I am an example of this concept. My
father was always the dad that would never let me go out alone, hang out with
boys, or even watch the television when he thought something “inappropriate”
was occurring. He thinks that if he controls me to this extent that I will
obey, but what he doesn’t understand is that I am not a puppy who will listen
if he feeds me a treat. What he has done only made things worse for me, because
I was left out of society and what it had to offer. He made it more difficult
for me to fit into society's standards.
Unlike Henry David Thoreau, who informs
the people of the United States to rebel against the government in his piece,
"Civil Disobedience," I am not telling all of you to walk out on your
parents because they are being overbearing, rather, I want us to prove to them
that we know what we're doing and they shouldn't feel the need to retrace our
every step. For me, I am sick and tired of being watched over like a hawk and
not being taught to know what good and bad things there are to life.
I understand the intent he had toward
his actions, but unfortunately, he cannot comprehend the fact that I am mature
enough to handle things on my own; he needs to let go. I know it can be hard
for parents to do so, but somewhere along the line, they will enjoy to see us grow
and prosper in life, and the only way this can happen is if we get to
experience it for ourselves, and the same thing goes for the children in
Collins's poem if they learn what truly happened in our past.
I too grew up with really strict parents, so I can really relate to your post! As I get older, its almost as if they grow more discontent when I'm not the perfect child they "trained" me to be. The message Collins presents, that lying to protect is not always the right thing to do, regardless of intent, is a good one!
ReplyDeleteI love how you incorporated the work of Billy Collins and Henry David Thoreau into your writing and it fit with your topic very well too. This is totally relatable to not only my life, but probably a lot of other teens, which is a good thing because it keeps the audience interested in reading the piece. What you mentioned about not rebelling against parents, unlike Thoreau's beliefs, is very good advice because that can often lead to more trouble.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good post Izzy, my parents weren't very strict so i couldn't relate to it but the way you structured your writing has explained to me what it feels like to be censored growing up.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this because my parents have always been very over-protective. I think we just have to have faith that they have the right idea in their hearts, which is what I am sure the history teacher thought he was doing. I think there is somethings in this world your parents will always want to protect you from, but as teenagers it is our job to break into the life of adulthood. One day when we are parents I think we will realize why our parents are so protective, and when that day comes I feel like we will have a better understanding of why adults feel the need to shield their youth from the world. I really liked how you were able to incorporate the pieces into your own life!
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