Coming of age Essays

Charles A. Thomas III
Mr. Thorpe
Block 5
September 11, 2014
The Perpetual Challenge Since the beginning of time, humans have experienced a coming of age. Everyone will have a different experience but in the end, each person will take another step toward adulthood. Even adults have more challenges ahead of them that they must face. According to Meg English, coming of age is a very personal experience that requires patience. Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, writes about how coming of age can make someone feel alone. Like the protagonist Francie Nolan, I underwent a self-discovery during my childhood and early teenage years which has shaped me into who I am today. But first, the interview of Meg English. Meg English, Attorney and Financial Advisor, more formally known as Margaret S. English, experienced coming of age about the same time that most of us do. She became aware of the term coming of age when her parents said to her, “It is nice to see that you are coming of age.” At first she thought that coming of age meant that her brain and her body were catching up with each other and that her physical, mental, and spiritual maturity were coming together at the same level. Today, she believes that coming of age is best described as, “The coming together of emotional, spiritual, and intellectual maturity to accept the consequences of one’s decisions.” Margaret would also say that coming of age is both good and bad. For example, she said that, “Coming of age is a process, not a destination. So it is a constant and perpetual changing of one’s ability to accept the consequences for their actions and decisions. Unfortunately, this requires that mistakes are made.” For example, some people feel more prepared to make decisions than they in fact are which results in an inability to comprehend the true nature of the consequences. At other times, people are more able to accept consequences than they believe, causing them to not push themselves. Sometimes, Loneliness can cause one to not push him or herself. Betty Smith made that very clear in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn presents the problem of a child growing up; the coming of age when one meets challenges and overcomes obstacles. The main character, Francie Nolan, experiences a self-discovery as she grew up in the Brooklyn Slums. As a small child living in Brooklyn, Francie had no friends her age. The kids that would have been candidates either found her too quiet or teased her for being different. “So in the warm summer days, the lonesome child sat on her stoop and pretended disdain for the group of children playing of the sidewalk.” (p. 106). Francie had to play with her own imaginary friends to keep her company because no one wanted to play with her. Just like Francie, I was lonely as a child growing up around adults. During my childhood, I was around adults the majority of each day. This made it so that I had to play with myself because my sister, mom, or dad would be working at the time. I would often

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