|
| |
Arika Olson
Intro to Poetry
15 April 2002
TJE#2
Poem of Discussion: “Rites of Passage”
by Sharon Olds
“Rites of Passage” by Sharon Olds depicts a mother’s objective
observation of her first grade son’s birthday party. From the mother’s point
of view, the young boys act serious and aggressive, like ‘bankers’, as she
states in the poem. As the small men scrap, quarrel, and compete with one
another the mother sees the living room suddenly turn into a hostile territory.
A conversation is overheard between two boys, “’How old are you?’ ‘Six.’
‘I’m seven.’ ‘So?’ … ‘I could beat you up’ a seven says to a six”
(lines 8, 12-13). The mother compares the birthday cake to a turret, or “a gun
tower on a fort or battleship” (Random pg. 702). Amongst the quarrelling chaos
the skinny freckled birthday boy emerges confidently to say a few words, “We
could easily kill a two-year old” (Line 21). The mother then says the boys
then “relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life” (lines
24-25).
The heavy ironic tone of the poem amused me the first time I read it. I
enjoyed how the mother made the comparison of bankers and Generals to the boys.
The most significant irony in the poem is the wording Olds uses to describe the
boys, and how the boys ‘play’ by mimicking violent and war like behavior.
Indeed the title “Rites of Passage” does explain the stage many young boys
go through to learn about their masculinity. “Rites of Passage” seems like a
fairly accurate representation of what it might be like to experience a room
full of gender trained first grade boys. By gender trained I mean children who
have been taught how they should act by what they are allowed to wear and play
with according to their gender. For example a gender trained boy may resist
crying when he is hurt because of the masculine nature of his gender training,
while a gender trained girl may cry and share her feelings because of her
experiences. Likewise a mother or a father may have a similar reaction to a room
full of gender trained first grade girls although the girls most likely would
have different activities.
I have very fond memories of being young. I was gender trained; however, I
don’t view it all as negative. Being the only girl among my siblings I was
spoiled with all kinds of gender specific toys like Barbies, Strawberry
Shortcake, and many baby dolls. My brothers, on the other hand, had their own
gender specific toys such as Hot Wheels miniature cars, GI Joe action figures,
and lots of guns. While my brothers were outside playing with their action
figures and running around with their guns I was inside playing house and
dressing my Barbies. I do think some of this gender specific play is important
it shows a child how society expects them to act. This is important for a child
to know so he/she can adjust their behavior to be accepted.
One amusing memory I have of gender specific play was with my Girl Scout
troop. We were about seven or eight years old and having a huge slumber party.
Our main activity that evening was having babies. Each of us would take
turns being pregnant and delivering our babies, and then we would care for them.
While this activity did show we knew the basics of baby care, it also showed
that we had conformed to fit in our gender specific roles. One could say this
situation is just as ironic as in the poem “Rites of Passage.” From a mother’s
point of view it would be somewhat ironic to walk into a basement full of young
girls and see them with dolls under their shirts pretending to be pregnant. The
basement could be transformed into a maternity ward with little girls acting
like they are in labor and others acting as moral support. In the same way the
boys were playing their roles acting like soldiers, my Girl Scouts and I were
playing our roles that fit our gender type, and this was our own right of
passage.
Sources Used:
1.) Kennedy, Gioia. An Introduction to Poetry. 10th Edition.
Longman.Pgs.
38-39.
2.) Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. Random House. New York.
pg.702
|