Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Essay

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Undoubtedly, being a parent is an endless, difficult, but satisfactory job. Nonetheless, in every relationship, especially between families, communication is fundamental to establish a solid tie. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a story by Joyce Carol Oates written in 1966. After analyzing the story, one concludes the lack of communication between an adolescent and her parents brings a tragic end for the adolescent. Oates relied on poor communication skills to develop the significance of her story by expounding the errors the parents made with their child in this aspect; so that other parents do not repeat the same errors. For instance, poor verbal and nonverbal communication, ignoring the adolescent’s actions, and constantly pointing out defects or comparing them to other people. …show more content…
Moreover, as a parent, being involved in every aspect of your teenager’s life without being possessive is essential. For example, meeting their friends, know where they are or who they are with when not home, their preferences and dislikes, etc. To do so, it is important to show that they can sufficiently trust you to inform you about their actions, but always maintain your role as an adult. The purpose is so that they do not have to pretend someone they are not when around other people. For instance, in the story, the protagonist “had two sides, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.” (Oates). Finally, constantly reminding an adolescent of what they are not capable of is not going to help them improve, but in fact, it will lower their self-esteem. Also, a tremendous mistake is to compare them with other people, especially between siblings because it can create jealousy among them: “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?” (Oates). It is important to remember that everyone has different abilities, and it is impossible for everyone to be the
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