Fan 2 Weiding Fan DISC 1312 Prof. Treat 9 May 2019 Coming of Age in the Sixteen Candles "Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference to use it well" the words of Mindy Kaling are a true reflection of the concept of coming of age as seen in most teenage films. Most of these film focus on the growth of an individual from the growth of the person to the maturity where the individual can make proper decisions. Most parts of the film resonate around the regions where an individual is developing challenging behavior as the person reaches young age. In the movie, sixteen Candles, for instance, the protagonist is visibly experiencing a coming of age, and this can be noticed in most parts of the film. These parts of the film focus on the transition in terms of the psychological and moral growth of a character in the movie. The director of the film, John Hughes, artistically integrates the aspects of the plot, themes and literary elements that constitute the character build of the protagonist to reinforce her role. Typically, coming of age looks into the issues physiological as well as emotional transitioning of an individual from one period to another. The protagonist Samantha is portrayed as coming of age as can be seen in the film. Samantha has to go to school on her birthday after her whole family forgets that she is turning sixteen on this day (Hughes 0:22). The audience of this film notice that an instance of coming to age can be seen through the character Sam, who makes a note that if she is given a chance to make love to someone, she will prefer Jake Ryan, who, the audience learns is her crash. In the reading A&P, her day is spoilt by a customer who picks a quarrel with her while she sells. From this incident, it is evident that she is easily irritable. In this instance, the protagonist as depicted in this film is at the puberty stage. She has made familiar friends, whom she can share with some intimate conversations such as the person she desires to be with sexually. Ariantzi informs that they experience a “gradual integration into society and social identity formation of adolescents." In this case, the character Sam wants to identify with some of her classmates who are having mutual feelings about sex. At the teenage, most adolescents find attraction in members of the opposite sex that they might have grown up with as friends. During this time, the perception of the adolescent towards the other individual is different since he or she begins to feel sexual attraction towards the partner. Moreover, at the age of sixteen, Samantha feels that she has acquired a legally significant period. In the united states, the legal age for one to become an adult is the age of sixteen. Following this, many people value their sixteenth birthday, and Sam is not an option. Through this, the viewers of the film get to learn that on this day of her birthday, she is transitioning from childhood to adulthood. With this in her mind, s.

1. Fan 2
Weiding Fan
DISC 1312
Prof. Treat
9 May 2019
Coming of Age in the Sixteen Candles
"Understand that one day you will have the power to make a
difference to use it well" the words of Mindy Kaling are a true
reflection of the concept of coming of age as seen in most
teenage films. Most of these film focus on the growth of an
individual from the growth of the person to the maturity where
the individual can make proper decisions. Most parts of the film
resonate around the regions where an individual is developing
challenging behavior as the person reaches young age. In the
movie, sixteen Candles, for instance, the protagonist is visibly
experiencing a coming of age, and this can be noticed in most
parts of the film. These parts of the film focus on the transition
in terms of the psychological and moral growth of a character in
the movie. The director of the film, John Hughes, artistically
integrates the aspects of the plot, themes and literary elements
that constitute the character build of the protagonist to reinforce
her role. Typically, coming of age looks into the issues
physiological as well as emotional transitioning of an individual
from one period to another.
The protagonist Samantha is portrayed as coming of age as
can be seen in the film. Samantha has to go to school on her
birthday after her whole family forgets that she is turning
sixteen on this day (Hughes 0:22). The audience of this film
notice that an instance of coming to age can be seen through the
character Sam, who makes a note that if she is given a chance to
make love to someone, she will prefer Jake Ryan, who, the

