how to write a rite of passage essay

25 Rite of Passage Examples

A rite of passage is a ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person’s life indicating a new and different status, usually in reference to adolescence. It is a concept emergent from the academic field of anthropology (Tzanelli, 2007).

Rite of passage rituals are prevalent across different cultures and societies, marking significant moments such as birth, reaching puberty, marriage, or even death.

A rite of passage typically involves three phases: separation, liminality, and incorporation (Van Gennep, 1977).

• Separation: The first step involves leaving behind a familiar and comfortable phase or condition (in the Jewish tradition, for instance, a Bar Mitzvah marks the separation from childhood into adulthood for boys at the age of 13).
• Liminality : Here, the individual experiences their lives from a broad perspective, detached from the specifics of their previous state (for example, in many university settings, the freshman orientation week serves as the liminality stage).
• Incorporation: The individual now assumes a new role in their society (for instance, after the convocation ceremony, a graduate is deemed ready to enter the professional sphere).

While as outsiders we may not fully comprehend the underlying importance of rites of passage within foreign cultures, for participants, these rites usher them into their new roles, forging their identities and facilitating societal harmony.

Rite of Passage Examples

1. bar and bat mitzvah.

Culture: Jewish

The Bar Mitzvah (for boys) and Bat Mitzvah (for girls) are significant rites of passage in Jewish culture marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. Upon reaching 13 years old for boys and 12 for girls, they are expected to observe the commandments of the Torah, participate fully in religious services, and assume moral and ethical responsibility for their actions. This rite of passage is celebrated with a synagogue ceremony, where the young person leads a religious service and reads from the Torah, followed by a celebratory meal with family and friends.

2. Quinceañera

Culture: Hispanic

The Quinceañera is a significant event in the Hispanic culture, marking a girl’s transition from childhood to womanhood at age 15. It’s a lavish celebration that serves to reaffirm religious faith, family, and community ties. The ceremony involves attending a mass where the girl receives blessings from the priest, followed by a grand party with music, dancing, and a feast.

3. Maasai Circumcision

Culture: Maasai (East Africa)

The Maasai people in East Africa have a rite of passage for boys transitioning into manhood known as Enkipaata, which involves circumcision. Performed without anesthetic, it tests the initiate’s courage and endurance, qualities deemed vital for a warrior. Following the ritual, the boys live in isolation for a few months, learning responsibilities and expectations related to adulthood.

4. Satere-Mawe Bullet Ant Initiation

Culture: Satere-Mawe (Brazil)

The Satere-Mawe tribe in Brazil has one of the most painful rites of passage to manhood. Boys as young as 12 must wear gloves filled with bullet ants (known for their extremely painful stings) for more than 10 minutes. This initiation symbolizes the young boys’ endurance, bravery, and readiness for adult tasks like hunting.

5. Seijin-no-Hi

Culture: Japanese

Seijin-no-Hi, also known as Coming of Age Day, is an annual ceremony in Japan celebrating all individuals who have turned 20 in the past year, marking their entry into adulthood. It’s a national holiday where newly recognized adults attend local city halls for speeches, receive gifts, and often visit shrines. The women wear a traditional outfit called furisode, while the men don a formal suit or traditional dress.

6. Sweet Sixteen

Culture: Western, predominantly United States.

A Sweet Sixteen party is a coming-of-age celebration for a teenager’s sixteenth birthday, marking a step closer to adulthood. In modern western culture, especially in the United States, these parties can range from small and intimate gatherings to large-scale events. The birthday girl is often fêted with gifts, and the event may include music, dancing, and a formal meal or buffet.

7. Walkabout

Culture: Indigenous Australian

In the Australian Aboriginal culture, adolescent boys undergo a ritual called Walkabout. This rite of passage requires the boy to live in the wilderness for up to six months, testing his survival skills and transiting him into manhood. It represents both a spiritual journey and a self-sufficient survival experience, marking the transition from boyhood to adulthood.

8. Confirmation

Culture: Christianity

Confirmation is a rite of initiation in many Christian churches, typically taking place in adolescence. The confirmed individuals affirm their faith and accept adult responsibilities within the church community. In Catholicism, the ceremony involves the bishop laying his hands on the confirmants, praying for the Holy Spirit’s outpouring, and anointing them with chrism.

9. Vision Quest

Culture: Native American

Traditional among Native American cultures, a Vision Quest is a rite of passage marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. This spiritual journey into the wilderness serves as a period of introspection and connection to ancestral spirits. The participants are expected to fast, pray, and form a relationship with the natural world.

10. Weddings

Culture: Global

Among the most universal rites of passage, a wedding is a ceremony marking the union of individuals in marriage. This event—varying significantly in customs, traditions, and symbols across cultures—represents the formal acceptance of the couple as a unit within their community. It’s marked by the exchange of vows, presentation of a gift (often rings), and a public pronouncement of marriage.

11. Baptisms

In Christian culture, baptism is a sacrament signalling initiation into the Christian Church. Infants or adults are either sprinkled with or immersed in holy water, symbolizing purification and admission to the Christian community. Depending on the denomination, baptism can represent the washing away of sin, rebirth, or confirmation of faith.

Culture: Predominantly United States

Prom is a semi-formal high school dance held towards the end of the last two years of high school, marking adolescent students’ transition towards adulthood. It has become a significant event in youths’ social lives where they get to dress up formally, experience a formal dinner, dance, and in some cases, vote for a Prom King and Queen. It is often seen as a rehearsal of sorts for future social occasions and engagements.

13. Genpuku

Culture: Japan

Genpuku was a historical rite of passage in feudal Japan for samurai aristocracy boy transitioning into adulthood. The boys, typically aged between 10 and 20, would receive adult clothes, a hairstyle, and a new adult name in a ceremony. The Genpuku signified that they were legally and socially independent and could marry, own property, and participate in warfare.

14. Sunrise Dance

Culture: Apache (North America)

The Sunrise Dance is a four-day ceremony marking an Apache girl’s transition into womanhood following her first menstruation. The girl performs an elaborate dance and enacts a series of tasks reflecting the story of the Changing Woman, an important deity in Apache lore.

15. Hamar Cow-Jumping

Culture: Hamar (Ethiopia)

The Hamar people in Ethiopia conduct a complex rite of passage for boys transitioning to manhood, involving bull-jumping. The boy must successfully run across the backs of several bulls without falling, witnessed by friends and family. On completion, he attains full membership in the adult Hamar community.

16. Upanayana

Culture: Hinduism (India)

In Hindu cultures, Upanayana marks a boy’s entrance into a spiritual life. Typically performed between ages 8 and 16, the ceremony involves the boy receiving a sacred thread, representing spiritual rebirth. After Upanayana, the boy is expected to regularly recite and meditate on Gayatri Mantra, a vital Sanskrit verse.

17. Rumspringa

Culture: Amish

Rumspringa, a term meaning ‘running around’ in Pennsylvania Dutch, is the Amish rite of passage for teenagers. During this period, adolescents are allowed to explore the outside world and make their decision whether to be baptized into the Amish church, or leave the community for a more modern lifestyle . It’s an essential process in the journey towards informed adult commitment in the Amish faith.

Culture: Krobo (Ghana)

The Dipo is a traditional Ghanaian ceremony held by the Krobo ethnic group marking a girl’s transition into womanhood. The rite involves various stages like seclusion, education about womanhood, and physical adornments, culminating in a public parade where the girls showcase their elegance and readiness for marriage.

19. Breeching

Culture: Western European

Historically in Western Europe, breeching was a significant rite of passage for boys aged between 4 and 8 years. This custom signified that boys were ready to don trousers or breeches rather than the gowns or dresses worn by both sexes in infancy. This change of clothing symbolized the boys’ progression towards adulthood and their readiness for more masculine responsibilities.

20. Arangetram

Culture: Indian Classical Dance

Arangetram, meaning ‘ascending the stage,’ is a notable event in the lives of Indian classical dancers. After several years of rigorous training, a dancer performs their first solo stage performance, showcasing their skill and dedication to the art form . While not a religious or biological rite of passage, it is a cultural ritual demarcating mastery over a crafting skill.

