Class 12 English Guide I was my own Route By:-Julia de Burgos Summary Exercise Question Answer With Solution

Class 12 English Guide I was my own Route By:-Julia de Burgos  Summary Exercise Question Answer With Solution

3.I was my own Route                         By:-Julia de Burgos

Main Summary

The famous poem 'I was my own Route' has been written by Julia de Burgos. The speaker of this poem is the poet herself who is a strong feminist writer. She challenges the masculine(male) concept of defining a female's existence and journey through traditional paths in this poem. She links male mentality to gender inequality and male bias towards women.

Women's own freedom and liberation are described in this poem. She also rejects the masculine ideology of deciding a woman's life and journey along traditional paths. She connects masculine thinking to gender inequality and men's bias against women. She's looking for a new path to take on her own journey, one that she can choose. She supports women's rights and freedom. This poem demonstrates(shows) that a man and a woman are equally important. As a result, women's life should not be influenced by the ideas of others because the law should guarantee the equal fundamental rights to women as men.

             The poem teaches us the moral that both men and women are members of the same society, and they both require equal freedom, liberty, independence, and other aspects of life, and they should be permitted to move ahead in their own paths rather than those directed by patriarchal(parental) society.

a. Why did the speaker try to be the way men wanted her to be? 

The speaker tried to be the way men wanted her to be because she wanted to see what men expected her to be like and how they would react to her with their dominant male idea.

b. What do you understand by her feet 'would not accept walking backwards'? 

‘Her feet would not accept walking backwards' means that she had no intention of walking after males. She wanted women on an equal footing with males in the race of the life, with the ultimate goal of freedom. She was not wanting to accept the male-dominated view that women were less valuable than men.

c. Who are the old guards? Why did they grow desperate? 

The old guards are those conservative minded people of society who are highly influenced and supportive to male supremacy ideals. Julia was making progress toward improving the lives of the women and fighting for their liberation, that's why they became fearful and grew desperate. 

d. How did the speaker have ‘a feeling of intimate liberation'? 

The speaker had a feeling of intimate liberation because she was on the new path where she transcended (crossed)the barrier of patriarchal society and rejected the old one set by males.

e. Why did the desire to follow men warp in her? 

The desire to follow men wraps in her because of patriarchal society and its norms controlled in the society. She wants to feel liberation and pleasure but she is forced to follow traditional concepts and ideas predetermined by men.