Rituals are found all throughout history and in every culture. In Jill Dubisch’s Run for the Wall: An American Pilgrimage she provides us with a quote from Robbie Davis-Floyd that defines ritual as a “patterned, repetitive, and symbolic enactment of a cultural belief or value.” (Dubisch 2006:279) In this essay I will be describing a ritual I have been apart of, describing its symbols, and discussing how the symbols represent core values of American society. One of the most important rituals that I have taken part in was my high school graduation. This ritual, having only taken place less than a year ago, is still very fresh in my mind. High school graduations are an important part of every young adults life because they symbolize a transition
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Just this one characteristic alone can make this a ritual because it involves separating students from their families, transition to high school graduates, and finally reincorporation with their families. Along with transition, high school graduations are rituals because they happen every …show more content…
To me the core symbols associated with high school graduation ceremonies are the attire and most importantly the diplomas. By attire I mean the infamous caps and gowns; students wear these as a way of symbolizing that on that particular day they will be going through a rite of passage. Caps and gowns can be very similar to the ritualistic attire that priests or shamans may wear while performing their religious ceremonies. Despite the diploma being just an ordinary sheet of paper inside a fancy folder, it is the most recognizable symbol in both high school and college graduations. Diplomas are important symbols of this ritual because they symbolize the completion of K-12 schooling as well as the end of childhood. American society values education and obtaining at the very least a high school education is a big accomplishment. Although caps and gowns are symbols of graduating they do not carry the same amount of weight that a diploma carries. Having a high school diploma or even a college diploma are things that employers look at during the hiring process. Having a diploma in American society signifies that you have potential to succeed out in the real
Just this one characteristic alone can make this a ritual because it involves separating students from their families, transition to high school graduates, and finally reincorporation with their families. Along with transition, high school graduations are rituals because they happen every …show more content…
To me the core symbols associated with high school graduation ceremonies are the attire and most importantly the diplomas. By attire I mean the infamous caps and gowns; students wear these as a way of symbolizing that on that particular day they will be going through a rite of passage. Caps and gowns can be very similar to the ritualistic attire that priests or shamans may wear while performing their religious ceremonies. Despite the diploma being just an ordinary sheet of paper inside a fancy folder, it is the most recognizable symbol in both high school and college graduations. Diplomas are important symbols of this ritual because they symbolize the completion of K-12 schooling as well as the end of childhood. American society values education and obtaining at the very least a high school education is a big accomplishment. Although caps and gowns are symbols of graduating they do not carry the same amount of weight that a diploma carries. Having a high school diploma or even a college diploma are things that employers look at during the hiring process. Having a diploma in American society signifies that you have potential to succeed out in the real