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A Sindhi Woman by Jon Stallworthy

About The Author
 Jon Stallworthy was born on 18 January 1935 in London.His parents moved from Newzealand to London.His grand father John Stallworthy was also a great poet. He admitted in Dragon school and then Rugby school in his childhood. He was a great writer who began to write poems when he was only seven years old .  He also wrote biographies of famous people like Wilfred Owen and Lious Macneice. He Published seven volumes of poetry." A familiar tree " is a beautiful book. It is collection of many pretty poems of  Jon.

Theme/ Main Idea of the Poem: This poem describes the grace of a Sindhi lady, who speechlessly does all the work in the worst living conditions.  She carries all the weight of tradition, religion and expectation on her head. Without a word and does it with grace.  She stands with dignity and respect because she has seen it all and not broken down. She can do that because she has passed all the test of time. She has done all the hard work and seen it all..

Reference: The Poem 'A Sindhi Woman' is written by Jan Stallworthy. The Poem is an attribute to a working woman.

Context:  The poet is impressed by the grace of A Sindhi Woman. She is going through the bazaar barefoot with a jar on her head. She is walking smoothly and here graceful tread impresses the poet. The poet has tried to give us a lesson that hardworking people are strong and courageous. Life should not be lived, rather it should be earned.

Poem:
Barefoot through the bazaar,
And with the same undulant grace
As the cloth blown back from her face,
She glides with a stone jar
High on her head
And not a ripple in her tread.

Watching her cross erect
Stones, garbage, excrement, and crumbs
Of glass in the Karachi slums,
I, with my stoop, reflect
They stand most straight
Who learn to walk beneath a weight.

ParaphrasingA Sindhi woman is going through a bazaar with bare feet. She is walking impressively and there is a rhythm in her movement which can be seen in her swaying body and floating dress. The wind pushes the cloth from her face. She is carrying stone jar on her head. She walks as smoothly as the wave of a stream. She is passing through stones, garbage, pieces of bread and the broken glass. This is the scene of a Karachi slum. The poet meditates and sees his own body that is bent by time. He observes that only those who bear the burden of life and carry its hardships through life are strong and straight.
Stanza # 1; Explanation:
In this Stanza the poet describes how the Sindhi woman is walking through the bazaar. She even isn't wearing shoes in her feet. She is walking is wavy tread and is looking graceful. She is carrying a stone jar high on her head. The wind blows away her cloth from her face. She is walking smoothly and nothing can disturb her tread. Not a sing ripple can be observed in her tread. The poet wants to tell us how a woman learns to live in all type of circumstances.
Stanza # 2; Explanation:
In this stanza, the poet describes the environment through which the Sindhi woman is walking. The poet also describes his own feelings after watching the Sindhi woman walking barefoot through an unclean path. The poet says that he sees her straight and erect, walking barefoot through Karachi slums on a path full of garbage, crumbs and broken glass. The body of the poet is bent down with age. He cannot stand straight like the Sindhi Woman. The poet reflects that the people who learn to walk beneath a weight can stand most straight. The poet gives us a lesson that laziness and idleness can make you weak and you stoop down. you lose the power to stay straight.
Questions:
Q.1. What is the theme of the poem 'A Sindhi Woman'?
Ans: The Poem is an appreciation and admiration of a working woman of Karachi slums. Work creates rhythms on life. Work keeps a person strong and vigilant. An idle person will soon decay. This poem also portraits, slums of Karachi in a few words realistically. The poet praises a woman who is walking softly holding her head straight.
Q.2. What is the main idea of the Poem A Sindhi Woman?

Ans: This poem describes the grace of a Sindhi lady, who speechlessly does all the work in the worst living conditions.  She carries all the weight of tradition, religion and expectation on her head. Without a word and does it with grace.  She stands with dignity and respect because she has seen it all and not broken down. She can do that because she has passed all the test of time. She has done all the hard work and seen it all.

Q.3. What did the poet reflect when he saw the woman?
Ans: The poet reflects that the people who learn to walk under the weight of life stand most straight. He reflects that the people who carry weight on their heads are able to walk and stand erect.
Q.4. What picture of Karachi slums do we get after reading the poem?
Ans: After reading the poem, we come to know that Karachi slums are dirty and uneven places where poor people live. There is garbage, broken glass, pieces of bread and other rubbish on the ways to these areas.
Q.5. What qualities of Sindhi Woman impresses the poet?
Ans: The poet is impressed by the grace of the Sindhi woman. The poet is impressed by the way she walks barefoot on unclean paths with a load on her head and then there is not a single ripple in her tread.


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