Visual Reflection

"Girlhood to Womanhood"

Final Reflection

Sydney Dever

Jessica Hutchman

Lang 120

14 November 2013

Inquiry-ARC Reflection

            As I researched a few topics I was interested in using for my research paper, I jotted down a few topics that fall under the category of "rites of passage." I had ideas all over the place and was worried I wouldn't find enough information on a few of the topics I was interested in. This took lots of research as I tried to find decent reliable sources, which ended up with changing my mind over and over. Finally I found a topic, Quinceañera for Latina girls, which caught my mind and I was able to find a few different ways I could narrow down into a thesis statement. The final submission of this assignment followed a very long and sometimes tedious process in which I learned a lot from overall. The steps involved in the Inquiry-ARC process each played a specific role during this assignment, where I learned a lot from each step as I faced conflicts, made an effort to overcome them, and discovered ways I would be able to fix these things in the future.

            At the start of my research process, I wrote down a list of topics that I would potentially like to focus on for this assignment. After choosing a few topics that really caught my interest that I either felt strongly about or wanted to learn more about, I wrote ideas branching off of each one that would be helpful for when I decided to narrow down my research into one specific thesis. This is when I began the process of inquiring. As I thought about each topic and idea, I thought of different questions that would give my specific topic some sort of direction. At first when I began to research a few of my chosen topics, the information I found was fairly broad which led to my process of inquiry. At this point was when I started changing my mind about my chosen topic. When I had certain questions about my topics that I thought might be a good direction when shaping my thesis, the research I found didn't support the specific direction I wanted for my paper which would lead me  to either change my topic or rethink my questions. Finally, when I was researching Quinceañera in Latin America, I found lots of interesting informative sources. When it was time to choose a working thesis, I asked myself questions that I thought would form a good argument for my paper. This phase of application then led me to realize that rather than coming up with a thesis off the top  of my head, it was much more effective to draw a question from the research I have gathered. The questions I originally had to base my thesis around changed once I made new discoveries within my research. Whenever I was unable to answer the questions the way I had planned with the sources I had, I instead would look into my sources and come up with my question based on the source. This was helpful because it raised points that I was able to jot down for my outline, in which I either changed later on or added to as I got further down the writing process.

            The process of reflection apparent throughout my writing process. During each step I took, I questioned my research or the general direction of my thesis. I would find that at times I would get a bit off topic from my main points which led to going back and going through my research. Many times my reflection involved viewing each of my different sources and analyzing them and putting them together as a whole, rather than having various viewpoints in my paper. This is where I learned how to communicate my ideas better. One struggle I had at the beginning of the writing process was making point flow smoothly one after another. To avoid this, I gather more information from other sources rather than having all of the information for one point come from just one source.

            The process of writing this research paper was very tough at times, but overall I was able to view each of the conflicts I had and find out how to overcome them. I learned a lot about researching and analyzing the topics which will help me when doing research in the future. The Inquiry-ARC process is a very effective guideline for doing research papers such as this one. The process I took while working through this assignment definitely gave helped to give me some insight on how to do research in the future.

Quinceañera Wordcloud

Research Essay

Sydney Dever

Jessica Hutchman

Lang 120

14 November 2013

Quinceañera: A Step in to Young Womanhood

            Think about your life, at what point did you feel you transitioned out of your childhood and into an adolescent stage? Was there one specific event that triggered it? Was it part of the culture you were raised in? A religious ceremony? An informal ritual among your peers? Throughout history and in modern society, there have been many different types of events that individuals feel have been a rite of passage for them when transitioning from childhood in to an adolescent stage where they begin to take on more responsibilities as well as begin to develop in to an adult. This can sometimes be a specific event within a culture, religion, or society; or this transition could be something that happens over time. In Latin America, it has been a tradition in their religious-based culture to have a ceremony to celebrate a girl's fifteenth birthday, known as a Quinceañera, which is a Spanish word for the feminine version of “fifteen-year-old.” It represents the young girl's official transition from  leaving childhood and entering the stage of adolescence. It serves as a rite of passage for many girls, and it involves specific events and rituals during the ceremony, and afterward the girl takes on various responsibilities as a young adult. The celebration of a Latina girl's fifteenth birthday has now become comparable to a celebration in the United States known as a “sweet-sixteen”; however, sweet-sixteen celebrations typically have less religious influence and lack significance in some aspects. It is the “Americanized” version that seems to have much less significant value with this coming of age for young females. The originally religious-based tradition of a girl's quinceañera has changed much overtime and now has taken its own form in modern American Society.

