Prepared by: Maulik B. Bhatt,

Roll No: 03,

M.A. Part – I, Semester- II,

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University,

Bhavnagar.

8th of March, 2011.

An Introduction, A Confessional Poem

by Kamala Das

• Distinction between

autobiographical and confessional

One that contains many A private statement that a person

makes,

of the writer’s own experiences. admitting that they are

guilty of a crime.

• Confessional poem - poem replete with autobiographical details.

e.g., An Introduction

•Characteristics of her Confessional Poem.

“I don’t know politics but I know the names

Of those in power and can repeat them like

Days of week, or names of months, beginning with Nehru.”

“Don’t write in English, they said, English is

Not your mother-tongue. Why not leave

Me alone, critics, friends, visiting cousins,

Every one of you?...”

Patriarc

hy

revolted

against

English as her

medium of

expression –

not accepted.

“I met a man, loved him. Call

Him not by any name, he is every man

Who wants a woman, just as I am every

Woman who seeks love.”

“I too call myself I.”

• Conclusion.

The principal

preoccupation of

Kamala Das's

poetry.

Self –identity

Acknowledgement…

My sincere thanks to Dilip Sir(for giving me the books

when it is almost a time to return them), to Devarshi Sir,

to Jay Sir, and to Ruchira Mam for their undeniably

unconventional approach in this sort of stuff.

My special thanks to Devarshi Sir who conveyed us the

true sense of the poem without any sort of hesitation.

My very special thanks to all my sisters for discussing

with me the concerned topic very frankly.