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I Was My Own Route by Julia de Burgos
Table of Contents
SHORT SUMMARY
I Was My Own Route by Julia de Burgos
The poem "I Was My Own Route" was composed by Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos. This poem depicts how women are burdened with patriarchal ideologies from the past. Therefore, de Burgos urges the women to detach themselves from the past so as to locate their identity within.
This poem has presented the desire for the intimate and deep liberation of women. This poem is based on feministic ideas where we can find rebels done by a woman against the social injustice of the contemporary time.
Here, her steps against patriarchal norms and values present her as a radical feminist. She seems quite frustrated with male dominance. She expresses her desires by protesting patriarchal ideologies and moving to her new path of intimate liberation.
The speaker, as a woman, seems quite determined in her resolution. She shares her feelings about living her life under patriarchal norms and values. She suffers a lot in a so-called patriarchal society where her identity itself is similar to the game of hide and seek. She wanted to be what men wanted her to be. To get rid of this burden, she chooses her new path, mocking her past life under patriarchal ideology. She moves ahead with a strong promise not to step backwards.
During her advancing steps, she faces various obstacles regarding patriarchal norms and values. Her past becomes her obstacle.
Her new route is quite different from that of her old route. Here, she finds her route quite flexible to move on. She feels joy and intimate liberation. She feels like a blossom that can freely grow on any part of the earth. She feels quite at ease in her life without the restrictions of patriarchal ideologies. She realises the meaning of life within herself. At last, her feelings about following patriarchal ideology warp within her, and she prefers not to follow those norms and values that oblige her to live an identity-less life. She feels that her protest against patriarchal norms and values will certainly bring her a huge amount of respect.
TEACHERS' GUIDE
▪︎ "I was My Own Route," a poem about gender discrimination composed by Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos
▪︎ Poem has presented: The agenda of gender discrimination as a response to the social inequality that existed in contemporary times.
▪︎ It has depicted the miserable conditions of women during contemporary times due to social inequality between men and women.
▪︎ presented the concept of how women are burdened with patriarchal ideologies from the past.
▪︎ The main speaker or the poet Julia de Burgos is seen making urges to all the women to detach themselves from the past and patriarchal ideologies to locate their identity within.
▪︎ The main speaker seems quite miserable due to the social inequality of the so-called patriarchal ideologies.
▪︎ The poem contains six different stanzas.
First Stanza:
▪︎ We find the speaker's past identity under men and her strong resolution. She has a strong resolution to move forward on her new path, leaving the domination of men.
▪︎ Her life remained like a puppet under the men, and she had to act according to patriarchal norms and values.
▪︎ Her identity was just played as a game of hide and seek under patriarchal ideology.
▪︎ She rejects patriarchal norms and values with her firm resolution. She has promised to move her feet on new routes, leaving the concept of moving back. She wants to be separated for her miserable past. She tries to find her new routes, liberty, and change with firm resolution.
Second Stanza:
▪︎ She presents her hindrances on her new paths. For her, patriarchal ideologies make her feel broken.
▪︎ She refers to these ideologies as the desperate flapping wings of the old guard (traditionalists).
▪︎ Her new route is still full of obstacles. On her new path, the desperate flapping wings (patriarchal norms and values) of the old guard (traditionalists) are preventing her. Due to this, she feels broken.
Third Stanza:
▪︎ Her new route (path) is quite separated from the patriarchal ideology.
▪︎ Her new route is so easy to move on, she feels intense happiness with an intimate liberation.
▪︎ Her intimate liberation flows along with her on her new route to find a balance between her life and the truth of the route.
▪︎ Her new route: the detached (separated) branch (route) from her old branch (life under patriarchal values). It is very different from her old path (patriarchal branch). It is delightful to move on with the feeling of intimate freedom.
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POEMS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
Fourth Stanza:
▪︎ On her new route, she feels like a flower that can grow in any soil on this earth. She has extreme happiness because she blooms just like a flower anywhere, without men's history, future, or boundaries. She thinks of herself as a blossom in all the soils of the earth.
▪︎ She wants to bloom—with her efforts, without the support of men and their patriarchal history, without any connection to patriarchal history, future, or boundaries. This route is a free route of her own.
