Loss Of Innocence Essay

Loss Of Innocence
Humans have long discussed the meaning of innocence and the relationship it has with experience.
Innocence and experienced are forever entwined, a push and pull system. Both innocence and
experience can improve the quality of life, one should not choose on over the other. Learning to be
aware of their innocence and ignorance and how it affects their life can help raise people’s
standard of living.Innocence is associated with youth, purity and ignorance. The loss of innocence is
connected with the sin and evil. However, the word “innocence” can be interpreted
several ways. Similarly, the loss of innocence can be associated with several things, and it may
happen more than once. The loss of innocence is culture–specific, and...show more content...
Innocence is sometimes seen as pure and good. In certain religions, a women’s virginity is
seen as sacred and those who keep it are seen as saint–like,for instance the Virgin Mary. Other times
innocence can be perceived as a weakness, being naГЇve or ignorant. Innocence is a double edged
sword. In one hand, being innocent might help protect from the certain cruelties of the world, like a
young child attending a funeral, they are too naГЇve to understand the situation but it suits them well
and shields them from the grief of death. However, on the other side, innocence can be used to
exploit those that cannot address the situation. Children have their own world and illusions. They
need to protect themselves against the harsh reality of adulthood. People view innocence and
experience as polar opposites, as innocence is lost experienced is gained. However, innocence is
intangible, it is a state of mind, it’s not something that is lost, but stray from, though
innocence is always there to return to.Experience is a process of acquiring knowledge, a process
which starts at birth. Childhood is a period of experience and
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Loss of Innocence in Hamlet Essay
Loss of Innocence in Hamlet
Hamlet is a character that we love to read about and analyze. His character is so realistic, and he
is so romantic and idealistic that it is hard not to like him. He is the typical young scholar facing
the harsh reality of the real world. In this play, Hamlet has come to a time in his life where he has
to see things as they really are. Hamlet is an initiation story. Mordecai Marcus states "some initiations
take their protagonists across a threshold of maturity and understanding but leave them enmeshed in
a struggle for certainty"(234). And this is what happens to Hamlet.
Although Hamlet is a little old to have this experience of coming to be a man, we have to realize that
his...show more content...
This event along with everything else that he is dealing with is the threshold for Hamlet that he
must cross. To cross this threshold Hamlet has to make a decision. Dealing with the process of
making and actually making this decision lead Hamlet into his manhood. Hamlet has idealized his
father and what Hamlet has learned about his father in the ghost scene shakes his fragile
equilibrium. He learns all at one time that his uncle has killed his father, and that his father is not
the person that he thought he was. This is a blow for any young adult. Hamlet is now having to deal
with the fact that everything that he has believed to be true, just is not so.
Hamlet has also idealized his mother, and it seems like that they have had a close relationship
before this incident. Hamlet really loved his mother, and I think he put her on a pedestal. In the play,
this delusion that he has about his mother's character is quickly shattered. She, "within a month"
(1,2,145) marries Hamlet's uncle who has for some odd reason become king after Hamlet's father's
death. Hamlet is sickened and disillusioned by his mother's behavior saying things like "O that this
too too sullied flesh would melt" (1,2,129) and "frailty, thy name is woman"(1,2,146). But the
realization that he has about his mother also ties into the realization that he has about his father and
ultimately

Loss Of Innocence Essay
Loss of innocence is a dominant theme in Atonement and mainly relates to the children and young
adults in the novel. As these characters struggle to come to terms with the difficulties of growing up,
they grow accustomed to the sufferings of the adult world but, in addition to this, they grow less
innocent. Furthermore, the novel emphasises the universal fact that wartime kills innocence and
forces people to grow up.
Thirteen–year old Briony's childish fantasies reveal that she lives a protected life and has little
understanding of adult issues. She is naГЇve about sexual matters and resorts to fairy tales to resolve
any confusion she may have about it. After the fountain incident she says, "This was not a fairy tale,
this was the real adult...show more content...
The bliss of innocence that the whole of Europe enjoyed following World War 1 is stripped away
and both Robbie and Briony, along with everyone else, including the "soldiers dying in the field
at eighteen", are either forced into maturity in order to survive, or their innocence is extinguished
in their deaths. By having to treat wounded and dying men Briony grows less and less confident
in her own perspective and shows maturity when she is able to put the needs of others before her
own. The reader is told, "From this new and intimate perspective, she learned a simple, obvious
thing she had always known, and everyone knew: that a person is, among all else, a material
thing, easily torn, not easily mended." She witnesses wounded soldiers on their deathbeds and
feels helpless because there is not much she can do to change their situation. She also realises how
easily she destroyed Cecilia and Robbie's lives and how impossible it is for her to fix.
Loss of innocence is a pervasive theme in Atonement. The characters, which are initially innocent,
are confronted with the difficult realities of adulthood. Their innocence becomes diminished as they
learn to accept the harsh realities of being an adult. Furthermore, the novel stresses the fact that with
war, all innocence is

