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Sep 11, 2023 · The feminist poet Eunice de Souza wrote the poem “Bequest” in which she discusses how patriarchy affects women’s destiny. She speaks from the viewpoint of a female speaker, most likely the poet herself, whose thoughts are influenced by the rigid standards of the phallogocentric society.
- Summary
- Structure & Form
- Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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- Line-By-Line Analysis & Explanation
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“Bequest” is a poem about passing down a woman’s true emotions to their so-called other halves for the sake of standards or floating along with the flow of conventions. Through this piece, de Souza reveals how a woman speaker’s mindset is shaped, revised, and amended from an early age. The way she learns everything naturally is also monitored to sh...
Eunice’s poem “Bequest” consists of five stanzas with irregular line count. There are a total of 21 lines that do not follow a set rhyming pattern or meter. So, it is a free verse poem. It is written from the perspective of a female speaker in first-person. Therefore it is also an example of a lyric poem. The lyrical quality of the poem is present ...
In “Bequest”, Eunice uses the following literary devices that make her feministic ideas more forceful and emotive. 1. Irony:It is used in the fourth line of the poem “I used to think, ugh.” Here, the speaker’s disgust with the image of Christ is portrayed even though she was a Catholic. 2. Sarcasm:This device is used in the second stanza where the ...
The important themes of “Bequest” are patriarchy, feminine identity, womanhood, and convention vs. individualism. De Souza, being a feminist poet, explores the nuances of conventional, patriarchal society and its impact on a woman’s mind. She writes this piece from the perspective of a speaker whose mind is shaped from an early age. The patriarchal...
Lines 1-4
The poem “Bequest” begins with an idea that is similar to the overall theme of the poem, sacrificing oneself. de Souza presents a cliche image of Christ holding his bleeding heart out in his hand. This image has two facades. Firstly, it is a religious symbol of Christ’s sacrifice and passion. On the other hand, it portrays the speaker’s bleeding heart inflicted by the norms of patriarchy. When the speaker (Eunice de Souza’s poetic self) was a child, she felt a bit disgusted and disturbed afte...
Lines 5-7
The second stanza makes it clear that the poet interpreted this image of Christ differently. She sees it as a symbol of openness and truthfulness. Holding one’s heart out to someone is a symbolic gesture of being true to others. It means Christ holds out his true emotions to the world. The speaker learned this idea from this image. So, she remained true to everyone. There is no fear in revealing her true self to others. However, there is only one exception. According to the speaker, the “only...
Lines 8-11
But, society did not allow her to be herself. Some recommended following the “stern standards” of the conventional society. Here, the term “stern” infers the unrelenting and authoritarian side of patriarchy. Some of them told her to float along with other women. In this line, the poet uses a metaphor for floating downstream. So, the stream stands for the patriarchal standards. In order to belong to this society, she has to float along, not knowing where this stream will lead her. The followin...
“Bequest” appears in Eunice de Souza’s notable poetry collection, Ways of Belonging: Selected Poems. It was published in 1990. Some of her influential works include Dangerlok (2001), 101 Folktales From India (2003), A Necklace of Skulls (2009), These My Words (2012), etc. De Souza was a Goan poet whose works portray patriarchy in Indian society and...
Aug 5, 2022 · Summary. ‘Bequest’ means sacrificing something for the sake of others. Just like Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for the sake of humanity, the poet here compares this to the sacrifices made by a woman for their partners. The poem consists of five stanzas with irregular lines in each stanza.
Aug 2, 2022 · Eunice de Souza’s notable poem ‘Bequest’ has been taken from her 1990 published collection Ways of Belonging: Selected Poems. Substance : As Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for the sake of human beings, their good, faith and rationality, de Souza also compares the women who sacrifice for the sake of their counterparts.
Nov 30, 2022 · “Bequest” is written by the feminist poet Eunice de Souza in which she talks about how patriarchy shapes the destiny of women. She talks from the perspective of a woman speaker...
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Quick answer: Eunice de Souza's "Bequest" explores themes of patriarchy, female identity, individualism, and the marginalization of women. The poem critiques societal...
Feb 2, 2023 · Line by Line Explanation of Eunice de Souza's Poem 'Bequest' Eunice de Souza was a novelist, literary critic, and poet who wrote in English. Among her prominent poetry...
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