Fifth Stanza:
▪︎ She realises all within herself, just as life within herself, after choosing her new path. She gets strength as well as self-realisation of her being and her own identity.
▪︎ She feels the reality of her existence and actual identity away from the concept of patriarchal ideology. She has a realisation of all that is within herself and a life of her own.
Sixth Stanza:
▪︎ She compares her past and present. She feels quite strong in the present and doesn't want to follow male ideology at any cost.
▪︎ Her protest against the old guard (traditionalists) brings her a kind of great respect.
▪︎ She used to live her life according to men in the past. During that time, there was a question mark on her existence.
▪︎ Now, she wants to combat patriarchal ideology and doesn't want to follow the old guard (traditionalists).
▪︎ When the messengers announce her at the royal's parade of the old guard, her desire to follow men warps within her.
▪︎ A high level of respect was waiting for her for this great deed. She wants to move on because she is on her own route.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
I Was My Own Route by Julia de Burgos
BEFORE READING
Discuss the following questions.
a. Do you try to be like what others want you to be? Why? Why not?
Answer:
I don't try to be what others want me to be because I have my own identity and interests. I prefer to act in my own interest.
b. How can we achieve our identity?
Answer:
We can achieve our identity by presenting ourselves with full determination.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions:
a. Why did the speaker try to be the way men wanted her to be?
Answer:
The speaker tried to be the way men wanted her to be because she had no options left. Contemporary society was quite rigid with male ideologies, where she had to follow men's route and move according to their norms and values.
b. What do you understand by her feet ‘would not accept walking backwards’?
Answer:
By her feet 'would not accept walking backwards', I understand the firm resolution of the speaker to move her feet forward towards her new paths where there would be no obstacles regarding patriarchal norms and values. Her feet wouldn't accept backwards on her way ahead.
c. Who are the old guards? Why did they grow desperate?
Answer:
The old guards are those traditionalists who conserve patriarchal norms and values. They grew desperate to find the speaker's protest against them. They found the violation of patriarchal norms and values by the speaker.
d. How did the speaker have ‘a feeling of intimate liberation’?
Answer:
The speaker had 'a feeling of intimate liberation' from her act of choosing her new paths, which are quite separated from familiar patriarchal norms and values. Being away from patriarchal ideologies, she had a joyous feeling of intimate liberation that flowed from the balance between her life and the truth of the route that she had chosen.
e. Why did the speaker’s desire to follow men warp in her?
Answer:
The speaker's desire to follow men warped her because she was familiar with so-called patriarchal ideologies. She suffered a lot under the men, and her identity was even crushed. Her desire to follow men turned into hatred, and she moved forward on her new path, protesting patriarchal norms and values.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. What does the speaker mean when she says 'she was playing a game of hide and seek with her being’?
Answer:
When she says'she was playing a game of hide and seek with her being’, she means the crucial situation of her life under patriarchal ideologies where there is a question mark in her being as well as identity. Her life under patriarchal ideology was similar to the game of hide and seek, which she was playing with her being as well as her identity under men's dominance.
b. Why, in your view, was her back ripped by the old guards as she was advancing forward?
Answer:
In my view, as she was advancing forward, her back was ripped by the old guards because the impacts of patriarchal ideologies moved along with her initially as obstacles. The old guards, i.e., the traditionalists, opposed her steps against them, providing a lot of obstacles on her way to moving forward. They tried to create hindrances on her way and stop her on her way ahead.
c. What, according to the speaker, did it feel like to be free?
Answer:
According to the speaker, to be free, it felt like a blossom that can grow without any restrictions anywhere on the earthly soil. It is a kind of feeling that flows from the balance between her life and the truth of the kiss of new paths.
d. Why does the speaker prefer the present to the past?
Answer:
The speaker prefers the present to the past because her present is far better than her past. Her life under patriarchal ideology wasn't good at all, and she was living her life without her identity. Her present is so nice, with intimate liberation, where she imagines herself as a blossom that can flourish anywhere on earthly soil.
e. John Donne, in his poem “No Man is an Island”, says, “No man is an island entire of itself.” Would Burgos agree with Donne? Do you agree with Donne or Burgos?