Culture: Bantu Africa (Gabon, the Republic of Congo)

In various Bantu cultures, the Okuyi mask ceremony is performed to honor deceased relatives, helping their spirits transition after death. It also symbolizes passage into a new existence after death. The dancer wearing the mask represents the spirit of the deceased, playing a significant role in easing the spiritual transition from living to ancestorhood.

22. Potlatch

Culture: Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast (America)

The Potlatch, a ceremonial feast well known among native peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, serves different functions, including the transmission of property and rights, marking important events like marriage, birth, and death. The socio-economic phenomenon of giving away or even destroying resources is meant to display a family’s wealth and status symbol.

23. Rumsasara

Culture: Buddhist (Sri Lanka)

In Sri Lanka, Rumsasara is a coming-of-age ceremony for girls reaching puberty, steeped in Buddhist traditions. The event encapsulates a range of processes, from seclusion and traditional medicinal practices to the significant ritual of bathing in clean water, signifying the girl’s passage to womanhood.

24. Graduation Ceremonies

Culture: Predominantly Western

A graduation ceremony occurs when students complete a phase of their education. It’s a public recognition of their academic achievement and transition into the next stage of their life, whether that’s further education or entry into the professional world. With the donning of a cap and gown, the graduate receives a diploma, often followed by celebrations with family and friends.

25. Retirement Parties

Retirement parties celebrate a person’s transition from their active working life to retirement. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the retiree’s career, acknowledge their contributions, and express wishes for a happy and fulfilling retired life. Often, these are filled with speeches, gifts, and festivities.

26. Citizenship Ceremonies

Citizenship ceremonies are solemn events marking the final step in the journey of becoming a citizen of a new country. The new citizen swears a pledge of allegiance, signifying their commitment to their new country and its values. The event often involve an official welcome by a government representative, and distribution of citizenship certificates.

The Importance of Rites of Passage

Rights of passage hold significant importance in society due to their role in marking important milestones and transitioning individuals into new phases of life (Forth, 2018).

They possess great cultural significance, often steeped in history and tradition . For instance, the Quinceañera in Mexico celebrating a girl’s 15th birthday and marking her passage into womanhood (Hill & Becker, 2008).

Rites of passage may also hold religious importance , such as Christening and First Communion in Christianity represent spiritual growth and acceptance into the religious community (Fogelin & Schiffer, 2015).

These rituals can serve as a physical and tangible representation of personal growth . The rite of passage provides a structured developmental process, guiding an individual forward (like a graduation ceremony indicates the completion of formal education and prompts the entry into the workforce).

In terms of psychological development , rites of passage could play an essential role by providing a framework to manage or cope with change. For example, the retirement party helps individuals transition from the working phase to leisure and limits possible feelings of sudden change.

Rites of passage also foster a communal bond . The shared experience during the ceremony can strengthen the sense of belonging and promote unity among members of the community (take the example of a wedding ceremony. Friends, family, and community members come together to celebrate and support the couple’s new phase of life).

Rites of passage are fundamental elements of our societal fabric, enhancing our personal and communal life by providing structure during times of change and growth. They connect the past with the present, the young with the old, and the individual with the community, fostering a harmonious co-existence. They act as a transition system that helps us navigate our growth and change within our respective societies. It’s an integral part of human culture – testifying our progress and growth, as well as our membership of a distinct cultural group.

Fogelin, L., & Schiffer, M. B. (2015). Rites of passage and other rituals in the life histories of objects.  Cambridge Archaeological Journal ,  25 (4), 815-827.

Forth, G. (2018). Rites of passage.  The international encyclopedia of anthropology , 1-7.

Hill, J., & Becker, P. D. (2008).  Life events and rites of passage . Omnigraphics.

Tzanelli, R. (2007). Rite of passage.  The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology .

Van Gennep, A. (1977). The Rites of Passage. Routledge Library Editions Anthropology and Ethnography . Translated by Vizedom, Monika B; Caffee, Gabrielle L (Paperback Reprint ed.). Hove, East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-7100-8744-7.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Animism Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 10 Magical Thinking Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Social-Emotional Learning (Definition, Examples, Pros & Cons)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ What is Educational Psychology?

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13.4 Rituals of Transition and Conformity

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify the characteristics of ritual.
• Describe how ritual reinforces social solidarity.
• Distinguish between the different types of ritual.
• Explain the social forces of liminality and communitas.
• Identify the stages of rites of passage.

The Varieties of Ritual Experience in Religion

Rituals , also called rites , are performative acts by which we carry out our religious beliefs, public and private. As sociologist Émile Durkheim noted, they follow a formal order or sequence, called a liturgical order ; are performed in a place that is set apart and sacred during the time of the performance; and are inherently social. Unlike idiosyncratic behaviors that an individual may practice on their own, rituals are learned and shared. They foster social solidarity and identity within a community of believers (this a focus of Durkheim’s). Even when performing a religious ritual alone, such as walking a labyrinth during meditation, the ritual itself, because it is learned as part of a larger body of religious practices, connects the individual to the larger community.

Rituals tend to have a common structure even though ritual and ritual performance can be quite variable. In his work Ritual (1993), West African writer and ritual scholar Malidoma Somé ([1993] 1997, 68) outlines the major stages of most ritual acts:

• Opening: “setting the stage” by designating the purpose of the ritual and gathering the human participants
• Invocation: calling upon the spirit world to join the group
• Dialogue: establishing an open connection/communication between participants and the spirit world
• Repetition: fixed sequences, prayers, and/or acts that are required to legitimize the ritual’s purpose
• Closure: a blessing or other form of official dismissal for both human and spirit participants

Even when rituals are scripted and parts are carefully read and followed, individual participation and collaboration will subtly change a ritual each time it is enacted or performed. Rituals are never exactly duplicated, and not all rituals serve the same purpose. Some are primarily performed to affirm, strengthen, and maintain solidarity within the group; some are social markers of life transformations for individuals, families, or groups; and others address healing and the need for renewal. There are many categories of ritual: commemoration feasts or rituals (e.g., Christmas or Hannukah), which are usually held over a calendrical cycle, usually a year; divinatory rites to find the causes of illness, ask for healing, or prophesy about the future, which usually occur on an as-needed basis; and rites of rebellion, in which social rules and norms may be inverted to emphasize their value within a society. Incwala, a ritual found among the Swazi , a group in southern Africa, is a national holiday during which many social rules are suspended or inverted, allowing women to take on men’s public roles and men to take on women’s household duties in a public farce. Among the Swazi, this ritual is understood to illustrate the value of different gender roles in society as well as the importance of social norms in reducing social disorder. In the United States, Halloween is also a rite of rebellion, one in which children go out at night to beg for candy from neighbors. Among the most common broad types of religious ritual, though, are rites of intensification, rites of passage, and rites of affliction.

Rites of Intensification

Called by various names, such as rites of affirmation and calendrical rites, rites of intensification are performed to affirm, strengthen, and maintain bonds of solidarity. Most of the repetitive religious services that are offered through churches, synagogues, and mosques are rites of intensification. These rituals tend to have a rather stable and repetitive structure that allows practitioners to follow along easily. If you attend or participant in any kind of repetitive daily, weekly, or monthly religious ritual, it is likely a rite of intensification. These rites define and indoctrinate individuals so that they identify as a religious community, even though there may be other ritual acts accompanying it. It is not unusual in state religions for these rites to create unity among believers across cultures and nation-states. A good example is the daily practice of Islamic prayer, or salat . Salat involves praying in the direction of the holy city of Mecca at dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, and evening every day, regardless of where the believer is located or even what they are doing. Salat establishes a direct relationship between the believer and God and affirms one’s membership in a global community of Muslims.

Rites of Passage

First identified by anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in 1909, rites of passage mark social transformations in people’s lives and establish a change in social status within their communities. Associated most commonly with birth, puberty, marriage, and death, these rituals can be prolonged ceremonies during which the individual receives instruction and preparation for this change in their lives. Gennep noted that there are three stages in a rite of passage—separation, transition, and incorporation—and that during the transition stage, the individual must traverse a threshold ( limen in Latin) from their old social position or status to a new one.