Loss Of Innocence
Through the story of an innocent bird in "How Sweet I Roam'd," William Blake shows how abruptly
one can lose their innocence. Such an event can happen over time without the person noticing.
Blake's poem portrays the loss of innocence through each stanza, showing how it progressed with
every new line. The bird did not notice it was losing it's innocence until it had been captured. At this
point, they had no choice but to remember when they were free. Progression into adulthood is
similar to what William Blake write about in his poem. One doesn't realize that most of their
carefree days are gone until they reach adulthood. Blake uses imagery, symbolism, and tone, to
represent how easily and quickly innocence can be lost.
The loss of innocence is expressed through the eyes of a captive bird. Blake shows how the bird
loses it's innocence through stanza's, getting darker with each one. The first stanza mentions the
sunny fields the bird once flew over, which refers to how happy life was before. Line one "How
sweet I roam'd from field to field" shows that the bird misses being out in the open, free to glide
where they please. William Blake uses imagery throughout his poem to portray the loss slowly with
each line....show more content...
With lily and rose crowns, the capture lured the bird in with kindness. As soon as he caught the
bird's attention he gently walked into his own garden. Stanza three is where the story turns dark, as
the narrator has been betrayed. Lines 11–12,"He caught me in his silken net/and shut me in his
golden cage," shows the act of how innocence was taken. Blake uses imagery with chronological
events. Each stanza shows more about the corruption of the birds innocence, ending with the sad
reality of its

Loss Of Innocence
Loss of Innocence
At the first glance at the poem, The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake, it seems to be about the
mistreatment of children, owever, after more in depth reading it proves to show much more than
that. Blake's poem is about loss of innocence, death, exploitation, and oppression for unwanted
children (Heath, S, 2011). By cleverly describing the deplorable livings conditions, the horrible
treatment, the dreams of a better life with a father who loves them and the fear of an inevitable
death, Blake masterfully allows the reader to see through the sad eyes of a chimney sweep child.
Emotion Evoking
In the poem "The Chimney Sweeper", Blake narrates using detailed imagery throughout this poem.
The opening line states "When my mother died I was very young/And my father sold me while yet
my tongue/could scarcely cry 'weep! 'Weep! 'weep! 'weep!" (1–3), which implies this child, is very
young. As the poem progresses, it is...show more content...
As Blake is narrating, the feeling sadness in his words is demonstrated as he says, "When my mother
died I was young/And my father sold me while yet my tongue/Could scarcely cry 'weep! 'weep!
'weep!" (1–2). There is sharpness in the words because children are being used and caused an early
death. The title is "The Chimney Sweeper" singular, but it means chimney sweepers as a whole.
Tom Dacre is the voice for all chimney sweep children. The images of many small helpless children
covered in soot create an image that is heartbreaking and angers the reader. Blake's tone is matter of
fact with no child–like understanding or compassion. There is only one simile included in the
poem, which is Tom's hair that is comparing it to lamb's hair. There is an underlining statement by
Blake that has a bit of sarcasm in it when he says, "If he's be a good boy", as to imply he was bad if
he did not perform properly. There is a rhyme to this poem similar to a nursery rhyme, which adds to
the loss of innocence of