Answer:
The metaphysical poet and clergyman John Donne was one of the most influential poets of the Renaissance. He was just as famous for his witty, cutting poetry.
John Donne's poem "No Man is an Island", says, “No man is an island entire of itself.” Here, John Donne's poem's main title, 'No Man is an Island, expresses the idea that human beings do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community to thrive. This poem puts forward the idea that no one is fully self-sufficient. Everyone must rely on the company and comfort of others to survive and thrive.
No, Burgos wouldn't agree with Donne. She supports separated lives for survival and progress in her poem. Yes, I agree with John Donne and support his concept of societal equality in every aspect. He has put forward the idea of social equality, where men and women seem equal and support each other for the development of society. But if we examine Julia de Burgos's poem "I Was My Route," we find the speaker against patriarchal norms and values. She moves on her new paths for the sake of her identity and thrives in her life. The concept of feminism has been presented by the speaker where there is a lack of social equality. She doesn't want to rely on men and thinks of patriarchal norms and values as obstacles to female identity and progress.
In the case of both of them, I appreciate the concept of John Donne in his poetry, who has presented the fine concept of social equality between men and women for the development of society.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. Write an essay on My Idea of Freedom.
Answer:
My Idea of Freedom
The term 'freedom' itself is a term of debate from ancient times up to now. People have different interpretations of this term. I think the term 'freedom' is quite a joyful term for all, which sounds good. If we try to find out its real definition from books or websites, we find a single definition most of the time.
The term "freedom" refers to a state of independence where you can do what you like without any restriction from anyone. Moreover, freedom can be called a state of mind where you have the right and freedom to do what you think. Also, you can feel freedom from within.
But people define freedom with their different interpretations according to the situations and their own experiences. Different people have different mentalities and define this term differently. In most definitions, we often find mention of the liberal state of human beings.
My idea of freedom is similar to others. I also prefer to define it as the liberation of human beings. Following are some of my ideas regarding the term freedom:
1. Freedom is a right to live. This aspect is quite important. Being humans, priority should be given to our survival. Human beings must have the right to survive properly without having any fear for their lives.
2. Freedom is a right to express: This is also a fine aspect of freedom, where human beings get the right to express their views and ideas through oral as well as written means. This right of expression is a must, but it should be away from the concept of harming others.
3. Freedom is a right to equal opportunity. This is another important aspect of freedom. This is the right where there is no discrimination between people in the matter of opportunities. Human beings must get equal opportunities in their lives in the matter of education and jobs.
Thus, freedom is essential for the well-being of all human beings.
b. Not all people, however, seem to agree with the kind of freedom upheld by Burgos in this poem. For example, William Faulkner, in his novel Requiem for a Nun, says, ‘“The past is never dead. It’s not even past. All of us labour in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and I agree with Faulkner? Why? Why not?
Answer:
Yes, I agree with Faulkner because, in his novel "'Requiem for a Nun, his quote reveals the reality of human beings regarding the connection of the past. Human beings are considered conscious beings who are directly connected with their past and historical backgrounds. On this planet, every human being is connected to their pasts and their consequences. The time that human beings have spent here on this planet isn't dead. It has become the past for them, but that particular past remains alive within them for their entire lifetime. This connection to the past is quite long enough. The process of connection keeps on weaving its webs before birth. All we humans labour in these webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity. Human life keeps on moving and being connected with the past. Humans never escape the great reality of this planet. The past always plays a vital role in everyone's life. The past never dies, nor does it become old. It keeps on moving with humans. Human beings always remain in this connection and struggle all the time.
The idea of freedom presented by Julia de Burgos seems quite unacceptable. The concept of social inequality can be seen in her poem. In Burgos's poem, we find the speaker quite frustrated to see her life under patriarchal ideology. She chooses her new path, leaving behind her past, because she finds her past quite unpleasant. She wishes to be fully free from her past and male ideologies. Though she moves on her new path, she will never find herself away from her past connection. She will have to face this reality at every step of her life. Her past and her historical background will always make her realise her own identity.
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