Introduction of the Poem:
The poem entitled “Obituary” appeared in Relationship. This poem relates to a death and is written in a tone of grief. The title of this poem prepares the reader for a mournful and saddening poem. The theme of this poem is treated in a light - hearted manner. In fact the treatment of the father's death is more comic and ironical than pathetic and poignant. In this poem, the poet remembers his father long after his death and thinks over the legacy he left for his sons and daughters. The poet links familial with the traditional and the historical. Thus, the poet achieves universality of appeal in this poem.
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| A.K. Ramanujan’s Poem Obituary—Summary and Critical Analysis |
Some Critical Points of the Poem:
1. Due to being poor, poet's father did not leave huge bank balance and other material possessions for his heirs.
2. Poet's father left no legacy except a table full of dust and papers. He left debt to be repaid, a sickly bed - wetting grandson and an old decaying house.
3. In the ashes the sons found several round bits of metal which they picked up carefully in order to throw them into the water at the meeting - point of three rivers.
4. Due to utter poverty, it was difficult to follow the strict social rituals.
5. In poet's opinion, a widow is generally treated with contempt and callousness in Hindu society.
6. His birth by means of surgical operation and his death due to heart - failure were two outstanding achievements of his father's career. These two achievements were not the subject of any long standing headstone.
7. Only the loving son remembers such insignificant events of his father's life due to deep love and reverence.
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1:
Father, when he passed on
left dust
on a table full of papers,
left debts and daughters,
a bedwetting grandson
named by the toss
of a coin after him
a house that leaned
slowly through our growing
years on a bent coconut
tree in the yard.
Being the burning type
he burned properly
at the cremation.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Father = perhaps poet's father. 2. When he passed on = when the poet's father died. 3. Left ... papers= after his death, the poet's father, at the name of legacy, left an old, decaying dusty table on which papers were kept. 4. Left debts ... daughters= at the name of legacy, poet's father left debts to be paid and his main responsibility i.e., a number of daughters to be married. 5. A bedwetting grandson ... after him= his father left after him a grandson who was at the time a mere infant and he was given name even after the death of poet's father. Bedwetting refers to a child's urination in bed, and its wetting the bed as a consequence thereof. 6. A house ... yard = poet's father left behind him a house which was decaying with the passage of time and leaned on a coconut tree growing in the compound, while the coconut tree itself was a leaning one. The house here reminds us of the leaning tower of Pisa (in Italy). 7. Being ... cremation= when the poet’s father was cremated, the fire easily burnt his body.
Paraphrase:
The speaker, who may be the poet himself, gives us an account of certain happenings connected with the death of his father. When poet's father died, he left behind him a dusty table full of papers and some debts to be paid. He also left behind him a number of daughters to be married. He left an infant grandson who had been named after him by the toss of coin because there was no proper agreement among the members of family taking his name and the family members had different opinions about his name. Furthermore, he left behind him an old house which was decaying as the years were rolling. It also leaned on a coconut tree growing in the compound. In fact, the coconut tree itself was leaning and not growing straight upwards. After his death when poet's father was cremated, his body took no time in burning to ashes.
Stanza 2:
as before, easily
and at both ends
left his eye coins
in the ashes that didn't
look one bit different,
several spinal disks, rough,
some burned to coal, for sons
to pick gingerly
and throw, as the priest
said, facing east
where three rivers met
near the railway station;
no longstanding headstone
with his full name and two dates
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. As ... easily= poet’s father’s body soon turned into ashes. 2. And at both….coal=in the ashes there were left several round bits of metal which had become rough. 3. For sons ... gingerly= the sons picked up those bits of metal carefully. 4. And throw ... station= the priest directed them to perform social rituals and to throw the ashes and other materials found in the ashes into the water of three rivers. 5. No longstanding ... dates= poet's father could make no achievement in his life. He lived an ordinary life. His birth and death were like a common man, so there was no need to erect a memorial with the dates of his birth and death.
Paraphrase in English:
As the body had completely burnt, the remainings could be found easily. Several round bits of metal were clearly visible there, so the sons picked them carefully. It was essential to perform social rituals. The priest directed the sons that they should throw the mortal remainings into the water at the meeting - point of three rivers. As the poet's father lived an ordinary life, he was born and died as a common man, there was no question before the sons to erect memorial in order to show reverence for their dead father. No sentence could be inscribed on erected stone.
