KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG Archives

Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean”: A Journey Towards Self-Love

October 12, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan No Comments

Reading Time: 3 minutes“Someday I’ll Love Ocean” is a deeply emotional poem by Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong. The speaker addresses himself as Ocean, as if comforting his younger self. The poem describes his struggle to overcome painful memories and learn to accept himself. Self-love is the poem’s central theme. The opening line, “Ocean, don’t be afraid,” shows the…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, GENDER STUDIES, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

Ocean Vuong: A Poet of Desire and Loss

October 12, 2026October 12, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan No Comments

Reading Time: 3 minutesOcean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American poet. He was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College, City University of New York (CUNY). He often connects personal experiences with history and society. Vuong’s poetry is known for its emotional depth and experimental style. He…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

The Complexity of Liberation in Audre Lorde’s “Who Said It Was Simple”

October 12, 2026October 14, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan No Comments

Reading Time: 5 minutesAudre Lorde’s 1973 poem “Who Said It Was Simple” explores the complex relationship between racism and women’s liberation. Lorde, an influential Black feminist poet and activist, used literature to challenge social injustice. In this poem, she asks whether the women’s liberation movement can achieve true equality while ignoring racial discrimination and the struggles of less…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

A Celebration of the Human Body: A Critical Appreciation of Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric”

October 11, 2026October 11, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan No Comments

Reading Time: 7 minutesWalt Whitman (1819–1892) is one of the most important American poets and is widely known as the Father of Free Verse. “I Sing the Body Electric” is one of Whitman’s most powerful poems. It celebrates the human body as beautiful and sacred. The poet rejects the traditional belief that the body is inferior to the soul….

FYUGP SYLLABUS, GENDER STUDIES, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES

Walt Whitman: The Poet of Democracy and Humanity

October 11, 2026October 11, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 1 Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutesWalt Whitman (1819–1892) is one of American literature’s most important poets. He is often called America’s world poet because his works explore universal themes. Along with Emily Dickinson, he is regarded as one of the nineteenth century’s greatest American poets. Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, on Long Island, New York, and grew up…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, GENDER STUDIES, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES

Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence: A Critical Analysis

October 11, 2026October 11, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 1 Comment

Reading Time: 3 minutesAdrienne Rich (1929–2012) was an influential American feminist thinker. Her essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (1980), published in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, is an important contribution to feminist theory and lesbian studies. In this essay, Rich challenges the assumption that heterosexuality is a natural and universal condition. She argues that…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, GENDER STUDIES, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

Adrienne Rich as a Queer Writer: Lesbian Identity and Resistance

October 11, 2026October 11, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 1 Comment

Reading Time: 2 minutesAdrienne Rich (1929–2012) was a prominent American feminist thinker whose writings made significant contributions to lesbian literature and queer studies. Her poetry and critical essays challenge compulsory heterosexuality and the marginalisation of lesbian identities. She connects personal experiences of sexuality with broader questions of gender and social justice. Rich’s early poetry, including A Change of…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, GENDER STUDIES, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, QUEER STUDIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

Marital Alienation in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “A Temporary Matter”

October 11, 2026October 11, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan No Comments

Reading Time: 9 minutesJhumpa Lahiri’s “A Temporary Matter,” in her acclaimed short-story collection Interpreter of Maladies (1999), poignantly explores marital alienation and the fragility of human relationships. Set in Boston, the story centres on Shoba and Shukumar, an Indian American couple whose marriage undergoes a profound transformation after they lose their child in a stillbirth. Through restrained narration and a…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, SHORT STORIES

Between Two Worlds: Identity and Belonging in the Works of Jhumpa Lahiri

October 10, 2026October 10, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 1 Comment

Reading Time: 5 minutesJhumpa Lahiri is an acclaimed English-born American novelist and short-story writer whose works explore immigration and the complexities of belonging. Born on July 11, 1967, in London, England, to Bengali parents from Calcutta (now Kolkata), Lahiri grew up in the United States, where she experienced the tensions between her Indian cultural heritage and her American…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, SHORT STORIES

The Pain of Being Forgotten: A Critical Study of Anita Desai’s Games at Twilight

October 10, 2026October 10, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 1 Comment

Reading Time: 6 minutesAnita Desai’s psychologically insightful short story, Games at Twilight, explores childhood emotions and the discovery of one’s insignificance. First published in 1978 as the title story of her collection Games at Twilight and Other Stories, the narrative transforms an ordinary game of hide-and-seek into a profound exploration of human psychology. Set in an Indian household…

FYUGP SYLLABUS, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, SHORT STORIES