Sharon Old’s poem “Rites of Passage” is a very interesting narrative poem. The poet narrates what she experiences at her son’s birthday party from a mother’s point of view. Those experiences lead the readers in both reality and imagination. Her poem exposes a mother’s dilemma, which she expects her son to be mature on one side, on the other, she is afraid of him losing his innocence as a boy. Superficially, the mother witnesses and is amused by the manhood behavior of these boys. However, she conveys a mixed feeling of happiness and regret toward the loss of innocence in their childhood. To emphasize the theme, Ms. Olds employs speech, metaphor and symbol to help readers develop a clear understanding.
The poets employ speeches from the figures to strengthen the theme. There are three pieces of speeches. “How old are you? Six. I am seven. So?” (8), “I could beat you up”(12) and “We could easily kill a two-year-old’ (22). All of these reflect the growing masculine features in boys.
Metaphor and symbol are also techniques being used in the poem. T he mother compares the birthday cake to a “turret” (15), a common component for war machine as the passage goes: “the dark cake, round and heavy as a/turret, behind them on the table”(14-15), inferring the boys are ready to compete with each other like soldiers. The boys are related to those sophisticated bankers and generals. As “bankers” (11) with high social and economic status, they “clear their throats a lot” and “fold their arms and frown” (10-12). They look serious and somber rather than joyful and naive as boys are supposed to be. Their manner and postures demonstrate dominated male profession, which is also reflected at the end of the poem. The son “speaks up as a host” (20) “in his clear voice. The other/men agree, they clear their throats like Generals” (23-25). T he skinny freckled birthday boy behaved confidently when the quarrelling chaos happens, as described: “chest narrow as a balsa keel of a/model boat” (17-18). As the light strong wood of the balsa tree, the boy is small but has strong personality when he takes control of the whole group. He “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.” (20-23) . With these vivid description and speech, the speaker successfully shifted the reads from a birthday party to a battle field the boys might experience when they are grownups.
The tone of the “Rites of passage” comes across heavy irony with sadness, regret and interest, which make the poem more fun to read. The poet chooses the words very carefully to highlight the manhood of the boys. She describes the first grade boys as “guests”, “men” and “Generals” instead of friends, classmates or just children, suggesting the formality and significance of the birthday party. They are “short” and “with smooth jaws and chins” (4). The speaker here highlights that they are still boys with the facts of smooth faces and “playing war” (26), yet would become men after rites of passage and they would like to be treated like men. Additionally, competition and aggressiveness had emerged among them, which might be expected from grownups. Without other aspects such as possession and social status to compare with, age evidently represented their power. “I could beat you up, a seven says to a six” (12-13) is one example. While on the surface it seems to be celebrating the birthday of a first-grade child, deep down, there are hidden adult characteristics in these children. All the children are boys and display male adult traits.
by Sharon Olds
As the guests arrive at my 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 dark 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.
I'll be back to read the article later on.
Ha, you read my mind.
I make sure this is also your current dilemman: ”expects her son to be mature on one side, on the other, she is afraid of him losing his innocence as a boy.”
Actually, Not only for the boys or girls. It seems for everyone that when he gets something, he will lose something. Sure, vice verse.