A Contrast And Comparison Essay On ‘This Is Our Youth’ And ‘All American Poem

A Contrast And Comparison Essay On ‘This Is Our Youth’ And ‘All American Poem’

It should be known that in every text there is a message that is extremely vital. This is because it has the ability of portraying information that needs to be known by its readers. Communication is considered being the most essential aspect of any text, whether it is in poems or plays. Some of the most common methods of portraying texts are through language, characterization, and tone, among others. The play by Lonergan, and the poem by Dickman, is a way through which communication takes place. The key themes that are present in Dickman’s and Lonergan’s poem and play respectively are the elements, which affect young people as they progress into adulthood. The latter includes; Sexual liaison, theft and drug use, among many others.

This paper seeks to give an analysis on the differences and similarities of the major themes in Lonergan’s and Dickman’s works.

Analysis of major themes in ‘This is our Youth’ and ‘All American poem’

Dickman and Lonergan seem to believe that in the United States, life is often difficult for the youth as they try and transit into adulthood. This is because they are faced with many challenges in their lives. It is often difficult for the youth to escape from the miserable lives that they are living due to peer pressure. This scenario is present in the play ‘Thus is our youth’ by Lonergan. The main character is Warren and his friend Ziegler who are teenagers and are just about to reach adulthood. They have left their homes in order to leave on their own, but have used different approaches (Lonergan, 2000. 24). Warren stole money amounting to fifteen thousand dollars from his father as an act of defiance. The stolen money is to be used by Warren as upkeep away from home. On the other hand, Dennis is lucky as his father has agreed to rent an apartment for him in New York, at the Upper West Side. Dennis and Warren encounter a lot of trouble as they live their lives, and it can all be blamed on the decisions that they have made. The road to adulthood has many barriers such as sex, drugs and theft, which seem to affect the lives of Warren and Dennis. According to Dickman, the youth of American are faced with many problems, which they find extremely difficult to handle. They seem to lack proper guidance and in turn, engage in undesirable behavior that affects them once they attain adulthood (Dickman, 2008. 38).

Often, before one reaches adulthood, they experience many problems and this are despite the different backgrounds where they come. Most parents tend to ignore their children once they attain a certain age. Other times, it is considered mandatory that once teenagers are about to become adults, they should leave home. The lucky youth who come from affluent backgrounds are supported by their parents and this is not applicable to the poor youth. The future is determined by the actions, which they make. For example, the need by Warren and Dennis to engage in selling drugs had a likely negative outcome. The outcomes include being sent to jail or losing their lives as a result of engaging in deals that are not successful. Only the present situation seems to matter to the youth as engaging in sex, alcohol and drugs is part of their desires. Maturation is an ideal that needs to be instilled among the youth as it can affect their lives’ outcomes. Dickman is interested in matters related to human existence because it gives people an aim in life. Also, the American youth should know about these extremely key issues in order to ensure that they lead lives that are meaningful. Furthermore, parents, academic institutions, as well as the media, should always portray a positive image to the youth. People will always have a passion for the things, which they cherish and love. This means that the youth will be infatuated and misinterpret it to mean love. Warren cherished his baseball cap and when Jessica attempted to have it, Warren felt disgust towards her.

The issue concerning morality and values is indeed one that needs to be addressed urgently, especially because it concerns the youth. The latter are faced with an urge to identify themselves so that others can notice them. Identity is often associated with performing evil deeds, which might have serious repercussions. The need to attain a self image makes the youth engage in acts of immorality, which undermines ma.............