‘Quest for Self’: A Comparative Study on Maya Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman' and Kamala Das's 'An Introduction'

Abstract

At the very outset of the creation of humankind, it is foreordained that man is superior to woman as God created Adam first and Eve was created from the rib of Adam to be his companion. The thoughts, feelings and nature of God's two creations are different. The masculine body is represented stronger than the feminine. From the beginning woman is represented as the weaker sex who is marginalised in the patriarchal society. Woman was known by her husband's or father’s name, but all these myths about women are being challenged day by day by women who identify themselves by their own name. In this post-modern era a woman can fulfil her needs and wishes on her own. She is the writer of her own destiny. Back in the day, a woman was considered merely as a sexual object that has been created to satisfy the desires of men. She was muted and she could not voice her opinion. She had to go through every atrocity of men. The male poets interpreted women from their point of view which is far more different from the actual truth. The traditional notion of a woman's beauty and nature was a perennial topic in literature penned by male poets and the larger social discourse, nevertheless the female poets including Maya Angelou and Kamala Das have raised their voices in supporting women to grow up from the marginalised position in the patriarchal society. These female poets have tried their best to interpret the true definition of a woman. They are struggling for their rights to establish their identity. Maya Angelou and Kamala Das, two female poets coming from two different backgrounds and continents tried to break the system of male patriarchy and accepted woman as a human being who has an individual identity. Maya Angelou and Kamala Das, in their two poems An Introduction and Phenomenal Woman” establish a notion of creating an individual identity of their own by liberating themselves from the male dominance through their constant struggle for freedom.