Journey From Innocence

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Journey from Innocence The naivetés of adolescence are discussed in “The Flowers” by Alice Walker. During the Civil Rights era, a young underprivileged African American girl is being raised as a sharecropper in the South. Sheltered by the inexperience of her youth, on a rare day off, Myop takes a walk through the woods near her house. On this journey she encounters unfamiliar territory, and ultimately makes a discovery that disintegrates the essence of her childhood. Facing this new realization, Myop loses her innocence. Myop is similar to many young girls her age. She is fascinated by the joys of freedom and adventure. When given the opportunity, she often explored the woods near her home. On this day, “she made her own path,” (404). Myop enjoyed the familiar territory. Eventually she left the woods where “her mother took her to gather nuts among the fallen leaves.” (404). Myop left the woods she is acquainted with and suddenly found herself in new surroundings. The new cove had a darkness to it that seemed to transcend the quality of light. Myop noted “ the strangeness of the land made in not as pleasant as her usual haunts.” (404). There was a wetness to air and she felt the silence. The absence of sound was deafening. It was increased by the noise that was not made by the nearby rope that was “frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled –barely there-- but spinning restlessly in the breeze.” (405). Myop noticed the other half of the rope was in the shape of a noose, partially buried in the soil near the head of a man. Her care-free morning had come to an end with the realization she now faced. She knew this man must have been African-American, and had probably lived a life similar to her father. And this man had been hanged. This eventful journey caused Myop to lose her innocence. A care-free child, a ten-year old girl, was forced to give
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