Rite Of Passage By Sharon Olds Analysis
Braden Horrocks
Mrs. Miller
English 110
December 15 2016
“Rite of Passage” Poetry Analysis
I will be writing a thesis essay on “Right of Passage” written by Sharon olds. “ “Rite of Passage” is a poem whose denotative meaning expresses the feelings and details of a young boys birthday party through the eyes of his parents. In accordance to the denotative definition of this poem, the connotative interpretation I will be focusing on, are the stages of boyhood and the feelings and emotions that run through the minds of these young kids during the early stages of their lives.
Sharon Olds uses a strange yet effective writing style in the “Rite of Passage” poem, although there is no rhyme scheme the flow throughout the poem is very smooth and easy …show more content…
There are a few examples of young boys being compared to a military status. There is a simile “They clear their throats like generals”, this is using a military reference to help the reader think about kids as a demanding and violent personality. In the same sentence a picture is painted using the following phrase “they relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life”. This phrase is very important and ends the poem showing, “they relax and get down to playing war” suggesting that their natural and relaxed position is fighting, or at least play fighting, even on an occasion as cheerful as celebrating the authors sons life. The author's son says the following “we could easily kill a two year old”, this quote shows just how oblivious these young kids are to consequences of violence. None of these young ones actually had murder on their mind, but rather they wanted to show their dominance over another. In the early stages of life it is important for kids to feel strong,and the number one of their own world. Winning is a very important thing to children, because during this time their confidence is beginning to grow, or shrink. For example, “One says to another, How old are you? --six. --Im seven. --so? This is a perfect example of how the minds of these young kids are operating, that their age is an instant form of the dominance and that the other kid, who is one year younger was instantly opposed to the vulnerability the kid is feeling like because of a one year difference in the two kids
Mrs. Miller
English 110
December 15 2016
“Rite of Passage” Poetry Analysis
I will be writing a thesis essay on “Right of Passage” written by Sharon olds. “ “Rite of Passage” is a poem whose denotative meaning expresses the feelings and details of a young boys birthday party through the eyes of his parents. In accordance to the denotative definition of this poem, the connotative interpretation I will be focusing on, are the stages of boyhood and the feelings and emotions that run through the minds of these young kids during the early stages of their lives.
Sharon Olds uses a strange yet effective writing style in the “Rite of Passage” poem, although there is no rhyme scheme the flow throughout the poem is very smooth and easy …show more content…
There are a few examples of young boys being compared to a military status. There is a simile “They clear their throats like generals”, this is using a military reference to help the reader think about kids as a demanding and violent personality. In the same sentence a picture is painted using the following phrase “they relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life”. This phrase is very important and ends the poem showing, “they relax and get down to playing war” suggesting that their natural and relaxed position is fighting, or at least play fighting, even on an occasion as cheerful as celebrating the authors sons life. The author's son says the following “we could easily kill a two year old”, this quote shows just how oblivious these young kids are to consequences of violence. None of these young ones actually had murder on their mind, but rather they wanted to show their dominance over another. In the early stages of life it is important for kids to feel strong,and the number one of their own world. Winning is a very important thing to children, because during this time their confidence is beginning to grow, or shrink. For example, “One says to another, How old are you? --six. --Im seven. --so? This is a perfect example of how the minds of these young kids are operating, that their age is an instant form of the dominance and that the other kid, who is one year younger was instantly opposed to the vulnerability the kid is feeling like because of a one year difference in the two kids