Name: __________________________________

Date: _______________________

What is Coming-of-Age?

Genre of literature
Youths Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood
o Innocence (loss of) to experience
o Emotional, psychological, spiritual, mental
Examples: Plus you know
you're not yourself anymore
The miracle of change Drake (Nothing Was
the Same Album)

Teenage Angst

State of depression created by hormones, stress, and sexual

repression
Marked by fear, anxiety, inner turmoil
Individuals may rebel against authority:
o Bullies, parents, guardians, teachers, police, society
Examples:

o Mean Girls The hardships of moving to a new town

o The Little Mermaid Ariel wants to be apart of a world she
doesnt belong to

o The Breakfast
Club rebellious and
got into Saturday
school, angry of how
society is

Maturity

Characters develops or matures

o Undertakes responsibility
o Learns a lesson
o Copes with death: denial, anger, depression, acceptance
Perception of world changes:
o Discovers something about oneself
o Self-discovery and self-reflection
Examples:
o Katniss Everdeen copes with deaths in the arena
o Her perception of the world changes as she tries to fight against
President Snow and his control over society and their lives
o She takes responsibility and matures in representing district 12
survival vs. love

Catharsis

Latin meaning= purification, or purify

Sudden breakdown, release, climax of overwhelming or extreme

feelings:
o Pity, sorrow, rage, laughter, guilt, forgiveness
Results in the rejuvenation, renewal, restoration, rebirth

Examples:
o Shrek and Princess Fiona:
_____________________________________________________________________
o Romeo and Juliet:
_____________________________________________________________________

Epiphany

Sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning

of something
A-ha moment
New information or experience that allows deeper understanding of

a situation
Examples:
o Paper Towns: Margo Roth Spiegelmen isnt who Quentin
Jacobsen thought shed be
o Quentin thought thered be a connection there, but hes
accepted theyre better off going their separate ways

Metamorphosis

Change or transformation in appearance, character, condition, or

function:
o Dynamic vs. Static Characters- Personality, emotional,
spiritual or physical change
Mean Girls Cady Heron (Lindsey Lohan) homecoming

speech
New information or experience that creates or allows deeper
understanding of a situation

Self-Sacrifice

Deliberate course of actions with high risk of suffering, personal loss or

death
Selflessness or putting ones self in harms way to save others
Self-sacrifice may lead to:
o Martyrdom> being killed for something you believe in or stand
up for

Example:
o Katniss volunteers as
tribute to join the arena instead of her little sister, Primrose