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  • Essay / Loss of Innocence in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

    In the 1960s, women felt pressured to present themselves attractively; for this reason, women came to the conclusion that if they did not do this, they would be rejected by society. In the article “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Carol Oates tells the story of a girl named Connie who was victimized by society and had a life-changing experience. This event is why sexual innocence is such a scary thing. The article is about a 15-year-old girl who loves going to the square with her friends and meeting boys. This quickly becomes a problem when she attracts the attention of Arnold Friend. Connie loses her innocence because of the current conditions of society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayConnie was fifteen years old and a pretty girl for her age. Based on social premises, she believed that she always needed to look good. Her mother was angry but it didn't affect her. During this time, a lot was happening, including the civil rights movement, the birth of the hippie counterculture, and the boom in rock bands. Many issues arose during this short story, including feminism, sexual freedom, and adolescent sexuality. There was a lack of protection back then and life was not as strict as it is today. The world Connie grew up in was dominated by a male presence. This made it even more difficult for her, because the men had authority over her. This article from scienceleaderhsip.org explains how children's innocence is very important and the society Connie was born into took that innocence away from her. In the article “The Loss of Childhood Innocence” by Brandon Jones, he explains how “parents believe that exposing their children to a large amount of knowledge from a young age will help them as adults , however, what they don't know is that this knowledge could at the same time ruin their innocence", this quote tells how Connie was a normal fifteen year old girl who had just been introduced to the world by the bad. He was shown that you will only be accepted when you are mature or have had sex. She was so busy learning what being mature means than just living with the unknown factor that is sex. The article also explains how important it is to give children a vague reference about right and wrong and to give them a black and white example. This is what is wrong with society in the short story because it showed Connie the grayness. Connie's loss of innocence began when she wanted to mature at such a young age. To show that she was mature, she involved herself in sexual experiments. This was the main flaw that would take away his innocence. She used her beauty to inspire boys to experiment and try to learn more about sexual interactions. Her desire for a quick and fast childhood led to her blossoming in a cruel and intimidating way when she met the man who took everything, Arnold Friend. Connie is forced into a high-stress situation when Arnold forces himself on her with his sexual knowledge and supposedly rapes her. In the article “The Loss of Childhood Innocence” by Brandon Jones, he writes: “Knowledge is a powerful tool in the hands of man. Knowledge can both help and hurt people, build and destroy relationships, and help determine right from wrong,” this can be used to demonstrate?