1. What does the poetess know about Indian politics?
Ans: The poetess Kamala Das does not understand politics but she knows the name of every Indian politician beginning with Nehru and she can say those names as easily as the names of days, months.
2. “I am Indian”—Who refers herself as an Indian? Where was the speaker born?
Ans: The poetess Kamala Das refers herself as Indian.
She was born in Malabar.
3. “Don’t write in English”—Who orders and to whom? Why does the speaker say so?
Ans: All the critics, friends, visiting cousins order the poetess not to write in English because English is not her mother-tongue.
4. Which languages are Kamala Das’ own language? How does Kamala Das describe her own language?
Ans: According to Kamala Das, the languages that she likes to speak, write are her own language that may be incomplete, with distortions, queerness because with those languages she can express her joys, longings.
Those languages are as useful to the poetess as cawing to crows, roaring to the lions.
5. “I was a child, and later they Told me I grew…………………..”—Who is ‘I’ here? Who are ‘they’ here? Why do they consider that the referred person has grown up?
Here ‘I’ refers to the poetess Kamala Das.
Here ‘they’ refers to the people of society.
They consider that the poetess has grown up because she has become tall and her limbs have swelled and also in one or two places of her body, hair has sprouted.
6. Be wife, they said…………”—Who said this and to whom? When did they say so?
Ans: The people of society said this to the poetess Kamala Das.
When to ignore her womanliness, she wore her brother’s dresses, cut her hair short, they said so.
7. What did the categoriser/ society advise the poetess?
Ans: The categoriser/ society advised the poetess to dress in saree to be looked like a girl or someone else’s wife. They also advised her to be cook, embroiderer or a quarreller.
8. What did the categoriser/ society forbid the poetess?
Ans: The categoriser/ society forbade the poetess to sit on walls, peep through window curtain and even to cry loudly.
9. “Be Amy, or be Kamala. Or better Still be Madhavikutty.”Explain.
Ans: The male-dominated society always underestimates the identity of woman in this society. They want that woman should live her life like a dependent woman.
10.. “…………………….anywhere and Everywhere I see the one who calls himself I”—Whose confession is this? Explain.
Ans: The poetess Kamala Das says this
Kamala Das meets so many people in her life and loves many of them. But when she asks them who they are. They answer that they only love themselves not the poetess. Here a male ego is evident in their answers.
11. “I too call myself I”—Who is ‘I’ here? Explain
Ans: Here ‘I’ refers to the poetess Kamala Das herself.
When the poetess seeks love everywhere, she observes that no body loves her. They only love themselves and express their identity as “I”. So, the poetess also decides to call herself ‘I’.