With its accurate depictions of mental and emotional struggles that almost every teen faces while going through puberty, “An Ounce of Cure” by Alice Munro is a story that many adults, and current teenagers, can relate to. Even though this story is set in the 1960’s, it still depicts issues that teenagers now face, such as low self-esteem, peer-pressure, and depression. Trying to confront these mental battles may lead to teens picking up on poor coping mechanisms like underage drinking and smoking. Sadly, the narrator’s character in “An Ounce of Cure” does indeed turn to these bad habits to deal with her own personal insecurities and the rejection she received from Martin.
Because of her insecurities, the narrator’s character takes an immediate
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2). Once he received what he wanted from the main character, which was sex, he moved on to another girl at her school. As the narrator’s character was already facing inner struggles with depression and insecurities, the break-up only added to her misery. She felt completely betrayed and heart-broken when Martin dumped her while she thought they were clearly in love; so much so that she turned to alcohol. Along with being sorrowful, the main character had always been filled with curiosity; curiosity about alcohol. Her parents had constantly warned her about the dangers of alcohol consumption her whole life (pg. 1). So, now filled with despair and curiosity, she decided to have a drink while babysitting at her neighbors’ house. The character’s knowledge on alcohol was so minimal that she believed getting drunk would help solve her inner struggles (pg. 5-6). However, she soon finds out the truth behind alcohol and how it multiplied her depression drastically, instead of actually helping her cope. Once the entire town found out about how she had gotten sloppily drunk over Martin, the narrator’s character felt more depressed than ever (pg.
As well as the long last effect that alcoholic parents have on a child and a loved one. Moreover, McCullers writes his story incorporating the reality of alcoholism to allow people to visualize the effect of addiction and how it a very serious life changing issue that can deteriorate and break apart families. Mucllurs also indirectly emphasizes the sacrifices that parents must do to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of their children and how being disconnected from your social circle can lead to very serious mentally draining issues. As well as how he emphasizes Martins own intentions and how Matin suffers his own dilemma throughout the story for specific
This film contains some classic examples of the kinds of real life issues adolescents deal with. Issues such as popularity, peer relationships, family/sibling relationships, sex, and struggles with identity are all addressed in this ninety-minute film.
Drinking: A Love Story (1996) is a memoir by Caroline Knapp where she shares her experience of gradually becoming an alcoholic. She found drinking to be the most important relationship in her life; she loved how it made her feel, how it coped with her fears and worries. She chronicles some of the effort and self-realization required for recovery from this addiction, but her primary focus is on the charm, seductiveness, and destructiveness that she was able to find in two decades as an alcoholic, hopelessly in love with liquor. Her relationship with alcohol started in early teenage years and progressed through young adulthood, until she finally checked herself into a rehabilitation center at the age of thirty-four.
Protected by a cocoon of naiveté, Holden Caulfield, the principal character in the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, therapeutically relates his lonely 24 hour stay in downtown New York city, experiencing the "phony" adult world while dealing with the death of his innocent younger brother. Through this well-developed teenage character, JD Salinger, uses simple language and dialogue to outline many of the complex underlying problems haunting adolescents. With a unique beginning and ending, and an original look at our new society, The Catcher in the Rye is understood and appreciated on multiple levels of comprehension. The book provides new insights and a fresh view of the world in which adolescents live.
Another way these characters avoid living their life is by drinking continuously, in a way to make the time pass by faster and forget. ?Haven?t you had enough? She loses count after 10 cocktails,? (pg.11) proving to the audience her own self denial, and how she wastes every day. Unfortunately, there are many, who in society today, do the same thing to get out of a situation they?re trying to hide or a difficult time they?re going through. This relates back to their affair which they?re obviously hiding and trying to get through this time in their life.
Through symbolism the author shows us how Neddy goes from social drinking to destitution. Each stop at a neighbor’s pool gets progressively harder, but he keeps on. Neddy ignores these signs and becomes beaten and finally alone. This truly is a sad journey of a man who destroys himself through alcohol. As the story ends, Neddy realizes that he is alone. Will he change? Get help for his alcoholism? The author leaves us hanging, but at this point we know he is alone, everyone has abandoned him. Neddy has followed the stereotypical footsteps of an alcoholic.
In addition, a teenager’s feelings of self worth are dependent upon the approval of others. Connie displays this as she practices “…checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right” (208). And of course there is also the explosion of hormones and corresponding sexual urges and fantasies. Oates makes all of these characteristics clear in her descriptions of Connie’s actions, thoughts and feelings.
