Rite of Passage Essay

Rites of passage, the journeys that dot the edges of our ultimate quest through life. They are the universal changes that can be as insignificant as a first kiss but with everlasting effects on our perspective on life. Stand By Me is a movie that was first released in 1986 from the studios of Director Robert Reiner. It details the story of four pre-adolescent teens, Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern who embark upon a quest to find the dead body of Ray Brower, a kid also around their age that had been missing from the town for weeks. These friends trek many miles with less than adequate food and nothing but their friendships holding them together. It is during this quest that, after setting out to find the body, finding it and then being

Across several different cultures, there are different ways in which people of a community recognize the emergence of a young girl into womanhood. In the United States the most common is the famous Sweet Sixteen which as in the name states: relates to being sixteen years old, getting a car, and having some sort of celebration to commemorate the birthday. Among others include the Quinceanera which is usually equated with Mexico and Bat Mitzvahs which is a Jewish girl’s rite of passage. Another rite of passage, called Kinaalda, is a puberty ceremony that holds the same importance and significance among the Navajo tribe as their creation story. Unlike American society, during the people’s lifetime there is not a time between child and adult. In the Navajo culture it seems that it is more plausible to say that the time between being a child and adult or as stated by Leighton and Kluckhohn (1947), “physical maturity and social maturity are more nearly coincidental.” Meaning unlike the American culture where the gap between childhood and adulthood is filled with an adolescence, and in the Navajo tribe this gap is not prolonged and instead this transition is commemorated by a four-night ceremony. This process begins at the Navajo girl’s first menstruation and is a way to announce to the whole community that she has become a woman. In earlier marriage customs, a year or so after the ceremony the girl would be considered ready for marriage; as a result, some felt that “a girl’s

Originally developed by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in the early 20th century in his book Rites de Passage, the term liminality refers to the concept in which participants are in the threshold stage of disorientation and suspension from the previous social norm that they were used to. When an individual goes through a rite of passage—also coined by van Gennep—he is cut off from his “old life” and is born again into a new person. However, before he can fully become a new person and finish his rite of passage, he is suspended in a liminal stage that bridges the old self with the newly acknowledged self. In other words, he is in a stage of disorientation and amorphous identity. Found throughout all

The main characters Toundi from Houseboy and Firdaus from Woman at Point Zero were unable to complete their rites of passage. It is evident from the begin of both novels that neither character would be reincorporated into society due to their incapability to “follow the rules” that were set for them as second-class citizens. In Firdaus’ case, women lived in a patriarchal society where women were supposed to be the submissive gender. However, she demonstrates the need for women to take charge of their lives and not live under the power of men. Toundi, on the other hand, attempts to encounter a life filled with advancement and improvements from the Whites, however soon realizes that the French have no intention of allowing Black people to

But in the end we all did good after having danced the choreographed waltz and Latin music for all the guests. It was realizing after having finally finished the dance and could finally eat all the food and enjoy the rest of the party. After having eaten the variety of typical Hispanic foods, the night continued with having ‘padrinos’, or those who have helped offer pay for something of the party to help with celebrating the Quinceañera, as well as with some traditions. First was the changing of the shoes. This involves the father or a well respected father figure to change the flats to heels to show to represent the tradition from a girl to a young adult. My dad would have normally done this but he hasn’t been as involved in my day-to-day life like my mom has. It was most appropriate for my mom to change my shoes and make the transition. After that, my godmother then gave me my last doll and symbolize that it's time to hold on to my childhood and begin to gravitate my attention towards what a young adult would think like getting a job, thinking about what I would want my career to be, which is Forensic Science and Criminal Psychology, ensuring I take responsibility with school and my grades. Towards the end of the night, there was a brindis, or a

With any party comes the planning, you have to plan every detail. All of this for just one night. All of these stress on a 14 year old. Trying to keep up with school work while in their free time they are planning a different part of the party. It seems like anything anyone says bothers you. After this day you get to do more of your own things. You get to have more freedom.