Stanza 3:
to hold in their parentheses
everything he didn't quite
manage to do himself,
like his Caesarian birth
in a brahmin ghetto
and his death by heart
failure in the fruit market.
But someone told me
he got two lines
in an inside column
of a Madras newspaper
sold by the kilo
exactly four weeks later
to street hawkers
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. To hold ... himself = poet's father did not deserve a sentence or clause grammatically complete. He could do nothing himself and naturally. 2. His caesarean birth = the delivery of a child by means of a surgical operation performed by a surgeon on a woman's abdomen when a natural delivery is not possible. 3. Brahmin ghetto= a poor, dirty, congested neighbourhood inhabited by Brahmins. 4. His death ... market = poet's father died due to heart failure in the fruit market. 5. But someone ... Madras newspaper = the poet was told by someone that two lines about his father were published in the columns of a Madras newspaper, so the poet began reading the news. 6. Sold by ... street hawkers = the poet started to find out a brief obituary in old newspapers which were sold to the street - hawkers or junk - dealer by the weight.
Paraphrase:
According to the poet, his father was not so worthy that he could deserve a sentence which was grammatically complete. He had no natural instinct. He was not capable to do anything himself which could be appreciated by others. Even he was not born in natural way. For his birth, his mother was operated by a surgeon. He was born in a poor, dirty congested neighbourhood inhabited by Brahmins. He died due to heart failure in a fruit market. Once, someone told the poet that he had read two lines about his father published in a Madras newspaper. The poet had curiosity to read those lines which were published to inform the people about his death. He started reading old newspapers in the hope of finding in them two lines about his father. He got these newspapers with great difficulty because after four weeks or a month the newspapers were sold to street - hawkers and these streets - hawkers sold them to groceries.
Stanza 4:
Who sell it in turn
to the small groceries
where I buy salt,
coriander,
and jaggery
in newspaper cones
that I usually read
for fun, and lately
in the hope of finding
these obituary lines.
And he left us.
a changed mother
and more than
one annual ritual.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Who sell it in turn ... groceries= sometimes street - hawkers directly sell the old newspapers to the small shops which sell such articles and commodities of daily consumption as spices, sugar, tea – leaves, and pulses. 2. Where I buy ... cones= from these grocery shops the poet bought salt, coriander and jaggery which were either wrapped in the piece of newspaper or were kept in a bag made of old newspapers . 3. That I ... lines = the poet read those wrappers and bags in which the things were kept. The poet, in the beginning, used to read those pieces of newspapers and bags made of old newspapers only for entertainment, but later on he started reading them in the hope of finding these obituary lines . 4. And he ... ritual = the death of poet's father left deep impact upon his mother and she became a completely changed woman. Next the death of his father had also made it necessary for the survivors to perform several rituals in the course of every year.
Paraphrase:
It was difficult to find out the news in the old newspapers because they were sold to the street - hawkers and the small groceries purchased them in order to use them as wrappers and bags. Either the things were wrapped in the pieces of the newspapers or were kept in the bags made of old newspapers. The poet used to buy salt, coriander and jaggery from groceries in the paper bags or in the piece of newspaper. He generally used to read many news published on the pieces of old newspapers for the entertainment, but later on he started to read them in the hope of finding the obituary lines. Finally the speaker (the poet) says that his father's death had produced a profound effect upon his mother who was now a completely changed woman. Furthermore, the death of his father had made it compulsory for the survivors to perform several social rituals in the course of every year.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem “Obituary” which appeared in Relationship shows how the skilful strategy of Ramanujan transmutes personal feelings into art. This poem is written in a mock - ironic tone. It literally means notice of somebody's death, especially in newspaper, a brief biography of a deceased person. In this poem, the poet remembers his father long after his death and thinks over the legacy he left for his sons and daughters. Cast in an ironic mould, the poem makes almost a newsreel presentation of the uneventful life of the poet's father who had a Caesarian birth and who died of heart attack. He was poor, underwent deep suffering and left a legacy of debts and daughters. Beyond the facade of this narrative of the uneventful life of the poet's father lies the feelings of intense personal grief and concern of the poet. The poet blends levity and seriousness like a metaphysical poem.
