Descriptive Essay

.2 .6 .3 . Descriptive Essay . What it means to be 18 years old

Age has been a touchy subject for people since the time of human inception . People of all ages did not want to disclose their age to the others when they felt they were rather old , or would mock a person if they were considered to be too young . Each individual nation in the world has developed a standard of what it meant to be adult and what it meant to be young . While for some European countries the age of eighteen

br is considered an adult , when a person is capable of voting , buying alcohol , and fully participating in the normal life in the society , for the USA an eighteen year old is obliged to pay the taxes yet is still deprived of various rights that are available to 21 year olds . It should also be noted that a more drastic change is present in Japan and some African countries . To the best of my knowledge in Japan people cannot vote till they reach the age of 20 while in countries like Tanzania and Ghana people aged 18 are predominantly married and have at least one kid . In the following essay I am going to speak about what it means to be eighteen year old in the USA , comment on the strengths and weaknesses of it and present my personal view on the given

First of all being only eighteen year old in the USA puts you in the under-aged ' or minority ' category of people that automatically deprives you of many rights , yet at the same time frees you from some responsibilities . First of all , when you are eighteen you are able to vote and at least hope that your vote would make a difference in American life . Secondly , you have to pay as much taxes as everyone else in this country despite your minority status . You cannot attend bars or even be close to the person who drinks alcohol in not to be charged with MIP (minor in possession . That is why you are doomed to experiencing marijuana and schrooms that can be purchased much easier than a can of beer . If you are eighteen , your car insurance is much higher than if you were 22 . If you are eighteen , nevertheless , there exist some laws regarding the maximum amount of hours you can work that legally makes your life easier and gives you some competitive edge over other hires . When you are eighteen , you most likely still attend a high school and have an opportunity and experience the pleasures a school bus or the school cafeteria is willing to provide . At the same time you are still open to feelings and fresh experiences with the members of the opposite sex . The liaisons are still fresh and each girlfriend looks like the one to you . If being caught making out in public you cannot be charged with the illegal activities with the under-aged because you are an under-aged yourself . Your parents still tolerate your presence in the house and cannot wait for you to turn 21 to kick you out of the house or charge you for room rent . Even if you commit a crime , you are more likely to go to a less severe jail should you be 21 (I would like to add that this item depends on the state and the lawyers . While eighteen you are still a big fan of newness and you consider sports , movies parties to be important (something that will stop to be your priority once you get married or get a full time job . It is only when you eighteen you can experience a ride with 20 people in one car , or engage in toilet-ing a team that won the school basketball competition . It is only while you are still in school when you can enjoy the opportunity to watch girls blush when they see you and whisper something behind your back . It is only when you eighteen when you can find love letters in your locker and feel it normal to send such letters while sitting in class . It is still while you are eighteen that you can go to the same coffee shop or play in the same team with people who would become future big wigs . And it is while you are eighteen when you can talk your girlfriend into skipping her classes or work to just go for a walk or for the movies

In conclusion I would like to say that being eighteen today is an interesting time that has its positive and negative sides . My personal opinion is that eighteen is a great time and for a person who is that age it usually means the transfer period when there is the last chance to breathe the fresh air of freedom and youth associated with teens Despite the fact that you are not 21 and cannot hit a local bar , you are free not to care about anything for at least sometime , expect your parents to support you , and do what you feel like doing

PAGE

PAGE 2 ...