Explication of "Rite of Passage"

The poem “Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds describes her condemnation of the violent impulses of children. She starts the poem by referring to her son’s birthday party guests as men, showing how the children try to act older than their actual age. Before the party starts, Olds notices that “small fights/ breaking out and calming” (5-6), which shows how the children fight for no reason, so the fights eventually stop. One child says to another “How old are you? Six. I’m seven. So? (7). The children are trying to impress and one-up each other. The children “eye each other” (8) like “a room of small bankers” (9). This metaphor compares the children to bankers, which have a negative connotation for being greedy and deceitful. Olds’ son tells all the party guests that “We could easily kill a two-year-old” (22), once again showing the desire for dominance. After this comment, “the other/ men agree, they clear their throats/ like Generals (23-25). Olds uses a simile to compare the children to Generals because she is relating how both are associated with violence. At the end of the poem, Olds says the children “relax and get down to/ playing war, celebrating my son’s life” (25-26). This statement is a paradox because war is associated with death, but they are simultaneously celebrating a birthday, which represents life. Olds uses this contrast to support her point about the impulsivity of children’s violence.

This poem also has examples of alliteration with the words “jostling” (5) and “jockeying” (5). The “j” sound sounds like fighting, which adds to the tone of the poem. There is also a lot of repetition of phrases such as “they cleared their throats”. This phrase shows that the children are mimicking actions they observed from adults, and they are repeating it to make themselves seem mature. Overall, the title of the poem shows the children are trying to transition themselves into adulthood.