TOPIC: Rites of Passage
SOURCE: The transition from living at
home for the first 18 years of my live to now living on my own for the past two
years.
RELATION: “In a classic work, Arnold van Gennep introduced the concept of
rites of passage. These rituals mark a
person’s passage from one identity to another (Anthro 139).”
DESCRIPTION: Growing up we all knew
the day would come when it was time for us to move out of the house. When we were really young this idea seemed
scary, then in our teenage years we could wait for nothing else. But when that fateful day comes, your entire
childhood living at home flashes before your eyes. You think of your mom cooking you breakfast
on Sunday’s and your dad helping you fix your car. You think of all the things that your parents
have been doing for you that you now have to do on your own. You are an adult now, and you have to take
responsibility for your own life. Oh,
crap.
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS: I believe that
moving out is one of the most common rites of passage in American society. Once you graduate high school, you then move
on to college or a job and ultimately, out of your parents’ house. Living on your own marks the beginning of
adulthood for many people, it is the time in your live where you finally have
to just stand up and do things for yourself.
Once you live on your own, no one is there to do the grocery shopping
for you, no one is there to do your laundry, your dishes, cook, clean, pay the
bills… It’s all on your back now, and
from my own experience, I know that it can come as a bit of a shock. But living on your own is when you really
discover who you are, what you like, and how you want your life to be. This is the time when you can make all of your
decisions for yourself, without always having to consult your parents or someone
else beforehand. It is a time of
personal discovery and growth. It is a
time to put everything our parents taught us to use to make our own lives a
little easier. This is the transition
from childhood to adulthood; you’re on your own now.
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