Submission

Although in its entirety it is only a quatrain, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem, “Grown - Up,” is powerful in that it is relatable to all. The poem discusses the transformation from adolescence into adulthood that every human being goes through. At this time youth usually rebel against their parents and pray for a time when they can stay up late and do as they please without the heavy controlled lives that they are forced to live by their parents. Millay discusses this rebellion by stating that she, “…sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs,” clearly a young girl that wanted to live life in a different manner (2). As much as we despise our parents in adolescence we begin to act accordingly with their views the older we become. Millay questions why she behaved in such a rebellious manner if she would eventually submit to the way society would have her to behave and even go to bed “at half-past eight” (4).