Seven-Year-Old Men

The description of the first graders as “men” by Sharon Olds in “Rites of Passage,” is somewhat disturbing yet, accurate. Although it does portray first graders appropriately, by wanting to act tough, it really gives insight into today’s society. Nowadays, kids don’t care about watching Barney and Teletubbies; they want to see movies like The Terminator, where violence is depicted as “cool.” As the parent illustrates her son’s birthday party, she doesn’t talk about all the games they play and how much fun they are having. Instead, the party seems like a kind of war between the six and seven year olds: “They eye each other, seeing themselves tiny in each other’s pupils.” The author’s sarcasm is clear as she speaks of the guests, “they gather in the living room—short men, men in first grade with smooth jaws and chins,” “a room of small bankers.” In her description of the cake, she compares it to a “turret.” The rite of passage from a boy to a man is toughness and violence. At age 7, these kids already want to become men but not by taking responsibility. If first graders believe that violence defines manliness, that doesn’t speak well about our society. “We could easily kill a two-year-old,” this realization calms the rest of the “men” down as they “clear their throats like Generals.” Knowing that they could kill a two-year-old relieves the boys of their insecurities to each other and they are finally able to get along “and get down to playing war.” What happened to “pin the tail on the donkey?”