I Am Not that Women, Poem by Kishwar Naheed Summary Essay Example

I Am Not that Women, Poem by Kishwar Naheed: Summary Paper Summary of I Am Not that Women (Essay) The poems I am not that women by Kishwar Naheed and women work by Mayo Angelou show the struggles of two black women from different cultures. Compare and contrast the two womens experiences. The two poems I am not that women by Kishwar Naheed and Women Work by Mayo Angelou are two examples of how black women were treated in these days. The poems come from two different backgrounds but each have similarities and differences. In this essay, I intend to compare and contrast the two poems to hopefully give a better understanding of the two poems, and show how the two women faced exploitation and oppression. The purpose of these poems is to highlight the lives and difficulties of women from other cultures and traditions. Poetry is the chosen medium for these two writers, it gave them a way to express there true feelings and opinions without the fear of getting abused for sharing them. Mayo Angelou is a highly respected and educated black American who is writing about the daily struggle of a working class woman. Her escape is her mind, her flight of fantasy, as she pleads to another women (mother nature) to release her. Kishwar Naheed is also a highly educated, successful woman who takes on the customs and traditions of her Asian background. Main Theme of the Poem I Am Not that Women We will write a custom essay sample on I Am Not that Women, Poem by Kishwar Naheed: Summary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on I Am Not that Women, Poem by Kishwar Naheed: Summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on I Am Not that Women, Poem by Kishwar Naheed: Summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This poem I am not that women tells of the difficulties that a particular women faces in her struggle against a male dominated society (patriarchal). I am not that women is a poem by Kishwar Naheed, it displays the issues of discrimination against women and how men treated them. The title of this poem is a strong positive sentence I am not that women she (whether it be the poet or a made up women) is not the usual women who is treated harshly by men, she is the women who is going to stand up for the right of equal-ness! This gives the poem a bit of authority at the start. The stanzas are not of any regular pattern, the first stanza consists of 6 lines where as some of them are run on lines. The first stanza starts with I am which Is repeated variously around the poem, this gives a strong voice across to give enthusiasm to I am so the reader remembers this statement. It also gives the impression that this women is a person and she does exist, its stating a positive fact. I am is followed by selling you socks and shoes this is here to point out that she isnt just here for the mans benefit, to be here just to get the mans shoes and socks for them but here for their own benefit, to enjoy themselves. This sentence is ended with a exclamation mark, this is used for effect to give the sense of a strong statement being made. Another strong statement that is used throughout the poem is remember me this is again her plea to extinguish her existence. She is making herself the subject of this poem by always bringing herself into the topic remember me and I am. This statement remember me is followed by I am the one you hid in your walls of stone suggesting that this man that the poem is aimed at is trapping her at home and making her do the house work. not knowing that my voice cannot be smothered by stone although she is stuck in this house she will be heard no matter what and she makes the point of saying this. I am is again used at the beginning of stanza 2 but in a different way. The difference is a positive statement where she is recognises that she is an individual who cannot be abused. Instead of stating that she is the women, she states she isnt the women who was crushed by custom and tradition This statement recognises that men can treat women in an appalling manner knowing full well that men have the right to treat women how they wish. The word crushed is a very strong harsh verb, which shows the strengths of the oppression. Custom and tradition is being introduced in this stanza with the weight of custom and tradition she has no one or no where to turn to, the men in society can crush as every man does as its the custom and tradition to do so. This is another sign of entrapment and discrimination. The poet uses imagery in this stanza to again bring across the effects of this kind of treatment that light cannot be hidden in darkness this is a metaphor of light against dark. Light is a representive of the light of knowledge showing that women will one day break out of this trap and see the potential they can reach. After this proclamation remember me is repeated, another sign to draw attention to her plight, asking the men to