Body Paragraph for “On Turning Ten”

After he addresses his audience's lack of appreciation for the first and second birthdays, the speaker reminisces about

the imaginative characters he portrays before his tenth - "an Arabian wizard ... a soldier ... a prince." Collins structures this stanza

as a dialogue between the audience and the speaker to not only highlight the speaker's joy and freedom but also distinguish their

perspectives. Most of the older, mature audiences do not remember their childhood birthday celebrations. But for the speaker's

situation, he cherishes every moment of his earlier birthdays when he pretends and roleplays a character, further exploring his

limitless imagination to the fullest. And at the turning point that is his tenth birthday, it is heart-wrenching for the speaker to close

the door on his childhood and open the door to reality as if he is abandoning part of himself, the part that makes him happy and

creative of the world he wishes to lives.