• Separation (pre-limen). The separation phase is marked by detachment from one’s previous status. While the person or people involved may be physically separated and held in a special place, the separation normally occurs within daily life over a period of time and is always marked symbolically. Some examples of separation are the formal engagement of a couple with rings and a period of preparation for the upcoming marriage; the process of catechesis, or formal religious instruction, for young people planning to be baptized or confirmed in a Christian church; and wearing special clothing or colors while mourning the death of a family member.
• Transition (liminality). The transition phase is marked by an ambiguity of status and associated with instruction and teaching. This phase is usually restricted to the period in which an active and public ritual transformation is taking place. The person or people involved, already separated from their previous status and identity, are now transformed into a new status. This is the most active phase of a rite of passage. It is highly scripted and almost always involves teachers, guides, or mentors who usher the individuals through the proper steps to a new social status. Some examples of transition are the marriage ceremony itself, the actual baptism or confirmation ritual in the church, and the funeral service for a loved one.
• Incorporation (post-limen). The incorporation phase is marked by a formal public presentation of the person or people who have gone through the ritual. During incorporation, different symbols are used to express a new social status and identity. In this last stage, those going through the transformation begin to assume the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of their new social status. This might include changing their names, moving to a new location, or wearing different clothing. In many rites of passage, this is an extended period that can last from months to years.

Anthropologist Victor Turner (1969) discusses in detail the significance of liminality in rites of passage. During liminality, an individual is what Turner calls “betwixt and between” (95), without social status or standing, outside of the structure, and in transition from one social stage to another. It is a form of social death. Often, the individual will be dressed in uniform, unmarked clothing and follow behaviors associated with humility and anonymity in their culture. There is also an expectation of total obedience during the change of status, as the individual depends on ritual leaders (gatekeepers) to teach, coach, and mentor them through the passage. If there is a cohort of individuals participating in the rite of passage, such as an age grade going through puberty rites, the participants will share a strong sense of equality and social bonding among themselves, referred to as communitas . Through Turner’s research on the Ndembu of Zambia, anthropologists were better able to understand these common mechanisms of social change.

One example of a rite of passage among the Navajo of the southwestern United States is the Kinaaldá. The Kinaaldá is a traditional coming-of-age ceremony (a puberty rite) for young Navajo women that occurs shortly after a girl’s first menstrual cycle and involves her extended family and community (Carey 2010; Meza 2019). Typically, the ceremony lasts four days and occurs both inside a traditional Navajo house, called a hogan , and in the surrounding area, where the girl will periodically run to ensure that she has a strong and healthy life. At the beginning of the ceremony, as separation begins, the girl lies down and her family straightens her limbs and helps dress her and prepare her for the transition. During the days of seclusion, there are many different tasks as the girl is initiated into womanhood. On the third day, she and her mother will bake a corn cake called an alkaan , and then, led by a Navajo medicine man or woman, they will sing prayer songs all night until the sunrise. During the final stage of the Kinaaldá, in the morning of the fourth day, the mother washes her daughter’s hair and dries it with cornmeal (corn is a Navajo deity). The young woman will then take her last run toward the east, now followed by many young children, so that she might eventually become a loving mother whom her children will always follow. After the ceremony, she is reintroduced to her community as a woman and not a child; she is now considered a young adult.

Not all rites of passage are religious. There are also secular rites of passage, such as graduation or quinceañera, a celebratory birthday for 15-year-old girls in many Latin American communities. And sometimes the religious and the secular are intermingled, as in a marriage ceremony that is both civil and religious. Societies use both secular and religious rites of passage to mark changes in the life cycle of their members.

Rites of Affliction

Unlike rites of intensification and many rites of passage, rites of affliction are usually non-calendrical and unplanned. Normally classified as healing rituals or petitions for supernatural intervention, these rites seek remedy or compensation for the affliction. Whether directly through a shamanic journey or through the mediation of a religious leader, communities petition the spirits or deity for healing or a blessing. While illness and health in most Western societies are understood to be biomedical phenomena based on empirical evidence, in non-Western societies and in localized religious traditions across cultures, well-being is viewed as a relationship between body and soul and thus is believed to have a religious component.

While nonbelievers might refer to rites of affliction as superstition , a belief or practice that has no credible evidence for its efficacy, for believers, these religious rites allow them to plead for help and sometimes control the outcome of threatening life events. Rites of affliction, first described by vary greatly depending on the need. People may perform witchcraft and sorcery to determine the source of affliction, exorcism to remove the presence of an adverse spirit, or divination to identify the source of harm. Divination is a practice or test intended to gain understanding, guidance, or advice about an event or situation. There are literally hundreds of different methods of divination. Some examples include scapulimancy (burning the shoulder blade of a cow or antelope and reading a message in the burn pattern), tasseomancy (reading tea leaves at the bottom of a cup), oomancy (rubbing an egg over an area of illness or pain and then breaking it open to read a pattern), bibliomancy (randomly opening the Bible or another book and seeking a message in whatever passage is on that page), reading tarot cards, and checking astrological signs.

One common rite of affliction in the Christian tradition is the laying on of hands. This ritual appears in the Bible, used both as a means of conveying the Holy Spirit (Num. 27:15-23; Acts 8:14–19) and as an act of healing by Christ (Luke 4:40). Today, in many Pentecostal and Evangelical churches, congregations practice the ritual of laying on of hands. Believers place their hands on the shoulders or head of the congregant who seeks healing—whether from social, mental, or physical distress—in the belief that with fervent prayer and physical contact, the Holy Spirit can move from one individual to another to strengthen, heal, and anoint them with God’s grace. Sometimes the “helpers” stand face-to-face or bend over the individual seeking help. Sometimes believers walk behind the individual in need, who sits in a chair, and then lay hands on their shoulders and pray, either silently or aloud so that the afflicted individual can hear the prayer being offered. In these acts, the religious community pools its spiritual and social resources and encourages the afflicted member—a powerful antidote to illness no matter the faith tradition.

Although they are not exclusively associated with rites of affliction and are sometimes performed as acts of obedience, celebration, spiritual merit, enlightenment, or even penance, pilgrimage is often practiced as a rite to seek redress and healing. A sacred journey to a shrine or holy place, pilgrimage is practiced in many religions. Some of the most famous pilgrimages are the hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia; the Christian pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a site in France where Mary is believed to have appeared; and the Hindu pilgrimage to the River Ganges in India.

The hajj is one of the five pillars, or primary tenets, of Islam. For believers with the physical ability and financial means, completing the hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is essential to their faith. While the pilgrimage itself may occur at any time during the last three months of the Islamic calendar, the last five to six days of the 12th month are those on which the most significant rituals occur. Based on the lunar calendar, the hajj is a movable feast, meaning it is a celebration whose dates vary each year and will occur in different seasons over a cycle of years. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, it does not coincide annually with the Gregorian calendar followed by most of the Western world today.

Historically, pilgrims arrived by walking, using the travel time and its accompanying struggles to focus on growing in their faith. Some individuals continue this traditional means of completing the hajj, but other devotees arrive by boat, bus, or plane, dedicating themselves to contemplation once they arrive. Mecca is an important symbolic place for Muslims because it was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. During the hajj ritual, the pilgrims will perform many faith acts, including circling the Ka’aba , a building at the center of the mosque representing the most sacred place, seven times clockwise to open the ritual; praying; running between the nearby hills of Safa and Marwah; clipping their hair; going east of Mecca to confess their sins and seek atonement; gathering pebbles to perform a symbolic stoning of the devil; buying sacrifice vouchers so that an animal will be sacrificed on their behalf; and then again circling the Ka’aba seven times, this time counterclockwise, to close the hajj.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

How to Help Young People Transition Into Adulthood

With so much rapid-fire change in the world, the job of preparing our young people for the future has become increasingly daunting. The Institute of the Future issued a report in 2017 that declared that 85 percent of the jobs in 2030—when today’s second-graders will graduate high school—have not been invented yet. On top of that, we’re facing an unfolding crisis in the environment; rampant racial, ethnic, and gender inequities; the impending confluence of bioengineering and artificial intelligence; and escalating craziness on the geopolitical stage.

Over the past decade, I talked to thousands of educators grappling with the question of how to best prepare young people for the uncertain future. The vast majority agree that skills like critical thinking, resilience, creativity, systems thinking, and empathy are crucial and must be prioritized over compliance and standardized test scores. But, more recently, there’s a sense that young people need to gain real-world experience in navigating the unknown through some kind of authentic rite of passage—and more and more research is exploring what that might look like. 

