ENGLISH LITERATURE

CLASS 9
The Bangle Sellers
- Sarojini Naidu

Extract 1: Bangle sellers are we who bear

Our shining loads to the temple fair….

Q.1. What is being referred to as ‘shining loads’? Who all are its prospective buyers?
Ans: The shining bangles that are being carried by the bangle sellers to the temple fair for sale are
called the ‘shining loads’.
The prospective buyers of these bangles are the women of every age group.

Q.2. Why does the bangle sellers choose to sell their bangles at the temple fair?
Ans: The temple fair is a place which is visited by women of all age groups. Therefore, the bangle
sellers choose to sell their bangles to the ‘happy daughters and happy wives’ at the temple fair.

Q.3. Which figure of speech has been used in the line, “Rainbow-tinted circles of light”?Explain
how is this related to the happiness of daughters and wives?
Ans: The figure of speech used here is metaphor as the multi-hued bangles are compared with the
radiant lives of happy daughters and happy wives.
The multi-coloured bangles are symbolic of the different shades of womanhood. They represent
dreams, youthfulness and aspirations of happy daughters and happy wives.

Q.4. What role do the bangle sellers play in a traditional Indian set-up?

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Ans: The bangle sellers are the carriers of those ‘shining loads’ glorifying the idea of womanhood.
They try to convince buyers of the spiritual and symbolic importance of the bangles in a traditional
Indian set up. Each stage of an Indian woman’s life from a dreamy maiden to an excited bride and
finally to a matured matriarch is described according to the colour of bangles of the bangle sellers.

Extract 2:Some are meet for a maiden’s wrist,

Silver and blue as the mountain mist,

Q.1. What colour of bangles are befitting for a maiden’s wrist? Why are these colourscompared to
the mountain mist?
Ans: Silver and blue coloured bangles are befitting for a maiden’s wrist.
The silver and blue colours are compared to the mountain mist symbolizing the freshness,
innocence, purity and beauty of the young maidens.

Q.2. In what way are the buds set to dream? What figure of speech is used in ‘the buds dream’?
Ans: The word ‘buds’ here is suggestive of chastity. The ‘buds that dream’ present before us an
image of bud-like young maidens who dream of their happy future. The poet presents the stage of
youth in a woman’s life dreaming of marriage. They dream of growing up and blossoming like
beautiful flowers.
The figure of speech used here is personification.

Q.3. What is meant by the ‘limpid glory of new born leaves’? What are the ‘new born leaves’
symbolic of?
Ans: The poet compares the shiny green bangles to the transparent beauty of the light green new-
born leaves. The new-born leaves shine like the freshness of the clear dew-drops on the new-born
leaves.
The new-born leaves or dew-drops are symbolic of the young maiden’s purity, freshness and
chastity. This has connotations to new beginnings and the promise of life.

Extract 3: Some are like fields of sunlit corn,

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Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,

Q.1. What is being compared to ‘fields of sunlit corn’? Why?

Ans: Golden or yellow coloured bangles suitable for a bride are compared to ‘fields of sunlit corn’.
The golden and yellow colours represent the happiness of a bride-to-be on the morning of her
wedding. The colour is symbolic of the hope that the bride has for her future and her happiness.
The corn fields- a proof of Mother Nature’s fertility is symbolic of the fertility of a young girl
getting married.

Q.2. Bring out the relevance of the line: ‘Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,’.
Ans: The colour of the bangles suitable for a woman on her wedding day is compared to the reddish
yellow flame of marriage around which the bride takes marriage vows with her groom. The flame-
like colour of the bangles is appropriate to symbolize the flame of love in marriage.

Q.3. Weddings become befitting occasions to wear bangles. In what ways does the poet associate
bangles with a bride?
Ans: The bangles worn by a bride in a traditional Indian wedding have spiritual and symbolic
significance. Each stage of an Indian woman’s life is described according to the colour of the
bangles suitable at that stage, from a dreamy maiden to an excited bride and finally to a matured
mother and wife. The bangles that are suitable for a bride are golden coloured like the holy fire
around which the bride takes marriage vows with her groom. The red bangles depict the colour of
‘her heart’s desire’ which is suggestive of dreams and hopes of a newly wedded bride.

Q.4. What do you understand by the phrases ‘bridal laughter’ and ‘bridal tear’? To what have they
been compared?
Ans: ‘Bridal laughter’ refers to the happiness and blissfulness a bride experiences while getting
married. ‘Bridal tear’ refers to the sadness that accompanies a bride while leaving her parental
abode.
These bangles create a light, ringing sound as the bride walks. They are shining and delicate as the
laughter of the bride as she is entering her new wedded life and also her tear as she weeps being
separated from her parents to begin a new phase of her life.

Extract 4: Some are purple and gold flecked grey

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For she who has journeyed through life midway,

Q.1. For whom are the ‘purple and gold-flecked grey’ bangles suitable for? Which phase of their
lives is symbolized by these bangles?
Ans: The ‘purple and gold-flecked grey’ bangles are suitable for a woman who has ‘journeyed
through life midway’ and has gained experience, wisdom and maturity.
These bangles symbolize the phase of a woman who has lived the phases of life as a young maiden,
bride, a proud mother and a responsible wife and earned a position as a matriarch.

Q.2. Discuss the use of colour imagery in the last stanza of the poem.
Ans: Colours represent various moods and aspects of life. In the above extract, all the aspects of
being a woman have been experienced. The colours chosen for the bangles are purple and gold
flecked grey. Purple colour indicates power, authority, pride and dignity and gold-flecked grey, a
sober colour, indicates experience and wisdom. Thus, a woman wearing these bangles has gained
maturity, reared her children with love and at last has achieved the fullness of her role as a mother
and a wife.

Q.3. Explain how the colour of the bangles represent motherhood.

Ans: The bangle sellers attribute purple and gold-flecked grey bangles to the mother who has
attained maturity by rearing her children. The bangles are suitable for those hands that have
cherished, loved, blessed and cradled her sons representing motherhood.

Q.4. What special significance does the phrase ‘fruitful pride’ hold in the extract?
Ans: ‘Fruitful pride’ is a significant phrase in context of a woman who has journeyed through life
midway. She has been a loving daughter, a happy bride, a responsible wife and mother. Her
experiences have made her a perfect woman. She has been productive and fecund in her family
and thus serves her household in fruitful pride.

Q.5. Comment on the changes in the life of a woman vis-à-vis the colour of her bangles.
Ans: The various colours of the bangles represent emotions like hope, happiness, desire, love and
pride. The after effect is a rainbow encompassing different emotions felt by a woman in each

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passing phase of her life. These rainbow-tinted bangles are symbolic of different shades of
womanhood. The blue and silver coloured bangles are like the blue and silver mist of mountains;
shades of pink of yet to blossom flowers or the clear dew drops on new born leaves are suitable
for young maidens. The golden colour represents the holy fire around which the bride takes
marriage vows and the golden coloured bangles, compared to yellow sunlit corn fields are suitable
for a bride. The purple and gold-flecked grey bangles are suitable for a woman who has journeyed
through life midway, has gained experience, wisdom and maturity. Thus the ‘rainbow-tinted’
bangles celebrate the beauty and meaning of womanhood.

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