Introduction of the Poem: Taken from Kamala Das’ collection of poems, Summer in Calcutta (1965), this poem is wholly autobiographical. It may be called a confessional poem because here the poet takes the reader into confidence with regard to strictly personal and private matters. An Introduction shows Kamala Das’ candour in dealing with sex, with … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: Whenever she went and wherever she lived, Kamala Das looked back to the happy days spent in her grandmother’s company with nostalgia and yearning. In this poem, published in Summer in Calcutta in 1965, Kamala Das recalls the landscape of Kerala. Others may be annoyed by heat, dust and noise, but … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: It seems that the poet’s grandmother showered a lot of love and affection on the young Kamala Das as a growing child. She is often remembered in her poetry, as in, My Grandmother’s House and A Hot Noon in Malabar. In this poem, Kamala Das recalls the house where she once … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: In this dramatic monologue a Buddhist addresses someone in Chicago a person who is sympathetic to Buddhism. Ramanujan lived most of his life in Chicago, though he was born in Mysore. Critical Summary: The speaker here has some practical advice to give to his listener. He urges the man in … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: “Self – Portrait”, one of Ramanujan’s obscure poems, is puzzling, even bewildering. The speaker in the poem is unable to identify himself when he looks into a mirror but when he looks into the shop windows; he sees the portrait of a stranger with his father’s signature in the corner. … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: In this poem, a young woman recalls how she would sit on a swing when she was four or five years old with her cousin, who was six or seven. Now she looks for swings in the suburb of a city and is filled with desire for her cousin. Critical … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: “Breaded Fish” is based on the poet’s actual experience as a boy when his mother had thrust a piece of breaded (roasted) fish into his mouth. Though eager to eat it, he could not do so because he suddenly recollected the sight of a half – naked dead woman lying on … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: The Striders, taken from Ramanujan’s first volume of poetry The Striders (1966), is a short poem of fifteen lines. Most of the lines consist of just one or two words in this poem. Critical Summary: The poem describes the behaviour of a certain kind of water bug. It shows Ramanujan’s … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: “After Reading a Prediction” has been taken from Ezekiel’s Collected Poems (1989). It is about the daily, weekly, monthly or annual forecasts of various zodiac signs published in newspapers and magazines, and describes the poet’s reaction as well as resolve as he reads a prediction about his own zodiac sign. … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: This poem appears in Ezekiel’s Collected Poems (1989). It is about a woman who ensnares and discards men, regardless of how deeply they love her. She is a sorceress who attracts men and the poet, despite his reservations, is drawn to her . It appears as if she is keeping a … Read more