For millennia, elders have led youth through scaffolded rites of passage. French ethnographer Arnold van Gennep analyzed rites of passage across cultures in history and found that they have a universal three-part structure—separation, liminality, and reincorporation—to help people make sense of great transition. A young person undergoing a coming-of-age rite of passage must leave her “normal world” (separation) and enter into a situation where she experiences the free-fall of being no longer a child but not yet an adult (liminality). Once the initiate has successfully mastered the liminal phase, she returns to the normal world as an adult (reincorporation), having “leveled up” with skills that are needed to function as a healthy member of the community.

But meaningful rites of passage are not as common today. In fact, 75 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 25 lack a clear sense of purpose and many young adults are intimidated by “adulting.” This led me to wonder: How might we combine what we know from psychology and education research with traditional rite-of-passage rituals to help youth practice dwelling in the unknown, while building up critical skills for the future?


Over the past two years, I have worked with individuals and small groups of graduate students and educators to prototype a more contemporary approach to rites of passage. The updated three steps we designed—now preparation , threshold , and reflection —revolve around a student-centered project that allows youth to deepen their self-knowledge while learning to be comfortable in the unknown. Dozens of young people have gone through this process, and I hope teachers, community leaders, and others can use this model to facilitate meaningful and impactful rites of passage to support the development of the youth in their communities.

1. Preparation: Student-centered project design

Rites of passage provide a safe and structured container for young people to undergo a metamorphic shift in identity from youth to adult. The goal of the first phase is for you (as a teacher, leader, or parent) and the initiates to develop a deeper understanding of themselves: their character strengths, interests, skills, and passions.

Student inventory. Ask students the following questions (inspired by Project Wayfinder and Angela Maiers ):


• What are your strengths? This can be skills such as math, drawing, or swimming, or dispositions such as patience, leadership, or the ability to focus. You can also have them take the free VIA Character Strengths Survey for Youth .
• What do you love to do? Note that many teens’ first answer will be something to do with video games or social media. Capture these ideas, but dig a little deeper to see what else is under there. Do they enjoy strategizing with friends in Fortnite ? Or creating beautiful images for Instagram? Once you’ve captured the digital stuff, be sure to find out what else they love in the “offline” world, just for balance.

• Is there anything that you wish you knew how to do? A skill or disposition that you want to develop? Again, see if you can find both digital and offline answers here.
• What issue or cause out in the world do you care about the most? Climate? Gun violence? Homelessness? Animal welfare? Government corruption? Talk to them about a few specific issues.

Brainstorm projects. Using the student’s answers to each question, begin to brainstorm project ideas that would be meaningful. Projects should be designed to use the initiate’s skills to help solve a community problem that he deeply cares about.

For instance, say you are working with a 19-year-old named Sam who loves to draw, write fiction, and make short videos with her friends. The VIA Character Strengths Survey shows she’s strong in social intelligence (which she knew) but also in bravery (which she didn’t!). She wants to learn business skills and how to make better videos. The daughter of immigrants, Sam is deeply troubled by the racist attacks to which she and her friends are increasingly subjected.

Sam and her mentor brainstorm some ideas for projects. For instance, she might make a short video interviewing three immigrants in her community about their experiences with racism. Or maybe she could illustrate t-shirts with messages of equity and inclusion, and set up a pop-up shop. A third idea might be to write, illustrate, self-publish, and sell a book of short stories about a teenage immigrant.

Discuss viability of project. Have your student review the projects and select a couple of favorites to evaluate what it will take to pull each off successfully. Will it require a lot of money or volunteers? What about location? What is the scope? Are there a lot of interdependencies? Involve the initiate in brainstorming solutions. Ultimately, as in the real world, the final project scope will be determined by a combination of will and resources.

Because it will be a ton of work to fill up an entire shop, and then organize a pop-up, Sam settles on the video project, which seems very doable within her three-month summer break.

Write a project plan. Written as much as possible by the student with support as needed from their mentor, a project plan should include real-world skills like calling venues, organizing volunteers, setting up a Kickstarter campaign, writing a basic budget, using social media for promotion, gathering sponsors, writing, and performing speeches. 

Sam’s project plan outlines in detail the content, production process, budget, and timeline for her documentary short. Using her mentor’s connections, Sam reaches out to a local nonprofit that has a video editing suite and asks if she can use it after-hours.

Honoring the Teacher's Heart: Well-Being Practices for School Change

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Prepare for departure. Integral to the design of a rite of passage is that the initiate must leave the comfort of home and venture out into a new realm. This separation is baked into the experience of going away to college or summer sleepaway camp, but it can also be engineered in other ways: a summer or gap-year project, or over a holiday break.

The night before Sam is to shoot her first interview, her mentor and parents invite eight adults—family members, former teachers, and friends who know and love Sam—to an opening circle to witness her at the beginning of her journey. The room is illuminated with candles. Each adult speaks to Sam of her strengths and their belief in her, offering one piece of advice and one thing they appreciate about her. The adults have also made a short video of each of them repeating their wishes for her. Sam speaks of her intentions to learn more about filmmaking and to speak out against racism.

2. Threshold: Tasks must be hard (and relevant)

The ordeal will be a challenge. Students need to feel frustrated—pushed as close to the point of giving up as possible—or it won’t have the impact. 

This is the time when we as facilitators have to step out of the way and let the student work on her own, grapple with setbacks, and, yes, fail. If they show signs of withering, you can support independent problem solving wherever possible. There are several research-based practices you can share that will help build resilience and well-being during the ordeal and well into adulthood, as well.

Growth mindset . If she is not already skilled at learning from mistakes, remind your student that every failure is a learning opportunity. If she starts to internalize negative self-talk, such as “I will never be able to do this!,” remind her of the power of “yet”—as in, “You don’t know how to do this, yet. But you will get it.”

Three Good Things . This is a super simple and proven practice of writing down three good things that happened at the end of each day. Research shows that this can help us sustain a sense of happiness and fend off depressive symptoms for up to three months—an excellent practice to build while amid an ordeal. 

Three Good Things

A way to tune into the positive events in your life

Cultivate awareness . Have the initiate reflect on how he’s doing and identify any challenges with self-compassion. Bring any negative self-talk to awareness. Help the initiate become aware of what he does when he starts to experience the frustration of obstacles. Keeping a regular project journal can help facilitate this reflection.

Ethics . In the real world, we come up against ethical challenges all the time. Especially now with the ever-shifting sands of ethical standards in our public discourse, it is important that adults model respect, morality, and ethical decision making during an ordeal. It will be tempting for your student to make some unethical choices. You will want to make it safe and supportive to make the right choice. 

Awe. Awe, “numinosity,” or the sense that there is a larger force at work in the world is key to meaningful rites of passage, as research shows it is a positive way to catalyze the identity shift necessary to leave childhood and become fully adult. This can be designed into the experience by taking young people out into awe-inspiring nature for several days, creating a deck of personally meaningful cards as in Soul Collage , or reading the poetry of Rumi, Lucille Clifton, or Mary Oliver.

3. Reflection: Completion of project

Once the ordeal has concluded, it is time to celebrate the accomplishments of the initiate! Like the departure, this return is a time of celebration and welcoming back to the “normal world.” Many traditions have the initiate stand up in front of his peers and community and speak about the experience. This celebration can be big and formal, or small and intimate. The key is that the initiate should be able to answer the following questions:

• Why did you do this project?
• What did you hope to learn?
• What did you learn?
• What will you take with you?
• What is one of your best memories?

Ideally, there is time to help the initiate integrate the experience and set about planning for another self-designed goal. In Sam’s case, her family and mentor will invite the same adults to come over for a special screening of her video, and she will give a short introduction to the video offering her reflections.

Finding Purpose Across the Lifespan

This article is part of a GGSC initiative on “ Finding Purpose Across the Lifespan ,” supported by the John Templeton Foundation. In a series of articles, podcast episodes, and other resources, we’re exploring why and how to deepen your sense of purpose at different stages of life.

