write a thoughtful, engaging essay that discusses Amish rumspringa as a rite of passage, based on your viewing of Devil’s Playground, a documentary that focuses on Amish teenagers. In your essay make at least two compare/contrast observations with the Apache puberty ceremony, but the main focus of the essay will be on the Amish rumspringa and these teenagers’ experiences with it.
One way to see rumspringa is as an extended puberty ceremony marking the passage from childhood to adulthood. In your essay, address all of the questions listed below (1A-1E, 2A-2B, and 3). But, this is an essay on rumspringa as a rite of passage. Don’t submit something where you number your answers like you do in your assignments. Write an essay on rumspringa as a rite of passage, in which you incorporate answers to all of the questions/topics listed below. I numbered the questions below to help you organize your thoughts.
I am not as interested in length as I am in well-answered questions, but some of you have asked so … I expect the length for the entire final project assignment would be around three-four pages. Longer is fine. Please write in complete sentences; do not just list things or telegraph your answers. Please be clear and well-organized in how you present your final project answer, thanks.
For all five teenagers, address the following – and include some direct quotes for each one. I expect that you will discuss Faron in a little more detail because he is the major focus on the documentary:
What did they say they liked about rumspringa? What did they say they would miss about rumspringa if they chose to be baptized and return to an Amish life – with all of its restrictions?
What are some of the major tensions (push and pull) that these Amish teens deal with when they are deciding which way to go after rumspringa?
At the end of the documentary, who has returned to the Amish, and who has not? Did any of these five definitely plan not to ever return?
These are the five teenagers that speak to us during the course of the documentary, listed below in alphabetical order. It is Faron Yoder’s story that the documentary focuses the most on, so you’ll probably have more to say about him.
Velda Bontrager
Joann Hochstetler
Emma Miller
Faron Yoder
Gerald Yutzy