            A traditional quinceañera celebration in Latin American societies has usually been focused around Catholicism, which is the most commonly practiced religion among Latin American countries. The celebration originally derived from ancient Aztec and Catholic traditions (Miranda). On the young woman's fifteenth birthday, the celebration is held and usually consists of an agenda full of various events: first it will begin with a religious service (typically a Roman Catholic Mass); followed by the girl receiving symbolic gifts given by her family, and friends and community; and plenty of pageantry to represent her transition in to young womanhood (Gracia 110). Following the religious service, a reception is held where the girl will dance a waltz with her father, and then perform a choreographed dance with her court (Miranda). Her court consists of fourteen young couples, representing each of the girl's previous years of life. After each of these special rituals, a cotillion-like party is held by the girl's family, and oftentimes her immediate and extended family will attend (Rodriguez). Depending on the country, the celebration will involve many other happenings throughout the day that will signify her transition as she makes her way into young womanhood. Latin America has been recognizing this special event for women for centuries and at one point this rite of passage meant that the young woman was ready for marriage (Gracia 110). Specifically in Mexico, the extended family and godparents (or "padrinos" and "madrinas") will all help pay for the events involved in the quinceañera celebration. Some of the traditional gifts that the girl would receive from her community are a ceremonial first pair of high-heeled shoes and a last doll that are meant to send a "clear message": "We expect you to get married, have children, and devote yourself to your family" (Gracia 111). One of the most symbolic events during the girl's special day is when her father switches her pair of flats with her first pair of high-heeled shoes (Alomar).  After the girl's flat shoes that she arrived in are removed, her first pair of high-heeled shoes are put on, representing the transformation from being a girl to a young woman in the eyes of the community. This rite of passage for fifteen-year-old Latina girls traditionally had a very  important meaning within this culture. It symbolized the transition from a stress-free childhood to a more grown-up and responsible young adult world. Young Latina girls were expected to take on a very important role in society, and this event was the catalyst to start it all. However, nowadays this significant ceremony has lost some of its meaning as the culture has changed with time.

            The "modern day" quiñceanera in the United States and Latin America is celebrated much differently than it has been traditionally; the significance is much more ambiguous. As immigrants have been moving to North America in large amounts during the 1960s, this rite of passage for Latin Americans has modernized and generated a different meaning as it developed in American society. Considering there are more than 35 million Latinos currently living in the United States, the celebration has become much more mainstream and commercialized, and can sometimes be considered as extravagant as a wedding ceremony (Miranda). Gracia states in her article, "Crooked Tiara," that "the modern incarnation of the quinceañera can be an outrageous production with a six-figure budget, themed cruises, and a profusion of anything pink and princesslike" (Gracia 111).  The market in America has even caught on to it: many wedding industries, websites, magazines, and vendor expos support the distinctly Americanized interpretation of this ceremony (Gracia 111). Specifically quinceañera gowns are being sold in the same shops as wedding gowns, and cruise companies will offer seven-day trips across states for quinceañera celebrations exclusively (Miranda). This shift within the cultural ritual causes the young girl to focus more on the superficial aspects of the celebration such as the gifts, the elaborate gown, the banquet hall, the DJ, and the party, which all have become much more costly as it creates a dent their parents' bank accounts, rather than the true symbolic meaning behind all of it: which is the girl's coming-of-age celebration.

            After the modern, Americanized culture influence this traditionally Roman Catholic and Latin American tradition, each generation loses more and more of its original values as it blends in with modern United States society. One topic author Marie-Elise Wheatwind discusses in her article called "Quinceañera Barbies" are the "hard numbers" that come with celebrating a quinceañera in modern U.S. culture. The author defines this phrase as "the percentage of Latina girls who become pregnant within one year of their quince celebration and the increasing violence at quince parties, because of snubbed, uninvited guests and party crashers" (Wheatwind 26). Once the focus was shifted more towards the extravagant party, rather than having a celebration with close friends and family, the party becomes a big deal and will quickly get out of hand. There has been a large percentage of Latina girls dropping out of high school as well, which some critics believe is a result of the shift in traditional celebration, and that parents should deemphasize the need for a big party (Miranda). The girls then feel that they are adults after the celebration because of the traditional concept; however, they may believe that they no longer must attend school which could be the explanation. This shows that as this tradition moved to America, the significance of this rite of passage has begun to dissipate. The girl is left unaware of her new responsibilities and expectations, which leaves her unable to smoothly transition into the next stage in life: being a young woman. Because of the high dropout rate, as well as the increasing number of teen pregnancies shortly after this celebration, it is apparent that the way this rite of passage has merged in to American culture has developed a different set of values.

