2. About the poet...
Sujata Bhatt's multicultural perspectives
on language, culture, art and history
surely originate in her own life
experiences.
Born in India in 1956, her mother tongue
Gujerati, she has studied in Britain and
the USA (at the famed Iowa Writers
Workshop), taught in Canada, travelled
widely, and now lives and works in
Germany.
3. Brief Context
“A Different History” explores the relationship between
cultural identity and language. Bhatt was born in India
in 1956, studied in the United Kingdom and United
States, and lives now in Germany.
4. Listen to the audio recitation of “ A
Different History”.
Think of the following questions:
What is being compared in the poem?
What is the attitudes towards books?
Is there a change of mood in the
poem?
5. Discussion
What is being compared in the poem?
• Comparison is made between Greek and Indian gods:
‘*Pan+ simply emigrated / to India’, and ‘Here *in India+,
the gods roam freely’.
What is the attitudes towards books?
• Next the poem focuses on the reverential attitude
towards books in a country where ‘every tree is sacred’.
Is there a change of mood in the poem?
• A clear shift in mood comes at the start of the second
section with the first rhetorical question which takes us
to the heart of what the poem is about: ‘Which
language / has not been the oppressor’s tongue?’
6. Your task...
• Read the poem and underline any words
that you find difficult or are unfamiliar with.
• Consult a dictionary to find the meaning.
• This will help you to further understand the
poem.
7. The goddess plays a particularly
significant role in the first stanza
Greek God
Pan
Hindu God
Sarasvati
8. Tone
Listen to the poem again...
Do you feel that a particular point has been
clarified by the tone of voice in which Bhatt
reads the poem?
9. Graphology
The lineation of the poem makes the two
sections of the poem stand out visually.
What differences can you see between the two
sections. Look both at the content and the
language Bhatt uses.
10. Language
Look more closely at the language of the first
section (up until ‘from whose wood the paper
was made’).
How does Bhatt use words and phrases to
convey how sacred trees and books are?
11. Poetic Techniques
In pairs, try to find as many poetic techniques as
you can in the poem.
You have 5 minutes.
12. Repetition / Rhetorical Question
• In pairs, read the poem again.
• Consider the effects of the repetition of ‘a sin’
and ‘without’ in the first section
• and of the rhetorical flourish ‘Which
language…’ in the second section.
13. Mood / Tone
• Consider more closely the different mood of
the second section, exploring the precise
effects of particular words that you find
striking.
• How do you think these lines should be read?
Is the tone bitter or sad? Does the tone of
voice change at any stage – and, if it does,
why?
14. Metaphors
• Consider the following metaphors: ‘tongue’
for language, and the soul ‘cropped / with a
long scythe swooping out / of the conqueror’s
face’.
• Probe closely the meanings and effects of the
underlined words.
• How effective do you find the final two lines of
the poem? Do you find anything amusing in
the poem?
15. Themes
What do you think are the common ideas found
within this poem?
• Identity and language
• Time
• Religion
16. Your Task...
First: Write a short poem about your culture and
Identity.
Second: Compare and contrast your culture
and Identity to that of Sujata Bhatts.
The poems will be judged by teachers and the
best poem will win a prize and be presented in
Assembly.
