Muliebrity

By: Sujata Bhatt

Historical basis:

During the late 60s the market of agricultural products was booming and boosted the economy in India. The production of agricultural products began to take place in the Urban areas of India since new scientific methods and techniques were used and eventually, were proven successful. Because of this, the farmers in the rural areas were left out and fell deeper below the line of poverty.

Background of the poet

Summary of the Poem

Born: 6th May 1956 Sujata Bhatt grew up in Pune, India and migrated to USA in 1968. Living in a country with a culture completely different towards the culture she was surrounded with in India. Because this drastic change in cultures and society this stirred a lot of mixed feelings and nostalgia.

Muliebrity, depicts the story of a young village girl of a lower class at the time. A representation of the empowering actions and duties the girl carries throughout a normal day in her life. This poem is a representation of the horrific truth of our worlds social contracts and how it must be dismantled in order to eliminate the very concept of a hierarchy of people and the labels dubbed onto them by society. Even at a time where Women weren’t given the respect they deserve. Bhatt still confidently calls out the many big flaws of society.

Critical analysis Checklist:

Title/Author/Date	Muliebrity, written during the 60’s by World renowned poet, Sujata Bhatt. A log of memories in the form of a poem talking about the importance of equality and the truth about women empowerment.
Subject	Describes the routine of a young girl living in India during the 1950’s. Takes you through the routine of a poor girl living in the rural area.
Theme/Concern	The merging ideas and concept of Women’s right and equality came into action during the 1960s, and that was the timeframe of the poem itself. Because of this, it connotes the theme, ‘Women empowerment’ at its beginning stages in India.
Speaker/Speaker situation	The narrator speaks as if there is a personal connection between the Girl and her, this is shown through the recollection of memories through the phrase … ‘I have thought so much’. The speaker’s situation roots from a place of a relationship of some sort between the girl and narrator.
Tone	The tone and theme go hand in hand. The poem is narrated in an empowering tone to contribute to the development of the theme and messages as the poem does deeper into the poem.
Form	The refusal to forget the girl explains the structure of the poem itself. The poem is only one stanza and it doesn’t just contribute to the ideal of the flow of memories, but it also represents the train of thought for the narrator, connoting the belief that inconsistency leads to the memories being forgotten rather than remembered (the memory of the girl specifically).
Vocabulary	*Explained in page 2*
Imagery	The phrase ‘and the Radhavallabh temple in Maninagar.’ As aforementioned emphasizes the personal connection between the narrator and the girl since the Narrator illustrates the memory rather than describe it which helps to convince the reader.
Rhythm/Rhyme	There is no consistent use of rhyme since the poet wants all of the focus to be driven onto the girl which is narrated in the poem. This is explicitly stated when the narrator talks about the glory of the girl.
Personal Response	This poem confidently calls out the flaws in society in various aspects and how we must resolve these large and many flaws in order to help our world to become a better place.