            Not only has the traditionally Latin American celebration of a quinceañera differed from its original meaning when it became popular in the United States, but this gathering has begun to spread outside the Catholic Latino community (Miranda). Americans celebrate their own similar celebration: known as a "sweet-sixteen." This celebration is much less focused around a significant transition in the girl's life, but rather more superficial elements such as an enormous costly event where parents must rent out a large space for it to be held, pay for the party to be catered so there is food for all the guests, a DJ, and most times the girl is gifted with a brand new luxury car. In America, a sweet-sixteen celebration does not signify many meaningful changes following the party; the young woman still has the same obligations as she did before. The celebration may leave the girl feeling entitled, because many parents end up giving in to all of the girl's wants, which is more of the glorification of their wealth rather than a celebration of a transition (Kohn). Sally Kohn is the director of a project that works with organizations all over the United States in order to identify our shared, long-term visions for the future. She argues that MTV's series "My Super Sweet 16" glorifies much of the inequality in America today because in each show, roughly $500,000 is spent on the one single event; meanwhile, there are 2.8 billion people worldwide who live on less than $2 a day (Kohn). As Kohn states in her article, "these sixteen-year-old rich kids didn't do anything to earn the fame. They bought it" (Kohn). This celebration in comparison to the Latin American quinceañera celebration represent a huge disconnect in each culture's values of coming-of-age for young women. The festivities involved in a quinceañera traditionally signified a major rite of passage for young women in Latin America. The day began with them entering as a girl, and by the end of the day she would be recognized as a young woman by her friends, family, and community. She was aware that along with gaining this level of respect from her close ones, she was expected to assume various responsibilities, which in return will prepare the young woman as she begins to enter the stage of adulthood. On the other hand, the "sweet-sixteen" parties celebrated by mostly upper-class families mainly revolves around preparation and planning for one single day for the birthday girl to be spoiled by her parents and feel as though she is "famous" as she is escorted of her brand new luxury vehicle when she arrives to the party. This celebration does not adequately prepare the girl for her transition to young womanhood; more so, it is a privilege given to her that does not represent a significant transition as she is coming-of-age in the United States.

            For centuries now, the ceremony of a quinceañera has served as a special rite of passage for fifteen-year-old girls in Latin America, originating from Aztec traditions as well as Roman Catholicism. It has helped to give these young women a sense of maturity and responsibility within their community as they develop through this specific stage of life. Over the past few decades, the tradition has changed as societies and their values have evolved. As a result of the influx of Latin Americans in the United States during the twentieth century in attempt to improve their quality of life, pieces of their traditions, such as the quinceañera, have been lost as they began to adapt to modern American society. The traditional meanings of a quinceañera in Latin American culture may be considered outdated nowadays because society's values have changed. The idea of a fifteen-year-old girl being ready for marriage today is very uncommon; young adults are not even considered to be "adults" until the age of eighteen, generally. Coming-of-age in every culture is celebrated in many different ways, shapes and forms. Across cultures and societies, the rite of passage when young boys and girls are shifting out of a stage characterized by childhood play and moving in to a more mature stage of young adulthood may be acknowledged at various ages and may entail different values depending on the community.

Critical Analysis

Sydney Dever

Jessica Hutchman

Lang 120-004

10 October 2013

Critical Analysis Essay: Risk Taking and Rites of Passage

            During the adolescent stage of life, seeking different rites of passage is important to an individual’s developing mind. Teens seek ways to explore, learn and mature as they transition through this stage of their life. However, this can be done through negative or positive endeavors depending on the individual and what a rite of passage means to them. In the article “Risk Taking and Rites of Passage,” the authors Scott Larson and Lloyd Martin analyze different types of liminalities and rituals taken on by adolescents and whether or not they may be beneficial to the individual.

            Larson and Martin begin the article by stating that in every culture transition through childhood to adulthood involves rituals of initiation or risk taking to mark this developmental stage (Larson & Martin 38). They compare the way modern youth seek their rites of passage to traditional historic or religious rituals and ceremonies. The introduction of this piece points out specific ceremonies practiced regularly by different cultures and religions that signify the shift from childhood to adulthood. The authors do not clearly state the thesis, but it is implied as they transition from explaining common traditional ceremonies to how teens in our modern society seek their own rituals of initiation. The thesis that the authors imply is that positive liminal experiences are key to youth development. These journeys aim should be to “create belonging, allow participants to master skills, and give opportunity for [teens] to exercise independent choices, and grant the fulfilling experience of acting generously” (Larson & Martin 39). Larson and Martin go over a few key points in the article to support their thesis.

 To show the difference in societal values, Larson and Martin compare modern rituals to a traditional ceremony that is often practiced by Latina girls called a Quinceanera. This celebration represents the transition of childhood to adulthood where they are expected to take on many different adult responsibilities; whereas in modern society, the authors argue that “most teenage girls lack any kind of modeling of what is passed from being a girl to a woman” (Larson & Martin 38). The authors believe that because there are not many significant events that mark the transition, most teens are left to find that on their own. Next, the authors discuss the importance of taking on a journey and learning from it, as well as being able to share one’s interesting experiences to their community afterwards. Another main point included in this article is how a young adult uses his or her own unique ritual to help further their identity, and also how professionalized liminalities, such as youth camps, do not necessarily learn skills or gain experience that will help them progress within their own personal communities.

