"Echoes" by Kundi Faraja is a powerful modern, free-verse narrative poem that takes a strong feminist standpoint to critique the systemic oppression and mistreatment of women. Written from the perspective of a male persona who pleads "guilty" on behalf of patriarchy, the poem exposes how society treats women as objects rather than human beings.
ECHOES
Kundi Faraja
Me,
I plead guilty
That my woman is a tool
To fulfil my sexual desires,
That she’s the source of sensual pleasure.
A garden
Where I plant my seeds
So as to get children
Which are mine.
And not hers,
Who have the right
To inherit my property,
And not her.
I plead guilty
That I have regarded my woman
As my property,
Because I paid the bride price
To her parents.
What did her parents think
When they demanded
The cows,
The tanks of beer,
The goats,
The money
They knew
That they were making wealth out of me
Because their girl would work for me
Just like a slave
I plead guilty
That I have inherited the stupidity
Of my slavery age parents,
That I have prolonged inequality,
That I have continued oppression,
Though unknowingly,
I am guilty
For dominating
My woman.
My nation pleads guilty
That it has shut an eye
To the rights of women,
That it has kept the women,
In the kitchen,
In the church,
And at home
To look after the children.
My nation pleads guilty
That it has given little room
To the she sex,
That the number of girls at school
Has always been smaller
Than that of boys.
My nation pleads guilty
That it has always given a narrow chance
For women to become
Teachers,
Physicians,
Scientists,
Leaders of State
And Public Organizations,
That their percentage
Has always been meagre.
My church is guilty
That it has declared women
Unholy,
Unsanctified,
Ungifted to God,
And that it has confined the alter work
To the blessed men,
To the chosen men,
The gifted men,
Though it is nowhere written in the Gospel
That women shouldn’t be priests.
I agree that
If a woman is to be oppressed
By a man
Who is in turn exploited,
Who is in turn disregarded
By the bourgeoisie,
By the petty bourgeoisie,
Then she’s doomed:
She has nothing left to live for!
I agree that
To deny them freedom
Means to refuse human equality,
Means to accept capitalism
Deep in our hearts
And also means refusing
The development of the majority.
INTRODUCTION
In most cases Kundi Faraja speaks for the lower class and the oppressed. In this poem his attention is focused specifically on women showing how his society including himself being a man, has mistreated women in different spheres of life. He takes a more feminist stand and speaks from a feminist point of view to show that a woman is oppressed from family to national level. As a result he becomes a spokesperson or a woman’s voice against this stereotype, hence echoes. An echo is a sound that is reflected back off a wall or inside a confined space so that a noise appears to be repeated. Kundi Faraja is echoing the cry of women.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
FEMINISM AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Feminism is a belief/ideology that women should have the same rights, power and opportunity as men. To the most part the poet seems to be on the side of feminism movement in advocating for women rights. Despite all the international conferences and ‘‘universal declarations’’ in favour of female equality, the lives of most women around the world remain confined by prejudice and social oppression. The means by which male supremacy is enforced vary considerably from one society to another (and between social classes within each society), but everywhere men are taught to regard themselves as superior, and women are taught to accept this. Very few women have access to power and privilege except via their connection to a man.
v Feminism appears in the following spheres.
Gender inequality.
The poet advocates for gender equality in areas such as jobs, education (school), and leadership.
That the number of girls at school
Has always been smaller
Than that of boys.
***************
That it has always given a narrow chance
For women to become
Teachers
Physicians
Scientists
Leaders of State
Gender discrimination.
He also shows that women are segregated even in some religious institution and considered unholy, ungifted and unsanctified.
My church is guilty
That it has declared women
Unholy,
Unsanctified,
Ungifted to God
MARXISM AND WOMEN LIBERATION
From its inception, the Marxist movement has championed female equality and women’s rights, while regarding women’s oppression (like racial, national and other forms of special oppression) as something that cannot be eradicated without overturning the capitalist social system that nurtures and sustains it. Marxists assert that women’s liberation is bound up with the struggle against capitalism because, in the final analysis, sexual oppression serves the material interests of the ruling class. The elements of Marxism appear in the last stanza when he says;
To deny them freedom
Means to refuse human equality,
Means to accept capitalism
Deep in our hearts
And also means refusing
The development of the majority
Marxists believe in majority rule and welfare and are against capitalism. Considering the surrounding atmosphere of the political situation of the time when the poem was written it fits that immediate context.
AWARENESS
There is a growing awareness among the people on women’s rights among different social groups in the society. The poet seems to be aware of his faults and his nation at large for perpetuating this stereotype against women for so long. However, on his side he admits that he did it unknowingly because he inherited this stupidity from his parents.