Thought - Content:
The poet presents an account of his father's death. He says that his father was poor, so he did not leave huge bank balance and other material possessions for his heirs. He left no legacy except a table full of dust and papers, left debts to be paid, a sickly bed - wetting grandson and an old decaying house. He also left behind his ashes, his eye - coins and several spinal discs for sons to pick up gingerly from the pyre. The ashes were thrown according to the instructions of the priest at the confluence of three rivers near the railway station. He also left a changed mother and more than annual ritual. While remembering his father, the poet says that he did many things in life, but he did not actually do them, rather they happened to him. He was born through a Caesarean operation in a slum and he died of heart failure in the fruit market. The poet feels that these two outstanding achievements of his father's career are not the subject of any longstanding headstone. The poet reads old newspaper in the hope of finding in them two lines about his father which were published in the column of a Madras newspaper.
A Wholly Ironic Poem:
This poem is wholly ironic. Here the speaker, Ramanujan himself, has a laugh at his father who, at his death, left behind ‘debts and daughters’, and also a bed - wetting grandson who was named by the toss of a coin after him (the speaker's father)”. The father, says the speaker, as ‘of the burning type’ and ‘he burned properly at the cremation’. Then the ritual of throwing coins in the direction of the meeting - place of three rivers is ironically described, as is the father's birth through a Caesarean operation in a Brahmin ghetto and his death by heart - failure in the fruit market. And there is a touch of irony even in the tragic close of the poem in which the speaker says that his father had left his children with a changed mother and with more than one annual ritual.
Importance of Family as a Theme:
The poem is about the speaker's father, the speaker here being undoubtedly Ramanujan himself. Here we have a poem written throughout in the ironic mode, partly ridiculing the father in a good - humoured manner, and partly singling out certain events and happenings over which the father had no control. The father is mocked at when the speaker says that the father at his death left behind ‘debts and daughters’ (and also ‘a bed - witting grandson’). He is also mocked at when the speaker says that the father left his children ‘a changed mother and more than one annual ritual’, although there is a reference here also to the sorrowing widow whom the dead man had left behind. The events, over which the father had no control, have been ironically specified as the Caesarian operation which became necessary to bring him into this world and his death by heart - failure in the fruit - market.
Nothing Nostalgic in the Autobiographical Poem:
This poem is autobiographical and reminiscent poem but it too cannot be described as nostalgic because the happenings recalled in this poem are far from pleasant. When the father died, he left behind debts and daughters, and a bed - wetting grandson. Nor is the speaker's reference to his father's birth or death a complimentary one. The father was born as a result of a Caesarian operation in a Brahmin ghetto, and he died of heart failure in the fruit market. Nor are the poignant or painful closing lines of the poem complimentary to the father who left to his children a changed mother and more than one annual ritual. There is a lot of irony in this poem and plenty of humour resulting from the use of this device, but the poem does not express the least desire on the part of the poet that these past events should occur again in his life.
A Poem in a Tone of Grief, but Replete with Comedy:
The title of the poem clearly shows that this poem is related to death. The title prepares us for a mournful and saddening poem, but the theme is treated in a light - hearted manner. In fact, the treatment of the father's death is more comic and ironical than pathetic and poignant. For instance, when the speaker says that his father left behind a table full of papers and also some debts and daughters and a bed - wetting grandson, we feel amused because the legacy is more of a liability for the bereaved family than an asset. Then the naming of the bed - wetting grandson by the toss of a coin is also very amusing. The house leaning on a coconut tree which is itself leaning is again something comic. But the comedy does not end here. The dead father was the ‘burning type’ and so he burned properly and easily at the cremation, leaving in the ashes several spinal discs which the sons were to throw into the meeting point of three rivers under the instructions of the priest. The birth of the father by a Caesarean operation in a congested Brahmin locality and his death by heart - failure in the fruit market are amusing too.
Language and Style:
This poem resembles with metaphysical poem because of blending levity and seriousness. There are harsh sounding words ‘dust’, ‘debt’ and ‘daughters’ which suggest the nature of the experience. In form, this poem is most irregular, like much of Indo - Anglian poetry. The lines vary in length and rhyme has not been used at all. If one line consists of seven words, there are others consisting of two words and even one word. The use of capital letters at the beginning of the lines has also been avoided.
