International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583

A Stylistic Analysis of Kamala Das‟ Poem "A

Losing Battle"
Marzyyeh Atashgah
Research Scholar, Department of Linguistics, University of Kerala, India

Abstract: The present paper is an attempt to analyze Kamala Das’ poem “A Losing Battle” from the viewpoint of stylistic analysis. This
analysis is made under the aspects of phonological, morphological, lexical, semantic, and presentational patterns. The analysis is useful
in understanding the content, form, and inner meaning of the poem. This article also aims to find out the stylistic devices to boost the
message of the poem. It concludes the stylistic devices which play a very significant role in helping the readers seize the meanings and
messages that the poem conveys.

Keywords: Kamala Das, Style, Stylistics, Stylistic Analysis

1. Introduction poem is analyzed by examining its morphological, lexical,

and semantic, graphological, or presentation levels.
Poetry is defined as a form of literature is also known as
expressive music as it maintains both expressive and musical 2. Literature Review
qualities. Poetry retains an artistic collection of different
sounds and senses which create particular feelings, The literature review in this article maintains definitions of
emotions, and moods to the readers and audiences. Poetry a style, stylistics, and levels of stylistics analysis, and some
genre of the literature reveals the mystery, beauty, emotion, notable studies on her works.
feelings, sentiment, etc, through an artistic language
decorated with imagination. Poetry is a composition in verse 2.1 Style
or metrical language. It can also be defined as an expression
of eminent thought, imagination, and feeling in the rhythmic Style refers to the perceived distinctive manner of
language of metrical composition. It is rich in the use of expression in writing or speaking, just as there is a perceived
figures of speech. It is different from other genres because it manner of doing things, like playing a character or
is more emotional, more musical, and more imagination. portraying a role or a painting. Style is the fundamental
element in composition as well as literary works. It exposes
Style is a unique way of using language to convey the the ways that the author applies words, sentence structure,
planed meaning in an ample manner and stylistics is the figurative language, and sentence arrangement. (Katie
study of the distinctive expression of language. Wales.1990)

Kamala Das (1934-2009) is one of the most outstanding If we closely observe each author clearly draws upon the
Indian poetesses writes in English. She has established a general stock of the language in any given period; what
remarkable technique in writing poetry. Fifty years of makes styles distinctive is the choice of items, and their
creative writing in two languages, first her mother tongue distribution and patterning. A definition of style in terms of
Malayalam and English. she has made a name for herself, in choice is very popular, and has been since the Renaissance:
style, imagination, and romanticism. Generations enjoy her the selection of features partly determined by the demands
style of writing, and each group enjoys the concepts and of genre, form, theme, addressee, etc. So Patrick Studer
style in their way. And that shows Kamala Das‟ writing is (2008) defines style as „motivated choice‟.
not felt for a particular time but meant for generations.
Work can be observed linguistically which creates a theme,
"A Losing Battle" is one of Kamala Das‟ shortest English mood, setting, and meaning by the text. Wales (2001)
poems. This poem can be considered as a metaphorical believes the style refers to "the perceived distinctive manner
poem. Probably the poem reminds a reader of the famous of expression in writing or speaking". Harmon (2006) views
line of Shakespeare‟s tragedy "Hamlet" –'Frailty, thy name that style merges two elements: “the idea to be expressed
is a woman', where Shakespeare points towards the and the individuality of the author”. According Cuddon to
weakness in the character and moral worthiness of a woman. (1998) style is the characteristic manner of expression in
Kamala Das creates such an attempt in "A Losing Battle" prose or verse; “how a particular writer says things”. These
that men are also morally corrupt and worthless. They can definitions articulate that style is a distinctive way of
be easily lured into a trap. The poem creates a theme which applying language for expressing feelings, emotions,
is the image of the failure of love due to the power of lust thoughts, and messages in particular situations. The style
and how inferiority can dominate superiority. differs from person to person as well as the personalities of
persons.
This article tries to extract the style and stylistic devices that
the poet has subjugated to boost her message that lust can
dominate love because men are corrupt and worthless. The
Volume 9 Issue 6, June 2020
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20601171414 DOI: 10.21275/SR20601171414 220
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583
2.2. Stylistics How can my love hold him when the other
Flaunts a gaudy lust and is lioness
Stylistics concerns with study style in-text more often than To his beast? Men are worthless, to trap them
not literary text. Raj Sharma believes that Widdowson Use the cheapest bait of all, but never
(1975) claims stylistics as the study of literary discourse Love, which in a woman must mean tears
from a “linguistic orientation”. Candling (1989), stylistics is And a silence in the blood.
a linguistic approach to “the study of the literary texts”.
Stylistics focuses on the figures of speech, tropes, and other 3. Purpose of the Study
rhetorical devices used to present diversity and distinctness
to someone writing. It concerns with the style, and a) To explore the stylistic devices exploited in the poem.
consequent meaning of literary works to analyze the text and b) To discover the message and meaning of the poem.
eventually to build up the interpretation of the literary text.
4. Methodology
Stylistics is sometimes called confusingly literary
stylistics/linguistics or linguistic stylistics: literary because it The researcher has followed graphological, morphological,
tends to focus on literary texts; linguistic because its models phonological, lexical, syntactic, and semantic levels of
or tools are drawn from linguistics. However, analysis to form the basis for stylistic analysis of this poem
linguistic stylistics has also referred to a kind of stylistics "A losing battle" of Kamala Das.
whose focus of interest is not primarily literary texts, but the
refinement of a linguistic model which has the potential for
further linguistic or stylistic analysis: 5. Stylistic Analysis of the Poem

