Rhetoric is the art of persuasive communication and has a definitive purpose within politics. Poetry, on the other hand, is often less about convincing anyone of anything than it is about creating more questions. With the poem “WHEREAS,” Layli Long Soldier uses the language of a government document to pull at the thread and intentions of that document. In the process, she stays faithful to her art by keeping the poem open. Written in first-person, the poem reveals a vulnerability as well as a strength—an authenticity— that the official document lacks.

Formally, the poem takes on the appearance of an official document. Visually, its stanzas—with the introductory word “Whereas” and concluding semicolon punctuation at the end of each stanza— appear to be articles of a legal nature. The word “whereas” prepares the reader for repetitive and perhaps dry information. Instead, the poem relates a scene in the life of the speaker. It makes statements that each end in a semicolon, cueing the reader for what would be the next, consecutive statement, if the poet didn’t, instead, surprise the reader with a new development and emotional shift with every stanza break.

The word “politics” is associated with debate, conflict, and power.