Myths And Stereotypes In Rape Joke By Patricia Lockwood

Rape Culture

There are many instances where stereotypes play a great role in our society today. Including these stereotypes are many myths about sexual assault. Throughout the world, stereotypes and myths are always around, and there are many effects of “rape culture” that Patricia Lockwood’s poem, “Rape Joke”, demystifies. Lockwood’s poem includes sexual violence, rape myths, stereotypes, and the aftermath of all these effects. In the ways “Rape Joke” is written, it is able to give a deeper meaning of the poem overall. Patricia Lockwood is able to show these in her poem because of the style of writing she uses. She is able to use a different writing style than the typical poem, which makes this poem even more interesting. Even with all the stereotypes, myths and rape culture all around the world, there are different denotations and connotations to how every individual can define these things. Patricia Lockwood’s poem discredits many myths and stereotypes through her use of language and word choice.

The first stereotype in Patricia Lockwood’s poem, “Rape Joke”, was that “it wore a goatee. A goatee.” (line 3) There is a stereotype that most rapists have goatees. Although it is not true for all rapists, because people in society see most people with goatees as rapists, there is a stereotype. The way Lockwood phrases that line is different from most because she repeats the key word, goatee. She chose the wording specifically to imply to the readers how a goatee symbolizes that the rapist was truly a rapist. However, there are also myths that take place in the beginning of the poem.

According to the article, “Force: upsetting rape culture”, the first rape myth is stranger rape. “The Stranger Rape Myth is the idea that most rape i...

... middle of paper ...

...g themselves as the only option to get rid of what has happened. The only way a victim is able to overcome what has happened is by talking about what happened and admitting that nothing they could have done would have fixed it. (Force: upsetting rape culture)

With the stereotypes and myths that are seen throughout the areas, we are able to see how things make a difference when it comes to how things are portrayed. Victims of rape should not blame themselves or see the situation as a joke, which is proven in Patricia Lockwood’s poem, “Rape Joke”. She uses a very unique style of a story-like poem to tell a story of an instance that could happen and how to see the situation afterwards. There is the aftermath of how victims feel and act after going through the traumatic experience of a rape. Lockwood is able to portray that experience in detail in her poem “Rape Joke.”