Denial and Acceptance of Self: Study of Kamala Das’s Selected Poems and “My Story”

Abstract

Indian English poets are part of a glorious and long tradition of Indian English writing, which has 150 years long history. In Indo-Anglian poetry, Kamala Das is the first Indian woman poet who not only wrote extensively about the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated society but also openly wrote about female sexuality, gender ideas, the desire of modern and the position of women in the Indian context. Her poetry deals with a wide range of global concerns. She exposes how the patriarchal culture always tries to rule and try to emotionally control a woman in the name of love and responsibility. Through her poetry and autobiography, she presents the world via the eyes of women, who are portrayed in a variety of positions, such as wife, lover, mother, and daughter, each of which has its unique requirements and viewpoints. She assumes all the roles channels her traumatic experience and uses fantasy to portray the feelings, relationships, and desperation of several other Indian women. This paper aims to analyze Kamala Das's poetry and biography through the lens of feminism, exploring the theme of the discovery of self and acceptance in the context of a patriarchal society. The study also explores the poetic techniques explored by Kamala Das to express the idea of emotion, and woman sexuality. Additionally, this paper also investigates the influence of Kamala Das's personal traumatic experience and identity formation on her poetic expression and the development of her feminist consciousness. Keywords: Global concern, emotional abuse, the discovery of self, traumatic experience, identity formation, patriarchal culture, feminist consciousness.