Poem Analysis 3: Rite of Passage by Sharon Olds

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. 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.

After reading this poem a few times over again, I came across a different meaning each time. First time reading it, it was more of just a story that the narrator was telling me, more than a poem. There wasn't any rhyming or repetition as the speaker was describing the little boys' actions. Once I read it a few more times, I came up with a perfect theme and meaning to the poem as a whole that fit very well. First, I was interested in how the speaker described the young boys as if they were gull grown men. She compared the boys to adults as they had conversations about problems that adults might go through such as money problems. Through it all, it was strange how the speaker did nothing to stop the boys from doing such actions or speaking in ways they did. Was there something holding her back? I believe that there was. The society steers childhood in the wrong directions sometimes and I'm sure that this is what happened to these boys. It was possible that the speaker was held back by society and the way that children are growing and learning. The theme "loss of innocence" plays a huge role in this poem as the boys face reality as if they were adults. Just like the title states, the speaker's child's birthday party is like a "rite of passage" and there are people and problems in his way from obtaining innocence. This poem truly relates to the society we live in today and that's why I felt super connected with it. As I'm growing older, I look down upon the children growing right being me; seeming so much older than I ever was at age ten or twelve. It's crazy how much things change over time and I believe that's how the speaker feels, at a loss of control.