"Rites of Passage" by Sharon Olds.

Rites of Passage
A poem by Sharon Olds
Minor Generals - By Henning Thiel
Sharon Olds' "Rites of Passage" is about the hidden adults in the children that come to her son's birthday party. All the children are boys and display male adult personality traits that remind the speaker of small mighty Generals of war. The tone comes across sad, ironic and disillusioned about the future of the children, like they are doomed to follow in the war mongering footsteps of their forefathers. The imagery used complements the idea of war and the poetic form comes across somewhat unorganized, like the tu…