We can look at two of these passages as examples in order to find some rites and traits that help the individuals survive and learn from their experiences.
In "Hanging Fire" by Audre Lorde, the speaker feels overwhelmed with the problems that are going on in her life. She has just become a teenager, and her mind is constantly busy with the many things that worry her. Moreover, she feels incapable of talking to her mom in order to ask for help. The ritual that seems to help this speaker survive is going over her problems in her head. Although she jumps from one problem to the next in a sudden way, we can see that she thinks about them, and that she is aware of the changes that she is experiencing in her life.
Another example would be that of "The Scarlet Ibis." In this story, the narrator struggles with his brother, who suffers from a condition and is therefore, less developed and athletic than the speaker. One way in which the speaker copes with this is by pushing his brother to constantly do more and learn more, so that he is as little limited as possible. This strategy brings about some negative and some positive consequences.
