21 Up Series

Abstract Unlike the other series, the 21 Up is unfocused and rambling. Its content is pretty complex. This paper seeks to explicate on the changes that have taken place in the lives of the 21-year olds in the movie 21-Up series. The dreams they had while young have change for some of them. However, some still hold onto their dreams to become lawyers. They no longer wear school uniforms like in 7 Up Series and hence their personal style is well seen in the 21-Up series.

most of the 21- year olds are no longer shy but have high self-esteem. The 21-Up Series The thing that surprised me most My biggest surprise was what most of the 21- year olds had turned out, unlike my prior expectations as from the 14 Up series. The three prep-boys, John, Charles, and Andrew are now in college. Andrew and John are doing law at Cambridge and Oxford respectively. Their life path seems to be the most predictable one.

Having gone to good schools and now studying a stable career, they will undoubtedly land into well-paying jobs after college (Gayle, 2012). Charles is studying history another university having missed Oxford. The three girls, Jackie, Lynn, and Sue missed college and are working currently. The three are working as a bank clerk, librarian and travel agent respectively. Jackie and Lynn are married. Sue is single. Peter and Neil were the boys from Liverpool Suburb. Girls tend to be perceived late to get into marriage by age 25.

In Chapter 14 of the Book Lifespan, as described in slide 8 of the slides provided, social clock is culturally determined and hence the reason for the girls to get married before the men in the up series. Neil is currently homeless after missing oxford university. He is seen to have much stress during the interview. According to Life Span Chapter 13, the level of stress depends on the appraisal of the person which is dependent on the temperament of the person and the circumstances (Boyd, & Bee, 2014, slide 22).

Peter studies in a college in London where he lives with his three fellow students in a rented flat. He currently does manual labor. Paul, the boy who lived with Simon at the charity –run children’s home, moved to Australia. He works as a bricklayer and is doing well. He enjoys his work. Simon lives with his parent. He missed college and works as a meat freezer.

Tony whose dream was to become a horse rider, has shifted his dreams and now want to become a licensed taxi driver. Despite Suzy being from a well-off family, she dropped from school and has traveled the world a bit. Bruce was a soldier’s son living in a boarding school during 7 Up series (Lanning, at al., 2010). He now studies mathematics at Oxford. Bruce has grown to be a compassionate man who is ready to sacrifice his life for the less fortunate like the handicapped and the uncivilized.

Finally, Nicholas, who was the boy from the Yorkshire farm. In his early life, he expressed the desire to become a scientist. He has since joined Oxford and is studying Physics. Senescence can be seen to take effect on most of the 21-years compared to how they looked while at 14 years. In their book, Life Span Chapter 13, Boyd and Bee explain that senescence is the natural decline of humans that take place as one ages (Boyd, & Bee, 2014, slide 3).

The way the 21-year-olds have changed compared to how they were at 14 It is interesting to see how much the young adults in the movie have changed. There is much variation in their personal style and clothing, both at the reception and throughout the 21Up series individual interviews. From wearing school uniform, John wears an ultra-fashionable Savile Row type of three-piece suit with a more traditional haircut. Charles is in sweatshirt and jeans and wears his hair much longer (Mercer, 2016).

Simon who came from a charity run children’s home wears flared pants and a giant afro- hairstyle. The clothing of the young women is not ridiculously date but their hairstyles are of the late 1970s, with Janis wearing center-parted long air, Dorothy Hamill wedge and Bobs flipped back wings. Moreover, some have changed their dreams. Nicholas, in his early life, he expressed the desire to become a scientist. He has since joined Oxford and is studying Physics.

The similarity between the participants at 21 years old and the 7-year-olds Some of them still hold onto their childhood dreams. For instance, Andrew and John are doing law at Cambridge and Oxford respectively. Tony whose dream was to become a horse rider, went ahead to be involved in three horse races. This showed that their childhood dreams still play a big role in their lives However, he has shifted his dreams and now want to become a licensed taxi driver.

prejudice, relationships, self-esteem and goals in life On relationships, Paul expresses his desire to have a happy family of his own. He loves a girl whom he plans to make his wife. Charles still has a positive attitude towards marriage despite his parents’ divorce. On the contrary, Suzy expresses cynicism about marriage. She believes that marriage is what kills love. Simon, Suzy, Sue, and Jackie are great smokers as seen during their interviews. This is a sign of maturing up in the 1970s.

What can be noted from the 21 Up series is that the 21-year olds are at a stage where they are unsettled, as well as unformed (Apted, 2007). They are at a stage which is the end of their childhood, but not fully launched into adulthood. Early adulthood is he stage Though they speak much about their desires of life, their musings are still vague. All of them seem to want happiness in their lives, but seem to have no idea of what happiness is or even how they will achieve it.

While asked how a person recovers from the failure, it was evident that some people have a high ability to pick themselves up again, while others don’t. Most of them showed the ability to have post formal thinking. According to Life Span Chapter 13, Post formal thought acknowledges the necessity of solving adult problems realistically (Boyd, & Bee, 2014, slide 26). On self- esteem, most of the 21- year olds had stopped being shy and became confident. They have realized they have a lot to do now as adults.

During early adulthood, the young adults come to the realization that they are no longer depending on their guardians and that they are perceived as adults and responsible members of the society (Boyd & Bee, 2014, slide 3). Nicholas, in the 21 Up series, impressed many by his evolution. He had been a painfully shy teenager but had built so much charisma and confidence. At 21 he had become more talkative and assure of himself. The young adults try to justify their current lives.

When Charles is interviewed by the director in how he feels about missing Oxford, he says it was for his own good. In Chapter 14 of the book Life Span, Boyd & Bee (2014, slide 3) describes the Erikson stage to comprises of three several aspects which include the level of selfishness, sexuality and gratification and deep devotion. Schaie’s stages of development: Acquisitive stage- This is the stage where most of the young adults gain information. Most of these 21-year olds are in this stage.

They are learning in schools as well as in the school of life. The way they respond to questions can show that the young adults are still in their learning stage. Achieving stage, According to Chapter 14 of the Life, Span book, achieving stage is the stage the stage that these young adults are looking towards (Boyd, & Bee, Chapter 14, 2014). They have dreams that they look up.