Boo, Humbug! By Michael Elliot. Term Paper

A nearly 50-year-old man who cannot grow up and lives in "Neverland" is nearly as sad as the adults who feel they must regress to childhood with "whoooing" ghosts, witches, and goblins in their front yards for the month of October. This is not childhood revisited, it is adulthood resisted, and the only people it serves are the merchandisers and merchants who gleefully look forward to the Halloween season as the beginning of an orgy of holiday spending. As author Elliot continues, "In time, infantile societies become degraded, unable to meet the realities that face them" (Elliot 86). Unfortunately, it is quite easy to see our own society degrading as it crawls further into childhood and less onward into adulthood. We have already seen the degradation of neighborhoods, families, and social life in much of our society, and our self-centered lifestyles geared to earning more money to buy more "Stuff" like designer Halloween decorations can only lead to further degradation and isolation.Elliot uses research and numbers to prove his point, including the amazing amount spent on Halloween ($1.5 BILLION on costumes and decorations), to the numbers of people who celebrate. He also uses analogies and examples of culture and society that draw the reader in and allow them to think of their own experiences, and then mesh them with his ideas and thoughts. Author Elliot does not hold back on his opinion or his ultimate response to Halloween, and so, he ignites a passion in the reader to either agree or disagree, and do so with emotion. It is quite clear from the very first line that Halloween is not high on Elliot's list, and his evidence, references, and impassioned writing make this essay memorable, successful, and quite entertaining all at the same time.

References

Elliot, Michael. "Boo,….....