In traditional rites of passage, the initiate returns home as an adult, having been prepared for adult responsibilities—mind, body, and soul—through the ordeal. We don’t really have a similar expectation in our contemporary communities, and of course there are myriad reasons why young people are taking longer to find their footing as adults.

But we can certainly help young people deepen their self-knowledge and strengthen their sense of identity, develop real-world skills, and (most importantly) experience the state-change that comes with accomplishing a major stretch goal. We can provide a model for navigating the unknown as a means of strengthening their identity and engaging community support.

Indeed, I would like to live in a world where each child is initiated into adulthood—not to fit them into a prescribed societal box, but to help them understand who they are, why they’re here, and how they can share their gifts with the world.

About the Author

Betty Ray, M.A. , is an author, speaker, and consultant. She spent the better part of the last decade in senior editorial leadership roles at Edutopia, published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Now, her work explores the question: How might we design educational experiences that cultivate the inner life of young people so that they know their own purpose, and can apply that purpose to solving some of the most vexing problems we face today?

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Home — Essay Samples — Arts & Culture — Rites of Passage — The Society’s Concept of the Rite of Passage

The Society's Concept of The Rite of Passage

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Published: Mar 14, 2019

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Rite of Passage Summary & Analysis by Sharon Olds

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

Published in The Dead and the Living in 1984, Sharon Olds's "Rite of Passage" is a poem about the roots of male violence. The poem's speaker, the mother of a boy in first grade, observes the aggressive, competitive behavior of the boys at her son's birthday party. The group bonds over her son's boast that " We could easily kill a two-year-old ," a fantasy that ironically contrasts with his innocent appearance and physical vulnerability. The poem portrays this kind of aggression as an imitation of, and an initiation into, the violent culture of grown men.

• Read the full text of “Rite of Passage”

The Full Text of “Rite of Passage”

“rite of passage” summary, “rite of passage” themes.

Masculinity and Violence

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “rite of passage”.

As the guests ... ... jaws and chins.

Hands in pockets, ... ... —I'm seven. —So?

They eye each ... ... arms and frown.

• Lines 12-15

I could beat ... ... on the table.

Lines 15-20

My son, ... ... out of me,

Lines 20-23

speaks up as ... ... his clear voice.

Lines 23-26

The other ... ... my son's life.

“Rite of Passage” Symbols

Childhood Competition

• Lines 22-26

“Rite of Passage” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

Alliteration.

• Line 6: “jostling, jockeying”
• Line 8: “Six,” “seven,” “So”
• Line 12: “fold,” “frown”
• Line 13: “seven says,” “six”
• Line 15: “turret,” “table”
• Line 16: “cheeks”
• Line 17: “chest”
• Line 26: “celebrating,” “son's”
• Line 5: “pockets”
• Line 13: “seven says”
• Line 16: “freckles,” “specks,” “nutmeg”
• Line 26: “playing,” “celebrating”
• Lines 3-4: “short men, men in first grade / with smooth jaws and chins.”
• Lines 15-26: “My son, / freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks, / chest narrow as the balsa keel of a / model boat, long hands / cool and thin as the day they guided him / out of me, speaks up as a host / for the sake of the group. / We could easily kill a two-year-old / , / he says in his clear voice. The other / men agree, they clear their throats / like Generals, they relax and get down to / playing war, celebrating my son's life.”

Parallelism

• Line 3: “short men, men in first grade”
• Line 6: “jostling, jockeying for place,”
• Lines 9-12: “They eye each other, seeing themselves / tiny in the other’s pupils. They clear their / throats a lot, a room of small bankers, / they fold their arms and frown.”
• Lines 16-20: “freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks, / chest narrow as the balsa keel of a / model boat, long hands / cool and thin as the day they guided him / out of me,”
• Lines 24-26: “they clear their throats / like Generals, they relax and get down to / playing war, celebrating my son's life.”
• Lines 1-2: “party / they”
• Lines 3-4: “grade / with”
• Lines 5-6: “around / jostling”
• Lines 7-8: “another / How”
• Lines 9-10: “themselves / tiny”
• Lines 10-11: “their / throats”
• Lines 12-13: “you / up”
• Lines 14-15: “a / turret”
• Lines 17-18: “a / model”
• Lines 18-19: “hands / cool”
• Lines 19-20: “him / out”
• Lines 20-21: “host / for”
• Lines 23-24: “other / men”
• Lines 24-25: “throats / like”
• Lines 25-26: “to / playing”
• Line 3: “men, men”
• Line 6: “jostling, jockeying,” “place, small”
• Line 7: “calming. One”
• Line 8: “you? —Six. —I'm seven. —So?”
• Line 9: “other, seeing”
• Line 10: “pupils. They”
• Line 11: “lot, a”
• Lines 12-12: “frown. / I”
• Lines 13-13: “up, / a”
• Line 14: “cake, round”
• Line 15: “turret, behind,” “table. My”
• Line 18: “boat, long”
• Line 20: “me, speaks”
• Line 23: “voice. The”
• Line 24: “agree, they”
• Line 25: “Generals, they”
• Line 26: “war, celebrating”
• Lines 14-15: “the midnight cake, round and heavy as a / turret,”
• Lines 24-25: “they clear their throats / like Generals,”
• Line 6: “jockeying for place”
• Lines 10-11: “They clear their / throats a lot, a room of small bankers,”
• Lines 23-24: “The other / men agree,”

“Rite of Passage” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Midnight cake
• (Location in poem: Lines 5-6: “they stand around / jostling, jockeying for place,”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Rite of Passage”

Rhyme scheme, “rite of passage” speaker, “rite of passage” setting, literary and historical context of “rite of passage”, more “rite of passage” resources, external resources.

The Poem Aloud — Watch Olds read "Rite of Passage" (starting at 18:35).

The Poet's Life and Work — A biography of Olds at the Poetry Foundation.

An Interview with the Poet — Olds discusses the challenges of writing about family.

A Talk by the Poet — Watch Olds deliver a lecture on the craft of poetry.

The Poet's Website — Browse books and media related to Sharon Olds at her website.

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An Instagram Poet, a Billionaire and the End of the World

In Frankie Barnet’s novel, “Mood Swings,” two young women work to craft meaningful lives as society collapses around them.

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By Sarah Rose Etter

Sarah Rose Etter is the author, most recently, of “Ripe.”

MOOD SWINGS, by Frankie Barnet

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the way language can flatten art. A novel must be blurbed and marketed, then categorized (“sad girl lit,” “tech novel,” “internet novel,” “workplace novel,” etc. ), to be sold . But doesn’t the reduction of an expansive work of art into a few words cheapen it — and allow us to ignore books we’ve decided “aren’t for us” based on their taglines?

While reading “Mood Swings,” Frankie Barnet’s ambitious and dynamic debut novel, I kept returning to that conflict between art and capitalism.

From the promotional copy of “Mood Swings”: “In a pre-apocalyptic world not unlike our own, a young Instagram poet starts an affair with a California billionaire who’s promised a time machine that will make everything normal again — whatever that means.”

I rolled my eyes. Oh, God .

How nice it is to be wrong.

The plot: Animals have revolted against humans, and the danger leaves everyone confined at home until a billionaire develops a sound that kills all of the planet’s nonhuman creatures. Afterward, there is a fierce divide between those who believe the extermination was murder and those who believe it was necessary. The fallout escalates, so the billionaire promises to fix everything via a time machine.

From the first page, the novel functions as a hypertext. Major world events unfold through the eyes of several intertwined characters, but we primarily follow two 20-something friends and roommates, Jenlena and Daphne. Jenlena is not beautiful, and she’s floundering through her life while writing Instagram poems. Daphne is beautiful, winning “real” poetry prizes and dating a canceled man. “They were not serious people,” Jenlena thinks.

Jenlena discovers she is pregnant. She gets an abortion, and that same day, the apartment she shares with Daphne burns down. Jenlena randomly meets the billionaire in a hotel bar and they begin a relationship. Meanwhile, both women interrogate whether the goals they’d set for their lives (getting degrees, getting promotions) still matter during the apocalypse.

