Wow thats a rite of passage!

A look though the theme of Rites of passage

Life is filled with choices and many kinds of experiences. Whether it is a good experience or bad, all depends on how we use it grow. During the month of March, I was assigned readings that used the theme of rites of passage, where I was able to take a look at many situations that caused someone to mature. Unfortunately, I entered this theme with a big ego, believing that I knew everything about rites of passage. For instance, I thought it would just contain stories about simple things like birthdays, weddings, and even virginity. My mind was focused on big events that cause people to grow, whereas I completely forgot about small daily things. Throughout these works, I was able to see both stories and poems that featured many different types of rites of passages. Many of these works, were not as simple as I originally have thought they would be as I am still figuring some of them out. Fortunately, I was able to experience class discussions about each of the works, which led me to be able to hear everyone opinions and what they considered to be the true rites of passage. A rite of passage is a ceremony or an event that signifies an important experience in someone life. This theme was more personal, as it contained works about love, puberty, depression, and overall maturing. I recommend when reading works from this theme, to keep an open mind because even if it may not seem like one, it most likely is a rite of passage.

Although I was assigned many works in this theme there was two that really stood out to me. Mainly because I was able to grasp the rite of passage pretty easily, and overall they were lovely works. The first work is a comic by Lynda Barry which is titled “Two Questions”. This comic is filled to the brim with artwork and doodles, leaving each detail either super important or just for fun. Nonetheless this comic contains the author speaking about two questions that followed her after every piece she worked on. This rite of passage is kind of difficult to understand but I believed it follows loving your own creations. Although that may seem like not a very important rite of passage it is definitely something that is very hard to achieve, but once you do it is extremely fulfilling and makes work super fun again. The last work I want to talk about is “Jinx” by Aimee Bender. This reading follows two young girls and their friendship, and how short relationships can be. These two end up splitting up at a shop, each girl doing their own thing. That overall puts a drastic change in their friendship leaving them awkward and not the same at the end. This could be considered a rite of passage, as I believed its breaking old bonds. Something that once was strong can easily be broken and that in itself is another rite of passage. If you read these works and have a different opinion please let me know in the comment section.

While looking into this theme I once again compared my own experiences. Fortunately for me, many things can be considered a rite of passage, and a lot of people also go through the same things. Which definitely made me feel a lot better about a lot of my situations. Growing up I had always had a close relationship with my family members. Unfortunately, a bond that’s closely connected only hurts more when it is broken. The year of 2018, was a year of sadness, regret, and definitely a new outlook on life. As I had experienced three family deaths back to back. To add on top of that year my grandmothers’ illness. Fortunately, we grow from experiences, this situation led me to be more positive about life, and towards the relationships I build. Spending every moment to its absolute fullest, although I do have regrets this to me is a rite of passage as I used to live life as we lived forever, being crude and believing that time will stop for me. I’m more mature after this situation and it definitely is one of the biggest moment changes in my life. This theme makes you analyze what may or may not be a rite of passage, but in my opinion, if its big enough to make a mark in your life, it definitely is one. (Word Count: 744)