THE SORROW OF WOMEN: AN ANALYSIS

ENGLISH MAJOR 301

SUBMITTED BY: ASHI PANDEY

2ND YEAR, 3RD SEMESTER

UID: SF0122013

FACULTY IN CHARGE: MS. PROJNYA PAROMITA KAUSHIK

SUBMITTED ON: NOVEMBER 20TH, 2023

NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY AND JUDICIAL ACADEMY, ASSAM

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 1. Overview 3
1.1 Literature Review 3
1.2 Aims and Objectives 4
1.3 Scope and Limitations 4
1.4 Research Questions 4
1.5Research Methodology 4
2. Mamang Dai: About the Author 5
3. The Sorrow of Women: Analysis 6
Index

1. Conclusion 10 11

4. References

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1. Overview

The sorrow of women begins with the speaker, the woman exclaiming how ‘they’ who
are being referred to the men, have set their targets to water their unquenchable fire
and feed their hunger. It states the anxiety and the phases of life that they have to go
through because the male members of the family decide to go on war. Basically, this
poem encapsulates the helpless condition of women when their loved ones go to war
emphasising on the gender roles around that time. It talks about important elements
like Nationalism, Ambition, Greed, Identity, Fear, Anxiety, Grieving Process and the
Urge to Survive. She feels sad about how those men have ignored the condition of
women when they decide to overlook their sorrow and she states it as a warning at the
end. She says that concerns of the women community should be heard otherwise it
might not bode well for their purpose.
The sorrow of women is a poetry that begins with where speaker, the woman
exclaiming how the men have set their targets to water their unquenchable fire and
feed their hunger. She calls out to her lover to by showing how scared she really was
to lose him to a bigger cause as compared to her. Then she moves on to comparing her
life to fire to explain to the audience hoe tortured will it be for her if she lost her lover
to war and also enlists various other phases by comparing it to rainwater, sand and
glass. Furthermore, the men are found talking about a utopian world where rice flows
on street and leaves contains gold in them which sems like a delusion to her caused by
the influence of opium poppy and people being happy due to the influence are drawn
to the concept of the mystical land, driving them to go to war to inhabit such lands.
Lastly, she discusses about how they are calling that magical land as an escape and
spreading ideas of liberty to encourage other men to take up arms in the name of
survival. She exclaims how those men have ignored the condition of women when
they decide to overlook their sorrow that are caused due to them gone to war.
This a very beautiful poetry that encapsulates human emotions on very accurate scale,
from “hunger” for men’s goal to “sorrow” for women’s’ loss. It stems the setting on
the correct social structure applicable at that time and speaks from the perspective of a
traditionally bound woman. This also notes the universal appeal of this poetry as this
can also be seen as monologue spoken on the behalf of an entire community.

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 1.1 Literature Review
 The Sorrow of Women by Mamang Dai on the Guftugu Collection
This was the official text of the poem which I have taken of complete reference of to
quote from the novel in order to further my explanation of the poem. This text helped
me understand the poetry from line to line basis and formed the base of my project.
 The Sorrow of Women’ and ‘an Obscure Place’ by Yumirin Kapai
This article has helped me a lot to understand this poetry on a whole different level. It
provided me with the inputs of the poet herself while she was writing it. It made me
familiarize with the mythological references as well as various themes connected to
the poem The Sorrow of Women.
1.2 Aims and Objectives
Aims
This assignment shall attempt to provide a complete assessment of the poetry The
Sorrow of Women by Mamang Dai.
Objectives
a. To note the themes connected to the poem.
b. To enumerate the explanations of each paragraph.
c. To encapsulates the idea behind the authors mind while writing this poetry.

1.3 Scope and Limitations

The scope of this project will be limited to providing an assessment of the poetry
“The Sorrow of Women” by Mamang Dai.

1.4 Research Questions

A. What are themes associated with the idea behind the poetry?
B. What are the explanation of each stanza?
C. What was the Authors idea behind writing such a poetry?

1.5 Research Methodology

1. Approach to Research: In this project doctrinal research was involved. Doctrinal
Research is a type of research in which secondary sources are used and materials are

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 collected from libraries, archives, etc. Books, journals, articles, web sources were
used while making this project.
2. Types of Research: Explanatory type of research was used in this project, because
the project topic was not relatively new and unheard of.
3. Sources of Data collection: Secondary source of data collection was used which
involves in collection of data from books, articles, websites, etc. No surveys or case
studies were conducted.

