Source: My success in getting my drivers licence.
Relation: A right of passage according to Robbins ch 6 pg. 139 is; a ritual that mark a person's passage from one identity to another.
Descrption: Getting your drivers licence is a huge deal in this society. It marks the end of boy or girlhood and the beginning of adulthood. When you finnaly get this most sought after piece of plastic you no longer have to be driven around by your parents. I was so happy when I got my drivers licence. It was the most enjoyable thing ever. You brag to your friends that still don;t have theirs and join the group of friends that do. You feel different and special. A little bit more free than you where before. It is hard waiting for your licence. You have to go through all of the practice and tests. These tests make sure that a person is indeed ready to be conferred upon this privilage that is driving. Many pass with flying colors while others are deemed not yet ready.I was one of those that passed quite easily. The next part of the right is to acually drive with the tester with you, that is after you have practiced. I once again passed with flying colors. Once I got my licence I became free from my parants. I became a man.
Analysis: Many cultures go through a ritual that turns a boy into a man or a girl into a woman. One such ritual is in Robbins pg 140. This ritual is one in which a boy becomes a man through circumcision. The boy stands in front of his male relatives and is circumcised in front of them without any pian killers. He can't make a sound, or move or he will be considerd a coward and not worthy of being called a man. The Native Americans of many different tribe go through a ritual for girls in woch the girls paint there faces with special dirt and dance. In this ritual they are transformed from a girl into a woman. Even though they are different all rituals are connected in the fact that they are ment to symbolicaly transform a boy or girl into a man or a woman.
It’s been 16 years since I got my license and I still remember everything that happened that day. The fact that I remember that day so precisely represents to me how much it was a rite of passage for me as well, especially since I couldn't give you that much detail about a day that happened two weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteGetting my drivers license was a big deal to me too. You are totally right, it is such a freeing feeling. I never really thought of it as a rite of passage, but it really is. You are past those years of your parents driving you around. You can do it all by yourself now, which is a big deal.
ReplyDeleteAfter years of anticipation, the day I got my drivers license was one of the happiest days of my life. I had a hectic relationship with my family; they are very overbearing and I'm a much more free spirit. They made me wait until I was 18 to get my license. Once I finally was able to drive myself around and not have to keep relying on my parents, I really started to feel more like an independent adult. Although it is just a piece of plastic, the symbolism of becoming independent of your parents, in one respect, is a giant feat for many teens.
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