- Understand the significance of time in A.K. Ramanujan's poetry.
- Analyze the poet's attitude towards communal disharmony.
- Explore the implicit comparisons made between different clocks in the poem.
- Discuss the impact of nature as described in the poem.
- Reflect on the poet's representation of human violence and nature's fury.
Time and Time Again
Learning Objectives
Detailed Notes
Notes on A.K. Ramanujan's Poem
Overview
- A.K. Ramanujan is a prominent Indian English-language poet known for his translations of ancient Tamil poetry.
- He was a professor of linguistics at the University of Chicago and recognized as a leading scholar of South Indian languages and culture.
- His work reflects a complex distillation of thought and feeling influenced by anthropology and folklore.
Themes
- Timekeeping: The poem explores the differences in timekeeping among various clocks, suggesting an implicit comparison between them.
- Communal Disharmony: The poet's attitude towards communal disharmony is reflected in the following ways:
- (i) Critical condemnation
- (ii) Helpless acceptance
- (iii) Wistful lament
Imagery and Language
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The poem uses vivid imagery to describe clocks in a city, emphasizing their unique sounds and sequences:
Practice & Assessment
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