This document analyzes feminism in the poem "The Fakeer of Jungheera" by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio. It discusses the history of feminism in India in three phases and introduces the poet and the tragic love story depicted in the poem. The analysis focuses on how the poem reveals the tragic condition of widows in Indian culture through the character of Nuleeni, who is pressured to become a sati (widow immolation). As a marginalized subaltern woman, Nuleeni has no rights or freedom and is a victim of the oppressive sati practice and norms that saw widowhood as a fate worse than death. The document examines how the poem critiques the inferior status

1. Vishva Gajjar
Roll No. 45
Email ID : vishvagajjar27@gmail.com
Smt. S.B.Gardi Department of English,
Bhavnagar University
Paper No. 4 INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH – PRE-INDEPENDENCE
Feminism in ‘Fakeer of Jungheera’

2. Feminism :
 The advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the
equality of the sexes.

3. Feminism in India
The history of Feminism in India can be divided in three phases.
1. First Phase began in the mid-18th century.
2. The Second Phase while Indian independence movement.
3. The Third Phase – post independence of Indian.

4. Introduction of Poet :
• Name : Henry Louis Vivian Derozio
• Born : April 18,1809 Kolkata
• Died : December 26, 1831 (by cholera)
• He was Anglo-Indian.
• He was thinker and social reformer.
Works :
• To My Native Land
• The Fakeer of Jungheera
• Going into Darkness.
• A Walk by Moonlight.
• etc.

5. Introduction of Poem :
Tragic love story
Three main characters :
Nuleeni
Nuleeni’s Husband
Fakeer

6. Feminism in Poem
 “ Joys are immortal, hopes never decay,
Onwards from glory to glory they fly !”
In this lines we can see that women are singing songs to
convience Nuleeni to become ‘Sati’ and also tells her that after
becoming ‘Sati’ She will be happy for ever. During ‘Sati Pratha’
people beat drums loudly so that the screams of a woman can not
be heard. The practice of ‘Sati’ is glorified. People worship the
woman as Goddess if they become ‘Sati’.

7. Feminism in Poem
 “ Happy ! Thrice happy thus early to leave
Earth and its sorrows, for haven and its bliss
who that hath known it at parting would grieve
Quitting a world so disastrous as this ?”
These lines reveal the tragic condition of widow in Indian
Culture. For them death is better option because society
would torture them daily and their life would be like hell.
Society would not allowed a widow to remarry. They promise
to Nuleeni that she would become queen if she would be
‘Sati’.

8. Women’s situation in Indian Society
Inferior to man
No personal rights
Dependent
No freedom given
Has to live life with the rules of society

9. Nuleeni as Subaltern
Marginalized woman in society
No right to love and live
A beautiful Brahmin Widow
Loves Fakeer
Victim of ‘Sati Pratha’

10. Lets share and thank Youtube for video on ‘Sati Pratha’

11. Conclusion
 “ Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”
- Marie Shear