I am not that Woman by Kishwar Naheed
I am not that woman
Selling you socks and shoes!
Remember me, I am the one you hid
In your walls of stone, while you roamed
Free as the breeze, not knowing
That my voice cannot be smothered by stones,
I am the one you crushed
With the weight of custom and tradition
Not knowing
That light cannot be hidden in darkness.
Remember me,
I am the one in whose lap
You picked flowers
And planted thorns and embers
Not knowing
That chains cannot smother my fragrance
I am the woman
Whom you bought and sold
In the name of my own chastity
Not knowing
That I can walk on water
When I am drowning.
I am the one you married off
To get rid of a burden
Not knowing
That a nation of captive minds
Cannot be free.
I am the commodity you traded in,
My chastity, my motherhood, my loyalty.
Now it is time for me to flower free.
The woman on that poster, half-naked, selling socks and shoes-
No, no, I am not that woman!
Selling you socks and shoes!
Remember me, I am the one you hid
In your walls of stone, while you roamed
Free as the breeze, not knowing
That my voice cannot be smothered by stones,
I am the one you crushed
With the weight of custom and tradition
Not knowing
That light cannot be hidden in darkness.
Remember me,
I am the one in whose lap
You picked flowers
And planted thorns and embers
Not knowing
That chains cannot smother my fragrance
I am the woman
Whom you bought and sold
In the name of my own chastity
Not knowing
That I can walk on water
When I am drowning.
I am the one you married off
To get rid of a burden
Not knowing
That a nation of captive minds
Cannot be free.
I am the commodity you traded in,
My chastity, my motherhood, my loyalty.
Now it is time for me to flower free.
The woman on that poster, half-naked, selling socks and shoes-
No, no, I am not that woman!
Kishwar Naheed is a famous poet from Pakistan. I'd like to hear your interpretation and analysis of this poem. What's the point she's making? What is the tone of the poem? Discuss the meaning of the metaphors, similes, analogies, and imagery she uses and what effect they have on the reader.
37 comments:
Wow. That is a strong poem, with such an amazing meaning behind it.
The main thing that drawed me in was "That light cannot be hidden in darkness.", because this sentence truly expressed the emotional relay to the reader, and the passion aimed with every word was incredible.
I really liked that poem, finding it interesting and deep with a meaning of rightenousness, of respect and power.
It really is a beautiful poem :) The message behind it is really very inspiring and through the words, you can actually feel the woman's passion, imagine what she's going through. When I narrate it in my mind, automatically, my mind's voice assumes a forceful, frustrated tone which strikes a cord so perfectly. It really does get the message across very well.
Like Mo said, it's about optimism and never giving up, fighting for YOUR rights. There's always light, even in the darkest of spaces - your mind just needs to be open enough to see it.
I loved this poem and everything it portrays, even if I can't relate to it very well.
(( Ughh, coherency, why hath thou forsaken me. ))
Nice poem :)
Hmm..
I think it's about how strong a woman can be but how the bonds of marriage and what it causes a woman to go through can lead to her being portrayed as weak.
She seems very firm about "not being the woman" who does what people expect her to, or want her to do.
"I am the one you crushed
With the weight of custom and tradition", these lines enhance how insistent she is on being allowed free. As she is from Pakistan, i'd say it was a duty for her to get married, and do what her nation and society wanted her to - but she was forced to do so, hence she's fighting for self freedom.
She seems jealous of the freedom of another, the lines " Remember me, I am the one you hid
In your walls of stone, while you roamed Free as the breeze, not knowing ", and this I would refer to as a man who's married her off and kept her hidden,within her own household to carry out her duty of being a housewife and a mother.
She seems rather against sexism, but mainly, the passionate tone she uses tells us she just wants to be free'd and doesn't want to live up to what others think she should
Good attempt there Tannya. You're reading the poem along the right lines. Mo, you're right, there's a lot of passion in the poem. Neiha, I agree, her frustration is evident in the poem - but so is her determination.
Absolutely brilliant! It summarises the same message that most girls in places such as India and Pakistan are trying to get across, only in a very beautiful and powerful way. The poet uses such amazingly strong words that we can almost hear her frustration in being bonded in a relationship that she hates, and also her determination to to acheive freedom.