2. audience learns is her crash. In the reading A&P, her day is
spoilt by a customer who picks a quarrel with her while she
sells. From this incident, it is evident that she is easily irritable.
In this instance, the protagonist as depicted in this film is at the
puberty stage. She has made familiar friends, whom she can
share with some intimate conversations such as the person she
desires to be with sexually. Ariantzi informs that they
experience a “gradual integration into society and social
identity formation of adolescents." In this case, the character
Sam wants to identify with some of her classmates who are
having mutual feelings about sex. At the teenage, most
adolescents find attraction in members of the opposite sex that
they might have grown up with as friends. During this time, the
perception of the adolescent towards the other individual is
different since he or she begins to feel sexual attraction towards
the partner.
Moreover, at the age of sixteen, Samantha feels that she has
acquired a legally significant period. In the united states, the
legal age for one to become an adult is the age of sixteen.
Following this, many people value their sixteenth birthday, and
Sam is not an option. Through this, the viewers of the film get
to learn that on this day of her birthday, she is transitioning
from childhood to adulthood. With this in her mind, she feels
responsible for herself and in a position to discern what is right
from what is wrong. Hayes explains that “young people need a
reason to believe that parenthood is inappropriate at this point
in their lives” (7). On her sixteenth birthday, Sam expected that
she could begin to live her life on an independent scale in which
she could make her own decisions. Similarly, A&P explains that
the age of sixteen comes with a great feeling of self-realization.
Generally, at this age, a person usually feels that he can do
anything with her life. This is the time where an individual can
make informed decisions simply because the person cannot
consult from people around her because she wants to be seen as
an adult.
Additionally, the protagonist coming of age can be noticed

3. through the experience of epiphany. In the case of the film
Sixteen Candles, Samantha is expecting to celebrate her
sixteenth birthday and hopes that her family will remember that
it is her birthday. The feeling of transitioning from childhood to
adulthood for some is a dangerous moment that most of the
people would love to spend it with the people they love most. In
this case, Samantha expected that her family members would
remember that it was her birthday and they would, therefore,
celebrate or even wish her a happy birthday. However, this was
not the case as the whole family was busy preparing for the
wedding of her elder sister. This not only saddened her but also
spoilt her entire day. Occasionally in most homes, it is at the
age of sixteen that they are allowed to drive and are even
allowed to own cars. Technically, the sixteenth birthdays are
usually a very crucial moment in the life of the teenager and the
family members as well. In the film, Sixteen Candles, the
director of the film uses the characters in the family of the
protagonist to illustrate the importance of this birthday.
Samantha however, does not get the chance or even a
congratulation word from any of the family members. Instead,
she is teased by her father about her marriage and her brother
who tells her that no man shall marry her. Most people in the
house are focusing on the marriage preparations of her elder
sister, and this makes her angry. According to Riegel “the
condition is not synonymous or identified by the cause” (134).
The fact that she is sensitive at this moment is an insinuation
that she is in the adolescent age and is facing emotional
changes. This is an indication that she is transitioning from
childhood to adulthood. At school, Samantha feels that she is
big enough to express her crush on her friends. From this, the
audience learns that she has a crush on Jake, who sees her a
young person that he cannot take seriously.
The growth of the character Samantha is also seen through her
puberty. After confessing her interest in Jake, Samantha begins
to be cautious of her appearance. She wants to impress and
occasionally looks at herself in the mirror to see how she looks.

4. A&P informs that “She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a
sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents… at the
top of the backs of her legs”. The first thing that she is
observant of is her body shape. Out of nowhere, she has
developed a self couscous self and values how she appears in
front of people, especially, Jake ( Hughes 0:55). At one
instance, when she is approached by Jake, she is unable to utter
a word and blames herself for failing to talk. Riegel informs
that "the older adolescents express their spontaneity in the
activity of self-training and self-education" (133). At this age,
most of the adolescent individuals are willing to change every
aspect of their lives that they feel might be inappropriate. In
A&P, the author explains that physical appearance of the girl.
He tells that shw wore a bright green bra that had seams on,
which that author thought that she had just bought it. Despite
the insults that Samantha get from her brother about her body,
she is determined to look beautiful so that she can impress Jake.
Other than that, she is worried that her breasts are not big
enough. She even feels jealous of Caroline; whose breasts are
more significant. She has an insecurity that Jake might get
attracted to Caroline who has a bigger chest as opposed to hers.
The vulnerabilities that Samantha begin feeling whether she is
enough or not makes the audience of the film understand that
she is transitioning from being a child to an adult. She has
become not only sensitive but also emotionally vulnerable to
any trivial thing that she is exposed to.
Furthermore, the growth of the protagonist throughout the flow
of the film. When Samantha meets her grandparents, the two are
not only happy because of it her sixteenth birthday, but they
also notice the physical changes that are observable on her
body. For instance, her grandmother sees that Samantha is
growing breast and very soon they will be plum (Hughes 0:18).
She finds this embarrassing but impacts on her that she is
growing beautifully. Riegel explains that “the casual
relationship in human growth are joined to the factors which
accompany developmental changes” (134). The growth of her