remember her. There is a use of sexual imagery that reflects the tension between being loved and being owned. The imagery of flowers I am the one in whose lap you picked flowers and planted thorns and embers shows as she feels she has being picked, enjoyed for her beauty and thrown away. The word chains in this sentence show how she is chained, locked in her house only there for the use of men. Smother is another harsh verb that is used like crushed in stanza one bringing the feeling of death and entrapment. She could feel claustrophobic, she is stuck in this house twenty four seven only for the enjoyment of the man. This stanza as well as others uses short sharp lines for effect, this is here to represent how abruptly she says this, how quick she wants to say this and forget about the hurt she is facing. Repition again is used as an opening for stanza three with I am This stanza is aimed at how she feels she is being bought and then sold off, how she feels dirty because of this. Whom you bought and sold you can tell this women is educated by the language she uses in this sentence whom. In the name of my own chastity this man has obviously used her for sex, took her virginity off her and then thrown it back in her face. The value of virginity in Asian countries at this time was very strong. Women tended to keep there virginity until they were with the person they loved and wanted to spend the rest of there lives with, so being treated like this with a thing as precious as virginity has made this women so angry, made her feel like nothing, like dirt on the floor, but with all the trouble hes causing her she gets back up to fight again that I can walk on water when I am drowning Before this sentence she refers to the man as him not knowing that she is this strong that she can get back up when pushed down not knowing. Stanza four is different to any of the other stanzas, the poet is now addressing a different man, her father. I am the one you married off to get rid of a burden this tells us how she has being married off by her father so he doesnt have the responsibilities of her, this was called dowry, where the father of a women paid a man to marry her. The word burden is a common noun which is used to describe a thing, this women isnt a thing though, she is a person with her own personality her own freedom, her own way of living. The poet is always fighting with the thoughts of these men by using I am not and not knowing suggesting they dont know whats right and who she is. She uses not knowing again that a nation of captive minds cannot be free to suggest that this man and all other men are trapping these women and using them for indecent purposes. Stanza 5 ends the poem but with a slight change at the end. The word commodity is used at the beginning of this stanza to make out shes a thing that people trade in when they arent satisfied. My chastity, my motherhood, my loyalty There is no love shown here, this women is only wanted for her pureness, her ability to make children and her loyalty as a wife. This line follows off with a referral to stanza 2 now it is time for me to flower free this is stating she isnt going to keep being used for something as precious as her pureness, shes going to keep that special and keep it for someone who can treat it with the right respect. The perspective of the poem changes here with the use of alliteration and imagery of flowers, she is making a stand, setting her standards for the use of not just herself, but for women universal. The last 3 lines of this stanza tell the audience how she is making her peace the women on that poster, half-naked, selling socks and shoes she was that women who was bought and sold but now she is breaking free no no I am not that women this is a strong positive ending making it feel triumphant. The punctuation used here is for effect to make the poem move. The poem Women Work by Mayo Angelou expresses a more personal point of view towards work and life where as in I am not that women Naheed is writing for universal women in equality and Oppression that she sees from her own personal point of view. Mayo Angelou is writing from her own feelings, her own daily life and very narrow perspective. The poem Women Work by Mayo Angelou is about black women in rural living conditions and explains the work done by a woman. The poem starts with a tedious list of jobs using no punctuation to make the reading of the poem fast to reflect the pace of the day. This also show the types of work she has to do, including back breaking ones the cane to cut. This is a sing song effect to make this easy to read, as there is no time for detail with the amount of work she has to do, this stanza also includes rhyming couplets again to make it an easy read. The repetition of pro noun I reinforces how much she has to do in a day. This builds up a feeling of repition, tediousness and routine. The poet uses colloquial expressions to show nationality in this stanza with I