On my 15th birthday, I had become a young woman. I wasn’t seen as a little girl anymore. I was somebody different especially after realizing what I had learning during my party. This day is so important to me because I didn’t get the party my dreams of. The biggest day of a hispanic girl’s life is the day of your quinceanera. I couldn’t have the big moment of my life. I was so upset by the fact that I wouldn’t be walking to a big hall having the grand entrance seeing all my family clapping for me. I thought I couldn’t have that moment in my life, but I was wrong. I had gotten something special. I had gotten something that meant so much more to me then a big party. Something that affected my life in a good way. This experience taught me to be more grateful and be happy with what life brings me. I won’t ever

A twelve year old boy holding an Airsoft, sitting on a swing in a park at 3:30 p.m. in broad daylight was shot not two seconds after officers arrived at the scene. He died the following day from injuries.

Watching the news is a rite of passage for any newly crowned adult. It’s a sign to you and everyone you know that you’re a grown up god dammit, you keep up with what’s going on in the world. Because of the news you can name like 75% of the presidential candidates, you’re aware of every tragedy going on overseas, and each day at work you get to ask someone if they heard about the *insert feel good story here* that you saw the previous night. The news is making you such a well-rounded and mature human being.

1 According to Google Dictionary phrase "rite of passage" means a ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life, especially birth, puberty, marriage, and death. Sharon Olds gave her poems title "Rite of Passage" because in this poem she describes the state of adolescence and the rites of passage that lead to adulthood. Olds wrote about young boys waiting to be men. The spiker, who is the birthday boy's mother, describing the veiled adults in the children that arrive to her son’s party, "as the guests arrive at my son's party." The author wrote, "short men, men in a first grade," Olds chose "first grade" as a symbol of growing children because when child goes to first grade he or she becomes little independent from parents,

A recent rite of passage I went through was graduating from nursing school and becoming a RN. To complete this rite of passage I had to complete all the pre-requisites for nursing school which took me 4 years. Then I did the nursing program which was 2 years. To celebrate finishing the nursing program I attended a pinning ceremony which is a ritual where the nursing graduates get a pin that represents the completion of the education required to sit for the nursing boards. This pinning ceremony was more important than walking at graduation. The majority of my classes did not attend the graduation ceremony but all attended the pinning. Once I took the nursing license test I got a card that says registered nurse. I was finally able to call myself

I specifically chose this topic because I believe it has a real true meaning as to why this tradition is very important to the Mexican culture and I also think it’s an interesting topic to learn more about. Basically it’s a tradition celebrating the girl’s fifteenth birthday, marking her passage to womanhood, giving thanks to God for blessings and presenting the young woman to the community. In the Mexican culture, the community honors the young woman for her maturity, but also her parents and family members as well as her padrinos or Godparents. Both of the young woman’s parents and Godparents play important roles throughout the ceremony. In former times, it meant that she was in active and an adult member of her community and was also ready to take full responsibilities and determined that she was ready for marriage. This tradition has taken on different meanings throughout the years, but still remains as the same meaning of womanhood, family, and community.

Some cultures will have a “coming of age” party to celebrate becoming adult. A few of the more popular events that you may have attended unknowingly in the past are bat mitzvahs, bar mitzvahs, and Quinceañeras. In Jewish communities men and woman are considered adults on their thirteenth birthday, commonly known as a bar and bat mitzvah. Many families in Latin America or of Latin American descent will have a party most commonly referred to as a Quinceañera for their daughter’s fifteenth birthday to celebrate her

An argument that I have with my friends and family is about having a quinceanera, Quinceanera getting a car or going on a trip to Hawaii or New York. A quinceanera Quinceanera is a celebration that most latino Latino people do when their daughters turn fifteen year old. It’s a transition from childhood to adulthood. It usually involves a mass, then followed by a party. A quinceanera Quinceanera is a tradition that almost all latino Latino people have. I would love to have a quinceanera Quinceanera out of the three options.

Imagine bungee jumping but with only jungle vines attached to your ankles, terrifying right? Well for the Bunlap tribe, this is their rite of passage called land diving. Young boys participate in this rite to prove their masculinity to their tribe. On the day of the jump, the mother holds the young boy’s favourite toy and after the successful jump by the boy (head first with vines attached to ankles), the mother throws away the toy and the boy is considered a man afterwards. This rite of passage is celebrated during a festival on Pentecost Island. Only men in this tribe participate in land diving and women provide support through dancing. Long ago, land diving was to bless the soil for a good yam harvest by skimming their head on the soil