A different history essay
The poem "A different history" is a wonderful poem written by "Sujata Bhatt". This poem is about two gods Pan and Saraswati. The poet talks to us about how they are all around us and other religious believes. In this essay I would be exploring the poetic devices used and also I would talk about topics talked upon in the poem.
The poem consists of twenty nine lines and is divided into two stanzas with eighteen lines and eleven lines. The first stanza talks about the god s in India and the second stanza talks about the language and conqueror. The poem does not have a regular rhyme scheme like dead, emigrated, India, freely, monkeys, sacred. The poem does not have a rhythm because the lengths of the lines are not consistent (five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables). This poem has a lot of indented lines and has two stanzas.
The poet Sujata Bhatt has been using both formal and informal diction in the poem. The words used by leave a sense of different histories on the reader's mind. The first stanza gives a sense of formality whereas the second stanza gives a sense of informality. In this poem the writer straight away talks to us (readers) which makes us feel the impact of the poem directly.
In this poem the poet uses metaphor in two places. Once the poet mentions it first in the line number four and five (Here the gods roam freely, disguised as snakes and monkeys). The second time she mentions it in the line number fifteen and sixteen (You must learn how to turn the pages gently without disturbing Saraswati). The poet even uses alliteration in the poem as it adds on to the flow of the poem (scythe, swooping). There are some sensory images used in the poem such as visual (tree, book, paper), organic (after soul has been cropped with a long scythe swooping out of the conqueror's face.
In the first stanza the poet talks about the religious believes. The poet also shows great amount of respect on the ending four to six lines of the poem. Whereas in the second stanza the poet takes out her anger by using harsh vocabulary such as (torture, cropped, scythe, swooping). But at the last two lines the poet leaves the reader wondering and in a confused state of mind.
The poem talks about the different types of the cultures in different places and shows respect for conqueror/conquests. In the first stanza the poet talks about emigration from one place to another, she mentions about gods throughput the first stanza and tells things such as gods roam freely, sins committed on books and allusions of two gods of different cultures. In the second stanza the poet talks about the language of the conqueror/of the oppressor and their conquered learning to "love the strange language". It shows how uncomfortable the poet is with both the different cultures.
I was personally touched by the poem by an amazing writer Sujata Bhatt. It has taught me many things which would further help me in my life. I really loved the way she mentioned the religious believes of people.
POINT
EVIDENCE
EFFECT
Linking back to the thesis statement.
Para 2
Type of poem, rhyme scheme, rhythm, how does the poem look.
No rhyme scheme, irregular rhythm, indented lines, length of lines different.
It is not a Sonnet or haiku etc., more than one topic being talked upon.
Para 3
Formal and informal diction, sense of different histories, port's voice.
Stanza 1 informal (shove, slam) and stanza 2 formal (torture, murder),
It shows the formal and informal background of 2 different places and unravels it to the readers.
It tells that the poet has been to 2 different places with totally different histories.
Para4
Literary devices, sensory images.
Metaphor used twice (line 4 and 5, 15 and 16), alliteration (line scythe swooping), visual, organic.
Helps in understanding the poem better and even makes it more interesting to read it.
It shows that the poet wants the readers to not get bored and wants to keep you interested in the poem.
Para 6
Cultural differences ,respect for conqueror/conquests
Emigrated, gods roaming freely, sins committed books, 2 allusions 2 gods of different cultures, language of the conqueror, conquered learning to "love the strange language".
A feeling of what the poem is all about, reflect the superstition embedded in India culture, makes the reader feel uncomfortable.
It brings out the poet's discomfort with both the cultures possibly her in ability to accept either as completely her own.
Para 5
Poet's attitude, tone of the poem.
Stanza 1 shows respect towards the religion ( ending 4 to 6 lines)stanza 2 shows disgust, anger ( torture, cropped) last two lines confusion.
It shows that the poet is not against any religion.
"A Different History" by Sujata Bhatt explores themes of cultural identity, colonization, and the impact of history on identity. Through contrasting the Hindu belief system with Western perspectives, the poem highlights the complexities of reconciling different cultural backgrounds. The use of language and imagery, such as the snake as a symbol of power and knowledge, further emphasizes these themes.
The central idea is that don't sin against books or God-created things. The language English screwed over India and so did the religion Christianity.
it is about archive
In "A different history" themes of History, Language, Colonization and its aftermath comes forth.
Sujata Bhatt is a poet and lives in Bremen, Germany.
Sujata Bhatt speaks multiple languages, including English, German, and Gujarati. She is known for her poetry that draws from her diverse linguistic background.
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