I was My Own Route (Poem) Summary

 I Was My Own Route (Poem) Summary

by Julia de Burgos

About the author

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) moved to New York, where she worked as a journalist, and then Cuba, where she pursued further studies at the University of Havana. Returning to New York after two years in Cuba, de Burgos, a freedom fighter, served as the art and culture editor for the progressive newspaper Pueblos Hispanos. Predating the Nuyorican poetry movement, de Burgos’ poems deal with themes of women’s liberation and social justice.

 

A precursor to the contemporary Latina/o writers, de Burgos, in her poem “I was my Own Route,” depicts how the women are burdened with the patriarchal ideologies from the past. Therefore, de Burgos urges the women to detach themselves from the past so as to locate their identity within.

Summary

The poem ‘I was my Own Route’ is written by Julia de Burgos. She is a feminist writer. In this poem she shows how the women are burdened with the patriarchal ideologies from the past. She challenges the masculine concept of interpreting females’ existence and journey through traditional ways. Therefore, she urges the women to detach themselves from the past so as to locate their identity within.

 

This poem is about strong freedom and liberation of women. It shows the search for new paths that allow the women to define the exact way to follow the choice of their own route. It raises the voices of women because of their dominated nature. She also rejects the ideology of men of deciding women’s life. She expresses her views against inequality and prejudices. It is based on the feminist ideas rebelling against the social injustices of the time.  In the poem, the poet recounts her experience as a dominated woman in her society. Her main interest is to make women aware about women’s rights and freedom. She also defines who she is and what she wants as a woman in that unequal society. Women also want opportunities, rights and benefits like men. The poet shows that a woman never has to feel inferior due to external ideas of an ideology or a man, because a society should not decide her destiny or anything related her life. She wants and requests all to continue smart journey by clearing the obstacles along the way.

 

It is a reflective poem. The speaker in the poem is presented as a rebellious character. In this poem she demonstrates that both men and women are equal and both of them are equally important. This poem also shows that she is not interested to support the trend of that time. She does not want to follow anything established by the society of her time. According to her life shouldn’t be influenced by the ideas of others. It should be guided according to the interest of self. because the law provides guarantees of the fundamental rights to women as men.

 

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