gotta clean up this hut this too shows nationality with the word hut. This stanza reveals quite a lot about the women and her daily life, but this stanza is different to the others. The rhythm, structure and rhyme all change in stanza 2. The rhyme scheme is now ABCB, where instead off rhyming couplets we have the 2nd line rhyming with the 4th line. The rhythm changes as it goes a lot slower now, she is now describing what she wants not what she has to do. These changes are made when she begins to appeal for peace from routine, she wants this time to go slow thats why the rhythm has changed and isnt all fast like the first stanza. This stanza and the following refer to nature shine on me, sunshine rain on me , rain fall softly, dewdrops and cool my brow again She wants nature to cool her down to relax her, suggesting she is hot and bothered. She uses alliteration in her requests to bring across the amount of relaxment she wishes for. Its the same in the next three stanzas, each uses a part of nature to represent the feeling of harmony she wants. Stanza 3 uses the imagery of wind with storm, blow me from here with your fiercest wind let me float across the sky til I can rest again this shows an imagery of death with let me float across the sky til I can rest again, she doesnt want the hassle anymore of work she wants to rest and be peaceful without the stress of work. The next stanza is imagery of ice and snowflakes fall gently, snowflakes cover me with white cold icy kisses and let me rest tonight this also again has imagery of death with cold icy kisses suggesting the kiss of death put her to sleep again so she doesnt have to suffer with the overload of work any more. Nature is her friend, this is a positive image of the snow kisses this is a repeated request for coolness. Alliteration is used to emphaysis this request for coolness. Cold icy kisses, almost a sadness in her words. These lines show she craves relaxation. The last verse another list of natural elements sun, rain, curving sky mountain, oceans, leaf and stone star shine, moon glow this lists the natural elements. Life is just a routine a list of chores to do. Everyday is structured by the harsh reality of life. Very poetic language is used in its appeal, she looks to nature to ease her life. This is dreamlike vision. The only thing she can turn to is nature youre all that I can call my own she cannot call anything her own as she posses nothing but as the weather is neutral she can call it her own as its the only thing not giving her any stress! I have analysed these two poems and found a lot of similarities and differences between them both. Both poems come from different backgrounds and even though they are aimed at the same type of problem they come from very different perspectives. Women Work is a more personal point of view where as I am not that women is writing for universal women and sticking up for the rights of others. I Am Not that Women: Conclusion v The tone of both poems is very different as well I am not that women is a more strong voice with attitude and harshness whereas Women Work is more mellow but frustrated, this women is giving feelings of her daily lifestyle and the sadness she is being put through, she gives wishes as well, things she wants to feel. Both of these poems included metaphors, repition and alliteration for effect of feeling emotions. Women Work uses rhyming couplets and a ABCB rhyme scheme, which is not used in I am not that women, this poem goes without rhyme. The stanza length varies in each poem but Women Work has a regular pattern after stanza one with ABCB. I like theses two poems, I prefer I am not that women as it is more aggressive while Women Work relaxes near the middle and doesnt show as much anger towards the men of society. Times have changed in the last 60 years, Women are now not as discriminated as they used to be, men have more respect for them. It is to poets like Mayo Angelou and Kishwar Naheed that give us a sense of how women were treated and how times have changed for the better.

Hamlet - Critical Analysis

Hamlet - Critical Analysis Free Online Research Papers Why is Shakespeare considered to be one of the greatest playwrights of his time? Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era and had to write for an Elizabethan audience and theater. By todays standards, this was no picnic in the park. Under those circumstances, he wrote some of the greatest works in history. These works, still popular today, prove him to be a consummate dramatist. Shakespeare knew how to craft dramatic scenes full of external and internal conflict and emotion, something the Elizabethan audience delighted in; he also intertwined superstitions of this era and pageantry, which the Elizabethans also loved. Shakespeare creates external conflict between opposing characters to build tension onstage. When Hamlet and King Claudius interact in the second scene of Act I, tension builds: