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- The poem is written in free verse. This means that the lines do not follow a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. The poet uses natural, conversational language throughout, ensuring that readers interpret the events she’s describing as common and usual. This helps convey her message about male violence and its roots.
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Published in The Dead and the Living in 1984, Sharon Olds's "Rite of Passage" is a poem about the roots of male violence. The poem's speaker, the mother of a boy in first grade, observes the aggressive, competitive behavior of the boys at her son's birthday party.
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Detailed Analysis
- Similar Poetry
‘Rite of Passage’by Sharon Olds is an interesting poem about a group of young boys at a birthday party and their interest in violence. In the first lines of the poem, the speaker describes a group of boys at her son’s birthday party. They’re standing together looking like small men. They each stand as though they’re to appear as though they are the...
‘Rite of Passage’ by Sharon Olds is a twenty-six-line poem that is contained within a single stanza of verse. The poem is written in free verse. This means that the lines do not follow a specific rhyme schemeor metrical pattern. The poet uses natural, conversational language throughout, ensuring that readers interpret the events she’s describing as...
Olds makes use of several literary devices in ‘Rite of Passage.’ These include but are not limited to: 1. Alliteration: can be seen when the poet repeatsthe same consonant sound at the beginning of words. For example, “jostling, jockeying” in line six and “six” and “seven” in line eight. 2. Enjambment: occurs when the poet cuts off a line before it...
Lines 1-11
In the first lines of the poem, the speaker begins by describing boys arriving for her son’s birthday party. She uses imagery that makes the poem more compelling from the start. She speaks about the boys as “short men, men in first grade.” She sees in them the elements of manhood. This is not something to be celebrated, the following lines reveal. They have “smooth jaws and chins,” lacking even a hint of facial hair. They move and talk as though they have something to prove. They each want to...
Lines 12-21
The boys use their age, even if it’s only one year older, to suggest that they are superior to those younger than they are. One boy says that he could “beat you up,” because he’s seven and the other boy is six. The war-time image of a turret is included in this scene, taking the form of a birthday cake. It’s at this point that the speaker transitions into talking about her own son. He is young and innocent-looking. She compares the freckles on his cheeks to “specks of nutmeg” ( a simile). The...
Lines 22-26
The speaker’s son asserts that the group could “easily kill a two-year-old.” This shocking statement is juxtaposedagainst the speaker’s description of her son’s youthful, innocent appearance. This isn’t something one could expect a child to say but, it connects perfectly to the way the group has been acting. They are boys but they’ve seen what they think would make them men and are imitating it. After they all agree they could kill a two-year-old, they settle down and get to the business of t...
Readers who enjoyed ‘Rite of Passage’ should consider reading some other Sharon Olds poems. For example: 1. ‘Her First Week’ – reveals both sides of motherhood and the many facets of feeling and emotions that come along with having a baby. 2. ‘Sex Without Love’ – asks the reader to consider the implications of relationships based on sex rather than...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
Major Themes in “Rite of Passage”: Importance of celebrations, mixing of children, and behaving in a belligerent manner are three important themes of this poem. The poem portrays the birthday gathering of her son, highlighting that he welcomed all his friends, who are approximately his age.
Sharon Olds’s “Rite of Passage” is a free-verse poem presented in a single 26-line stanza. The title suggests that the poem will involve some sort of ritual denoting entry into another phase of life, with commons rites of passage including going through puberty, learning to drive, and graduating from high school or college.
Like much of Olds’s work, the poem uses a scene from ordinary daily life to make greater observations about human nature—in this case, male behavior and the ways in which violence and dominance can show up very early in life.
Rite of Passage. By Sharon Olds. As the guests arrive at our son’s party. they gather in the living room—. short men, men in first grade. with smooth jaws and chins. Hands in pockets, they stand around. jostling, jockeying for place, small fights. breaking out and calming.
Rite of Passage. Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1984. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Download PDF.