Loss of Innocence
It has been said that innocence can be defined as the state or quality of being morally free from
guilt or sin, through lack of knowledge of evil. I will examine pieces of literature that convey the
loss of innocence to either a particular person, or a group of people. The first piece of writing I
have chosen is, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In the middle of a war, a plane carrying
a group of schoolboys crashed onto an island. The pilot had been killed, so that left the boys to
fend for themselves. The boys were brought up properly, so naturally, they were very well behaved
and orderly at the beginning of the novel. Most of all, they longed to be rescued. As time goes on,
hunting becomes a priority for some of the boys, and...show more content...
Regardless of how evil is obtained or innocence is lost, the outcome is the same. Once the
knowledge of evil is acquired, there is no way of returning to the initial state of innocence. Ernest
Hemmingway once wrote: "All things truly wicked start from innocence." Loss of Innocence Grade
11 English Culminating Prepared for: Mr. Cody Prepared by: Jessica Gillis Date: June 8th,

Loss Of Innocence
William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" greatly mimics the mere thought of innocence. He wants to
show the brutality of child labor and the loss of innocence it causes. This poem reflects the
workforce for children and the controversial issues it causes, such as: harmful work environment,
extinction of a childhood, and the complete loss of innocence. The poem uses many contrasts to
show the purity of childhood and the brutalities of the work force. Along with that, the boy dreams
of being pure and clean once again which is totally opposite of the life that he is living.
Blake was considered a romantic poet because of his use of symbolism, emotions, and imagination.
Throughout the entire poem, Blake uses many symbols to show innocence. Blake also portrayed his
emotions and thoughts about how he feels about innocence, or the lack of innocence, in his society.
A way that he used his imagination was by Tom's...show more content...
A chimney sweep never had the proper attire or respirators. Sweeps would often die of cancer caused
by the years of soot and grime, suffocation because of the dust, or in some cases a boy would get
stuck.
At the beginning of the poem, Blake is describing a young boy's harsh childhood. The speaker's
mother was killed when he was not even old enough to talk. After that his father sold him to be
chimney sweeper. His mother's death seemed to be the turning point. It caused every aspect of his
life to go downhill. He went from being an innocent little boy who had loving parents, to a nasty,
orphaned chimney sweeper. Through the poem the young boy's innocence was overruled and
forgotten when they became chimney sweepers. Blake uses numerous symbols, similes, and
metaphors to show how devastating it is for the speaker to lose his innocence chimney sweeping.
Blake uses a simile in line five–six when he is comparing Tom's hair to that of a lamb. "There's little
Tom Dacre, who cried when his

D.H Lawrence's The Rocking Horse Winner and William Golding's Lord of the Flies view children
as easily manipulated figures. D.H. Lawrence's short story demonstrates how easily children, Paul,
can be influenced into believing that money and luck indicate one's level of happiness. William
Golding's novel tries to show that all children are evil and have savage impulses. A common theme
in both of these works is that children create their own downfall and loss of innocence.
In D.H. Lawrence's The Rocking Horse Winner, Paul is searching for an identity andlove. Paul's
mother was incapable of love; "when her children were present, she always felt the centre of her
heart go hard." Paul's mother desires materialistic possessions and excludes...show more content...
After Paul had given his mother five thousand pounds for her birthday the echoes in the house
grew. His mother's expression did not change when she saw she had been given money. At this
point, Paul realized he would forever be in debt to his mother and her nonexistent love for him.
With each race he won, the echoes only continued to grow. Paul had created his own downfall
because he fed into the house's haunting words. He was easily manipulated into believing that
having money was the only way to be happy. Paul's mother viewed him as a burden and could not
find a way to love him. As a result, he could not keep up with the lavish lifestyle and took his own
life by surging madly to find more money. This short story indicates that adults heavily influence the
thoughts and feelings children acquire at a young age.
In William Golding's Lord of the Flies children are represented as humans that are inclined to be
evil. In the beginning of the novel the characters are innocent and pure. The boys try to recreate a
normal society by electing a leader and delegating people to do chores such as build camps or hunt.
Golding is looking to show readers that in the society there are rules to conform to and there are
adults present to make sure those behaviors are implemented. Initially, the boys stick to this norm
and behave identical to civilized human beings.
Overtime, the true nature of instinctive violence overcomes the boys on the island. The