But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son- A little more than kin, and less than kind. How is it that the clouds still hang on you? Not so, my lord, I am too much Ithsun. (1.2.65-68). While Queen Gertrude and Hamlet are heatedly discussing the unlawful marriage to Claudius, more tension builds between Hamlet and his mother: Have you forgot me? No, by the rood, not so. You are the Queen, your husbands brothers wife, and, would it were not so, you are my mother. (3.4.15-18). Shakespeare also creates internal conflict within Hamlet himself, using revenge, and a common theme of that time. It was expected of playwrights of the Elizabethan era to write plays containing the motive of revenge. He struggled with the decision to write Hamlet as a revenge play, and it is evident in the play that in Hamlets To be or not to be soliloquy which parallels Shakespeares ambivalence about the theme of the play: To be or not to be, that is the question: Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remembered. (3.1.63-78) Hamlet wants revenge when he thinks of his mother and her incestuous marriage to Claudius: Haste me to knowt, tha t I with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to revenge. (1.5.33-35). Hamlet doesnt want revenge when he sees King Claudius vulnerable while praying: Now might I do it pat, now he is a-praying. And now Ill do it. And so he goes to heaven; And so I am revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. (3.3.76-83). Shakespeare whips up the emotion onstage by incorporating the conflict and tension between Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, his mother, and King Claudius, his uncle stepfather. Kinship and inheritance are very strong themes in Hamlet. Hamlets excessive emotion is focused on Gertrudes sexual relations with Claudius. Because their marriage is unlawful according to the era and it deprives Hamlet of his rightful succession (Jardine 39). According to the table of affinity, unlawful marriages that would conflict with possible inheritance would be, a mans marriage to his fathers wife, his uncles wife, his fathers wifes daughter (his sister), his brothers wife (i.e. Claudius and Gertrude), or his wifes sister (Jardine 40). Although none of these are blood ties, each creates questions over inheritance. In Hamlets case, his uncle Claudius marriage to his mother threatens his claim to inheritance. Hamlet, when talking alone with his mother, exclaims: Nay but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty! (3.4.100-104). Hamlet, in a soliloquy, says to himself: O, within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O most wicked speed! To post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets! (1.2.155-159). Shakespeare uses beliefs and superstitions of the era to entertain and relate to his audience. Realizing the rift between Catholics and Protestants in his day, Shakespeare requests his audience to a belief in ghosts as a major necessity to understanding the play. Catholics, at the time, believed that ghosts came from purgatory and were the souls of the departed (Bloom 24), while Protestants believed that ghosts came from hell and were the devil who had assumed the shape and appearance of the dead (Bloom 24). While Marcellus, Horatio, and Barnardo are on guard duty, they spot King Hamlets ghost: But soft, behold. Lo, where it comes again. Ill cross it though it blast me. Stay illusion: For which, they say, you spirits off walk in death. (1.1.139-140; 152). When a scene like the previous, occurred onstage, Shakespeare let his audience know the ghost from everyone else by having the ghosts costume be in a ghostly fashion. Ghosts were trained to speak in a slow, high-pitched, portentous tone (Charney 25); whether or not the ghost was wailing while moving onstage is unknown (Muir and Schoenbaum 35). Pageantry and military content is something else Elizabethans expected to appear in their plays. Elizabethans loved blood and gore. This gave Shakespeare a good basis to incorporate this theme into Hamlet: The play begins on guard; Denmark is a warlike state; in Act III, scene IV in the event in which Hamlet kills Polonius displays a bloody and grotesque picture. Staging and scenery were very important concepts for Shakespeare when writing a play. In early years of Shakespeares time, plays were performed for audiences in courtyards of city inns and for upper class, in the great halls of institutions (Lamb 12). This concept didnt apply to Shakespeare when writing Hamlet; public theaters were built and being used. They plays staging actions and written text are a combination of courtyards, halls, and public theater stages (Lamb 12). The conventions of soliloquy allow characters to address the audience directly, outside of the dialogue form (Charney 39). The construction of Shakespeares apron stage helped to give soliloquy its complete efficiency. On this large stage that extended all the way into the middle of the pit, an actor could come