            Within this article, the main points that Larson and Martin use to outline their thesis, are supported by examples of personal anecdotes, stories of modern day youth, and an external resource of a study done by an anthropologist while visiting an African tribe. The authors draw conclusions from different pieces of evidence in order to prove ideas that back up their overall thesis. For example, when explaining artificial rites of passage, the authors provide an example of a sixteen-year-old girl who decides to celebrate her birthday by drinking a bottle of vodka with her friend, which her mother allowed. Next, the author argues that “when positive rites of passage are poorly mediated by adults, or not mediated at all by the adult community, teens are forced to construct their own rituals” which the authors believe often involve unhealthy risk taking such as drug use, sexual adventures, among other risky behaviors (Larson, Martin 38). These different types of negative liminalites that teenagers create among their peers do not ultimately signify positive benchmarks that will transition them into adulthood, which the authors suggested after providing the specific example.

            Scott Larson, one of the authors of this article, is the president of a faith-based organization that works with juvenile offenders, in order to provide them with direction and support during their developmental stages. It is apparent that the background of this author takes a big role in influencing this article. Larson had lots of experience observing adolescents who had trouble finding ways to mature during this critical stage in life, and was able to recognize behaviors such as unhealthy risk-taking and exploration as they begin to mature. From watching teens follow this path, Larson most likely aided in sculpting the thesis of this article by realizing that growing teens need more positive guidance to help them transition. In addition to Larson’s career background, Lloyd Martin is the coordinator for a network of practitioner educators in youth development. Similarly, his experience adds more information on the adolescent developing mind and how young adults seek different ways to mature. Martin also shares a personal anecdote in the article, showing that during his youth, he was involved in the same risk taking behaviors. “Early liminal experiences for me involved a first plane ride on my own as a twelve-year-old; at about the same age, smoking cigarettes with my friends…as we were breaking the rules of childhood” (Larson & Martin 38). Here, Martin uses his personal experiences to provide additional evidence to support his thesis that youth often seek badges of maturity, whether positive or negative.

“Risk Taking and Rites of Passage” is an article that comes from a journal called Reclaiming Children and Youth, which includes information over childhood and youth development. Based on this journal, the implied audience may be parents, teachers, or other authoritative figures that play a role in an adolescent’s life. The journal’s main focus is to provide different strategies and solutions for authoritative figures that need help with the young adults in their lives. The assumed readers of this article most likely benefit by gaining information on the behaviors of modern teens, and how they can improve their transition into adulthood. In the conclusion of this article, the authors suggest “creating opportunities for youth to experience belonging, mastery of skills, making independent choices, and acting with generosity,” which shows that this journal aims to provide solutions for at-risk teens (Larson & Martin 40). This particular group of readers may be targeted when the authors mention the reasons why they believe young adults seek risky behaviors and how it could possibly be counteracted. Being given contemporary examples, it is obvious that the article was published within the past few years. The authors are writing during this time period, based upon the personal anecdotes they provide. They share that they followed similar behaviors as the modern examples they had presented, which are still relevant to society today.

            The tone of this article appears to be informative, while suggesting how rites of passage from childhood to adulthood should be based upon more positive, beneficial experiences. The authors maintain an academic tone for parts, but also show a personal side when sharing personal experiences. The authors’ passion is also shown when they express that there should be something done about the topic of teens getting involved in risky behaviors as a rite of passage.  They suggest that “rather than condemning these behaviors, perhaps we should focus on meeting the needs that drive them,” showing their opinion on the topic (Larson & Martin 40). They are critical about the different ways teenagers seek maturation by discussing the different outcomes of each way. It is overall perceivable that the authors believe adolescents should be taught better ways to mark their transition to adulthood.

            This article is based on a sociological field of study, because the authors study and draw conclusions from this aspect of a teenager’s life. They begin by giving common traditions and stating the benefits of those traditions, and go on the compare those to alternative, modern day ritualistic behaviors. Larson and Martin also analyze certain behaviors of teens when they present different ways young adults seek rites of passage, which is a sociological study.

As the article concludes, the authors return to their main thesis, which they efficiently support throughout the piece. As well as revisiting the overall thesis, the authors show their own opinion on the topic and explain why and how people should go about trying to help the problem that has been presented. The authors use their conclusion as a way to tell how they feel about the topic, and what they believe should be done about it. Overall, the Larson and Martin get their point across about whether certain rites of passage for teens may be beneficial or not when transitioning to adulthood, and they explain their reasoning through various examples.