The Weave Of My Life Analysis

Improved Essays
In our caste-based Indian society, upper caste women are more advantaged than lower caste men and women. But the condition of lower caste women is worse because apart from caste discriminations, they even are the victims of gender discrimination in the domestic and social level too. The intersections of caste, class and gender express power relations in the political, economic, social and cultural domains and Dalit women’s suppression cannot be decontextualised from these realities. It is emphasized that women’s subjugation is the result of sexual oppression, economic exploitation, socio-cultural suppression, unequal gender relations. Dalit women shared an impurity in nature and even shared the location with dalit men of their same community.However, …show more content…
This results into their victimization both within and outside the caste. The way a Dalit woman is differentiated under the crushing impact of caste and gender is poignantly conveyed inUrmilaPawar’s ‘The Weave of My Life’. UrmilaPawar is a literary figure who wrote several novels and short stories in Marathi literature. She was born in Konkan region of Maharashtra. As a dalit writer she made herself comparable to any other Dalit woman writer like Baby Kamble etc. Her autobiography ‘Aaydan’ published in 2003 translated by Maya Pundit as ‘The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoir’. ‘Aaydan’ means weaving of cane baskets. It is regarded as the main occupation of Mahar community. The translator Maya Pundit said in ‘Preface’ to the …show more content…
One example is that when a woman entered into Pawar’s house to get some shelter from her husband who was running for her life. She shouts: “The son of a bitch beats me up without any rhyme or reason. May his face burn!” (155). There are references to Ambedkarite movement, dalit women actively participating in various emancipatory movements. She writes: “…These and many such women who made history by participating in the Ambedkar movement became a source of inspiration for us…” (295). Urmila also made certain indications indirectly to her own life where she has now started a Dalit women’s organization for the welfare of Dalit women. She says: “There are so many issues concerning the women in our community, such as ignorance, casteism, employment and others. That is why it is necessary for all of us to come forward and unite”.

Related Documents

  • Brilliant Essays

    Native American Women

    • 1434 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Indigenous groups throughout the world have one thing in common when it came to their fall; they all suffered at the hands of white men. Two indigenous groups that were infiltrated by western people were the Cherokee tribe and the Africans during Imperialism in Africa. During 1830 to 1831, the Indian Removal Act was enforced and more than ten thousand natives were relocated west of the Mississippi River. Thousands died before they could reach their new home. The reason for their removal of their ancestral lands was so there could be more space for citizens of the United States.…

    • 1434 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Brilliant Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People in lower caste are also affected by the rulers of the government, and their choices on the way the people in the lower castes live. Gender can play a ginormous role of the necessity of hope in The Selection. Women have the hope of moving up economically based on who they marry, because women can marry someone who is the caste above hers. Since this rule is in place, many women’s sole reason of getting married is to move up in castes. America’s…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Second Wave Civilizations

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Class and gender inequalities in Second Wave Civilizations largely served to solidify the power of the ruling classes, ensure that all occupations and duties are fulfilled and create order. In China, the popular philosophy of Confucianism dictated that authority was to be respected and observed. Confucianism characterized society as a composition of many unequal relationships- be it government over man, man over wife, or wife over child. Each person had their place and acted in deference to their superiors. Each person was born into their class, and class decided their occupation, duties, and quality of education.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Race and Religion have emerged in the society since the last 1500 years and has divided our society ever since. Various revolutions and movements have taken place against these problems but they still exist somewhere or the other and while they exist they have given a rise to harsh movements. In The Kite Runner, religion and racial segregation was playing a major part. Pashtuns or Sunnis were the superior, dominant class while Shi’as were the ones being dominated.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Annotated Bibliography Ghani, E., Kerr, W., & O'Connell, S. D. 2013. Promoting Women's Economic Participation in India. World Bank: Economic Premise This article analyzes the spatial determinants of female entrepreneurship in India in the service and manufacturing sectors. The study finds that education and good infrastructure predict higher female entry shares. It also explores the reasons in huge disparities in women's economic participation in India.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Patriarchy System

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Atrocities of patriarchy has long been a way of life for many households throughout history, yet in today’s culture, both men and women can become the head of house, so to speak. This has overthrown the patriarchy system into a whirlwind loop since women have become more independent and no longer depend on men to aid them in financial burdens, child raising, and employment ventures. Additionally, the new generation of American society has other factors that play roles in the patriarchy system. Such as the right to abort a child before birth if a women chooses to, gender inequality, propaganda manipulation of society status, and middle class education growth within the women community.…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hindu Worldview Summary