Essay On Loss Of Innocence
When many people think of children, they think of their innocence. Now imagine those same
children getting their innocence ripped from them. At what point in that situation, did you think that
those kids deserved it, that they were the cause of the problem? That is exactly what is currently
happening to child soldiers. Those who think that they are the villains are not only drastically
uneducated on the situation, but are also ignorant to the facts. This is most likely due to the fact that
they are not in an area where this is occurring, which means they couldn't possibly fathom what the
kids are experiencing. To deny these children of amnesty for crimes they were forced to commit is
beyond cruel. These children are being brainwashed into...show more content...
So to put blame on them, while others are at fault, is beyond unreasonable, it could be considered
borderline barbaric. Especially since child soldiers are trying to escape their horrible lives and
the things that they were forced to do. To deny these children the chance of safety and freedom is
not only a awful thing to do, but is also furthering the problem and the likelihood of their deaths.
People everywhere are often given chances to redeem themselves, so why would these children
not get the same treatment? In the world today, kids play role playing games with violence. But
when children are involuntarily performing actual acts of violence they are the ones who are
blamed. To further prove this point, "Armed and Underage" explains the situation of child
soldiers in Africa and how the U.S. is involved, "Because the U.S. is helping to pay Somali
soldiers, it is possible that the money for some child soldiers may have come from American
taxpayers." In other words, if the U.S. is knowingly paying child soldiers to do their bidding, then
why is there such controversy over whether or not they should be given

Loss of Innocence
Many people experience the loss of innocence every day because it's just a natural thing. One way
that people loss their innocence is through the violence of war. Most people in a war will come
unto the fact that it's a kill or be killed kind of thing. Everyone would naturally choose to kill
another man and that's how many people in a war end up losing their innocence. Another way that
people lose their innocence is when they witness the death of someone else. In the book "Fallen
Angels," Lieutenant Carroll stated, "Lord, let us feel pity for Private Jenkins, and sorrow for
ourselves and all the angel warriors that fall. Let us fear death, but let it not live within us..."
Basically, he is saying that you can't be stuck on the deaths that...show more content...
He turned to see a vitenaism soldier. Richie unloaded multiple bullets into the head of the soldier.
The second way he lost his innocence when he witnessed the death of Lieutenant Carroll. This
was a very tragic moment for Richie because he had grown very close to Lieutenant Carroll. Lobel
could barely sleep the first couple of days after losing his innocence. He began to think about
many things. Lobel stated, "... maybe it was my fault...I keep thinking maybe if I would have
shot more, maybe a lucky shot would have got the guy..." He began to think of ways that he
could have saved Lieutenant Carroll when in reality he was finding ways to comfort himself.
When someone loses their innocence they are then opened up to the things the world has to
offer. They are now mature. All of their views on things will change. Soliders at the age of 19 and
18 would be emotion scared for the rest of their life thinking what they could have done to stop
what had happened from happening. In short, when someone loses their innocence ones eyes are
open to the real world and all of their knowledge about things will begin to change. After someone
loses their innocence they are forced to move on and deal with it. Those who lost their innocence
will never feel the same again. Stated From a Former U.S Veteran, "I didn't know it at the time but
the people around me had to bear the brunt of what I was feeling after we lost those guys in my
unit. When I wasn't staying away from everyone, I would snap at

Loss of Innocence
Innocence is used to show how a person can show self–control and restriction. However, when it
comes to loss of innocence, the body gives in to anything, temptation, sin, and many others. In the
poem, "Loss of Innocence" (Stewart), innocence becomes useless as other problems take over, in
place of innocence. It is almost as if "Innocence swept away" (Stewart) and as a replacement,
"Sinful satisfaction sweeps over"(Stewart). The loss of innocence requires time, like in the book
Tuesdays with Morrie, where Morrie Schwartz has to live with the growing fear of death. Albom's
sympathetic tone allows the reader to experience his feelings when talking along side of Morrie
Schwartz using words like "quivered" or "detach". These fears come in stages and show how Morrie
gathers his thoughts about death. Even with the help of Mitch Albom, he cannot do anything to stop
his innocence from being taken away. When Morrie became diagnosed with ALS, his first
reaction was that he didn't want to die in pain. This is compared to how, "Curiosity grows, finding
new ground" (Stewart) which begins to grow on him. He would want to stay and do everything by
himself, like going to the bathroom, because he doesn't want to become dependent on others. But
he didn't like the fact of staying in bed because he believed that, "When you're in bed, you're dead."
(Albom, 131). As Mitch appears to Morrie's need he begins to reconsider his thoughts about the life
he has lived. However, the problem still daunts

Loss Of Innocence Essay

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Loss Of Innocence Essay