Shreya Tomar
Hyderabad, India
Abstract
This study examines the use of nature imagery in Hindi and Tamil poetry to determine the strategies used by poets from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds in the use of natural resources as symbols and metaphors. Through comparative analysis of a chosen set of classical and contemporary poetry, this study compares both the similarities and differences in the symbolic use of nature. The study finds that while both traditions draw on the transformative power of nature to elicit emotion and philosophical contemplation, there are significant differences in terms of the kinds of imagery used, their cultural connotations, and the narrative functions that they perform. In Hindi poetry, nature is used to symbolize an emotional landscape closely linked with themes of love, desire, and mysticism, while in Tamil poetry, the tendency is to adopt an integrative strategy by correlating nature with local environments and socio-cultural contexts. This manuscript describes the methodology used to collect data, including qualitative textual analysis and a simple statistical method of classifying imagery types, as well as describing the frequencies and contexts of occurrence of these symbols. The study finds that, while the universal appeal of nature underlying these traditions of poetry is clear, the various cultural vocabularies and historical inputs lead to differences in the conceptualization and use of natural imagery. The study concludes by suggesting that the scope of future research could explore how these imagistic traditions have evolved over time and how contemporary adaptations in the two languages facilitate the reinterpretation of the meaning of nature in poetic use.
Keywords
Hindi Poetry, Tamil Poetry, Nature Imagery, Comparative Analysis, Cultural Symbolism, Metaphor, Poetic Visuals
References
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