CC - III: Kamala Das : An Introduction Short question & Answer

1.Explain how Kamala Das subverts the dominance of a traditionally patriarchal society?

-Kamala das subverts the dominance of a traditionally patriarchal society by dressing like a man, cutting her hair short and so on. In fact, she tries to deny her femininity("ignore her womanliness") in order to rebel against the imposition of social norms on her, i.e. a woman by the traditional male-dominated society.

2.Comment on the use of symbols in kamala Das' poem "An Introduction"?

-The use of symbols like "the deaf blind speech of trees in storm", "monsoon clouds", "rain" and "incoherent mutterings of the blazing funeral pyre" in Das' poem "An Introduction" are significant. She recalls the unconscious terrors of  her childhood from trees, monsoon clouds and the rains. with her quick growth into puberty, she first encounters with masculine violence which belongs to the same frightening world of  trees in the storm and the muttering of the funeral pyre.

3.What is the them of the poem "An Introduction"?

-The them of the poem "An Introduction" is a poignant expression of the  poetess personal distress as well as a powerful outrage against the social norms of a patriarchal society. To be precise, the poem can be described as an autobiographical-cum-feminist poem in the manner of uninhibited self-expression on the part of a woman who wants to live on her own terms.

4.Comment on the ending of the poem "An Introduction"?

-Kamala Das' poem "An Introduction" ends on an uncertain note, i.e. the poetess seeking not much more than to survive, t achieve the right to simply be called "I". this self-confidence prompts her to fulfil her potential as an individual. She asserts herself as an independent women who is not likely to be guided by the dictates of patriarchal society. In short, the poem ends with her attempts at expressing her free-spirited self in order to escape from a life of suppression and subjugation

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