2. Mamang Dai: About the Author

Mamang Dai is an esteemed Indian novelist renowned for her perceptive and evocative
literary works. The author's place of birth is Arunachal Pradesh, a province in India's
Northeast. Her literary works frequently explore the diverse cultural fabric of this particular
geographical area. Dai's examination of the melancholy experienced by women is
characterised by a deep awareness of the complexities inherent in their lived realities.

Mamang Dai adeptly portrays the intricate dimensions of women's grief in her literary works,
skilfully crafting storylines that evoke universal themes while being firmly grounded in the
unique socio-cultural milieu of Arunachal Pradesh. Through her skilfull and intricate
narrative techniques, the author effectively highlights the many obstacles, ambitions, and
fortitude exhibited by women, so crafting a really moving and evocative depiction of their
experiences.

Dai's writing exhibits a distinct poetic essence, facilitating a sense of emotional connection
between readers and the characters, as well as their own inner worlds. The author's work
demonstrates a profound comprehension of the intricate social and cultural intricacies that
influence women's experiences, skillfully depicting their moments of happiness and sadness
via a nuanced and impactful writing style.

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Mamang Dai's literary oeuvre encompasses several genres such as novels, short tales, and
poems, effectively shedding light on the poignant experiences of women. Her works provide
a nuanced outlook on the challenges and achievements encountered by women. The author's
literary creations serve as a tribute to the profound depth of narrative and its capacity to
encapsulate the fundamental nature of human encounters, namely those encountered by
women as they navigate the intricate fabric of existence.

The Sorrow of Women by Mamang Dai: An Analysis

“They are talking about hunger.

They are saying there is an unquenchable fire
burning in our hearts.
My love, what shall I do?
I am thinking how I may lose you
to war, and big issues
more important than me.1”

The first stanza of this poem begins by the speaker who is a woman and she is referring the it
refers to men and patriarchal system, or people who “know” and command, or the community
itself,2 as “they” when she talks about “hunger”. Dai says through a woman that “they are
talking about hunger” and “they are saying there is an unquenchable fire burning in our
hearts” where “hunger” is usually understood scarcity of food but here it is seen as a target set

1
shweta. “Guftugu |Mamang Dai.” Guftugu, 11 July 2016, guftugu.in/2016/07/11/mamang-dai/.
2
Kapai, Yumirin. “Mamang Dai, ‘the Sorrow of Women’ and ‘an Obscure Place’.Pdf.” Google Docs, 12 Jan.
2014

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to be achieved by the men which would in turn grant them power and abundance. This
burning unquenchable fire is referred as the desperation to serve to a greater cause which
guides men. She then turns to, who is understood as someone she loves and asks them in a
faint tone to tell her what shall she do then? She’s scared as she fears that she might lose her
lover to such greater causes for example ‘war’. She is worried that her lover will choose to go
to war over staying with her. She exerts her worries by saying that she is clueless as what
shall she do if her love would choose the bigger issues over her fear to lose him. The last line
shows the undying will of these men that they would rather be driven by their thirst for bigger
causes rather than the love of their closed ones. This poem is directly being compared to the
fight of the North-Eastern separatist groups and their goal to carve out a nation for
themselves, though such comparison this paragraph also marks the first instance of the theme
‘Nationalism’ as these men are also looking for their nation and the scarcity is fuelling them
to go on wars and fight for the same.

“Life is so hard, like this,

nobody knows why.
It is like fire.
It is like rainwater, sand, glass.
What shall I do, my love,
if my reflection disappears?3”

In the second stanza Mamang Dai depicts the life of the women who has to stay at home
while the men go to war as here “life” is expressed as hard for two reasons as firstly, the
biggest loss is communicated as losing a loved one and the amount of anxiety this fear can
instil is also unbearable. It is expressed in the second stanza that the life in fear or anxiety is
indeed a hard life where anytime a news can emerge that she has lost her lover. Life is
compared to fire which is related to “war” mentioned in the first stanza followed by
“rainwater”, “sand” and “glass” which are treated as effects that can emerge after war as her
life might become as fragile as a glass. She compares the different phases of her life to such
objects to enlist the difficulties. And then she notes the second reason when she turns to her

3
Supra note 1

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lover and asks them that what shall she do then as she might lose her reflection. She exclaims
that what if amidst all these events and harshness, she loses herself or her lover doesn’t
recognise her as she has changed so much. She looks up to her lover to answer her what shall
she do if those hard circumstances change her to the core making her unrecognisable. This
second reason underlines another important theme that is of “Identity”. Identity is one of
biggest and important values that the person should stick to, and in this poem when she is
worrying about her lover’s life, she is also concerned about one’s own life. The loss of a
loved one is considered to be tragic enough that the person shall lose themselves on top of it.
She surfs through their anxiety filled life correctly which is spent worrying about their loved
ones but all the while she doesn’t forget the identity of the women herself as she might lose
herself in the process of grieving to their close ones. Moreover Dai also notes the ambiguity
that leads to such circumstances as “nobody knows why” because this is what their life is
and nobody can can explain it let alone change so her lover is also considered to be mute on
such questions.