downstage to address the spectators in a tone of confidence (Charney 39). Due to limitations in lighting in Elizabethan England, Shakespeare used certain theatrical conventions to accommodate these circumstances so that his audience would know what time of day or night it was; torches were brought onstage; candles were lit; poetry was used to describe the time and setting. Barnardo, arriving to guard the tower, says to Francisco: Tis now struck twelve. Get thee to bed, Francisco. (1.1.7). Barnardo says to Horatio and Marcellus of when the ghost left at daybreak: It was about to speak when the cock crew. (1.1.164). In Shakespearean theater, a scene does not necessarily take place in a certain geographical place. It is described by the words of the actors. Very little was done to create the illusion of a place. Painted, movable scenery was not in general use until the end of the seventeenth century, so that the understanding of a scene as a location does not hold for Elizabethan drama (Charney 95). To overcome this obstacle, Shakespeare lets his audience know the setting by the words of his characters. He defines the setting, Denmark, in the words of the men on guard in the opening scene of Act I. Without the requirements of located places, Shakespeares scenes can move easily into each other in an uninterrupted sequence. There isnt any need for changing scenes; any needed props were thrust onto the stage. Shakespeares plays maintain a quick pace, unimaginable in a modern production (i.e. Hamlet was completed in two hours). The advantage to having such a short play is that the dramatic effect can be intensified and the audience is able to feel the full effect of the climax. Players in the Elizabethan era were of vast importance to the outcome of the play. Shakespeare displays this importance in Hamlet with references to the players of that time. The entire scene ii of Act III is based on the players and the play that Hamlet has rewritten to be performed for the King. Also in this scene is mention of Shakespeares rivalry, The Lord Admirals Men. Shakespeare mentions, too, the children players of the Black friar theater; they were harsh competition then. Rosencrantz says to Hamlet while discussing players and the theater: there is, sir, and eyrie of children. (2.2.336). When Shakespeare sat down to write his plays, he knew the limitations that he was faced with, limitations that modern-day authors would have a hard time accepting; yet, he leaps over these walls and presents us with masterpieces of art. Due to scenery and staging complications, there werent any breaks between scenes, as there are in todays productions. To Shakespeare, these types of scenes made no difference, they were just numbers of different groupings of, people carrying on the actions of the play (Lamb 13). The exact origins of Hamlet are unknown, but it is believed that Shakespeare cut, pasted, and edited tales before his time that resembled Hamlet. One story can be traced back to the Danish chronicle of Saxo Grammaticus (thirteenth century). This account was printed in Latin in 1514 (Lamb 14-15). Another version of Hamlet is Belleforests Historic Tragiques of 1582; this version is based on Saxo with a few minor changes. It was translated into English in 1608 as The Historic of Hamlet (Lamb 15). It is believed that Shakespeare was familiar with both Saxo and Belleforest’s tale of Hamlet; his only son was christened Hamnet in 1585 (Hamnet is one spelling of Hamlet) (Lamb 15). Another origin of the name Hamlet is believed to be from a young girl, Katherine Hamlett, who drowned near Stratford when Shakespeare was, sixteen. Her drowning occurred under circumstances very similar to those of Ophelia (Bloom 96). Similarities between the Earl of Essex (Shakespeares supposed lover) and Hamlet have also been commonly pointed out (Bloom 96). Shakespeare, as a dramatist, uses many different literature elements in his plays. The story of Hamlet came out in the seventh century, but in Shakespeares version, Hamlet attends Wittenberg, a university founded in 1502 (Lamb 18-19). Shakespeare uses irony and dramatic irony: In scene iii of Act III, Hamlet thinks Claudius is kneeling to make his peace with God, but actually, Claudius is realizing that he cant repent and evil is the only path for him. The King says to Laertes: O, That we are made of stuff so flat and dull. (4.3.33). Although faced with the many great challenges that playwrights faced in the Elizabethan era, Shakespeare proves himself worthy of the Elizabethan audience and also shows that he is a consummate dramatist in that his works are still being read and performed today. Research Papers on Critical Analysis of HamletLegalization of Same Sex MarriagesConflict Resolution TacticsThe Story of Beatrix PotterHenderson the Rain KingBooker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-BarnettThe Broken FamilyEmmett Till BiographyMy Writing ExperienceThe Gnostic JesusAmerican Central Banking and Oil