An Introduction
- Written by Kamala Das, one of India’s boldest poets.
- It is a confessional poem, she talks honestly about her life, her struggles, pain and her feelings as a woman.
- The poem is autobiographical in tone but also universal → her “I” stands for all women.
- Written in free verse (no rhyme scheme, no strict meter).
Politics & Power:
In the beginning of the poem, Kamala Das says she does not understand politics. However, she only knows the names of the people in power, like started with Nehru the first Prime Minister of India, and can repeat them the way one recites the days of the week or the months of the year. By saying this, she shows that politics is something distant and meaningless to her personal life. Instead, she is more interested in expressing her own identity and experiences as a woman.
Childhood and Early Identity:
“I am Indian, very brown, born in Malabar”
Kamala Das begins by openly declaring her identity. She proudly accepts her nationality Indian, her skin colour brown, and her birthplace Malabar, Kerala. By saying this, she shows she is not ashamed of who she is. Instead, she embraces her roots with authenticity and confidence.
Language and Expression:
Kamala Das says that although English is not her mother tongue, still she uses it with ease because it comes naturally to her. She doesn’t care much about following strict grammar rules; what matters to her is that she can express her feelings, longings, joys, hopes, emotions, and identity through english. She believes language is not about being “perfect” but about being honest and true to one’s self. She claims English as her own language, giving it an Indian touch makes it funny perhaps, but it that expression is more important than correctness.
Role of Women in Society:
Kamala Das recalls her childhood, when she didn’t realize the differences between men and women. As a little girl, she recalls her adolescent age when she used to play and talk freely, without shame or restrictions. But when she grew up, society reminded her of her gender. She was told how a woman should behave:
- To act like a girl, not like a boy.
- To follow social norms of femininity.
- To follow traditions, marriage, and social rules.
This shift from childhood innocence to adult restrictions shows the loss of freedom women face when society imposes roles on them.
Marriage and Loss of Identity :
When Kamala Das speaks about marriage, she shows how it became a source of pain instead of love. She was sixteen when she got married, and her individuality was suppressed.
- She expected love, mutual understanding, and freedom.
- But Instead, she was treated only as a sexual partner.
- Her husband didn’t value her emotions at all, he only saw her through the lens of physical desire, he uses her only for his own physical desire.
- This made her feel trapped, lonely, and unheard.
Through this, Kamala Das highlights how marriage in a patriarchal society often takes away a woman’s identity and traps them in a loop.
Breaking Gender Norms:
She then describes her attempts at breaking gender norms in a patriarchal dominant society. She cut her hair short, wore men’s clothing, and tried to ignored her womanliness, but society mocked her again. People advised her to be a “good woman” a wife, a mother, an obedient daughter-in-law. But she rejects these narrow roles, insisting that she cannot be confined to society’s boxes. She highlights the double standards of patriarchy:
- If she embraced her femininity, she was judged.
- If she rejected it, she was still judged.
The real point: Kamala Das shows that a woman can never fully please society so she chooses to live on her own terms.
Climax and Universal Identity:
The poem ends with a powerful climax. She remembers meeting a man and loving him, but instead of naming him, she calls him “every man.” For her, men represent restless desire (rivers), while women represent patient depth (oceans). She expands her “I” into a universal identity she is sinner and saint, beloved and betrayed, one who feels joy, shame, loneliness, and even death.
In this ending, Kamala Das declares that her identity is not limited to gender or society’s labels. Her “I” is both personal and universal it belongs to her as an individual woman, and it also belongs to all of humanity.
Essence of the Poem:
An Introduction is Kamala Das’s courageous self-portrait honest and rebellious poem. She tears apart the role’s society gives women, embraces her flaws and strengths, and claims the right to define herself in her own words. An Introduction is a landmark poem in Indian English literature. Written in a confessional mode, like Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton in the West. It lays bare the poet’s personal pain, loneliness, marriage, desire, struggles but at the same time speaks for women at large. By rejecting patriarchal norms and reclaiming her voice, Kamala Das anticipates the rise of feminist writing in India, making this poem not only autobiographical in tone but also a manifesto of women’s selfhood.
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File Details:
PDF Name : An Introduction - Kamala Das
Language : English
Size : 617 KB
No. of Pages : 3
Download Link : Click Here To Download
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