As Moe said the lines
"That light cannot be hidden in the darkeness" conveys a very powerful and emotional message.
All in all, a fantastic poem. Just one question, was this originally written in urdu?
This poem is really pasionate. My interpretation of this poem is that it describes the life of a typical woman in many parts of the world who do not get their rights. They don't have thier freedom and are bound to their homes. "while you roamed, free as the breeze"She seems to be jealous of the freedom, probably her husband gets. "I am the commodity you traded", shows us that women in these parts of the world are considered as a product.
"I am the one in whose lap you picked flowers and planted thorns and embers". This phrase really grabbed my attention. It shows that the poet has almost been used. All the good from her has been sucked out and used, while sadness and terror have been given to her in return. "That chains cannot smother my fragrance". But she goes on to say, that no matter what the goodness within her cannot be removed. She talks about how she is forced to do somethings which she does not want to do. She describes how she was "crushed" by the weight of customs and traditions. She is thought to be a burden from her own family. She longs for freedom from her life.
This poem is very passionate, emotional and has a lot of meaning. Overall I believe the poem describes about how women who don't get their rights just long for freedom!
It shows us the how sad they feel and just want a simple thing that most of us take for granted.
Leah
I'm not sure if Kishwar Naheed writes in Urdu or if there is an Urdu version of this poem. But I know she writes poetry in English.
Agreeing with Mo on this one.
The poem is full of passion, sorrow, respect and power.
In my understanding the poet is trying to bring out a different a side to a "Paksitani Lady". One that does not do as she is expected as Tannya mentioned.
Kishawer Naheed has used some very strong and meaning-ful language in each verse , " I am the one you hid in your walls of stone, while you roamed Free as the breeze, not knowing that my voice cannot be smothered by stones." From what I gather, she is referring to being locked up by her husband while he lived free.
That was just one example, but one could analyse this poem for days upon end as it is full of powerful, meaningful language.
Beautiful. The line "That light cannot be hidden in darkness" was my favourite, because it has a glow of righteousness and divinity.
Very moving.
They say that "A picture is worth more than a thousand words" but I personally think "THEY" are wrong! Each sentece depicted so many colours of emotion, no picture could outdo that.
This poem is one of a frustrated tone.
Kishwar Naheed's freedom has been violated, and what really frustrates her is that she is underestimated. Her intelligence and her identity are not acknowledge, probably by her husband. We can tell that she feels unappreciated because she repeats "not knowing" in every stanza to reflect her husband's ignorance of what she's capable of and how determined she is not to give up her voice and what makes her unique.
A woman "selling socks and shoes" is someone we pay no attention to. This is how Naheed feels.Also, shoes specifically are seen as sign of disrespect if raised in front of someone's face in some cultures. She's been hidden in "walls of stone". She obviously feel suffocated, but "stones" is very harsh word to use to express the coldness and lifelessness, lack of love and happiness she feels.
She then uses "crushed" which can easily be referred back to the "Stone" image. The weight of custom and tradition lets us know that she's not necessarily speaking of a husband, but maybe a parent, who wouldn't be open minded or flexible enough to allow her to live her life fully because of conservatism and traditons.
Then she says "picked flowers and planted thorns and embers". In this case she;s speaking about all those she feels have destroyed her soul and crushed it. Comparing her soul to a field or garden which had been stripped from happiness and replaced with spite and hatred and hurt.
Then the poet goes on "I'm the woman you bought and sold / you married off to get rid of a burden". Here is where we do get the clue that is a spouse she's speaking of clearly because of the use of the word "married". But then again, bought and sold express how she feels like she's a materialistic object of no sentimental value to him. The "burden" is that of the obligation to be married.
Not knowing that "my voice cannot be smothered by stones/ light cannot be hidden in darkness/ chains cannot smother my fragrance/I can walk on water when I am drowning/ nation of captive minds cannot be free". These are all her won descriptions of her strength, intelligence, and persistence, those that seem unnoticed by everyone around her.
"The woman on that poster,half-naked, selling shoes and socks. No! No, I am not that woman".
This is where she makes it a point that she will not do what is typically expected of her , using a model in an ad poster as an image for what is expected of her: To be a beautiful woman, of perfect appearance, who serves a purpose.
