On the 16th of August we discussed two poems by Roleka Putuma namely; OH DEAR GOD, PLEASE! NOT ANOTHER RAPE POEM and GRADUATION. Both are very strong, sensitive and powerful topics.

OH DEAR GOD, PLEASE! NOT ANOTHER RAPE POEM

This poem is set in a template format. It is a formal style, as if the structure conveys the factual, seriousness that the poem is not saying directly. As reported and repeated numerous of times in situations of rape, the child is not believed or taken seriously. In this case the person being raped needs to find other ways to express that it is the truth. With this poem in instances like "the [children] play hide-n-seek and find grown people’s things in forbidden rooms" we see that there is more going on than is directly being said.

The context of this poem is about a girl being raped by her uncle, but (as in many cases) she is not being taken serious and the uncle gets away with it. Putuma writes: "it’s easier to hold the [child] accountable for a ‘’lie’’ than it is to hold the [uncle] accountable for the truth". This poem is filled with many topics regarding rape that is discussed daily. How we are so de-sensitized towards it as is the same as "salt at the dinner table". How it is not bound to only one culture, but is cross-cultural. Putuma says that many things are cultural like "oppikoppi nike theatre afrikaburn church crop tops", but rape is not in that category.

With OH DEAR GOD, PLEASE! NOT ANOTHER RAPE POEM it is impossible that the title is not striking. the title is a phrase used by many when the 'rape' topic surfaces again and again.

GRADUATION

We discussed what 'unlearning' entails. This poem specifically focusses on unlearning for there are many things that you learn from your parents, but after graduation you unlearn many of it. Which brings you to this moment of being stuck between being your own person and respect "when your mother asks 'where are the things that I gave you' you would want to say 'I am unlearning them' but unlearning is not a real place or destination." We discussed that to learn you need to unlearn.
In the poem Putuma writes about the women in the kitchen cutting onions and crying as a result thereof. This is an analogy of all the layers of tension and conflicts that the family does not talk about, all the unresolved issues that go deeper and deeper. The title GRADUATION refers to the word 'Gradual' which means progressing slowly.

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