Cacey Lemoine - The South

In "Hunting Years" I took a slight different view on what exactly becoming a man was in this text. Part of this coming of age story involved proving one's self and also a great moral lesson learned why you shouldn't lie. Aside from getting his head shoved in a carcass and realizing how much fun that wasn't, I think another coming of age message in this reading is that coming of age is also learning how to deal with things you don't want to do. Also, sometimes when you venture out and do this thing you could have sworn your life upon you never would, you end up liking it and learn to have a more open mind about things.

I found "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady" very interesting, and also very accurate. Part of the southern culture is that a Lady should be fragile, obedient, seen and not heard- men should want to chase you, not you chasing them. The concept projected of a "Southern Lady" is that she is the most proper of other ladies and that she is special as opposed to women in all other areas. A name, bloodline, heritage and occupation are everything regarding your social status in the South so you had better pick your husband wisely. What I found most interesting is that after all the signs of failure and how "Mama" refused in every way to become a Southern Lady, in the end she was married to a man that was not anywhere near the standards grandmother pushed for all these years, but who the grandmother accepts without protest because of his English man status. The text shows a constant bragging contest between parties. For a woman to officially "come of age" in the south it requires she meet all the classifications of a Southern Lady and also a husband who can elevate their status.