Sarojini Naidu Persuasive Essay Example

Despite facing opposition from her family, Naidu returned to India in 1898 where she married Govindarajulu Naidu.

Due to her family's esteemed status, Naidu had the opportunity to interact with influential intellectuals, authors, and politicians during India's intellectual renaissance. In 1905, she published her first poetry collection called The Golden Threshold in England. This book included an introduction by Arthur Symons and received favorable responses, inspiring Naidu to continue publishing until 1917 when she abruptly stopped. However, everything changed in 1914 when she met Gandhi and decided to join him in the struggle for Indian independence.

Naidu was primarily focused on advocating for women's rights as a political activist. She traveled extensively throughout India, giving lectures on the educational needs of women and promoting suffrage. Additionally, Naidu held various prominent positions in the Indian government, becoming the first woman to do so. In 1925, she became President of the Indian National Congress. Throughout the 1920s, Naidu actively campaigned for Indian independence while also traveling to Africa and North America. Her revolutionary activities led to multiple arrests and incarcerations throughout her career. Finally, when independence was achieved in 1947, she was elected acting governor of the United Provinces.

In 1949, Naidu passed away. Her early poetry, influenced by her Brahmin upbringing, shows a strong Western influence. She focused on Western themes and images, crafting poems in traditional English metrical forms. When Naidu met Edmund Gosse in London, he acknowledged her potential but suggested that she incorporate Indian subjects into her work. Taking his advice, Naidu combined traditional poetic forms with vivid depictions of India in her first volume, The Golden Threshold.

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book received a positive reception in England, appealing to Edwardian readers who admired Naidu's skillful use of the English language and her unique insight into Indian culture. Her second collection, The Bird of Time (1912), delved deeper into subjects like death, grief, patriotism, and religious beliefs. Gosse wrote the introduction for this volume and praised Naidu's poetic exploration of complex issues through delicate and romantic language. In her third volume, The Broken Wing (1917), Naidu continued to display her patriotism and vividly depict Indian culture.

The work that many critics consider Naidu's greatest poetic achievement, "The Temple: A Pilgrimage of Love," is found in The Broken Wing. Composed of twenty-four poems, "The Temple" delves into the complexities of a mature love relationship, exploring its joys, pain, and unpredictable nature through vivid and at times disturbing imagery. The collection concludes with a contemplation of mortality. Published during Naidu's lifetime, The Broken Wing serves as her final volume of poetry. The sudden shift from literary endeavors to political engagement has left many critics curious about her motivations.

Some argue that the decrease in her popularity, particularly in England, was attributed to her shift from a flowery and romantic tone in her early poetry to a more somber and thoughtful one in her later works. Others claim that readers lost interest because of her focus on patriotic themes. In 1961, Naidu's daughter published The Feather of the Dawn, a compilation of her previously unreleased poems, but it received little critical recognition. However, Indian critics have since reassessed her poetry and now regard her as one of India's most eminent poets of the twentieth century.