Generally, it's a very strong poem. Kishwar Naheed addresses issues faced by a tremendous amount of young women out there fighting for recognition, appreciation and freedom. This poem is her call for people to walk in these young women's shoes.
A very beautiful and agonizing poem.
This poem shows what many women go through. Women aren’t allowed to do what they want… crushed by the weight of ‘customs and traditions’.
“I am the one in whose lap; you picked flowers, and planted thorns and embers”
This line was the most attractive line for me…
It showed that women are used and like Sonal said happiness is sucked from her and hatred and sadness is left for her.
i just did this test on feminism in sociology on Thursday and as soon as i read this poem i could so beautifully link things to it (:
this is one of the best poems i have read, it clearly shows the strength of woman and even though the society looks down upon her , it is she who builds one.The poet was successful to bring out the role of woman! i loved the poem
Wow.. she speaks about many problems in just one poem, such as the mentality of people in mostly indo-pak where daughters are (or used to be) considered burdens and yet she chastises them saying that they will never be free from the other burdens of the world that have made them captive. About slavery/prostituition about custom and tradition. Yet after stating the problems she sort of, shows that she overcomes them nontheless, she can't be contained. The one line that really struck me though, is when she said "That I can walk on water, even when I'm drowning", it's basically summarizing the fight between woman and society, that despite the fact that there have been severe problems, we can and have eventually overcome them. It's showing some really harsh realities of life as well as the torturous path many women have had to tread on previously... luckily that's not the case now (for a majority anyways).. but definately it's a veryy striking poem, and i feel that my analysis has barely touched the meaning, but I tried my best :)
Very true Ishita. Excellent analysis Nadine.
I wonder about the quote: "I am not that woman selling you socks and shoes..."
It would seem she doesn't want the superficial freedom to expose her legs or wear a low cut blouse as women in ads who promote things do (or, like the Beyonces and Shakiras of the world.)
What she wants is a deeper, more meaningful freedom: the freedom to express her personality, the freedom to air her thoughts, the freedom to be on an equal footing with men in a society.
Wow! First off, I think this a beautifully written poem, portraying the compassion and frustration of a woman. Many South-Asian countries have women suffering from these circumstances, even today as the rest of the world is moving on.
'Remember me,
I am the one in whose lap
You picked flowers
And planted thorns and embers'
Here, I assume she is talking about how the young boy finds comfort and solace with the woman of his life, his mother.Yet once a grown man, moulded and soured by the norms of 'culture', he treats woman kind with vehemence. He forgets the fruits of her gentleness and feminity, the reason for his very own existence.
My favourite part is :
'I am the one you married off
To get rid of a burden
Not knowing
That a nation of captive minds
Cannot be free.'
Knowing that the poet is Pakistani, and relating to how hard they faught for their freedom, this stanza leaves a very powerful impact. How blatantly true it is! It is the people of a country that are it's true super-power. It is the small, shallow thinking of the population that can throttle the growth and prosperity. While one side is straining on the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to it's potential, the other side IS the leash.
The tone carried through the poem was frustration and suppression, yet she was optimistic when she keeps saying that "I am not that Woman". She does not want to become the typical woman in her society who is "crushed with the weight of her custom and tradition". She wants to be strong and she knows she can. In the fourth paragraph shes written about how her father sold/,married off to get rid of his burden. This just adds to her frustration. She basically wants to escape from the pressure of her culture.
The writer, Kishwar Naheed, is writing from a married woman’s viewpoint. Her continuous repetition of ‘I am’ shows that she is talking in a very strong tone and is struggling to make her ex-husband recognise her. I use the word ‘ex-husband’ as she uses words such as ‘Remember Me’, which stress on the point that they haven’t seen each other for a long time now. As if they are strangers to each other. I can also tell that they are man and woman as in the line ‘I am the one in whose lap
You picked flowers’ sheds an idea of two people being really close to each other. She emphasizes on the line ‘I am not the woman selling you socks and shoes’, by repeating it twice in the poem to create an effective image in our minds of a smart and respected lady and not someone who sits by the road, handling a business of shoes and socks. Her use of the metaphor, ‘walls of stone’ is referred to her husband’s house, which was a very monotonous and cheerless one. The line ‘I am the one you crushed….tradition’, elaborates how depressed she was in her husbands house, where she had to follow very strict rules which she wasn’t used to and also shows us in what deep pain she was. She used the word ‘hid’ to explain to the readers how she was kept away from the real world and locked up in a place without freedom. She constantly also repeats the words ‘not knowing’ to show that her husband’s intention was always to keep her suffering but it always failed as she was always one step ahead of him. Her husband’s dire nature is further highlighted in the line ‘You picked flowers and planted thorns and embers’ gives Me an idea that she was very happy before she met her husband and suffered a lot of pain after they met. It again shows how he wouldn’t care about his wife’s feelings. He doesn’t care how happy or sad she is.
