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Poem
August 2, 1890
The Morning News
Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia
What is this article about?
A sixteen-year-old girl complains about being caught between childhood and adulthood: too old for dolls and play, too young for romance, under strict maternal supervision, especially regarding boys and cousin Tom.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Sweet Sixteen.
From the Pittsburgh Dispatch.
I am taller far than Bess,
Though she's stouter, I confess.
And my shoe tops meet my dress.
My hair
Reaches far below my waist,
Which is just a little laced,
And many who have taste
Call me fair.
With the boys I mustn't play,
Mamma told me so today;
And my dolls are given away—
Every one.
I'm too old to run about,
Play at tag, or laugh and shout,
I must learn to live without
Any fun.
If with Cousin Tom I walk
Mamma sees me, like a hawk.
And you ought to hear her talk,
Such a tongue!
"You, a school girl, flirting, fie!"
Then I wish that I might die,
Since for any pleasure I
Am too young.
I'm too old to play with toys.
I'm too young for woman's joys,
I'm too old to fight the boys;
And the men
I'm forbidden to regard,
Lest I Sister Bess retard,
And I find it rather hard
Now and then.
From the Pittsburgh Dispatch.
I am taller far than Bess,
Though she's stouter, I confess.
And my shoe tops meet my dress.
My hair
Reaches far below my waist,
Which is just a little laced,
And many who have taste
Call me fair.
With the boys I mustn't play,
Mamma told me so today;
And my dolls are given away—
Every one.
I'm too old to run about,
Play at tag, or laugh and shout,
I must learn to live without
Any fun.
If with Cousin Tom I walk
Mamma sees me, like a hawk.
And you ought to hear her talk,
Such a tongue!
"You, a school girl, flirting, fie!"
Then I wish that I might die,
Since for any pleasure I
Am too young.
I'm too old to play with toys.
I'm too young for woman's joys,
I'm too old to fight the boys;
And the men
I'm forbidden to regard,
Lest I Sister Bess retard,
And I find it rather hard
Now and then.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
Love Courtship
What keywords are associated?
Sweet Sixteen
Adolescence
Growing Up
Mother's Restrictions
Flirting
Youthful Frustration
What entities or persons were involved?
From The Pittsburgh Dispatch.
Poem Details
Title
Sweet Sixteen.
Author
From The Pittsburgh Dispatch.
Subject
Frustrations Of Being Sixteen
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
I'm Too Old To Play With Toys.
I'm Too Young For Woman's Joys,
I'm Too Old To Fight The Boys;
And The Men
I'm Forbidden To Regard,