The Teen: What Is It?

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate September 2001

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A teenager is different than any other creature on earth. These strange and mysterious things are classified under the species of the homo sapiens. They range from the ages of thirteen to eighteen. It seems that through the years the teenager has developed into its own separate class rather than a period of time in life.

Even though teenagers are almost a branch of the human race, none of them are the same. This branch of the human race we call the teenager can be divided into three separate categories of the radical, the moderate, and the conservative. The radical teen can be described as one going to the extremes to prove something that nobody but them can possibly come close to understanding. Punks, stoners, skaters, and wiggers, fall into this category. The moderate teen can be described as the "normal" teenager, or a teenager who attempts to attain the qualities of a "normal" human being.

This category is comprised of the widest range of people. This category of teenagers is slightly vague and can range from jocks to brains. The last of these categories, the conservative teenager can be described as the teenagers who follow the rules and teachings of the adults with no objections. You would most likely find a conservative teen in front of the classroom trying to get as close to the teacher's desk as possible. You will find that the majority of the time this teenager is shy.

To describe one of these creatures is difficult because of the differences in each one's features. These beings range in height from 3 feet to 7 feet tall. They can be tall, fat, thin, short, ugly, attractive, intelligent, slow, fast, responsible, or irresponsible. The radical and moderate teenagers are usually unpredictable and can never be trusted. The majority of teens begin to think and reason for the first time in their life. With this thinking and reasoning comes the contrasting views and beliefs from what they have been taught by their elders for 13 to 18 years. Before hitting the teenage years, almost every person accepted just everything their parents taught them. As teens begin to think, they find sense in new and different beliefs and find many old beliefs outdated. Teens could be a n advantage to the human race if it were not for their tragic flaw in which they think that they have had so much experience in life that they are ready to handle it all and take on the world with their "vast knowledge of life." Although far from perfect, teens are still not treated to the best of their ability by the older generation's. The average teen is abused by their elders. Teens are often forced to do miscellaneous odd jobs that are not respectable to the human race. You can often find a teenager doing degradable chores such as taking out the trash, doing the dishes, to sacking groceries at the local grocery store. Although for the most part teenagers are mistreated, being a teenager has its advantages. For instance by being a teenager, not much is expected of you mentally, for the mere fact the older generation has accepted the fact of the difference between them and the teen. As the older generation was also forced to go through this demanding time in life, they realize how difficult it is, thus a teenager can practically get away with "murder".

As the teenager can never fully be described because of their wide variety of qualities both mentally and physically, many people struggle to find out exactly why teenagers act as they do. As you may see, the differences of the teenager are quite obvious and contrasting to that of any other period in life.