Welcome, aspiring literary explorers, to a fascinating journey into Sharon Olds’ powerful poem, “Rite of Passage.” This piece offers a sharp, insightful look at childhood and the complex dynamics that shape us. Prepare to delve into its layers, uncover its meanings, and appreciate the masterful craft behind its words.
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. One says to another
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, the midnight cake, round and heavy as a turret behind them on the table. My son, freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks, chest narrow as the balsa keel of a model boat, long hands cool and thin as the day they guided him out of me, speaks up as a host for the sake of the group. We could easily kill a two-year-old, he says in his clear voice. The other men agree, they clear their throats like Generals, they relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life.
Understanding “Rite of Passage”: A Summary and Central Idea
“Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds presents a vivid and unsettling observation of young boys, around six or seven years old, at a birthday party. The poem masterfully portrays these children not merely as innocent youngsters, but as miniature adults, mimicking the competitive posturing, power struggles, and even aggressive tendencies often associated with men. The central idea of the poem revolves around this disquieting portrayal, suggesting that the behaviors of dominance, hierarchy, and even violence are rehearsed and ingrained from a very early age, forming an unspoken “rite of passage” into a particular kind of masculinity.
This poem is noteworthy for its ability to simultaneously charm and disturb, inviting readers to reflect on the origins of societal norms and the subtle ways gender roles are learned and performed. Olds, known for her unflinching exploration of family dynamics and the human condition, uses this scene to comment on the early manifestations of power and the inclination toward dominance within a seemingly innocent setting.
Exploring the Craft: Literary and Poetic Devices in “Rite of Passage”
Sharon Olds employs a rich tapestry of literary and poetic devices to transform a simple birthday party scene into a profound commentary on childhood, gender, and societal conditioning. Each choice contributes to the poem’s evocative power and its lasting impact.
The Extended Metaphor: Childhood as Miniature Adulthood
The entire poem is built upon a powerful extended metaphor, presenting the young boys as “short men, men in first grade.” This isn’t a literal comparison, but a figurative one that immediately establishes the poem’s central conceit. By referring to them as “men,” Olds invites the reader to see their actions through an adult lens, highlighting the unsettling parallels between their play and adult behaviors. This metaphor is reinforced throughout the poem, as the boys are described as “small bankers” and later, agreeing “like Generals,” underscoring the idea that they are already rehearsing roles of power and authority.
Vivid Imagery: Painting a Picture of Emerging Masculinity
Olds saturates the poem with striking imagery that appeals to various senses, allowing readers to visualize the scene with remarkable clarity. Visual details like “smooth jaws and chins” for the young boys, or the son’s “freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks,” create a tangible sense of their physical presence. The description of the birthday cake as “round and heavy as a turret” is particularly potent. This simile not only provides a visual anchor but also introduces a subtle military connotation, foreshadowing the boys’ later “playing war” and hinting at the defensive or aggressive weight of the adult world they are entering.
Further tactile imagery is present in the description of the son’s “chest narrow as the balsa keel of a model boat” and his “long hands cool and thin.” These images convey a sense of fragility and youth, creating a poignant contrast with the aggressive posturing the boys adopt, emphasizing their vulnerability even as they attempt to project strength.
Diction and Tone: A Blend of Innocence and Disquiet
Olds’s choice of words, or diction, is both precise and deliberately unsettling. She uses simple, colloquial language to describe the boys’ actions, such as “Hands in pockets, they stand around jostling, jockeying for place,” which creates a sense of realism and immediacy. However, this everyday language is juxtaposed with phrases that carry a heavier, more adult weight. The boys “clear their throats a lot,” mimicking a nervous or authoritative adult gesture. The tone, initially observational and almost charming, subtly shifts to one of concern and apprehension, particularly with the introduction of the boys’ dialogue.
Dialogue: Revealing the Seeds of Conflict
The direct dialogue within the poem is crucial for revealing the boys’ competitive and hierarchical instincts. The exchange, “How old are you? Six, I’m seven, So?” immediately establishes a pecking order based on age. This escalates to the chilling declaration, “I could beat you up, a seven says to a six.” These lines are not merely childish banter; they are early rehearsals of dominance and aggression, demonstrating how quickly social interactions can devolve into threats of physical power.
The Climactic Line: A Stark Revelation
The poem’s most impactful line, and arguably its central moment, is the son’s declaration: “We could easily kill a two-year-old, he says in his clear voice.” This statement is shocking in its casual brutality and its lack of empathy. It serves as a stark revelation of the boys’ burgeoning capacity for violence and their collective agreement to a disturbing power dynamic. The phrase “in his clear voice” adds to the unsettling effect, suggesting an unthinking, almost innocent delivery of a profoundly dark thought. This line encapsulates the “rite of passage” into a world where power can be asserted through the threat of harm, even against the most vulnerable.
Sound Devices: Assonance and Consonance
While not overtly musical, Olds employs subtle sound devices to enhance the poem’s texture. Assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds, can be observed in lines like “Hands in pockets, they stand around,” where the repeated short ‘a’ sound creates a grounded, almost heavy feeling, mirroring the boys’ physical presence. Consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds, is also present, as in “small fights breaking,” where the repeated ‘b’ sound subtly echoes the combative energy and quick bursts of conflict among the children.
Enjambment: Creating Momentum and Uninterrupted Flow
Olds frequently uses enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, to create a sense of momentum and an uninterrupted flow of observation. This technique is evident in lines such as:
My son, freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks, chest narrow as the balsa keel of a model boat, long hands cool and thin as the day they guided him out of me, speaks up as a host for the sake of the group. We could easily kill a two-year-old, he says in his clear voice. The other men agree, they clear their throats like Generals, they relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life.
The enjambment here mimics the rapid-fire nature of the boys’ conversation and their swift, unthinking acceptance of aggressive impulses. It propels the reader forward, mirroring the boys’ own momentum and contributing to the poem’s sense of immediacy and raw, unfiltered observation.
Free Verse and Single Stanza Form: Unfiltered Observation
“Rite of Passage” is written in free verse, meaning it does not adhere to a traditional rhyme scheme or meter. This choice allows Olds to create a natural, conversational rhythm that closely mirrors the spontaneous and often chaotic interactions of the boys. The lack of formal structure contributes to the poem’s sense of immediacy and raw emotion, making the observations feel unfiltered and authentic.
Furthermore, the poem is presented as a single, unbroken stanza. This formal choice reinforces the idea of a continuous, uninterrupted observation, as if the reader is witnessing a single, unfolding moment in time without pause or reflection. The unbroken form emphasizes the relentless energy of the boys and the overwhelming, almost inescapable nature of their behavior, creating a powerful, immersive experience for the reader.
Thematic Resonance: Beyond the Birthday Party
The poem culminates with the boys relaxing and getting “down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life.” This concluding image is deeply ironic and disturbing. The “celebration” of life is intertwined with the performance of aggression and conflict, suggesting that these behaviors are not just tolerated but are, in some sense, integral to the “rite of passage” into a particular understanding of masculinity. The poem thus transcends the simple scene of a children’s party to comment on broader themes of gender socialization, the origins of conflict, and the performance of identity within societal expectations.
Conclusion
“Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds stands as a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of childhood and the subtle, often unsettling, ways in which societal roles are learned. Through its masterful use of extended metaphor, vivid imagery, precise diction, and impactful dialogue, the poem invites readers to look beyond the surface of innocent play and confront the deeper implications of how boys are conditioned to navigate power, competition, and aggression. It is a poem that resonates long after the final line, prompting reflection on the complex journey from childhood to adulthood and the enduring influence of early experiences on our understanding of self and society.