Her use of the line ‘light cannot be hidden in darkness’, shows how strong her opinion is, which indicates that she is against something that everyone else is for, stating that no matter how hard they try, the impossible will remain impossible. ‘Free as the breeze’, the simile, shows how her husband was out in his own world free of all tensions and also sets an image of the husband as a careless one, who doesn’t care about his wife’s state. The line ‘I can walk on water when I am drowning’ tells Me that this woman can get herself out of any trouble or problem where ever she goes and it even tells that this woman is a strong and independent one. The whole point of her husband being rude, ignorant and careless towards her is explained in the line ‘I am the one you married off to get rid of a burden’. It tells Me that the marriage actually wasn’t a marriage, but it was a deal made with the guardians of the lady to get the two married and help the man get rid of any problems he had. The same analysis is applicable for the line ‘I am the commodity you traded in’ where she says that she wasn’t a human with value, instead she was a monetary object with features of loyalty and motherhood. The line ‘now its time for me to flower free’, shows that she has now realised that its time for her to leave this messy life, that its the time to fight back, that its the time to blossom.
Sonal V.
Wow! that's some hardcore analysis! Very impressive! I agree with almost all of what you say.
This captivating and passionate poem is depicting the life of a tradition bound woman. Someone who is forced into doing something/many things against their own will and chastity.
The poet repeatedly says,'I am not that woman' which emphasizes on her frustration of being something which is expected of her. Using the word 'remember me' shows that she has left her husband and now she is writing this to remind him the kind of pain he has put her through. Using the pictorial metophor 'walls of stone' generates an image of loneliness and sorrow as stone is something usually associated with coldheartedness or something that has no feeling of remorse. The simile 'free as a breeze' gives us a lot of perspective about the husband's character. He is careless with no worries and no feelings about anything but himself.
She uses 'not knowing' in all of the poem's stanzas, which reinforces the determination she has, while bringing out the husband's ignorance of the fact that he probably never socialised or cherished her like he should have done. 'The one you crushed...tradition' makes the reader painfully acknowledge the fact that she was forced into marriage, forced into being loyal to the husband, never question or diobey him and obliged into being the woman who everyone expected her to be. The powerful statements, 'my voice cannot be smothered by stones', 'light cannot be hidden in darkness', 'chains cannot smother my fragrance' are all portraying images of a solitary, determined, independent woman who is not smeared by these unjust actions, and cannot be disheartened by all of the ignorance fed to her.
'Selling you socks and shoes', 'the woman on that poster, half naked.' She does not want to be someone who is so downgraded and disrespected. She doesn't want everyone to like her for someone that she is not. She wants to be free. Free of cutom and tradition where she can actually speak her mind and be herself, to be treated as an equal.
I really loved that poem, reminds me of a book i once came across in borders called "Sold", unfortunatly i do not remember the author, but its for sure worth reading! Back to the poem, the words were very powerful, while i was reading it i felt as if the woman was trying to say that she was trapped, and had no say in what happened to her throughout her life.
The poem brings about a woman's hardships and things that she has to go through in her life.
She says, that while the men went free outside, she was kept captive inside her house. All the customs she had to follow forcefully and how she was changed from a beautiful woman to a overworked and assaulted one. She was sold by her father because he was in need of money. She is angry of the one sided opinions of the people in her country.
Her uses of strong words conveys the message beautifully. She doesn't have a life of her own as she has spent most of the time doing what others forced her to do. Now, she wants to be free and independent for once.
Wow. This poem is amazing.
Being Pakistani, I understand so many women and girls who feel like this.
I LOVE when she says "light cannot be hidden in darkness."
