The Bangle Sellers by Sarojini Naidu

Introduction

• Presenter: Hina from Team WAD
• Poem: The Bangle Sellers
• Published: 1912 in "The Bird of Time"
• Poet: Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India, political activist (1879-1949)
• Style: Lyric poem, musical, often sung

Theme and Structure

• Themes: Indian culture, stages of women's lives
• Setting: Temple fair with bangle sellers
• Structure: 4 stanzas, 6 lines each, rhyming couplets (AA BB CC)

Stanza 1: Introduction

• Bangle Sellers: Carry shining loads to the temple fair, despite burden, they are happy
• Bangles: Bright, delicate, with rainbow-like reflection
• Symbolism: Signify happy lives of daughters and wives
• Theme: Vibrant Indian culture

Stanza 2: Bangles for Maidens

• Colors and Suitability:
  • Silver and blue (like mountain mist)
  • Blush pink (like buds by forest river)
  • Green (newborn leaves)
• Imagery: Imagery enhances understanding (e.g., mountain mist, buds)
• Stage: Suitable for young maidens

Stanza 3: Bangles for Brides

• Colors and Suitability:
  • Yellow and red (like sunlit corn fields)
  • Bright (like marriage fire and heart’s desires)
  • Clear, luminous (like bride’s laughter and tear)
• Emotion: Reflects transition from unmarried to married life

Stanza 4: Bangles for Mothers

• Colors and Suitability:
  • Purple and gray flagged with gold
• Descriptions of Women:
  • Middle-aged mothers
  • Have given birth to children (sons)
  • Faithful to husbands
  • Proud and devoted to family and household
  • Worship beside husbands
• Theme: Tradition and religion

Poetic Devices

• Simile: "silver and blue as the mountain mist," "flushed like the buds"
• Metaphor: "rainbow tinted Circles of light," "Bridal laughter and Bridal tear," "shining loads"
• Personification: "tranquil brow of a woodland stream"
• Alliteration: "Rich with the Hue of her heart’s desire"
• Anaphora: Repetition of "and" in consecutive lines
• Imagery: Rich usage throughout (e.g., mountain mist, buds, tinkling sounds)

Structural Analysis

• Form: Lyric poem, 24 lines, 4 stanzas (6 lines each)
• Rhyme Scheme: AA BB CC
• Meter: Mostly octosyllabic, lacks strict metrical pattern
• Celebration of Womanhood: Different colors of bangles symbolize different stages of a woman's life

Conclusion

• Summary: Explores vibrant Indian culture, various stages of a woman's life, and celebrates womanhood and femininity
• Presenter's Note: Poets’ creativity and dedication are highlighted

Thank you: Hina from Team WAD; follow <Channel Name> for more content related to English literature exams.