A Different History

A Different History- Sujata Bhatt

1.  Great Pan is not dead;
2.  he simply emigrated
3.        to India.
4.  Here, the gods roam freely,
5.  disguised as snakes or monkeys;
6.  every tree is sacred
7.  and it is a sin
8.  to be rude to a book.
9.  It is a sin to shove a book aside
10.         with your foot,
11. a sin to slam books down
12.     hard on a table,
13. a sin to toss one carelessly
14.       across a room.
15. You must learn how to turn the pages gently
16. without disturbing Sarasvati,
17. without offending the tree
18. from whose wood the paper was made.

19. Which language
20. has not been the oppressor’s tongue?
21. which language
22. truly meant to murder someone?
23. And how does it happen
24. that after the torture,
25. after the soul has been cropped
26. with the long scythe swooping out
27. of the conqueror’s face –
28. the unborn grandchildren
29. grow to love that strange language.

Pan- God of the countryside; The only Roman God to have died

Sarasvati- Goddess of knowledge and arts

Lines 1 to 18- suggest that life in India should be free amidst pressures to conform to other lifestyles and British colonialization. Uses books as symbols of this oppression.

Lines 19 to 29- Use language as a symbol of oppression and a means of discriminating between different cultural identities.

Poetic Voice- Initially blames humanity for oppressing primitive cultures with tools that should otherwise be used for advancing communication and relations between people rather than severing historical ties. The poet later admits her own part in the conflict by addressing the obliviousness of the "unborn grandchildren" of which she is one. This creates an empathic link with the reader and suggests that we are all part of this cycle of life and that we all have a duty to remember the past and to consider the cultural significance of previous human civilizations.

Structure- The indentation in the first stanza reflects the movement of the books. "With your foot" is indented further so as to show that when you kick a book withy our foot it will move further than if you otherwise tossed, slammed or shoved it. The repeated "oo" vowel sounds creates an assonance that extends throughout the entire poem in the form of "book", "foot", "room", "wood" and "swooping". These repeated sounds suggest that irrespective of the transition between cultures we always retain certain parts of our past and our heritage.
The poem is constructed in free verse, perhaps implying that life in India ought to be equally free or to accentuate the fact that this poem is her personal opinion and the free verse form would in this way represent the individuality of the poet's response to colonialization and globalisaition whilst not necessarily maintaining that it is a bad thing.
Furthermore, the poem is written in English, highlighting the poet's acceptance and own initiation into the last two lines of the poem which indicate that future generations will forget the old and seemingly more fulfilling way of life. This also suggests that poet acknowledges her own ignorance and creates empathy with the reader whom would also be educated and brought up in a vernacular society with far less emphasis on the past and previous cultures.

Quote analysis-

"It is a sin...it is a sin...it is a sin...it is a sin"
Persuades reader of seriousness of these actions. Emphasised by repetition. The idea of "sin" connotes religion and is a culturally-derived phenomenon, exemplifying the way in which Indian culture and livelihood is being distorted and manipulated.

"You must learn"
Imperative adds impact. "You" is very direct and attacks the reader.

"Here the gods roam freely"
Expresses diversity of Indian lifestyle and how Gods are intertwined with nature in India. "Roam" suggests freedom and total self-determination; this idea is complimented by "freely" which further insinuates liberty and autonomy.

"Which language has not been the oppressor's tongue?"
Rhetorical question suggests that all language has been exploited as a tool for imperialism and is weaponized by modern society. "Oppressor" also intimates a more physical conflict, intensifying the overall tension between these two colliding worlds.

"Which language truly meant to murder someone?"
Follows on from previous idea in same rhetorical form, addressing the reader. "Murder" highlights the gravity of the conflict and demonstrates the clear cut life or death situation.

"Long scythe swooping out of the conqueror's face"
Morbid imagery. "Scythe" is metaphor for invading language and ultimately the invading country. This presents an image of a grim reaper like-figure, implying impending violence and destruction. The onomatopoeic "swoop" reflects the length and speed of the scythe with the long, double vowel sound reflecting this.

"Unborn grandchildren grow to love that strange language"
Appropriately ends looking into the future and at posterity. Language portrayed as means of discerning generations and how it alienates descendants from forefathers.