Question

Why does the author contrast the beauty of the woman in the poem in the first stanza with the sorrow she feels in the final stanza?

(A) This contrast expresses the speaker’s sadness over changes in her culture; the first stanza represents her understanding of her culture as a child. The final stanza expresses her sadness now that time as passed and that culture has changed.

(B) The poem presents traditional views on the role of women and of the social practice of seclusion and contrasts this expectation with the oppression and despair that this practice creates.

(C) The contrast shows what happens to the beauty of a woman over time and emphasizes the need for a pardah to shield women from that onslaught.

Answer 1

I believe the answer is (B) The poem presents traditional views on the role of women and of the social practice of seclusion and contrasts this expectation with the oppression and despair that this practice creates

Answer 2

B). The poem presents traditional views on the role of women and of the social practice of seclusion and contrasts this expectation with the oppression and despair that this practice creates.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sarojini Naidu offers a contrast between the idea of the beauty of women in the first stanza of the poem to the idea of grief felt by her towards the final stanza as the author intended to portray the traditional perspective regarding the role of women which ultimately brings oppression and pain for her.

She describes the duality of these cultural ideals which portrays them as the epitome of beauty yet fails to give them their due happiness. The author challenges this duality by questioning at the last('who shall prevent...tears?). The conventional views about the beauty of women(reflected through 'her life is revolving dream..like changing fires, morning mist, gold, amethyst') are sharply contrasted with the evil social practices of seclusion('her days are guarded, behind her carven lattices' and the sorrow and pain brought by them for women('sorrow looks into her face..tears?'). Thus, option B is the correct answer.