If it sounds like a lot is happening in this novel, it is. “Mood Swings” is a master class in maximalism. The novel bombards the reader with a flurry of information: instant messages, news stories and even a drawing. We dip briefly and rapidly into the back story of each character. Overall, the effect is that of being inundated by a whirlwind of pop-up ads that you find yourself enjoying. By juxtaposing the collapse of the world alongside intimate character portraits, Barnet creates a novel where the personal runs alongside the political at every turn, and the two can never be separated.

The magic here is in the prose. Though the story itself is sprawling, Barnet’s writing is restrained and intentional. Moments that could turn saccharine are made meaningful by astute, almost insulting observations. “Every last person is either more or less beautiful than their mother,” a vivid section about Jenlena’s childhood begins. Another passage presents Jenlena’s wry musings on Uber: “Some girls wouldn’t even accept the ride if they didn’t like the look of a man, if he gave them a feeling. Anyone could rape them at any time. The danger was feared but also hotly anticipated as a rite of passage.” The novel is full of lines that shock in their simplicity.

Is “Mood Swings” a perfect novel? No, not exactly. The ending, for example, might not wrap up all of the narrative’s many threads, but I found the final scene to be a compelling resolution to the central friendship.

Yes, “Mood Swings” is a novel about tech moguls and the collapse of society. Yes, maybe it’s an “internet novel.” But it’s also so much more than that. And isn’t that lovely, to find a book that transcends its buzzwords? Isn’t it beautiful for a work of art to prove you wrong?

MOOD SWINGS | By Frankie Barnet | Astra House | 291 pp. | $26

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Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

As book bans have surged in Florida, the novelist Lauren Groff has opened a bookstore called The Lynx, a hub for author readings, book club gatherings and workshops , where banned titles are prominently displayed.

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The complicated, generous life  of Paul Auster, who died on April 30 , yielded a body of work of staggering scope and variety .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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Celebrants can help to arrange Rites of Passage, such as Baby Namings and Blessings, Handfastings and Weddings, Funerals and Memorials.

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Our archive contains manuscripts, books, and pictures, and includes many contributions from members. Some of these are offered here. They express the opinions and ideas of the authors, not the Order.

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Imagine you arrive in a forest clearing, a sacred grove, and are invited to sit around a fire with a group of friendly people of all ages from all over the world who have felt called to be here – to share stories, to listen deeply to each other, listening to the sounds of the fire and Nature all around them. You have arrived at The Druid Hearth.

Here you can sense the presence of the Ancestors, who love this Earth and who want to preserve and protect all of Nature. You can sense animals and birds – all the creatures and plants of the forest.

Members of the Order arrange gatherings like this all around the world through over 300 Seed-Groups and Groves.

We’ve also managed to create a gathering place like this online too – The Druid Hearth – where you can connect with other members, participate in circles that focus on specific topics, join in live-streamed events and workshops, and much more.

Once you join the Order you are given access to the Druid Hearth and our distance-learning training programme, available in English, French, Dutch, German, Italian and Portuguese. You can move between studying the films, exercises, meditations, poetry, story-telling and teachings of this course, and the social area of the Hearth – gathering around the fire, meeting others, learning about upcoming events, reading the latest issues of our magazines. You can dive into their archives, communicate with your personal mentor, and find your nearest group in the Groups Directory, or start one yourself with our help.

Or you can drop into one of the circles that has called to you: there are groups that focus on Bardic, Ovate or Druid topics, and ones for Tarot, Astrology, Healing, Herbalism, Culinary, Apothecary, and Alchemical Arts, Divination, Neurodivergence, Books and Reading, Dreamwork, Professional Educators, Mental Health Professionals, LGBTQIA members, Visual Arts, Poetry and Writing – over 50 of them. And you can always start your own circle!

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THE DRUID HEARTH is the official OBOD online community where you’ll be able to find everything in one place. Here you can access & download membership resources, administer your details, access your online course ( if enrolled on the online version ), view upcoming events, search the Seed Group & Groves directory, as well as connect with other members to share experiences, exchange ideas and kindle new friendships in one of the many circle forums. All members of the Order can access the Druid Hearth as part of their membership. When you join the Order and enrol for the Druid training, you will receive log in details for the Hearth.

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The Druid Hearth contains a wealth of interactive features to help you with your training as well as keep you engaged in the OBOD community. Click on a feature below to jump to more information about it.

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How to Write a Paragraph [Ultimate Guide + Examples]

Writing a good paragraph is essential for any writer or storyteller.

Here is my quick answer for how to write a paragraph:

Write a paragraph by starting with a clear topic sentence, adding supporting details, using transitions for coherence, varying sentence structures, and concluding with a strong closing sentence. Revise and edit thoroughly to ensure clarity and correctness.

From nearly three decades of experience, here is everything I know about how to write a paragraph that pops off the page.

What Is a Paragraph?

Table of Contents

A paragraph is a collection of sentences that focus on a single idea.

It’s the building block of writing, providing structure and clarity. A good paragraph is unified, coherent, and well-developed.

Unity means all sentences support the main idea.

Coherence ensures the sentences flow logically.

Development means the idea is thoroughly explored with sufficient details. Paragraphs can vary in length, but they typically contain at least three to five sentences.

They can stand alone or be part of a larger text.

Understanding the purpose and components of a paragraph helps writers create clear and impactful content.

Types of Paragraphs

There are at least 10 different types of paragraphs you need to know.

• Descriptive Paragraph: Provides vivid details to help the reader visualize a scene, object, or person. Uses sensory details and figurative language. Often found in fiction and creative writing.
• Narrative Paragraph: Tells a story or recounts an event. Includes a beginning, middle, and end. Uses chronological order and focuses on action and dialogue. Common in personal essays and stories.
• Expository Paragraph: Explains a concept or provides information. Presents facts, statistics, and examples. Logical and straightforward. Found in academic writing and informative articles.
• Persuasive Paragraph: Aims to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint. Uses arguments, evidence, and emotional appeals. Found in opinion pieces and argumentative essays.
• Comparative Paragraph: Highlights similarities and differences between two or more subjects. Uses compare-and-contrast structure. Common in analysis and comparison essays.
• Cause and Effect Paragraph: Explores the relationship between events or actions and their outcomes. Uses logical sequence to explain causes and effects. Found in analytical and research writing.
• Process Paragraph: Describes steps in a process or how something works. Uses chronological order and clear instructions. Common in how-to guides and technical writing.
• Definition Paragraph: Provides a detailed explanation of a term or concept. Uses examples and elaboration. Found in academic writing and specialized articles.
• Classification Paragraph: Organizes information into categories or groups. Uses classification criteria and examples. Found in scientific and technical writing.
• Illustration Paragraph: Uses examples to illustrate a point or concept. Provides detailed evidence to support the main idea. Found in essays and informative writing.

How to Write a Paragraph Step by Step

Now to the meat of this guide and what you came here for — a complete breakdown of how to write an epic paragraph.

Step 1: Choose a Main Idea

Begin with a clear main idea or topic sentence. This is the foundation of your paragraph.

It should be specific and concise, providing a clear direction for your paragraph. A strong main idea helps keep your writing focused and ensures all sentences contribute to the central theme.

Avoid vague or broad topics. Instead, zero in on a particular aspect that you can develop fully.

Step 2: Gather Supporting Details

Once you have your main idea, gather relevant supporting details.

These can include facts, examples, quotes, and descriptions that reinforce your main idea.

Make sure your details are directly related to the topic sentence. This ensures your paragraph is coherent and all sentences are connected.

Good supporting details add depth and richness to your writing.

Step 3: Organize Your Sentences

Arrange your sentences in a logical order.

This could be chronological, spatial, or order of importance, depending on the type of paragraph you’re writing.

A well-organized paragraph guides the reader smoothly from one idea to the next.

Use transition words to connect your sentences and maintain flow. Coherence is key for readability.

Step 4: Write a Strong Topic Sentence

Your topic sentence should clearly state the main idea of your paragraph.

It sets the tone and direction for the rest of the sentences. A strong topic sentence is specific and makes a clear point.

It should grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more.

Avoid being too vague or overly complex.

Step 5: Develop the Main Idea

Expand on your topic sentence with supporting details.

Each sentence should contribute to the development of the main idea. Use examples, facts, and descriptions to elaborate on your point.

Make sure your sentences are clear and concise.

Avoid unnecessary repetition and stay focused on the main idea.

