Poem 4/13

Before reading the poem “The Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds, I immediately interpreted a theme, or central idea. The title and first line of the poem made it very apparent that the poem is about ‘the rite of passage’ or ‘coming of age’. This idea of growing up and becoming an adult. In this poem the author focuses the poem around a boy having a birthday party; therefore the poem is about the coming of age specifically talking about the male sex. From basic knowledge the rite of passage is like a ritual, where a young man completes a number of tasks in order to be considered an adult. This is a cultural idea that is slightly more ‘primitive’ dating back to cavemen, although many cultural events like quinceaneras, sweet sixteens, bar mitzvah, ones eighteenth birthday, birthday punches, etc. that are events humans still part take in, in modern times. These are remnants of those type of rituals. Most of these event are for boys in which they become men. And this poem Sharon Old is definitely hinting at these ideas and how their primitive in a way. She’s also hinting at how in most cases, with age come this idea of corruption. As a child when you’re ages one to four you don’t understand much of the would like adults do still having ‘innocence’ in them. Yet once your are ages five and up, you begin to understand more of what you witness. In our culture you begin elementary school at the age of six. I feel like ‘Sharon Olds’ is trying to say at that specific age one begins to lose their innocence and begins to become corrupt. In this quoted line that corruption is very much shown. How old are you? —Six. —I’m seven. —So? They eye each other, seeing themselves tiny in the other’s pupils. They clear their throats a lot, a room of small bankers, they fold their arms and frown. I could beat you up, a seven says to a six,”.