I WAS MY OWN ROUTE by Julia De Burgos (NEB XII)

 I WAS MY OWN ROUTE -Julia De Burgos(Poem)

About the poet 

Carolina, Puerto Rico, as a child (1914-1953).

In New York, she was a journalist.

She went on to the University of Havana in Cuba to further her education.

She was the Daughters of Freedom's Secretary General.

She was a poet, journalist, teacher, and activist.

She was a renowned literary figure in the Americas, and the Nuyorican movement of the 1960s was inspired by her writings on blackness, feminism, love, migration, nationalism, and the natural world.

 Julia De Burgos was a well-known Puerto Rican poet and human rights advocate who lived from 1914 until 1953. Her words display the strength and independence that were there twenty years before the American women's rights movement. Her poem, "I Was My Own Route," originally published in Spanish under the title "Yo Misma Fui Mi Ruta," emphasizes the autonomy and liberation of women. She is seeking out novel strategies for getting about and picking her own route. In response to the societal disparity that existed at the time and was described by Julia de Burgos, this poem promotes gender discrimination (1938). 

 THE POEM'S CONTEXT

The poem "I Was My Own Way" demonstrates how outdated patriarchal attitudes continue to have an impact on women today. This poem helps the women separate from the past so they can find their true identities and encourages women to seek their freedom. The speaker makes a heroic attempt to create a new path that diverges from the previous one and who exemplifies how gender bias set women back. She advocates for equal rights and describes the speaker's experience as a victim of a culture that is ruled by men. Men shouldn't treat women like they are puppets. They must break the chains of patriarchal notions by showcasing their strength and bravery. They are created as equals in this world as males. “I was my own my route" indicates dissatisfaction with the rules and limitations of society as well.

The 30-year-old women who fought for their rights were motivated by this poem to be conscious of three important things: their own lives, their own feelings, and their own potential as women. Despite obstacles or when others fail to notice that we are deviating from expectations, the and given poem urges us to be independent, and free, and to follow our own paths. Thus this poem is still relevant today because, contrary to popular opinion, there is still a social barrier that keeps many women from taking charge of their life and exercising their freedom of choice.

Brief Summary

The radical feminist author Julia de Burgos challenges the masculine notion of defining a woman's existence and journey through traditional channels in the poem "I Was My Own Route." She links gender inequality and prejudices against women to the male mindset. Women's freedom and liberty are emphasized in this poetry. She consequently rejects the masculine mentality that prescribes how a woman should conduct her life and follow the common routes. She draws a link between macho mentality and male prejudice against women as well as gender inequity. She is looking for a new route to take on her own adventure. She supports women's rights and self-determination. This poetry demonstrates the significance of both men and women. Because women are granted the same inalienable rights as males under the law, their life shouldn't be influenced by what other people think. 

 First Stanza

I wanted to be like men wanted me to be:

an attempt at life;

a game of hide and seek with my being.

But I was made of nows,

and my feet level on the promissory earth

would not accept walking backward

and went forward, forward,

mocking the ashes to reach the kiss

of new paths.

The poet outlines what men expect from women in the first stanza. Despite several obstacles, the poet's opposition to patriarchal beliefs is dedicated to eliminating masculine chauvinism from the feminine race. She fights to change the deeply rooted standards and beliefs that males had established.

Second Stanza

At each advancing step on my route forward

my back was ripped by the desperate flapping wings

of the old guard.

The old guard throws up a large number of barriers, norms, customs, and threats of male domination to break her back as she moves forward. She requires emancipation and racing to be free, although the old guards relate to outdated settlements, principles, models, and patriarchy-determined dogmas. She suffers greatly as a result of the limitations, obstacles, problems, and blockades erected by society's elites.

Third Stanza

But the branch was unpinned forever,

and at each new whiplash my look

separated more and more and more from the distant

familiar horizons;

and my face took the expansion that came from within,

the defined expression that hinted at a feeling

of intimate liberation;

a feeling that surged

from the balance between my life

and the truth of the kiss of the new paths.

The third stanza reveals the speaker's unbridled outspokenness. There is no going back then, she says, and she learns more and more about her individuality with every new experience. Her excitement is evident from the expansion on her face as a result of being freed from patriarchal restrictions. There is an increase in feelings after she is set free. She is more eager than ever to take the new, independent path she has selected. 

Fourth Stanza

Already my course now set in the present,

I felt myself a blossom of all the soils of the earth,

of the soils without history,

of the soils without a future,

of the soil always soil without edges

of all the men and all the epochs.

In the fourth verse, the poet expresses a clear sense of her identity, her values, and her goals. On open soils, men have placed limits. To keep the women inside the four walls of the house, patriarchy has put up a variety of barriers, but she starts tearing them down to establish her own roots, overcome obstacles, and construct a route to being herself.

Fifth Stanza

And I was all in me as was life in me...

I wanted to be like men wanted me to be:

an attempt at life;

The persona emphasizes the effects of growing up in a patriarchal society in the fifth stanza by repeating verses from earlier in the poem.

Sixth Stanza

a game of hide and seek with my being.

But I was made of nows;

when the heralds announced me

at the regal parade of the old guard,

the desire to follow men warped in me,

and the homage was left waiting for me...........

The speaker utilizes figurative language in the sixth stanza to convey her feelings of honor, respect, and contempt at the deep-seated resistance to change. 

THEME

The poem "I was my own route" by De Burgos defends women's liberation and autonomy. By doing so, she opposes the masculine worldview that believes women should follow conventional courses in life and in their journeys. She links the idea of men with discrimination against women and gender inequality. She is seeking a novel route so that she can take her own way while traveling. She supports women's freedom and liberty. This poem demonstrates why men and women are equally important. Therefore, since she is granted the same fundamental rights under the constitution, her life shouldn't be subject to the opinions of others.