Step 6: Use Transition Words

Transition words help connect your sentences and ideas smoothly.

They guide the reader through your paragraph and ensure coherence.

Examples of transition words include “however,” “therefore,” “in addition,” and “for example.” Use them appropriately to show relationships between ideas and maintain the flow of your writing.

Step 7: Conclude Your Paragraph

End with a concluding sentence that summarizes the main idea and provides closure.

This sentence should reinforce the topic and leave a lasting impression. A good conclusion wraps up the paragraph and prepares the reader for the next idea.

Avoid introducing new information in the concluding sentence.

Step 8: Revise and Edit

Review your paragraph for clarity, coherence, and unity. Check for grammar and spelling errors.

Make sure all sentences support the main idea and are logically connected.

Revise any awkward or unclear sentences. Editing is crucial for polishing your paragraph and ensuring it’s effective.

Step 9: Seek Feedback

Get feedback from others to improve your paragraph.

Share your writing with peers, teachers, or editors. Constructive feedback can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your paragraph.

Don’t be afraid to make changes based on the feedback you receive.

Step 10: Practice Regularly

Practice writing paragraphs regularly to improve your skills.

The more you write, the better you’ll become at organizing your thoughts and crafting effective paragraphs.

Set aside time each day for writing exercises. Experiment with different types of paragraphs to enhance your versatility as a writer.

Watch this good video about how to write a paragraph:

How to Start a Paragraph

Starting a paragraph effectively sets the tone for the rest of the text.

Here are some techniques to create a compelling paragraph opening.

Use a Strong Topic Sentence

A strong topic sentence clearly states the main idea of the paragraph.

It grabs the reader’s attention and provides a preview of what’s to come. Keep it specific and concise to maintain focus.

How you start is everything in writing. And this definitely applies to paragraphs.

Begin with a Question

Starting with a question engages the reader and provokes curiosity.

It encourages them to think about the topic and keeps them interested in finding the answer within the paragraph.

I really like questions but I don’t use them every time.

For example, I recently heard a comedian start a set with, “Does anyone know the stat motto of Texas?” I don’t remember the comedian’s name but it got the crowd involved with guessing the motto.

People guessed what you might expect: “Don’t mess with Texas” and “Everything is Bigger in Texas.”

The comic then nailed the joke with the surprising punchline.

The state motto of Texas is “Friendship.”

Use an Interesting Fact or Statistic

An intriguing fact or statistic can captivate the reader’s interest.

It adds credibility to your writing and provides a solid foundation for the paragraph’s content.

What I have found works best are unique and original facts/statistics that the audience likely has never heard before.

Start with a Quote

A relevant quote can provide insight and set the tone for the paragraph.

It can be from a famous person, a literary work, or a subject-matter expert, adding depth and context to your writing.

Quotes work well when they directly apply to the rest of the content and, again, are original and mostly unknown.

Use a Vivid Description

A vivid description can immerse the reader in the setting or subject matter.

Sensory details and figurative language can paint a picture that draws the reader into the paragraph.

A great place to study these types of paragraphs is to read descriptive fiction authors like Dean Koontz.

Begin with a Personal Anecdote

Sharing a personal story or anecdote can make your writing relatable and engaging.

It helps build a connection with the reader and sets the stage for the main idea of the paragraph.

This is one of my favorite ways to start a paragraph.

Use a Shocking Statement

A shocking or surprising statement can immediately capture the reader’s attention.

It creates intrigue and motivates the reader to continue reading to understand the context.

Go for something contrarian and unexpected to keep your readers on their toes.

Start with a Comparison

A comparison or contrast can effectively introduce the main idea

It highlights differences or similarities that can pique the reader’s interest and set up the discussion.

Not only is this a great way to start a paragraph but it also gives you a built-in structure for the rest of the paragraph.

Use a Proverb or Saying

A well-known proverb or saying can succinctly convey a universal truth.

It can provide a strong foundation for the paragraph and resonate with the reader.

This is like a communal shortcut into the rest of your paragraph and content. Used sparingly, it can work very well.

Begin with an Action

Starting with an action or event can create a sense of immediacy and engagement.

It sets the scene and encourages the reader to follow the progression of ideas.

The action can involve nearly anything: someone skydiving, a business closing down, a company throwing a grand party on a yatch.

How to Write a Good Paragraph (Advanced Techniques)

Writing a good paragraph involves more than just basic structure. Here are advanced techniques to enhance your writing.

• Use a Consistent Theme : Maintaining a consistent theme throughout your paragraph ensures unity and coherence. A theme provides an underlying message or focus that ties all the sentences together. It adds depth and meaning to your writing.
• Incorporate Alliteration : Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds, can create a musical rhythm in your writing. It enhances the flow and can emphasize key points. Use alliteration sparingly to avoid overuse, which can become distracting.
• Employ Metaphors and Similes : Metaphors and similes add richness to your writing by making comparisons. They help the reader understand complex ideas by relating them to familiar concepts. Use these figures of speech to create vivid and memorable imagery.
• Use Varying Sentence Structures : Varying your sentence structures keeps your writing dynamic and engaging. Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones. This variation can enhance readability and emphasize important points.
• Apply Parallelism : Parallelism involves using similar grammatical structures in a series. It creates balance and rhythm in your writing. This technique can make your points more persuasive and memorable.
• Use Sensory Details : Incorporate sensory details to bring your writing to life. Describe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures to create a vivid picture. Sensory details immerse the reader in your writing.
• Integrate Dialogue : Using dialogue can add realism and depth to your paragraph. It breaks up the text and provides different perspectives. Dialogue can make your writing more engaging and relatable.
• Use Repetition for Emphasis : Repetition of key words or phrases can emphasize important points. It creates a rhythm and reinforces the main idea. Use repetition strategically to avoid redundancy.
• Employ Irony : Irony adds a layer of complexity to your writing. It involves saying one thing but meaning another, often the opposite. Irony can create humor or highlight contradictions.
• Include a Call to Action: A call to action encourages the reader to take a specific step or consider a particular viewpoint. It makes your writing more interactive and impactful. Use it to motivate and engage your audience.

Dos and Don’ts for Writing a Paragraph

Understanding the dos and don’ts of paragraph writing can help you avoid common pitfalls and improve your writing quality.

Follow these guidelines to craft clear, coherent, and engaging paragraphs.

Examples of Paragraphs

Let’s look at some examples that put all of these ideas and tips together into fully formed paragraphs.

Descriptive Paragraphs

• The old house stood at the end of the lane, its paint peeling and windows cracked. The garden, once vibrant, was now overgrown with weeds. Inside, the smell of damp and decay filled the air. Every corner seemed to whisper stories of the past.
• The beach was a paradise of golden sands and turquoise waters. The waves gently lapped against the shore, leaving trails of foam. Seagulls cried overhead, and the scent of salt lingered in the breeze. Sunbathers and surfers dotted the landscape, basking in the sun.

Narrative Paragraphs

• Last summer, I took a trip to Italy. We explored the ancient ruins of Rome, marveled at the art in Florence, and sailed the canals of Venice. Each city offered its own unique charm and history. The memories we made on that trip will last a lifetime.
• As a child, I spent every Christmas at my grandparents’ house. The air was always filled with the aroma of cookies baking. We would gather around the fireplace, sharing stories and laughter. Those moments of warmth and love are cherished in my heart.

Expository Paragraphs

• Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are essential for a sustainable future. They produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. This helps reduce global warming and pollution. Governments and businesses worldwide are investing in these technologies to combat climate change.
• The process of photosynthesis in plants involves converting sunlight into energy. Chlorophyll in the leaves captures light energy. This energy transforms carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Photosynthesis is crucial for plant growth and the oxygen supply on Earth.

Persuasive Paragraphs

• Implementing a four-day workweek can increase productivity and employee well-being. Studies show that workers are more focused and efficient with an extra day off. It also reduces stress and improves work-life balance. Companies should adopt this model to boost morale and performance.
• Recycling should be mandatory to protect our environment. Landfills are overflowing with waste that could be recycled. Recycling conserves resources and reduces pollution. By making it a legal requirement, we can ensure everyone contributes to a cleaner, greener planet.

