Hunger (poem)
"Hunger" is one of the best known poems by the internationally acclaimed
Origin
The poem was originally a part of the poet's collection A Rain of Rites.
In the poet's own words, the poem is based on a direct real-life experience. But it is not clear whether the poet as the protagonist was the visitor to the fisherman's daughter.[1] The poem is an expression of the poet's loneliness as a youth, as Mahapatra had a disturbed childhood.[2]
Structure and criticism
The poem is notable for its directness in approaching the taboo topic of the sexual trade involving a father and his daughter. In the second line, the fisherman asks casually "will you have her?". However, the exact intention of the father is couched in subtle and ambivalent imagery:- "trailing his nets and nerves" and "his white bone thrashing his eyes". A wide range of poetic devices are employed to bring out the mind's trappings in the flesh.[3]
The vivid imagery of the seashore in the poem depicts the circumstances that compel a woman to sell her body through prostitution.[4] Some commentators have pointed out the brutal treatment of sexuality in the poem.[5]
See also
- Indian poetry
- Indian writing in English