About Poet
Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. She moved to New York, where she worked as a journalist, and then to 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. The poem “I Was My Own Route,” is based on the same theme of women’s liberation and social justice.
Summary
The poem ‘I Was My Own Route‘ was written by Julia de Burgos. Her all poem mainly deals with themes of women’s liberation and social justice. This poem is also based on women’s liberation and social justice. She depicts how women are burdened with patriarchal ideologies from the past in the poem. Therefore, de Burgos urges the women to detach themselves from the past so as to locate their identity within.
In the first stanza, The poet emphasizes breaking different levels, boundaries, and standards of society which are the reason for gender discrimination. She will break all of it that one should be subject to hide and neglect their talents and abilities. She demands equality for both males and females.
Women are not the burden, they are also human beings. They also have the right to take part in every sector in which men get. Women are not birds who live in the net, they are humans with independent will. The poet challenged every norm and value made by males that deprived (बन्चित) women of getting equality. The poet stood to break the chain of these past patriarchal ideologies and form a new path.
In the second stanza, She describes all the difficulties that she faces when she wants to break the chain of these past patriarchal ideologies and form a new path. so women get equality. During introducing a new path, many people of the old generation block her from doing such an act. They pull her back but she advances her steps bravely and courageously on her route forward. It was one of the most difficult tasks of her life.
In the third stanza, the poet expresses her feeling after acquiring a new path that was more and more different from a patriarchal society. She was very happy after getting intimate liberation from the male dominant society. She made the balance between her life and the truth of the kiss of the new paths.
In the fourth stanza, the poet compared herself to a blossom that flourishes in a difficult place. She was happy after introducing a new route\path for women that helps them for getting intimate liberation from past patriarchal ideologies. This path is unaffected by male dominance.
In the fifth stanza, the poet admires herself; her bravery, her curiosity, and her strength. Because she know that it was a difficult task to introduce a new path that leads to the intimate liberation of women from past patriarchal ideologies safely.
In the sixth stanza, the poet repeated her first stanza where she talks about different levels, boundaries, and also the standards of society which are the reason for gender discrimination. But now she overcomes such a miserable and painful condition of woman. She gets special respect for introducing such a new route or path.
Moral/Theme of the story
The moral of the poem teaches us, women and men both are human beings. They must get equality in society. Women are not birds who live in the net, they are humans with independent will. A woman also has the right to take part in every sector in which a man gets. And the other moral of the poem; the women detach themselves from the past so as to locate their identity within.
