Interpretation and critical appreciation of the poem
“Another Woman”
Another Woman (Imtiaz Dharkar)
This morning she bought green 'methi'
in the market, choosing the freshest bunch;
picked up a white radish,
imagined the crunch it would make
between her teeth, the sweet sharp taste,
then put it aside, thinking it
an extravagance, counted her coins
out carefully, tied them, a small bundle
into her sari at the waist;
came home, faced her mother-in-law's
dark looks, took
the leaves and chopped them,
her hands stained yellow from the juice;
cut an onion, fine and cooked
the whole thing in the pot
over the stove,
shielding her face from the heat.
The usual words came and beat
their wings against her: the money spent,
curses heaped upon her parents,
who had sent her out
to darken other people's doors.
She crouched, as usual, on the floor
beside the stove,
When the man came home
she did not look into his face
nor raise her head; but bent
her back a little more.
Nothing gave her the right
to speak.
She watched the flame hiss up
and beat against the cheap old pot,
a wing of brightness
against its blackened cheek.
This was the house she had been sent to,
the man she had been bound to,
the future she had been born into.
So when the kerosene was thrown
(just a moment of surprise,
A brilliant spark)
It was the only choice
that she had ever known.
Another torch, blazing in the dark.
Another woman.
We shield our faces from the heat.
Interpretation and critical appreciation of the poem
“Another Woman”
by Harinath Vemula
This is
the poem that might have written in 80’s or 90’s. It was written by Imtiaz
Dharkar, a famous poetess. She is a feminist. Usually poetry is written when
the poet feels something, a thing, a person, an incident etc. Here the poetess
might have felt sorry for the women being discriminated and harassed by in-laws
and others at that time. But it is evident to day itself. Hence the poem
reflects the hardships and discrimination that the women have been facing all
the way.
This
poem depicts the scene of the woman life after marriage at in-law’s house. The reasons
might be different for the torture she faced. In 19th and 20th
century such incidents were common in the middle class families. Now the
education might have given women a better life. But the gender discrimination
and harassment on woman is an evident now a day too. But it has taken some
other ways.
Regarding
the poem it is completed in few stanzas.
This morning she bought green 'methi'
in the market, choosing
the freshest bunch;
The first two lines of
the poem talk about the selection of the freshest bunch of the green methi in
the market. Here it is common that everyone love to buy fresh vegetable for
meal. Sometimes it might be happened that to buy some stale or damaged
vegetable. But here for this antagonist of the poem is to be more careful for
her buying because she is to answer for what she bought.
picked up a white radish,
imagined the crunch it would make
between her teeth, the sweet sharp taste,
then put it aside, thinking it an extravagance,
Usually it is common to buy vegetable for the food to
eat. You can recall that buying of carrot to eat raw. But in this poem the
woman thought that it was an extravagance. She just imagined the crunch of the
white radish and the sweet sharp taste when it is tasted. And she did not buy
the radish. Here we have to think it over. Why did she think of extravagance?
Is it really extravagance to buy a radish? Is the family of the woman too poor
to buy a white radish? Is she worried of buying at her will? Did she have any
financial right to buy it? Here I think she might have not gotten any financial
freedom in her in-law’s home. She might have frightened for the consequences to
face if she bought it. Hence she thought that it was an extravagance.
counted her coins
out carefully, tied them, a small bundle
into her sari at the
waist;
Do you
consider the coins more worthy when you visit a market? No, we don’t worry
about the coins we just put them in pocket casually. Why do you think she
counted the coins carefully? Yes, she might have not got any financial freedom
to do at her will. She might be responsible for every coin she brought and
spent. Hence she would be afraid of losing anything and counted them carefully
and placed them securely.
came home, faced her mother-in-law's
dark looks, took
These
lines reveal why she worried in the market and just imagined the taste and
crunch of the white radish rather than buying it. The dark looks suggest that
her mother in-law was angry, unfriendly and suspicion her daughter-in-law. The
reason for this might be the less dowry she brought, illiteracy of the people,
gender bias, ego of the people etc. Think of the other possible reasons for
mother-in-law’s dark looks.
the leaves and chopped them,
her hands stained yellow from the juice;
cut an onion, fine and cooked
the whole thing in the pot
over the stove,
shielding her face from
the heat.
These
lines tell us that she is quite skillful in cooking things. But naturally women
are delicate physically than the men. Hence she’s shielding her face from the
heat of the stove physically and the heat of the mental torture she’s facing.
The usual words came and beat
their wings against her: the money spent,
curses heaped upon her parents,
who had sent her out
to darken other people's
doors.
Why
these usual? That reveals that it is a routine and regular thing that she has
to face such humiliation everyday from her in-laws. The words that are
scolding, criticism and curses are common for her. Why they beat their wings? The
curses beat the heart and the soul of the woman and her parents as well.
She crouched, as usual, on the floor
beside the stove,
When the man came home
she did not look into his face
nor raise her head; but bent
her back a little more.
Nothing gave her the right
to speak.
`Why is
it as usual? Because it’s a common and regular thing that she crouches whenever
she is humiliated behind the stove and feels herself never counter her in-laws.
Generally women, married, will get energy when they are with husband but here
he too unfriendly with her. Hence she bent her back little more when he enters
the scene. Even she doesn’t speak as she has not got any right to do so.
She watched the flame hiss up
and beat against the cheap old pot,
a wing of brightness
against its blackened
cheek.
This
stanza reveals that they are middle class family and stimulates the protagonist
to think over her situation. The flame’s hiss up may be compared to the
in-law’s unfriendly nature and the torture she faced and the cheap old pot is
the woman herself.
This was the house she had been sent to,
the man she had been bound to,
the future she had been
born into.
This
stanza tells that she is in deep thought on her situation. How she was sent to
this house, the man she married to and the future she has to be. Now she is
serious about her future.
So when the kerosene was thrown
(just a moment of surprise,
A brilliant spark)
It was the only choice
that she had ever known.
This
stanza is typically organized by the poetess. It deals with the ending life of
the antagonist. The first line in this stanza is written in passive form
without the doer of the action. Whether kerosene is thrown by in-laws or
herself is not clear. Here the kerosene was thrown but we couldn’t find who did
it. The poetess let the reader to interpret. If it is thrown herself why the
word ‘surprise’ is used? If it is by in-laws, why ‘the only choice’ is used? It
is to be imagined by the reader’s perception.
Another torch, blazing in the dark.
Another woman.
We shield our faces from the heat.
This
stanza concludes the poetry. It says that another woman is burnt to cinders in
the dark. The phrase ‘in the dark’ tells that it is concealed and unknown to
others for how it is happened. The phrase ‘Another Woman’ depicts that there
happened the same for many women in the past and now one more and how many yet
to be. But the people around shield themselves that they do know nothing about
it even it’s happened after their house. We, the society, never feel guilt and
ashamed of it.
Typically
this poem dealt with the hardships of the middle class women rights even not to
speak. It is really a fantastic poem in the field of poetry in feminism. But
there must be a different ending rather losing another woman. She has to give
hope for the women to face the situation at least becoming a rival at the end I
suppose.
Thanks
for reading.
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