is a part of
life. Growing genitals and menstruations are examples of adolescent rites of
passage, maturations that occur automatically in every young persons life.
The
time for communities to recognize these processes is now. Young people are
going to grow up regardless of surroundings or environments. In order to build
self esteem, character and morals, these events should be specified as
important. Not by peers but by
important adults and loved ones. Eight grade graduations, becoming a teenager,
getting a driver’s license and high school graduations are all very
important events to young people today. Receiving a pat on the back and
respect from parents and communities help build character in a young
person’s life.
A
person’s life and character is a mirror of his or her childhood and
upbringing. A childish adult reflects little maturation beyond the automatic.
A serious adult reflects lots of maturation beyond the necessary. Including
most likely maturation by life’s experience and maybe education.
But
on some rare occasions this theory isn’t always true. There are those who
are childish and yet very serious about life. Then there are the serious yet
childish about everything around them except themselves. The basic issue of
life is always changing and children are always and forever going to grow up.
But through life each process of maturation only occurs once, so get the most
out of each event while it lasts. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Majority of
parents everywhere desire to give their children what they themselves lacked
as a child. What better way to do this than to acknowledge every rite of
maturation in young peoples lives.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest
of these is charity.”
1 Colossians 13:13
Holy Bible; King James version
References:
Holy Bible; King James version
1999-2000 Alternate Essay Contest Packet
QUESTIONS
Q1.
At the beginning of Margaret Mead’s 1961 Preface
to Coming of Age in Somoa, her Statement of scoring points for the
future of young people is reminiscent of a current Army Recruiting Commercial.
Q2.
The importance of the language spoken in the home is a 1920’s issue, no
longer an issue today.
Q3.
I agree that culture is man made. If
it weren’t than there wouldn’t be so many different ones.
Culture - patterns followed by a specific group of people passed on
from generation.
Q4.
In her writings Margaret was advocating an integration of the primitive and
civilized.
Q5.
Having adults recognize what is going on and to enforce boundaries and
structure is not a very good idea. Many
young people after having so much freedom may rebel to a new form.
Q6.
Three things I’ve seen or experienced concerning drugs in my school would be
drug busts, locker checks and purchase.
Q7.
My solution to the “plight of the black teenager” is to put the cap
on racism.
Q8.
It would be a relief to go to school just to learn. Instead there are so many
stereotypes and clicks. To learn
in an exciting way and to have learning admired would be a privilege.
Q9.
“Schools are like prisons because they don’t teach you how to
live.” This could be a fact.
All you learn applies within the for walls of the school, nothing can
be applied to every day life outside. “People
in school are dulled by the remoteness of the real world.”
This could also be a fact. By
knowing any about school anything beyond is just boring.
Involving
classes that applies to every day life would give students a better outlook on
life beyond school.
Q10.
“ Every adolescent needs a mentor.” Adults play a huge role in
young people’s life. Adults are
the example and foreshadowing of things to come.