Question

Does the poem bring out the contrast between tradition and modernity? Illustrate your answer with examples from the poem.

Answer 1

Poet beautifully drafts a contrast between tradition and modernity.

Tradition refers to the customs, beliefs, and cultural practices that are passed down from one generation to the next generation. And modernity refers to the contemporary behavior or way of doing things. It is fresh, new, and modern which refutes indigenous thinking.

In the poem, the poet tell how a woman (her great grandmother) is attached to her husband and dies with her husband, lines from the poem show are - “God is her only feast; worldly pleasures become mere condiments to her afterward.” This shows that traditional women were so inclined towards their better half - their world revolves around them, which is contrary to modernity as life needs to move on and not hinge on grief or sorrow.

The sense of belongingness toward materialistic things such as a house is depicted in the poem. The ancestral 300 years old house shared a beautiful connection with the grandmother. The poem also illustrates how the poet's great-grandmother had pride over her blood, which she carries to her grave.

Like these, there are several examples that illustrate the disparity between tradition and modernity.