Homework Question on “The Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds
- Read Shakespeare’s Hamlet (entire play) and Milton’s Paradise Lost Books 1,4,8,9.
- Review the requirements for the Volume C paper by reading the assignment sheet and formulating a solid, working thesis from which to begin your essay.
- Reference links according to the instructor:
- http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
- http://www.paradiselost.org/
Answer the following in 4-5 well developed paragraphs EACH. Remember: you must use evidence from the text to support your answers and give your responses depth, as well as credibility.
- After reading Shakespeare s Hamlet, determine what kind of person Hamlet is in relation to everyone else around him. You need to analyze this in terms of a psychological study of Hamlet. Be sure to cite instances that portray his character well.
- Compare the characters of the arch angels Michael, Rafael, and Gabriel, as well as God to that of Lucifer in Milton s Paradise Lost. What chief difference do you notice is significant? Be sure to focus on the way Milton portrays and describes each character.
Homework Answer on “The Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds
The “Rite of Passage” poem by Sharon Olds is an interesting piece of literature that gives the audience a view into the lives of young people who feel like they are ready to become adults. The poem depicts activities that take place in a birthday party hosted by a young man who crosses over from childhood to adulthood; hence, the “rite of passage”. Sharon Olds’ interesting poem illustrates to the reader the life of a seven-year-old boy and his mother.
The importance of this event is reflected through the seriousness of the author’s tone, which also goes through several transitions (Holden 112). An analysis of this poem by Sharon Olds gives insight into the dark forces in the lives of humans in a surprising environment, which is a seven-year-old boy’s birthday party.The poem begins with an interesting introduction into the lives of the host family and the guests who arrive for the party: “As the guests arrive at our son’s party/ they gather in the living room-” (1.1-2).
Reading in between the lines helps in visualizing that this is a family set up. The author is one of the child’s parents who seemingly are well off since they can be able to host a large party for their seven-year-old son. This third line refers to the guests who are young people as “men”: “Short men, men in first grade” (1.3). Using this word reflects the fact that the young people have a high opinion of themselves. As first graders, they believe that they are already into adulthood and that their life is taking a complete turnaround.