The Ring

Introduction

            Coming up on this third paper, by far this was my favorite paper to write. This paper is much like my previous paper where I had to find a cultural artifact. However I had to find a cultural artifact that represents my community. With so many things I could’ve chosen from I wanted to make sure the object I chose impacted me in an immense way.

            I looked into my family traditions carefully choosing the right one where I could compare to a tradition that is still followed by most people. I was allowed to vent while writing this paper on my ideas of the “traditional” sweet sixteen and how the media depicts sweet sixteens of modern day. With knowledge from my family and research I did on my own I was able to fully support my ideas put forth while venting.

            Writing this paper I learned that there is always research to support traditions that you may feel only your family practices.

Shavéone Fagan

Professor Robert Mundy

English

12 October 2011

The Ring

As new generations begin sometimes things of older generations lose their original meanings. What may mean one thing to one person may not have similar meaning to another. An example of things changing meaning could be if something that was passed down in a family for generations. To one generation it might have more significant meaning, or more value.

In my family, and I’m sure in many others, there is something that one generation passes down to another. Certain things that families pass down could be jewelry, clothing or any other type of miscellaneous object. When my mother turned sixteen my grandmother gave her gold, heart shaped ring with the word “Sweet 16” inside the heart. Then when my older cousin turned sixteen she got the ring passed down to her. Another one of my cousin’s received the ring on her sixteenth birthday and two years ago I got the privilege of receiving the ring. All the girls in my family upon turning sixteen will get the chance of receiving this ring. With receiving the ring my great grandmother also sits down with you and talks to you about your life, and the new things and challenges you might have to face growing up.

For my mother’s generation, receiving the ring was a big thing. For me I appreciated being able to accept the ring on my birthday, but for my generation just receiving a ring is just not enough. Turning sixteen used to be about family accepting a girl becoming a young adult. The littlest gift would have the biggest meaning coming from family.

Teens these days want more than just a ring on their sixteenth birthday. Teens want a big over the top party. Most, of them want a very expensive gift. This gift is usually a car. Instead of spending time with family they want to party and be with all their friends.

A show that used to come on MTV, called Sweet Sixteen, portrayed how the parent’s of sixteen year old spoil their children on their sixteenth birthday. These parents end up giving their kids any and everything they ask for, leading them to spend way over their budgets, if they even set a budget to begin with. As long as the kid is happy they do not care about the money being spent.

The media has made it seem like turning sixteen has lost its meaning as growing from a teenager to becoming a young adult. It’s now all about the glitz, glamour, who spent the most money, had the biggest celebrity or who threw the best party. It has become less of a family celebration and more of a party.

In my family it is still about becoming a young adult. We throw a party, yes, but just a little get together with family and close friends. My family is very close knit and tries to keep it as traditionally as possible. The ring is a symbol of my family keep a tradition alive and making sure we understand the true meaning of what exactly is happening. We are becoming young adults and need to take on more responsibilities. Those big extravagant parties tend to take away that meaning for some people.

A simple ring not worth much, symbolizes not only a family tradition but a passage into a new way of life. The ring has been through generation after generation and is still being passed on with the same meaning and in the same way as the previous. It holds its meaning by not only being the same ring but the way it is brought to the next generation. As new generations are coming up, older generation values are being forgotten. Sometimes it’s good to have little of the past with you to remember where you came from and what makes you, you.

With new generations, older generation traditions are being challenged. As I stated before traditions have different meanings depending on the person or their age. From generation to generation a lot of values and traditions change. Some try to keep their traditions alive to make sure the younger generations have more than one point of view. My family keeps this tradition alive to ensure that we know where we came from and we know who we are, because the world around us is always constantly changing.

This picture captured during a family gathering relates fully to my above paper written. This is a picture from left to right of me, my great grandmother, and my god sister/cousin. The woman in the middle, my great grandmother, is the woman who sits down with each of the girls in my family after they receive the sweet sixteen ring. She develops a very close bond with each and everyone in our family. The little girl, my god sister, to the right of my great grandmother is in line to receive the same ring that I currently hold. She looks up to me for guidance and until she turns sixteen I hope I am showing her all the right things to ensure she understands when she become of age all the responsibilities that will be at hand for her to take on. This picture adds an image of who we are as a family and shows our closeness just in the way we stand so closely together.