The personified figure in the poem “The Gift of India” is India herself. The poem attributes human qualities and emotions to India, portraying her as a mother who sacrifices her sons for the cause of war.
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In the poem “The Gift of India,” the personified figure is none other than India herself. The poet, Sarojini Naidu, personifies India as a mother who continually sacrifices her sons for the cause of war. The poem vividly captures the profound sacrifice and unwavering loyalty of a motherland.
The poet exemplifies India’s sacrifice by describing the Indian soldiers going to war and laying down their lives for their country’s freedom. India, personified as a mother, endures the pain and loss that comes with such sacrifices. She absorbs the bloodshed and tears, grieving for her fallen sons. The following quote from the poem encapsulates this personification:
“It hears the weeping of the Indian wife,
Whose soldier son has died to serve his land,
And sees the anguish of the Indian mother,
Whose child is numbered with the slaughtered dead.”
This quote portrays India as a mother who empathizes with the pain and grief of her people. It powerfully conveys the emotional toll that war takes on the nation, likening it to the heart-wrenching anguish of a mother losing her child.
Interesting facts about the poem and the author:
- Sarojini Naidu, also known as the “Nightingale of India,” was a prominent Indian poet and politician.
- “The Gift of India” was written in 1915 during World War I when India, as a colony of the British Empire, contributed significantly to the war effort.
- Sarojini Naidu was a vocal advocate for India’s independence and fought for women’s rights during her political career.
- The poem reflects the sentiment of Indian nationalism and the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers during World War I.
- Naidu’s powerful use of personification in the poem enhances the emotional impact and creates a deeply moving portrayal of India’s sacrifice.
Table:
| Poem Title | “The Gift of India” |
|---|---|
| Author | Sarojini Naidu |
| Published Year | 1915 |
| Central Theme | Sacrifice and loss during war |
| Personification | India portrayed as a mother |
| Notable Quote | “It hears the weeping of the Indian wife, |
| Whose soldier son has died to serve his land, | |
| And sees the anguish of the Indian mother, | |
| Whose child is numbered with the slaughtered dead.” |
Overall, “The Gift of India” beautifully personifies India as a grieving yet resilient mother, commemorating the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers and emphasizing the profound love they have for their homeland.
More answers to your inquiry
The Gift of India by Sarojini Naidu is a tribute to the contribution of Indian soldiers who fought alongside Britain in World War I. It captures the selfless sacrifices of the Indian soldiers from the perspective of a mother who lost her sons in the war. India is personified as a mother.
Mother India
Following literary/poetic devices or figures of speech have been used in the poem The Gift of India: Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things (living or non-living). In the poem India is personified as a mother who has feelings. She is Mother India.
India is personified as Mother India in the poem The Gift of India.
Read summary of this poem.
See a video about the subject.
“The Gift of India Analysis by Sarojini Naidu” is a YouTube video that delves into the critical analysis, poetic devices, and themes of the poem “The Gift of India” by Sarojini Naidu. The poem beautifully captures the pride and grief of Mother India for the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in World War I. It emphasizes the futility and brutality of war, while also highlighting the soldiers’ lack of motive and the improper burial of the dead. The poem employs various poetic devices such as personification, metaphors, alliteration, and rhetorical questions to enhance its impact. It can be seen as an anti-war poem that reflects the lamentation of every Indian mother for her martyred son. The video provides valuable insights into the poem’s meaning and literary techniques, offering a comprehensive analysis of Naidu’s work.
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What are the soldiers compared to in the poem The Gift of India?
Also, the comparison (a simile here) of the warriors to ‘blossoms’ signifies how the motherland sees them as valuable human resource. ‘Blood-brown meadows’ expresses the horrors of war and warfronts in a rich poetic language.
What are the figures of speech in the gift of India?
The answer is: The Gift of India poem contains a number of figures of speech, namely Personification, Simile, Metaphor, Alliteration, Oxymoron, and Rhetoric. “ Remember the blood of my martyred sons.”
Likewise, What is the main theme of the poem The Gift of India?
The ‘Gift of India’ written in 1915 celebrates the victory of the soldiers who fought bravely for the britishers in World War 2. She tries to account the death of these people and also tries to bring out the agony of loosing her sons through Mother India who is the speaker in the poem.
Also asked, What do gifts symbolize in the poem The Gift of India?
Answer will be: 1 Answer. Gifts symbolise the brave sons of Mother India i.e. those Indian soldiers who fought on the foreign lands without fearing death.
Additionally, What is personification in the poem India? Answer: Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things (living or non-living). In the poem India is personified as a mother who has feelings. She is Mother India. She is proud of those who sacrificed their lives for their country.
How to understand the poem ‘The Gift of India’?
The answer is: Historical background plays an inevitable part in understanding a literary work. Here too to understand the poem ‘The gift of India’ better one must know of the political and historical context in which it was written. Sarojini Naidu wrote the poem in 1915, during the time of World War I.
In this manner, How many stanzas are in the gift of India? The poem ‘ The Gift of India’ is a simple and elegant poem written in twenty-four lines, divided into 4 six-line stanzas. Each stanza of the poem is complete in itself despite its connectedness with the central theme. The first two lines of each stanza introduce an idea, and the next two lines build upon them.
Hereof, What is the rhyme scheme of the gift of India?
Answer: The poem The Gift of India has a simple and elegant rhyme scheme ofaabbcc. Each of the stanzas have six lines, where the first two lines introduce either an idea or create a picture, the next two lines build up on them, and the final two present a sort of small conclusion for the stanza.
Additionally, What is the meaning of the poem The Gift of India?
The poem The Gift of India by Sarojini Naidu is written for the Indian soldiers who fought for the British in World War 1. The speaker here is the India or Mother India who is personified as the mother of all those children. As mother, India tells the world that she has never denied anything to them.
What is personification in the poem India? Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things (living or non-living). In the poem India is personified as a mother who has feelings. She is Mother India. She is proud of those who sacrificed their lives for their country.
What is the theme of Naidu’s poem ‘The Gift of India’? Response to this: These selfless sacrifices of the Indian soldiers for the western agitation are captured in Naidu’s poem ‘The Gift of India’. The poem not only concentrates on the theme ofsoldiers making their ultimate sacrifice for someone else’s war, but also talks about the numerous benefits the foreign countries reaped from India.
Then, How many stanzas are in the gift of India? In reply to that: The poem ‘ The Gift of India’ is a simple and elegant poem written in twenty-four lines, divided into 4 six-line stanzas. Each stanza of the poem is complete in itself despite its connectedness with the central theme. The first two lines of each stanza introduce an idea, and the next two lines build upon them.