I feel this poem forms around the typical cliché that men are allowed to do so much more in Pakistan than women. Kishwar Naheed talks about how she was barred from the world and that she was "crushed with the weight of tradition", which is a very eye-catching metaphor that anyone can relate to regarding the rules and regulations set by their ancestors.
The tone in this poem is agonizing and Kishwar portrays extreme emotional pain. I think she's talking about her father because of the phrase "the one you married off to get rid of a burden." Alot of older men in Pakistan still feel a son is more valuable than a daughter and Kishwar writes about how she has realised this. She is stripped of her dignity, womanhood, motherhood and freedom and she talks about how, after everything she has gone through, she will get that deserved and refined freedom.
It's a touching poem.
It can prove to be a motivational force for the women who have to go through such adversities everyday of their lives.
It is also a message to the dominating men population who force the women to obey them, that even after all their severity, they cannot just shrug off what's right. When the poet writes,
"I am the one you married off
To get rid of a burden
Not knowing
That a nation of captive minds
Cannot be free.",
she is implying that men marry off their daughters thinking that they are a load on their shoulders, but the men's narrow-mindness still remains with them and that is actually a bigger load for them, than their daughters.
WOW a poem that forces you stop and think. Kishwar Naheed being a Pakistani women is generally talking about the disturbing facts of South Asian countries where women are fighting daily for their equality, freedom and individuality.
the entire poem has a frustrated tone, yet she keeps using strong verses and phrases to indicate to us that she as not given up!
she starts of saying ' i am not that women selling you socks and shoes!' the use of the exclamation mark emphasises her tone exclaiming her anger, telling us that she has more integrity than t just be known as the women on the corner of the street selling shoes and socks. 'in your walls of stone' shows us how her husband's home was colourless and bare. an effective simile is used 'free as a breeze' allows the mind to immediately realise the freedom that her husband has, which was totally without any borders unlike hers! using the word 'smothered' has a strong effect as when i personally think of the word i picture a dominant male suffocating his fragile women with a pillow, this also shows us her strength as she will not allow this to happen to her! 'crushed' and ' with the weight of customs and traditions' indicates to us how her husband used pure and innocent methods such as traditions and customs ( which should bring about joy and colour) and turned them to become a burden on her. she tells us how she being a women gave all her love, joy, body, mind and soul but in return got only sorrow and pain, 'i am the in whose lap you picked flowers and planted thorns and embers'. the repetition of 'I am' in the beginning of the stanzas changes the mood allowing the reader to feel a sense of hope, telling us that she will rise, showing us that this is not the end. there is so much to analyse and I could go on but to cut this short I really like this poem and loved its meaning. it was truly inspirational.
I'm sorry I didn't proof read there seems to be some grammatical and typing errors!! plzz ignore :P
:)
Wow it's wonderful to know about such a great poet from Pakistan. It is a very touching poem and what she has said through this peom is very true. She has talked about all sorts of problems girls face in our societies. No one seems to be bothered by what she wants to say. Hence she says that "I am the one you hid in your walls of stone". But she wants to tell people (or perhaps her husband) "that my voice cannot be smothered by stones". She got crushed by customs and traditions. This is sad but true as it happens with many girls. One's individuality and personality gets harmed. But she wants us to know how strong she is. This is why she says "light cannot be hidden in darkness"."Chains cannot smother my fragrance". This means that nothing can stop her from saying what she wants to. "I am the one you married off to get rid of a burden" is another line with a lot of impact. She was forced to marry her husband because she was seen as a burden. Another line with which many woman would identify. Parents often make their daughters get married to get a burden off their shoulders without realising how the man or his family is, leaving them to suffer. The line "Not knowing that a nation of captive minds cannot be free" also shows her strength. "The woman on that poster, half-naked, selling socks and shoes-No, no, I am not that woman!" is another line which leaves a strong impact. She is not like any other woman and wont follow rules which society wants to impose on her. She has her own identity and doesn't want to be known as the wife or daughter of someone. It is her time to "flower free" and live her life.
My mom told me about Kishwar Naheed and she has met her long ago in Pakistan.
The poem is really meaningful.
"I am the one you married off
To get rid of a burden"
I think this line is referring to the father or maybe the brother who thought that daughter/sister was burden on them.
On the whole I really like the poem..the way it brought out the feelings of the poet.
