A Heightened Agent - Coursework Example

A Heightened AgentI remember a time in my childhood before I was 18 years old in which I was a heightened agent. My parents abhor smoking so much that they might just faint out to see a cigarette in my hand, especially my mother. Once I was so displeased with my mom because she had not let me watch my favorite television program and had required me to instead prepare for the upcoming test that I decided to upset her in some way. Next day, I brought a cigarette home on my way back from school.

After having supper, I lit up the cigarette, placed it between my lips, and tried to smoke right beside my mother. Understandably, I choked out because I had never smoked before and my lungs were not used to allowing the in-pour of smoke. My mother snatched the cigarette from me and tore it to pieces. To this day, I regret how upset I had made her. This shows that “errors in cultural performance committed by postadolescents are generally seen as more serious and are more likely to arouse direct criticism, punishment, or other sanctions” (Hirschfeld 612).

Back then, I perceived my parents, especially my mother as the foundation of our structure. My mother always has rules and principles that everyone must abide by. While many people experience a shift in the structure today, my structure is based on my parents even today. I think it is because of the fact that I have become more responsible, caring, and respectful toward my parents over the passage of time than I was as a child. Works Cited:Hirschfeld, Lawrence A. “Why Don't Anthropologists Like Children?

” American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 104, No. 2 (Jun., 2002), pp. 611-627.