I plead guilty
That I have inherited the stupidity
Of my slavery age parents
That I have prolonged inequality
That I have continued oppression
Though unknowingly
It is this awareness that makes him take time to educate others about the importance of giving opportunity to women.
ECHOES
Kundi Faraja
Me,
I plead guilty
That my woman is a tool
To fulfil my sexual desires,
That she’s the source of sensual pleasure.
A garden
Where I plant my seeds
So as to get children
Which are mine.
And not hers,
Who have the right
To inherit my property,
And not her.
I plead guilty
That I have regarded my woman
As my property,
Because I paid the bride price
To her parents.
What did her parents think
When they demanded
The cows,
The tanks of beer,
The goats,
The money
They knew
That they were making wealth out of me
Because their girl would work for me
Just like a slave
I plead guilty
That I have inherited the stupidity
Of my slavery age parents,
That I have prolonged inequality,
That I have continued oppression,
Though unknowingly,
I am guilty
For dominating
My woman.
My nation pleads guilty
That it has shut an eye
To the rights of women,
That it has kept the women,
In the kitchen,
In the church,
And at home
To look after the children.
My nation pleads guilty
That it has given little room
To the she sex,
That the number of girls at school
Has always been smaller
Than that of boys.
My nation pleads guilty
That it has always given a narrow chance
For women to become
Teachers,
Physicians,
Scientists,
Leaders of State
And Public Organizations,
That their percentage
Has always been meagre.
My church is guilty
That it has declared women
Unholy,
Unsanctified,
Ungifted to God,
And that it has confined the alter work
To the blessed men,
To the chosen men,
The gifted men,
Though it is nowhere written in the Gospel
That women shouldn’t be priests.
I agree that
If a woman is to be oppressed
By a man
Who is in turn exploited,
Who is in turn disregarded
By the bourgeoisie,
By the petty bourgeoisie,
Then she’s doomed:
She has nothing left to live for!
I agree that
To deny them freedom
Means to refuse human equality,
Means to accept capitalism
Deep in our hearts
And also means refusing
The development of the majority.
INTRODUCTION
In most cases Kundi Faraja speaks for the lower class and the oppressed. In this poem his attention is focused specifically on women showing how his society including himself being a man, has mistreated women in different spheres of life. He takes a more feminist stand and speaks from a feminist point of view to show that a woman is oppressed from family to national level. As a result he becomes a spokesperson or a woman’s voice against this stereotype, hence echoes. An echo is a sound that is reflected back off a wall or inside a confined space so that a noise appears to be repeated. Kundi Faraja is echoing the cry of women.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
FEMINISM AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Feminism is a belief/ideology that women should have the same rights, power and opportunity as men. To the most part the poet seems to be on the side of feminism movement in advocating for women rights. Despite all the international conferences and ‘‘universal declarations’’ in favour of female equality, the lives of most women around the world remain confined by prejudice and social oppression. The means by which male supremacy is enforced vary considerably from one society to another (and between social classes within each society), but everywhere men are taught to regard themselves as superior, and women are taught to accept this. Very few women have access to power and privilege except via their connection to a man.
v Feminism appears in the following spheres.
Gender inequality.
The poet advocates for gender equality in areas such as jobs, education (school), and leadership.
That the number of girls at school
Has always been smaller
Than that of boys.
***************
That it has always given a narrow chance
For women to become
Teachers
Physicians
Scientists
Leaders of State
Gender discrimination.
He also shows that women are segregated even in some religious institution and considered unholy, ungifted and unsanctified.
My church is guilty
That it has declared women
Unholy,
Unsanctified,
Ungifted to God
MARXISM AND WOMEN LIBERATION
From its inception, the Marxist movement has championed female equality and women’s rights, while regarding women’s oppression (like racial, national and other forms of special oppression) as something that cannot be eradicated without overturning the capitalist social system that nurtures and sustains it. Marxists assert that women’s liberation is bound up with the struggle against capitalism because, in the final analysis, sexual oppression serves the material interests of the ruling class. The elements of Marxism appear in the last stanza when he says;
To deny them freedom
Means to refuse human equality,
Means to accept capitalism
Deep in our hearts
And also means refusing
The development of the majority
Marxists believe in majority rule and welfare and are against capitalism. Considering the surrounding atmosphere of the political situation of the time when the poem was written it fits that immediate context.
AWARENESS
There is a growing awareness among the people on women’s rights among different social groups in the society. The poet seems to be aware of his faults and his nation at large for perpetuating this stereotype against women for so long. However, on his side he admits that he did it unknowingly because he inherited this stupidity from his parents.
I plead guilty
That I have inherited the stupidity
Of my slavery age parents
That I have prolonged inequality
That I have continued oppression
Though unknowingly
It is this awareness that makes him take time to educate others about the importance of giving opportunity to women.