Joliet Central High School
Joliet, Illinois
Teacher:
by Crystal Lawson
Grade 11
“When I was a child, I spake 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.