“They are talking about a place

where rice flows on the streets
about a place where there is gold
in the leaves of trees,
they are talking about displacement
when the opium poppy was growing
dizzy in the sun,
happy, in a state of believing4”

The third stanza begins with Mamang Dai depicting a picture of a utopian world the minds of
the men. This imagination of these men about such a mystical land fuel their “hunger” and
urges them to go to war. This world where “rice flows on streets” and “gold is in the leaves of
trees” shows a land of abundance as compared to their land which is deprived of such
resources. This paragraph is also filled with symbols that resonates with the tribal way of life
or their culture. The rice flowing on the streets is one such imagery as the wealth of a family
used to be determined by the amount of rice harvest in their homes. If we look at the
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Supra note 1

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mythology of Arunachal Pradesh the rice is of divine origin It is a gift of the gods that came
to a race of sky dwellers in the land of fish and stars. The energy of the village is
concentrated on the cultivation of rice.5 “They” here is again referred to the men are talking
about displacement which in simple terms means migration of people from one part of the
place to another geographically. The speaker of the poem that is the woman is disappointed
with the hue and cry for such glorious homeland. Dai used the term “displacement” in order
to convey a sense of scepticism towards such a mindset, thereby challenging statements made
by insurgent movements that their struggle is motivated by the quest of a prosperous and
content life. Dai, then compares this desire for such a magical world to a delusion of these
men which can be caused under the influence of opium poppy which grows there. She says
that the poppy makes them “happy” thereby, might have pushed them into believing the
existence of such a land.

“And they are talking about escape,

about liberty, men and guns,
Ah, the urgency for survival!
But what will they do
not knowing the sorrow of women?6”

In the last stanza “they” or the men are again found to be talking about an escape. Men refer
“escape” to the utopian land that was being advocated by them in the third stanza. They
exclaim that that is the land where there exists liberty and liberty is what is driving them to
take up arms. The men in this poem are seen talking about social consciousness, ideals and a
utopia. She says that it is the liberty that drive men to take up arms. They make it seem like
its a matter of urgency as their survival depend on it. They mean to say that inhabiting such a
land as imagined in the third paragraph has become their means of survival which is dire. But
in the end, it has also been noted that any such claims shall come to no conclusion if “they”
overlook the sorrow of women. The observation might be made that the voice used in the
poems have a social and community quality. In the poem "The Sorrow of Women," the first

5
Supra note 2
6
Supra note 1

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expression of an individual's stress gradually transitions into a broader representation of
collective suffering of women all around. The concluding line, "But what will they do/ Not
knowing the sorrow of women," suggests a universal significance beyond the individual
voice. This line also highlights their plea rather than an accusation which shows the helpless
situation that they have to be in as men continue to ignore their concerns because all they can
do is ask questions.

CONCLUSION

The poems exhibit a prevailing atmosphere of passivity and a state of silence reflecting the
circumstances in which women have been confined as a result of political upheavals from the
beginning as it can be seen that women are put to the disadvantageous position of worrying
about their loved ones as they go on wars and lay their life for an utopian land which is
compared to a delusion caused by the influence of opium.
The speaker of the poem address three questions in the entire poem which all in all suffices
her fragile condition showing the immense emotional loss that she has to undergo. What her
lover is ready to die for is not one of her priorities, still she is bound by her lover’s decisions.
This shows the dilemma that she must have to face on a daily basis to wish for their safety for
a cause that she doesn’t even care about.
The central concern that the poem revolves around is the loss of her loved one which in
subsequently leads her to grieve and in that process, she secondly worries about losing herself
as she will succumb to her loss and that might change her making unrecognizable.
This poetry underlines some strong themes of Nationalism, search for Identity and gender
roles though its meaning and the universality of the tone that encapsulates the experience of
the women all around the world gives a very loud wake to the readers.

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REFERENCES

 Kapai, Yumirin. “Mamang Dai, ‘the Sorrow of Women’ and ‘an Obscure Place’.Pdf.”

Google Docs, 12 Jan. 2014,

docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Izh6GcIA_DY3hTTThBR2oyN3c/edit?resourcekey=0-

ioWYnBNocZCbEHfU9kWnRg. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.

 shweta. “Guftugu |Mamang Dai.” Guftugu, 11 July 2016,

guftugu.in/2016/07/11/mamang-dai/.

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