The+End+of+Childhood

=**The End of Childhood**= The //End of Childhood or Loss of Innocence// is an archtype that is used in literature to represent moving from a safe, secure place in the world into the burden of responsibility; from a "rosy" vision of the world to a wider, but "grayer, darker" outlook on life; from a timeless existence to an awareness of the passing of time. On an individual level, this could be a broken toy, a friend moving away, not making the team or summer is gone and school is beginning. This is the awareness of coming face to face with the unsuspected truth; a young person goes through an experience that takes them to a more adult level. Sometimes rituals are part of this change like your Bar or Bat Mitzvah, confirmation, first date, graduation, first job, getting your drivers license,losing a grandparent, and even the many physical changes that you experience as a 13 yr. old. On a social level, we are dealing with the origin of evil. The most familiar story is Adam and Eve. Like the god-teacher stories, it tells us a great deal about a society's self image. Do we bear the responsibility for evil in the world or is it sent by the gods as a punishment? Who is the vehicle for the fall---a man, a woman, an animal? These stories are examples of our imagination enabling us to cope with the facts of life. How did we come to be the way we are? What can we expect in the future? One thing we learn in this unit is that the end of childhood means the "end of the Golden Age". Many events occur in the life of a teenager that cause an end of childhood or loss of innocence. According to the summary, these events are caused by discontent, chance, fate, time, a god's whim, or human pride. After finishing this section of the book and reading the summary, complete the assignments below.

Assignment #4 End of Childhood / Loss of Innocence experience

 * Describe a recent event in your life that illustrates an end of childhood or loss of innocence. Post this event on your page. Give details as to why you consider this an end of childhood event.** Post on YOUR page as **Assignment #4.**