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hoefer (pg. 21-30) in Relating Meaningfully to the Hindu Worldview article presents Hinduism as one of the most ancient and complex cultures in the world. It is one of the few cultures that has proven to be unvarying even under the intervention of Christianity and Western Culture. The author argues that the successful intervention of Christianity and Western Culture in India has been primarily among classes of people who do not fully follow the Hindu worldview. There are several aspects that make Hinduism distinct from other cultures. For example, it is primordial and without a founder since it developed from the fraternization of ancient cultures.…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    But, she chose to do what felt right, which was speak out for her rights irrespective to the danger she may face. Satrapi’s bravery truly showed its self when she was attending a meeting at school one day where the girls were being scolded for dressing “inappropriately”. Instead of listening in agreeance Satrapi stood out and explained to the “protectors of the movement” that they were hypocritical and sexist for not giving the men in the school the same stipulations(Satrapi, 297). This moment of bravery could have had her expelled from school, jailed or even beaten but, she did it anyway. Marjane Satrapi’s bravery continued and in many cases landed her in great deals of trouble.…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    This paper explores three controversial changes that have occurred in Hinduism Religion. It focuses on compare the Hindus’ point of view before and now towards social factor as it is Homosexuality, the role of the woman in the society, and how the Hindus related with different groups. This research was mostly conducted based in the book called ”Living Religion” By Mary Fisher Pat (2007), who suggests that Hinduism is a large religion, and it has been changing over time. The paper deeply examines the new theories that have been created in the religion, factors that have had influence in the changes Hinduism has experienced, for example, immigration, education, and culture diffusion. This paper analyses the consequences of being homosexual before,…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Group A’s discussion objective for the first Module was to discuss what might be the consequences of denying women human rights in the society in which these women live. I believe that there would be ample consequences to deny rights to women. For Roop Kanswar, the reading To Bellow like a Cow: Women, Ethnicity, and the Discourse of Rights by Radhika Coomaraswarny, she was “burned alive on her husband's funeral pyre.” (Coomaraswarny, 1994. p.48) which incited a march from different women’s groups throughout India.…

    • 232 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Patel describes how the femininity and purity of women is not only based on clothing and actions, but also where her (outside of the home) employment and what hours are being requested to work. When women consider employment, not only must she consult with her family, to request for permission, in some instances, the family must meet with the corporate representatives in order to make an informed decision regarding this line of work. So, while one would say that India women are taking huge strides in gaining what Americans call independence, this type of work may push her further into a society that views her as property. For instance, because of the security issues for women in the streets of major cities, many employers are forced to provide transportation to the women, which in turns creates an environment where woman still need to be protected and guarded by men, to simply make a living.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At the age of nine, just as if awakening from a hypnotic state, all I heard was one word— divorce— and I found myself awoken from the sanctuary of childhood. All alone and unable to hide behind the genuine ignorance of innocence, I was forced to confront the realities of my parent's divorce; realities in which, exposed my mother's lifelong struggle against oppression. It was through my mother's stories that I began to see her lack of autonomy as the byproduct of the inequitable and patriarchal conditions of India, the country in which she was born and raised. Although it was dispiriting to listen to my mother's stories of sexism, it was a burden of knowledge I valued, as it shaped my sense of social awareness and instilled in me a critical consciousness—a tool that would prove to be integral in my pursuit to promote social justice.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction: Mulkraj Anand, India's one of the earliest novelists in English, was, no doubt, under the influence of his time when he wrote his debut novel, 'Untouchable'. He was realistic when he pictured the Indian settling of his time. He was very much impartial while talking about the good and the bad about the practices existing in those days in the Indian society in general and Hinduism in particular. ' Untouchable' is a sociological novel, which seeks to stress the evils of untouchability by focusing attention on the miserable plight, suffering poverty and degradation of a large section of Indian society. This evil has been hilighted by studying what happens to the soul of Bakha (the central character in the novel) on a single eventful…

    • 1830 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The structure of my life has definitely changed drastically this past year. I took on a job end of my sophomore year which added more responsibility. I was responsible for a few things. I am the oldest child of four, which means I am also a babysitter and a remodel. I had chores to do around the house.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Indian culture has ancient roots that have developed and strengthened over time. Concepts surrounding gender have been established and accepted by Indian societies and continue to be practised today. This socio-autobiography will analyse how sociological concepts of gender and societal forces have shaped my life in a largely negative way. Being brought up in a heavily traditional family, I have witnessed and experienced various elements of gender discrimination throughout my life. Despite questioning these inequalities, I have grown to realise that the answers lie in the sociological structures of Indian communities.…

    • 1787 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays