Kishwar Naheed
Kishwar Naheed (b. 1940) is a prominent feminist poet of Urdu literature,
Introduction the Poem
“I Am Not That Woman” is one of
Kishwar Naheed’s most powerful poems, expressing a woman’s resistance against
the patriarchal forces that try to define and confine her. The title itself is
a declaration of defiance, rejecting the stereotypical image of women as
submissive, dependent, and voiceless. Through vivid imagery, the poem portrays
how women have been exploited: objectified as commodities, trapped within
walls, crushed by customs and traditions, and treated as burdens due to the
dowry system. Yet, despite these injustices, the poem emphasizes women’s
resilience, individuality, and unyielding spirit. It calls for recognition of
women’s voices and highlights that true freedom of a nation can only be
achieved when women are liberated.
Stanza-wise Summary
Stanza 1
I am not that woman …………………………….. smothered by stones.
The speaker opens by rejecting
the stereotyped image of “that woman”- the woman reduced to a product, a
billboard face, or a decorative item for men’s pleasure. The tone is defiant
and declarative. The stanza insists that a woman’s worth is not confined to how
she appears or how others want to present her. Beneath the surface of
commercialized images and domestic expectations lies an individual with
intelligence, inner life, and autonomy. The stanza establishes the poem’s
voice: a refusal of objectification and a claim to subjectivity.
Stanza 2
I am the one you crushed …………………………………. smother my
fragrance.
Here the poet uses the image of
walls of stone as a metaphor for social rules, customs, and physical
confinement that restrict women’s movement and freedoms. Men’s comparative
freedom is highlighted, they move like
the breeze while women are expected to remain enclosed. Yet the stanza stresses
that physical or social walls cannot destroy the speaker’s thoughts, speech, or
being. The idea of confinement is not only physical but cultural: expectations,
laws, and patriarchal practices all attempt to “wall in” women, but the speaker
claims spiritual and intellectual escape from those limits
Stanza 3
I am the woman …………………………. When I am drowning.
This stanza develops two layers
of imagery: light vs darkness, and flowers vs thorns/embers. Light stands for
the woman’s inner life, hope, creativity, and truth; darkness stands for
suppression and oblivion. The flower metaphor stresses that men take a woman’s
best (her kindness, beauty, contributions) and return harm, thorns and embers
that wound and burn. Despite this betrayal and damage, the speaker insists that
essential qualities like scent (symbolizing identity, memory, influence)
survive attempts to chain or ruin her. The stanza celebrates inner resilience:
outward crushing cannot extinguish essential being.
Stanza 4
I am the one you married off ………………………… Cannot be free.
This stanza brings in concrete
social practices, especially the dowry system, to show how economic and
cultural structures treat women as burdens or commodities. Parents judge a
daughter in monetary or utilitarian terms; marriage becomes a transaction that
relieves them of “burden.” The stanza points to the moral injustice: even a
woman’s virtues (chastity, motherhood, loyalty) do not secure respect or
reciprocation. The picture is social and familial: customs produce deep
material and emotional harm and reduce human relations to exchange.
Stanza 5
I am the commodity …………………………. I am not that woman!
The poem ends on an assertive,
hopeful note. The speaker refuses permanent containment and promises to bloom
fully to realize herself beyond imposed limits. The final image ties private
liberation to public/political freedom: the freedom of women is a necessary
condition for the freedom of the nation. The stanza transforms the personal
declaration into a collective demand — women’s emancipation is justice and a
step toward national progress.
Critical Analysis
The poem I Am Not That Woman
by Kishwar Naheed is a bold feminist statement that dismantles the stereotypes
imposed on women in patriarchal societies. Written in simple yet forceful
language, the poem adopts the voice of a woman who speaks not just for herself
but for all women subjected to exploitation and suppression. The repeated
declaration of resistance establishes the poem as a manifesto against
objectification, silencing, and inequality. Through this direct tone, the poet
claims authority over her own identity and refuses to be defined by others.
One of the most striking aspects
of the poem is its imagery. Naheed uses powerful contrasts to highlight the
injustices faced by women. The “walls of stone” represent the suffocating
restrictions imposed by traditions, while the breeze symbolises the
unrestricted mobility men enjoy. Similarly, light and darkness become metaphors
for women’s spirit and men’s attempts to conceal it. The imagery of flowers
turning into thorns and embers illustrates how women’s sacrifices and love are
often exploited, leaving them with pain and betrayal. Yet the poet reminds us
that fragrance, like a woman’s essence, survives beyond destruction, symbolising
resilience and endurance.
The poem also critiques
oppressive social structures, particularly the dowry system. By exposing how
parents treat daughters as burdens to be married off, Naheed reveals the
deep-rooted economic and cultural mechanisms that devalue women. Even the most
sacred aspects of womanhood, like chastity, loyalty, and motherhood, are
disregarded. It shows how a woman’s worth is consistently denied recognition.
This makes the poem not only a personal declaration but also a social critique
that attacks entrenched customs.
Despite its sharp portrayal of
suffering, the poem is ultimately a proclamation of hope and empowerment. The
speaker rejects permanent confinement and insists on her right to flourish
freely. The final claim that no nation can be free without the liberation of
its women elevates the poem from an individual protest to a political
statement. By linking women’s emancipation to the country's overall progress,
Naheed situates feminism within a broader struggle for justice and national
liberation.
The strength of the poem lies in
its clarity and directness. Without relying on ornamentation or complex
structures, Naheed delivers her message with rhetorical power. The voice is
universal, echoing the frustrations of countless women across cultures while
retaining its roots in South Asian realities. At the same time, the repetition
of defiance gives the poem a chant-like quality, making it memorable and
impactful. In this way, I Am Not That Woman becomes both poetry and
protest, an aesthetic expression and a political weapon.
Kishwar Naheed’s poem is a
powerful rejection of patriarchal oppression and a call for women’s agency. It
exposes objectification, critiques social customs, and affirms resilience, all
while demanding recognition of women as equal beings. Its message is both
personal and collective, reminding readers that the struggle for women’s
freedom is inseparable from the struggle for human dignity and national
liberation.