5. breast is an indication that she is growing so fast and soon will
be considered an adult. Other than that, as she looks at herself
in the mirror, it is evident that she has grown as some parts of
her have gradually developed. On the contrary, A&P describes
her as an attractive individual. As at the time when she is
reaching sixteen years old, she is developing physically and
there comes a time that when a person looks at her, one can
think of her as a lady. Through this process of physical changes,
the audience gets to notice the growth of Samantha throughout
the film.
Works Cited
Ariantzi, Despoina. Coming of Age in Byzantium: Adolescence
and Society. , 2018. Internet resource.
John Hughes. “Sixteen Candles Official Trailer”. YouTube,
uploaded by Movieclips classic trailers, 12 Dec 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGLtBJupFFM
Riegel, Klaus F., and John A. Meacham. The Developing
Individual in a Changing World, Volume I: Historical and
Cultural Issues. Transaction Publishers, 2007.
Staff, National R. C, and C O. Hayes. Risking the Future:

6. Adolescent Sexuality, Pregnancy, and Childbearing.
Washington: National Academies Press, 1900. Internet resource.
Running head: DEFINITIONS OF TRUTH 1
2
DEFINITIONS OF TRUTH
Truth: Police, Forensic Psychologists, and Prosecutors
Name
American Intercontinental University
Date
Abstract
This needs to be a full paragraph and at least 120 words. Do
NOT indent this paragraph. This paragraph will be

7. doublespaced. The rest of your paper will also be doublespaced.
Truth: Police, Forensic Psychologists, and Prosecutors
Start text here…Start the introduction paragraph here ( at least
4 sentences minimum)… You must have a clear thesis
statement.
Taking content verbatim is not acceptable in academic writing.
As such, as a matter of practice in my class, I want you to
refrain from using direct quotes in your papers- Direct quotes
are rarely if ever needed (less than 2-5% of your paper should
be direct quotes and it’s better to avoid them altogether).
Remember that “research” does not equal “using a direct quote”.
Focus on paraphrasing and synthesizing content in your own
words to advance your writing and scholarship. When you
paraphrase and synthesize, in text-citation and referencing is
still necessary because you are acknowledging that the

8. information you have included in your paper came from
“somewhere” and that information is not “lay” knowledge to
you.
Police: Discovering the Truth in Investigations
have in their finding of the truth as it relates to the investigative
outcome of their respective cases. Include citation and research
support (Each section should be at least 2 paragraphs
minimum).
Forensic Psychologists: Determining the Truth About
Defendants
c
psychologists use to determine the truth that they concludes
about the defendant(s) in their respective cases. Include citation
and research support (Each section should be at least 2
paragraphs minimum).
Prosecutors: Using the Law to Determine the Truth
prosecutors use the law in determining what they define as the
truth in their respective cases Include citation and research
support (Each section should be at least 2 paragraphs
minimum).
Conclusion
Start text here…
References
Spend time with APA : Review page 193 of the APA 6th edition
manual for details. This is a helpful website:

9. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
This paper is a minimum of 3-5 body pages (excluding title
page, abstract and references)
Paper must be doublespaced and Times New Roman 12 font
only with 1” margins on all sides.
You need a minimum of 4 sources
Each reference must have corresponding citations in the text of
your document- I have to be able to follow your research.
Write in a scholarly voice-do not use "I, you, me, my us, we,
this author etc.” Avoid writing in the 1st/2nd person. You can
state your opinion without using “I”. In other words, your
opinion is implied by your very statement. Example-“I think
this class is great” versus “This class is great”. You are still
saying the exact same thing here without using “I” or “ this
author”. The second, “this class is great”, is stronger. You want
to keep a scholarly tone in your writing.