Esther Greenwood was a scholarship student attending an all-women’s college in New York. While in school, she wrote for a women’s magazine under the supervision of her editor Jay Cee. Writing was her passion and she especially loved poetry. Unfortunately, the college life and New York City were not exactly what Esther had thought they would be. She always found herself being a third wheel or the outsider of the group. This may have been the spark that began her battle with depression. Either that, or the realization that her childhood crush Buddy Willard, a medical student at Yale, was a hypocrite. He and Esther had known each other since a very young age through the church and their parents had intended for them to eventually be married. After Buddy invited Esther to attend Yale’s prom, they began spending a lot of time together until she found out that he had lost his virginity to a sleazy waitress. This contradicted everything Buddy was and had claimed to be. His whole good and pure act was flawed whenever Esther discovered these facts. She was especially hurt, because they were very competitive with each other and she now wanted to lose her virginity so as to no...
In both Dry and “Sleeping with Alcohol,” addiction to alcohol has major impacts on both Augusten and Donna’s partner. In particular, it affects their relationships and their daily lives. Both are also similar in their attempts to quit drinking and in the consistency of their drinking. However, Augusten and Donna’s partner are dissimilar in the environments in which they drink and in their success with ending addiction in the long run. Alcoholism and its impacts are unique to each individual, as seen in these differences. However, the similarities between the stories of Donna's partner and Augusten reveal the strength an alcohol addiction has over a person.
In terms of drinking, the author uses it a means of showing just how much the two were not keen on having a meaningful discussion of their problems and how to solve them. Throughout the story as the two are waiting for the train, the author points out that they are both drinking alcohol as if they are trying to avoid the important discussions that they were having. As soon as the two set their foot in the station, they order large beers with the hope that drinking will take as much of their time as possible and would not give them the chance to communicate. The lack of commitment in the conversation about how to deal with the white elephant or the baby is shown when the girl requests to order more alcohol just to avoid having that discussion. The reader can also get the sense that the two are also drinking to forget about other problems that they seem to have throughout their relationship. This is depicted when the girl points out that the two do not really engage in other activities apart from the tasting out of new alcoholic drinks. One can also get the view that as a result of the drinking and the lack of communication between the two, the future is not that far for them and that they are bound to lead separate ways. This is shown as they separate when the girl is drinking with another
In Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls” she tells a story about a young girl’s resistance to womanhood in a society infested with gender roles and stereotypes. The story takes place in the 1940s on a fox farm outside of Jubilee, Ontario, Canada. During this time, women were viewed as second class citizens, but the narrator was not going to accept this position without a fight.
...er alcoholic mother. Jess takes on the role of scapegoat when Alice deflects her “sick” behavior and yells at Jess to do her homework repeatedly while Alice stumbles around the house drunk.
Her drinking habits seem to be old, it seems that she has been drinking for a long time, regularly. Drinking is one of her main coping mechanisms. Every time she finds herself in an emotionally challenging situation, she longs for a strong drink to soothe herself, to feel less of the pain that is her life. After she started crying in the house of an artist-friend she says: 'I have an irresistible longing for a long, strong drink to make me forget that once again I have given damnable human beings the right to pity me and laugh at me.' (p. 78)
An internal conflict found within a story is purposely done by the author to show an awakening, discovery or change in consciousness. This is done to prove a maturity growth experienced by the character. Munro portrays the protagonist as a girl who has become lost in the day to day struggle that is her life. She experiences the ending to one of the only things she’s ever known and experiences both serious and life changing repercussions. Munro does this by using literary elements such as; the title, diction, tone, style and structure. In ‘An Ounce of Cure’ Alice Munro uses literary elements such as; the title, diction, tone, style and structure, to demonstrate the growth of the protagonist after she experiences a harmful event.
Then there is the girl; she’s a young girl but she has already lived on the streets for some time now, she has probably run away from home. She used to stay at a hostel but they don’t let her in anymore, the reason for this is not clear, but since then she has slept in stairs, and apparently on doormats. Living on the streets most likely influences ones personality heavily, and I think it has made this girl more defensive, this I get from her first reaction to George offering her a bed for the night, namely, “no way!” Maybe once she accepted the offer, and someone did something to her, rape could be a possibility. Throughout the story she is scornful and hostile. Once and only once she talks with no hostility but with politeness, this is when there is a door between them and she bids him goodnight, earlier I said she is defensive, and in this situation there is a door between them that defends her, so she doesn’t have to.