Aisha Bashir
10G2
For info to all of you- This poem is currently in the textbook of second preuniversity course of Karnataka collegiate Board, India. It has produced a lot of interest in at least 10000 students and about 100 lecturers. but most of them here use some stale passionless question-and-answer type 'guide books' to get a few 'marks'. How I wish the students could have had an opportunity to see what you are all discussing about.
Now, to all of you: . You seem to have missed a very simple but important point. i.e. this woman viz. the writer is NOT ANY ONE of those you have mentioned. Instead she is ALL OF THOSE and more. The author is a young girl being married off- At the same time she is a mother fettered and controlled by her offspring- In other words the poet speaks for ALL the categories of oppressed women. Describing the poem as the helpless or passionate or determined cry of a married and shackled woman is once again binding the poem itself into stone walls of your critical mind .
durai krishnan 10 march 2010
Its a powerful poem with well chosen words to describe the oppressed in this case women.
here its not about one single male form oppressing the female will, this is against all men who come and go in the life of a women, its a strong message to a father who thinks his daughter as a BURDEN, to a brother who oppresses her all through her childhood, while enjoying all the freedom, its a message to a husband who keeps her as a captive to protect her chastity, and to sons those who forget the love of their mothers and take her for granted just to be another thing in the house.
Basically, its against those male forces which confined women to a lower class of society.
I would also like to add that these may not be literal, that some one caged their mother or daughter inside 4 walls, it may be the mind that is not free, and the poet did a wonderful job of expressing it in a strong and determined tone of not taking this oppression any more .
The aforementioned poem is the voice of thousands of woman who even today are victims of suppression.
By saying that she is not that woman selling socks and shoes,the poet wants to prove that a woman is more than just being a glamorous medium to sell commodities.She refers to the half naked woman on posters who are used for advertisement.There is much much more to her..its true that women's chains are forged by men and not by anatomy.
In the first stanza ,the woman is a daughter deprived of freedom while the others walked as free as the breeze.And yet she says,that her voice ,her inner strength cannot be
restricted to the four walls of a room.She was crushed by the strands of oppressive norms such as custom and tradition.And yet,it has failed to extinguish her light, her
spirit.
She is now a mother in whose lap her son picked flowers and devoured her love and affection.It was the same son who planted thorns and ruined her life later.And yet she says,that it failed to smother her
fragrance ,her beauty.The poet then throws light upon the grave crimes against women.She is bought and sold in the name of her own purity,her loyalty ,her motherhood just like a product we buy in the supermarket.A product however easy to buy and sell.And yet she says "i can walk on water even when i am drowning".She is one married off in the name of BURDEN.And yet she says such minds can never be peaceful.The power of a woman is unprecedented.She is a beacon of prosperity,of joy,of life.Do not underestimate her.In the end,SHE IS NOT THE WOMAN YOU THINK SHE IS.
The poem ‘I am not that woman’ presents the picture of a woman, who was exploited by society. It could be her father, her brother, or even her mother- in- law who suppressed her. She was confined to the four walls of the house. Her activities were restricted only to domestic work. Nobody paid any attention to her voice. She was crushed in the name of meaningless custom and tradition. The speaker says that, people took advantage of her by picking flowers and instead planted thorns and embers. The speaker gives the image of a flower which is chained. She was bought and sold in the name of chastity. She was treated worse than an animal. Even the parents considered her a burden, which resulted in early marriage. The woman was considered more as a commodity to be traded in than a human being, putting chastity, motherhood, and loyalty at stake. Thus the poem very minutely brings out several ways of woman’s submission and suppression.
Thanks for a nice summary of the poem. It is a text for second year puc course [ = 12th grade] in Karnataka, India. How I wish I could send your summary to every student! In the final stanza there is a reference to 'that woman' selling some items . This is also a reminder to the commercial world that woman's image is exploited by them and the author resents it.
In twelfth standard text book this poem has been given along with a picture of legs of a girl wearing a skirt and toilet beside it. Why is it given that way??
I thought that it signifies basically the objectification of women. It may be through using their bodies while selling products or as the others have said chaining her at home. Can anyone say why this pic is used??
The poem,'Iam not that woman' shows the difficulties of a woman. how woman faced exploitation and opression
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-detains-teenager-over-instagram-dance-videos/article24366734.ece
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