Comparative Paragraphs

• Online education offers flexibility and convenience compared to traditional classroom learning. Students can access materials anytime, anywhere. However, traditional classrooms provide face-to-face interaction and hands-on experiences. Both methods have their pros and cons, depending on the learner’s needs.
• Cats and dogs make wonderful pets, but they have different needs and behaviors. Cats are more independent and require less attention. Dogs are social and enjoy regular exercise and play. Choosing between them depends on your lifestyle and preferences.

Cause and Effect Paragraphs

• Climate change is causing more frequent and severe natural disasters. Rising temperatures lead to more intense hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. These disasters devastate communities and ecosystems. Mitigating climate change is crucial to reducing their occurrence and impact.
• Skipping breakfast can negatively affect your health. It leads to lower energy levels and poor concentration. This can impact your productivity and mood throughout the day. Eating a nutritious breakfast helps maintain energy and cognitive function.

Process Paragraphs

• To bake a chocolate cake, start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake for 30 minutes.
• Writing a resume involves several steps. First, gather your personal and professional information. Next, choose a resume format that suits your experience. Write a compelling summary and list your work history, education, and skills. Finally, proofread your resume for errors before submitting it.

Definition Paragraphs

• A blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers. Each block contains a list of transactions. Once added, the information in a block cannot be altered. This ensures transparency and security in data management.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines. AI systems can perform tasks such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. They use algorithms and data to improve their performance. AI is widely used in various industries, from healthcare to finance.

Classification Paragraphs

• There are three main types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rocks form from cooled magma or lava. Sedimentary rocks are created from the accumulation of sediments. Metamorphic rocks develop from existing rocks transformed by heat and pressure.
• Fruits can be classified into categories like berries, citrus, and stone fruits. Berries include strawberries and blueberries. Citrus fruits encompass oranges and lemons. Stone fruits, such as peaches and cherries, contain a pit or stone. Each category offers unique flavors and nutritional benefits.

Illustration Paragraphs

• Eating a balanced diet is crucial for maintaining good health. For example, incorporating fruits and vegetables provides essential vitamins and minerals. Whole grains offer fiber that aids digestion. Lean proteins, such as chicken and fish, support muscle growth and repair. A balanced diet promotes overall well-being.
• Exercise has numerous benefits for physical and mental health. For instance, regular physical activity strengthens the heart and improves circulation. It also reduces the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, exercise releases endorphins that boost mood and reduce stress.

Final Thoughts: How to Write a Paragraph

There is way more to learn about writing paragraphs, such as how to master the introduction and conclusion.

I’ve handpicked the articles below that I think you will enjoy.

Read This Next:

• How to Write an Introduction Paragraph [50+ Examples]
• How to Write a Good Conclusion Paragraph (+30 Examples)
• How to Write a Hook (40 Good Examples)
• 11 Best Pens for Writing [Ultimate Guide for Writers]

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At The Catholic Thing there is a piece about Catholic demographics.   The writer uses new information from the Pew Research Center.  As he says, the results are shocking but not surprising.   You can imagine the highlights.   Self-identifying “Catholic”, down.  Mass attendance, down.  Support of abortion, up.  For those attending Mass at least once a week, reverse the numbers.

One interesting bit is the observation that the Catholic core of these USA seems to be shifting to the South from the Northeast and Mid-West.

I note this passage:

But Burge points to a bright spot. Or at least, to a reprieve in the bad news. The portion of Catholics who say that their religion is “very important” in their life  and  who attend Mass at least weekly has not changed much in 15 years. Roughly a quarter of American Catholics – 23-25 percent – fall into this category. If I were a bishop, I’d want to know a lot more about that slice of my flock and why they are the way they are. What are the conditions most conducive to promoting and maintaining a deep and abiding practice of the faith? What are the habits of living – at home, school, work, prayer, in the community – that help make such integrity of faith and practice possible? And how do we make such habits of life more easily accessible to more people?

I know a sector of the Church which is vital, young and committed.  Hey!  Let’s  persecute  them!

All the questions raised in the piece can be answered with a simple fact: the Church screwed up her sacred liturgical worship.  It has been a downhill slide into the demographic sink hole every since.

We are, collectively and individually, all bound to fulfill the duties of the virtue of Religion.  Justice governs what we owe to human persons.  Religion governs what we owe to divine Persons.  The primary act we owe to God is worship.  We fulfill this individually, in smaller groups like families parishes, and in larger groups like dioceses and the whole Church.  Screw up the Church’s formal sacred liturgical worship, the quintessential way by which we collectively fulfill Religion, and everything else will be screwed up too.  It is shocking but not surprising that the demographic sink hole is yawning, that Catholics support evils along societal trends.

We are our rites.  Change the rites, you change the “us”.

As the demographics change, I suspect a few groups will remind fairly strong in their identity, including converts, charismatics (who aren’t these days as goofy as they once were), and traditionalists.  These groups will have to find each other as the numbers and institutions of the Church collapse.  There will be frictions at first, but something amazing could emerge from the contact.

Now, more than ever, we all have to stand up for each other… in the manner described by Benjamin Franklin.

Finally, I recommend, again, an important book.

US  HERE  – UK  HERE

The book includes a Foreword and Introduction written by  Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke , and an Afterword authored by  Robert Cardinal Sarah . The book is edited by Father Kevin Flannery, SJ.

The essays in the first part of this collection seek to answer the question,  “What went wrong with Catholic theology since the Second Vatican Council?”

Following a brief account of the movement in modern theology from its philosophical basis in Kant and Hegel to the  nouvelle théologie  and later progressivist theologies of the twentieth century, the writings of Karl Rahner, Walter Kasper, and Bernhard Häring are treated as representative of principal problematic trends, and the concept of heresy is surveyed as it has been understood in the past and as it operates in the Church today.

The essays in the second part indicate the way forward for Catholic doctrinal and moral theology, examining and distinguishing the orthodox use of the sources of theology of magisterial teachings, the deposit of faith in its development, the “sense of the faithful” ( sensus fidelium ), Sacred Scripture, and Church councils and synods.

Edward Feser’s treatment of the Magisterium is deeply instructive and challenging to the present pontificate. The same is true of John Rist’s masterful commentary on contemporary heresies. These essays are especially valuable in debunking the current German synodal way and stand as a warning about the upcoming Synod on Synodality.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

One comment.

“I know a sector of the Church which is vital, young and committed. Hey! Let’s persecute them!”

Given the historical track record for how effective such measures have been, I would venture to respond to our esteemed “custodes”: “Thanks for the help!”

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“He [Satan] will set up a counter-Church which will be the ape of the Church because, he the devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content. It will be a mystical body of the anti-Christ that will in all externals resemble the mystical body of Christ. In desperate need for God, whom he nevertheless refuses to adore, modern man in his loneliness and frustration will hunger more and more for membership in a community that will give him enlargement of purpose, but at the cost of losing himself in some vague collectivity.” “Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops.”

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Grant unto thy Church, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that She, being gathered together by the Holy Ghost, may be in no wise troubled by attack from her foes. O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication unto Thee,and turn away the scourges of Thine anger which we deserve for our sins. Almighty and Everlasting God, in whose Hand are the power and the government of every realm: look down upon and help the Christian people that the heathen nations who trust in the fierceness of their own might may be crushed by the power of thine Arm. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

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Useful WDTPRS References

• Acta Apostolicae Sedis ONLINE
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• Souter’s A glossary of later Latin to 600 A.D
• The Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Ratzinger
• Universae Ecclesiae
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Blogs by priests

• Fr. Cusick – Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
• Fr. Eric Sternberg
• Fr. Faulkner – Father Talks Too Fast
• Fr. Finelli
• Fr. Finnegan – Valle Adurni
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Some Useful Liturgical Books

• ACTA SANCTORUM
• Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year: According to the Modern Roman Rite: A Manual for Clergy and All Involved in Liturgical Ministries [Elliott]
• Learning To Serve [Illustrated] [Carmody]
• Manual of Episcopal Ceremonies (in 2 vols) [Rettger – Stehle]
• Rubrics of the Roman Breviary and Missal [Doyle]
• The Celebration of the Mass (A Study of the Rubrics of the Roman Missal) [O'Connell]
• The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described [Fortescue – O`Connell – Reid]

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