2.
Ruth Padel (born in 1946) is a British writer best known for her non
fiction and poetry. She has a wide range of interests, ranging from
Greek poetry (which she wrote her PhD on) to conservation, music
and science (she is a descendant of Charles Darwin and this has been
the subject of some of her poems).
She has been an academic trailblazer, being the first Bowra Research
Fellow at Wadham College, Oxford, as well as the first female fellow.
She teaches Creative Writing at King’s College London.
Her family members include Una Padel (the prison reformer), Phyllida
Barlow (sculptor) and Horace Barlow (the distinguished
neuroscientist). Family is a key theme of many of her poems.
Padel has also explored many different cultures through travel and
research, and themes such as the Middle East (as in the poem Learning
to make an oud in Nazareth) and migration. She speaks a variety of
languages and once taught Greek at university.
Ruth Padel
3.
The poem centres around a woman who goes to India and immerses
herself in traditional Hindu customs to prepare for her son’s marriage
to an Indian woman. Clearly the woman is a novice to India and
foreign cultures.
The speaker of a poem is a passive onlooker: the woman’s daughter,
who appears to be a lot more versed in the culture of India and
Hinduism than her mother. Throughout the poem she light-heartedly
pokes fun at her mother’s discomfort and clueless behaviour, but
admires her for partaking in this endeavour.
The poem was actually based on the true event of Padel’s brother’s
marriage to a woman in rural India, and thus is autobiographical.
Padel addresses the poem to someone else, and the addressee was
most likely her brother.
Initial Thoughts and The
Speaker
4.
5.
6.
Language and Imagery
The references to the Hindu faith and Indian customs allows the poem to
immerse the reader in the woman’s journey. Phrases like “Cobra River”
immediately conjure up images of danger and turmoil, and the physical
struggle of crossing such a place mirror the emotional struggles faced by the
woman on her journey.
When places like “Orissa” are mentioned, it adds realism to what is being
described, and the use of specific locations makes the speaker seem
knowledgeable about India and its culture.
On the other hand the inaccurate references to a “navy blue” Shiva (the god is
meant to be portrayed as having light blue skin) show the woman’s lack of
knowledge about Indian culture.
The constant travelling that the woman does in the poem is also a
representation of her own emotional journey in how her views of her son’s
marriage has changed.
7.
The poem has 12 stanzas: which is the same number of Jyotirlingas in
Hinduism. Jyotirlingas are considered to be sacred representations of Shiva. By
having 12 stanzas, Padel is emphasising her family’s commitment to respecting
the bride’s Hinduism. Given that Shiva is mentioned in the title as well, it is not
surprising why there are 12 stanzas.
In addition, the 12 stanzas, each composed of 3 lines each, could be a more
direct visual representation of the mother’s emotional journey- which has been
travelled through realistically in small but consistent steps towards acceptance
and embrace.
The irregular scheme is also significant as it takes away from a regular and
consistent rhythm. The woman is placed out of her comfort zone and into
unfamiliar territory to complete her task- she has been taken from regularity
and consistency and the irregular rhyme scheme reflects that.
Structure
