NOTES AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS OF BANGLE SELLERS ||BY SAROJINI NAIDU || ICSE IX AND X || ENGLISH LITERATURE

        Our shining loads to the temple fair. “

A.     Who
is the speaker? 

B.     What
do they bear? 

C.     
Why do they visit only temple fairs? 

ANSWER-

The above lines are taken from the poem The Bangle Sellers by
the nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu. The speaker seems to be one among the
many bangle sellers, representing every one of them as they do the same job WI
the same purpose. They intend to make a trade for their bangles at the temple
fair. 

They bear multi coloured bangles and temple fair is the
perfect place for their trade since people of all ages visit the temple fair. And
they could have good trade since the fair takes place once in a year and
families with wives and daughters might buy bangles in their happy spree. And
normally a fair is a crowded place too. The bangle sellers try their luck
there. It would yield a profit equal to a yearlong walk through the streets
yelling bangles. Sarojini Naidu picturises Indian cultural tradition too which
connects the emotions of the people closest to it. The importance and role of
bangles in an Indian woman’s life and the different stages of her life also get
reflected in this poem. 

The main idea of the poem is the
feminine beauty of Indian women and their cultural rituals they are closely
linked to. It is an attempt to represent the stages of a woman’s life and the
traditions she follows in a typical Indian society at her times.it is also
about how she is emotionally attached to the objects like bangles and how these
delicate bangles show the transition from a young girl to a woman. It has been
an undeniable presence on the wrists of every Indian woman. The poet assigns
different colours to suit to special occasions and to different ages.
They are not mere ornaments. They are part of their identity. Bangles reflect
happiness. 

Indian culture has a unique
tradition of wearing bangles at some occasions of joy in a woman’s life. People
buy bangles for their daughters and wives either for making them happy or as a
symbol of their love and care marking a special occasion in their lives. Be it
a teen, bride or a mother, it sets different meanings. It definitely adds
colour to their lives. Bangles represent a life lived by a woman. It shows how
happy and fruitful were their lives. The absence of bangles makes their life
dry and isolated. 

Sarojini Naidu, in her most
beautiful poem, the bangle sellers, brilliantly sketches how the lives of
Indian women are closely linked to traditions and rituals. Women are normally
perceived as delicate and less like men who are symbols of strength. The
feelings and emotions of women too are way delicate and tender. Their minds do
not travel much out of the corridors of their house. The poet hints at a society
where women were considered more as an object of beauty and reared by brothers’
fathers and husbands with compassion Those men make their sisters, mothers and
wives happy, thinking them to be too delicate to handle the rough edges of
life.

  

The poem the bangle Sellers celebrates feminine beauty. The
poet, through bangles, observes that it has become an unavoidable part in the
life of a woman. Bangles can’t be done away with from a woman’s life. There are
different colours for different age groups and occasions. For example, the poet
in the second stanza, suggests that for a young lady, silver hue would suffice
because it is a symbol of purity. The purity of the maidens is compared to snow-white bangles. The bangle they wear looks similar to the mountain mist. It
suggests that these young ladies are as pure as morning dew and their bangles
proclaim it to the world. It also indicates their chastity and their dreams,
and expectations of their future life. It hints the carefree nature just like a
blooming bud. The poet suggests that maidens are advised to wear a blue and
silvery coloured bangle or pink coloured ones reflecting a blooming bud besides
a woodland stream or wear a bright coloured one just like a blooming that
excels the beauty of new-born green leaves. Dewdrops also suggest beauty and
freshness. 

Meet for a bride on her bridal morn. 

 ………

Explain the above lines.

The poet highlights the Indian
tradition and culture through these lines. The Hindu ritual of wedding needs
the presence of a fire. She says that some bangles are just red like the flame
of marriage eve. It indicates the desire of the heart of the bride and her passions
for a future life. The bride has in her mind, both excitement and grief. She is
excited because she is moving on to a new life with her partner. She feels sad
because she has to leave her parents and relatives back and live separated from
them. The bangles hence mark the transition from maidenhood to womanhood. 

“Some are purple and gold.”

 ANSWER-

Sarojini Naidu weaves her lines
in tune with Indian culture and traditions. Bangles play a vital role in the
life of Indian women. It depicts the various feelings, emotions and moods. It
makes them good looking and joyous. Be it a maiden, a bride or a middle-aged
woman. A middle-aged woman after fulfilling all her duties deserves to wear
such golden tinted bangles. She has reared her sons and looked after her
husband and relatives with dedication. They seem to do a divine duty, along
with their household duties, they fulfil the dues to Gods along with their
husbands. They remain extremely faithful.

The middle-aged woman who has
fulfilled their obligations feels that they have fruitfully fulfilled their
duties and their lives have not gone in vain as they have mothered sons thus
upholding a proud legacy. These women feel proud to be mothers of sons, since
in India, giving birth to sons is considered something special at that time.
She also devotes her time to worship God, along with her husband. And household
chores to her resonates with religiosity. The purple and golden tints show the maturity
of these women. 

The poet has abundantly used
poetic devices to make the poem more charming. They are similes, metaphor,
alliteration, imagery, and symbols. 

Simile–
Comparing two similar things using’ as’ and ‘like ‘is termed as a simile. 

Ex. Silver and blue as the
mountain mist

Some are flushed like the buds
that dream

Some are like
the fields of sunlit corn Some are like the flame of her marriage fire

Like get bridal laughter and
bridal tear. 

Metaphors 

Comparing two distinctively
different things sharing a point of similarity is termed as a metaphor. They are
indirect similes. 

Rainbow tinted circles if light

The bangles are compared to a
circle of light glowing with different colours. 

Alliteration 

Repetition of consonant sounds at
the beginning of a word 

 Example. The hue of her heart’s desire. 

Imagery.
There are plenty of visual and auditory images. They are word pictures. 

Fire, sunlit corn, rainbow,
mountain mist etc

Auditory image Tinkling 

Symbols.
The poet symbols too. For example, silver and blue bangles are symbols of
purity. Red bangles symbolize the passion of the married life. 

Rhyming words lend the poem a
rhythmic quality. 

Example morn corn, fire, desire,
leaves cleaves etc.