BECE POETRY

THE THIEF IS ONE OF US by Sola

Olatunji
She is one of our own
She must not be made to pay
Shouted the Aku people
She is being victimized
Just because she is a woman
Hollered the women folk
That she actually stole
They do not deny
That would not address
Could have battered the rot
Of many emaciated co-owners
They would not address
So, steal our money
Loot our treasury
As long as you remain in the fold
If you remain one of us
You are not a thief
But a chief
You become a thief
Only when you decamp
And disown us
This then is the unvoiced language
Of our home political brigands
Who claim to be governing
By way of democrazy
 Notes on the poem
This poem presents a national problem of
partisanship where it is okay to loot, steal and
embezzle public funds if one belongs to the
ruling party; it is not seen as a crime but rather
glorified as an achievement. It is only outsiders
or non party members who are thieves or those
who choose to leave the ruling party are hunted
and chased and branded as thieves.
Stanzas one and two, the poet observed that
matter of national importance are not treated as
expected but seen from tribal, political and
gender background. This is evident in stanza one
as the brothers and sisters of the culprit are
agitating for her release because she is from
their tribe. The women folk are not left behind
as they rally round their own regardless of the
crime committed.
 IMPLICATION
By implication, what this means is that we live in
world and country where anything goes as long
as you belong to a group. This implies that
people can simply get away with whatever crime
is committed. And when this happens, we have a
poor system that will not work for the common
good of all. We are expected to protect and fight
for justice, fairness and equity in society for a
better one for all of us.
 Devices Used
1. Oxymoron: “this then is the unvoiced language” is an example of an
oxymoron suggesting that politicians are silently united in their
nefarious crime.
2. Repetition: This is when a word is repeated severally in in a line of
poetry. In “the thief is one of us,” “money, she and thief were
repeated”
3. Alliteration: This is when a consonant sound is repeated in a line of
poetry. In this poem, the sound represented by /m/ in must and
made were repeated and the sound /s/ too repeated in so and steal
4. Irony: when there is a contradiction in what happens in relation to
the expected occurrence of reality. E.g “you are not a thief but a
chief” as used in the poem.
 THEMES
1. The evil and corruption of those in public offices as
leaders is condemned.
2. Tribalism and gender sentiments is an issue in our
nation that was exposed and condemned. Now it is
not only tribalism and gender issues that affects our
nation but regionalism, religion, exclusive cult groups
etc.
3. Looting and Corruption was highlighted and
condemned by the poet as well proposing instead an
corrupt free nation where all benefit.
 HOMEWORK
• ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS EACH IS (10 MKS)
1. Discuss and explain based on our society the
key problems mentioned by the poet.
2. Discuss with examples the themes of the poem
3. In your own way, re-write the poem adding or
reducing and replacing some of the lines with
your own.
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