Thematic and Linguistic Analysis of Imtiaz Dharker’s Poem “Purdah” and “Postcards from God”
Abstract
Marginalization, by definition, has been a frequently discussed term. The world has been divided into binaries and one facet of those sides is usually privileged over the “OTHER.” For instance, in the male/female dichotomy, males are favored over females which distances women from central attention and makes them a commodity. And when the world starts seeing a woman or a girl as an object, she seeks refuge and responds to their comments by taking recourse in “Purdah”. In Imtiaz Dharker's poem, the word “Purdah” is also used as a metaphor for a girl and woman to respond to people's negative thoughts and comments and retreat into their shells to be safe from disapproval and harm. “Purdah” is also used as an alienation to stop them from doing what they want to do. We can see the heartfelt desires of every woman in a male dominant society in the Indo-English poets, especially Imtiaz Dharker's works. The impact of her paintings adorn her poetry and the issues she holds so close to her and her heart are freedom, religious and social conflicts, and home exile. From the thematic and linguistic point of view, Dharker’s only concern is the use of diction, language, and treatment of all social, cultural, and political issues in terms of imagery and symbolism. The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly analyze the Imtiaz Dharker poems “Purdah” and “Postcard from God”.
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