It is comparatively easy to become a writer; staying a writer, resisting formulaic work, generating ones own creativity - thats a much tougher matter.
When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of hell. That is why we dread children, even if we love them, they show us the state of our decay.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the loss of innocence with adulthood, suggesting it leads to a decay of the joyful aspects of childhood.
Brian Aldiss's quote critiques the transition from childhood to adulthood, suggesting that the innocent and pure nature of childhood is lost, leaving behind 'corpses' that symbolize the emotional and imaginative decay inherent in adult life. It highlights a societal disdain for the truths that children embody, recognizing their unfiltered perspective as a mirror reflecting the loss of vitality and joy in adults.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on the impact of childhood experiences in adulthood, this quote serves as a reflective statement on societal expectations.
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It offended his sense of himself, because he was an individual from an age of individuals, and a string of lights was, like him, an individual thing. No matter how little the thing had cost, to throw it away was to deny its value.
The years like great black oxen tread the world, and God, the herdsman goads them on behind, and I am broken by their passing feet.
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Before I latched onto the concept of stereotypes, not once did I reckon with the fact that I would never be a 'Hollywood starlet.'
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It's like, at the end, there's this surprise quiz: Am I proud of me? I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth what I paid?