Karlo Mila: Four Poems and Sione's Wedding ·
I will be looking at this piece from a
traditional vs contemporary point of view. The reason I have picked this point
of view is that I believe traditional values play a massive part in how many
people see themselves and live their lives in today’s society. In this poem
Karlo Mila mashes both tradition and contemporary elements together.
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I believe this poem talks about a story
that has been around westernized societies for far too long. Unfortunately it
is a story often pushed to the side or slid to the back of most conversations.
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Yet is one , though usually sitting underneath,
hidden, that has been brought to the surface by Karlo Mila and her Poem “Four
poems and Siones wedding”
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It is the story of inequality for woman and I
believe this is all part and parcel in the line
“Yea get the girls to write their own”
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For if they were to write a story about the
daily life of an islander woman, or any woman, it would be one of traditional
limitations and cultural stereotypes. Yet it is a story that should be told,
one that needs to be looked over and one that needs to change, for a more
contemporary society to even exist.
As mentioned I will be looking at this poem from a traditional vs contemporary point of view and some of the first things I noticed about this poem is the traditional impacts given to modern day woman by traditional religion.
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For example “Followed religiously by wooden pew
penance and prayer promises.”
This is a line about half way through the
poem, that talks about how island men in today’s society have more lenience
when it comes to there (religious) transgressions I also think you could aim this at most men in today's society and hit the mark. Yet if men are so easily forgiven why can a
woman not simply have the same treatment. I believe this partially because of
the traditional views of Christianity. As we have seen through-out this course
the Christian missionary movement swept through the islands and had a large
impact on many of them. Even today one can find parts of the bible
that are full of unfortunate woman stereotyping
For example I have taken this from the
bible.
- 1 Timothy 2:11-15
- Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing.
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This biblical reference shows how parts of the
bible place woman on a lower rank and creates woman (if taken seriously) into
sub servants of men. I believe this traditional biblical view has no place in
today’s contemporary world. Though I’m not saying Karlo Mila or myself believe religion as
something that needs to be removed from society, I do believe this poem lie myself is
against the all too common religious and traditional cultural inequality for
woman.
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So does the tradition of religion bare some of
the blame when it comes to the inequality of Woman? Yes absolutely and I also
think the words used directly after “Yeah, get the girls to write their own” are
valuable.
Valuable because they speak of how traditional
values for woman are not a laughing matter.
· The stanza goes
I believe what Karlo Mila is
saying is a lot more than the words original tell us. She uses the name Oscar
Knightly, speaking directly to him thus bringing all I have spoken about into
the contemporary realm.
Another piece of the poem that I believe carries a traditional meaning yet is used in a contemporary way is the words used in the following.
· "Yeah, those boys know freedom, like flying foxes
in the night.”
This is used as a direct reference to the
traditional flying fox which has significant cultural meaning in Samoa. The
flying fox is known for its courageous and cheeky nature as Albert Wendt
mentions in a speech where he talks about the traditional Tatau. The flying fox as mentioned is in regards to the
tatau. I find this stanza in the poem relates so well to the paragraph in
Albert Wendt’s speech where he says Quote…
“The expression said when someone has finished
their tatau is Fa’alele lau Pe’a. Let your flying fox fly, show how beautiful
and courageous you’ve been in enduring the pain of the tatau, parade it for all
to see. The sexual connotations are very obvious.”
I believe the words “like flying foxes in the
night” have that very cultural traditional significance and Karlo Mila brings
this out through the contemporary idea that, men going to town on the weekend
literally let their sexual flying foxes out.
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She goes on to play with many traditional ideas,
mixing them in contemporary situations, such as the two door waka / sailing
streets (as in the cars cruising the streets on the weekend.)
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She also uses the phrase “winging their way
across the divide” This I believe is key and is used to show how easy it is for men to
transition from the traditional religious and cultural pressures to the less
weighted more contemporary life. Easy for a male but not a female.
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So yes I agree with the phrase “Double-double
standards”
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This poem is all about how the traditional and
contemporary pressures are at war with women in today’s society. Be it..
“It’s just not so fun having to be the
princess” (the traditional princess) or
“Modern day mary, her afro like a halo,
hands clasped in prayer” (Modern day vs traditional religion) to
“We’re ether hula or hipping it.
So I believe women are still battling for the
rite to define themselves and not tradition or contemporary values of society
to do so.
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