2.3. Levels of Stylistic Analysis 5.1. Graphological Level

The following are the levels of text stylistics according to The poem "A Losing Battle" consists of one stanza contain
these levels. six lines. It sounds to be two long sentences in six lines. The
first sentence ends up with a question mark in the middle of
2.3.1. Graphological Level the third line and before it, there is no punctuation mark. The
Graphology is a linguistic level of analysis that embodies the second sentence finishes up with one period in the last
study of graphic features of the language. According to stanza. There are three commas in the second sentence that
Crystal and Davy (1969), graphology is the equivalent study separate four sentences that build the second sentence totally
of a language writing system or orthography as seen in a within the third last line. As modern writer Kamala das
variety of kinds of handwriting to topography. These are breaks the rules of punctuation, line arrangements and she is
“the formalized rules of writing”. Leech (1969) asserts that making use of graphological deviation. She avoids applying
graphology goes beyond orthography. It refers to the full conventional grammar rules. She avoided either the regular
writing system: “punctuation and paragraphing as well as way of punctuation or inventing her style of punctuation. It
spacing”. conveys a sense that Kamala das breaks the rules of the male
society through her poem and portrays men weakly in this
2.3.2. Phonological Level poem. As the sentence “men are worthless” is in the center
Phonology is the study of the patterns of sounds in a of the third line and the whole of the poem as well, it is a
language, it concerns with the phonetic resources as they are sign that the poet emphasis the theme of her poem.
used in a specified language. Lodge (2009) outlooks
phonology to be the study of linguistic systems, specifically 5.2. Lexical Level
how "sounds represents differences of meaning in a
language". The major words used in this poem are nouns such as lust,
lioness, beast, bait, tears, silence, and blood. The nouns
2.3.3. Morphological Level figure out a battle between men and women and establish the
Mark and Kirsten (2005) acclaim that morphology is the situation of battle in the setting as well. The verbs indicate
mental system implicated in word-formation or to the zone the action of the relation between men and women such as
of linguistics that deals with words, their internal structure, hold, flaunts, trap, use, love, mean. There are three
and how they are formed. adjectives gaudy, worthless, and cheapest. The first one
„other‟ is not related to whom exactly men or women, or
2.3.4. Lexical Level might be both, while the second two adjectives are related to
Lexical level speaks about the level of “Lexis” .lexis is the the men and describe them perceptively. There is not any
vocabulary items that design a language or the body of adverb in the poem. The minor words employ in this poem
words group together to create phrases and sentences. are him, the, his, them, a, of, but, never, which, and, in.
Parts of speech used in the poem are given below:
2.3.5. Semantic Level
Parts of speech Words
Semantic level deals with the meaning of words, phrases,
love, lust, lioness, beast, men, bait, women,
and sentences. It contains a metaphor, simile, symbol, mood, Nouns
tears, silence, blood
imagery, and other literary devices. Main verbs hold, flaunts, trap, use, love, mean
Adjectives gaudy, worthless, cheapest
Let us see the epigram" the losing battle". Adverbs (nil)…..
Volume 9 Issue 6, June 2020
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20601171414 DOI: 10.21275/SR20601171414 221
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583
Auxiliary verbs can, is, never, must, are 5.4.3 Imagery
Pronouns him, his, them Imagery is a general term that conveys the use of language
Prepositions to, of, in to represent objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, ideas in
Conjunctions but, and mind, and any sensory experience. In “A Losing Battle”, the
Articles the, a poet illustrates abstract images that can‟t be seen, just felt.
She makes sense in the reader the men are beast who can
5.3. Morphological Level trap them easily or lust as gaudy, flashy, and deceivable. She
also illustrates the image of women as lioness which makes
The poem consists of free morphemes and bound a sense of power and haunting power as well. Kamala Das
morphemes. shows the reader that loves is separate from lust and never
finds in men‟s hands.
Free morphemes involve lexical and functional morphemes.
Lexical morphemes employed in this poem are: 5.4.4 Hyperbole
“love” “hold” “ flaunts” “ gaudy” “ lust” “ lioness” “ beast” Hyperbole is a common figure popularly known as
“men” “worthless” “trap” “ use” “ cheapest” “ bait” “ exaggeration or overstatement, often used for emphasis as
woman” “means” “ tears” “ silence” “blood”. great emotion or passion or importance. In “A Losing
Battle”, the poet asserts the men are worthless to trap them
Functional morphemes are: with the cheapest baits which in a woman must mean tears
“a” “and” “but” “of” “the” “to” “in”. and silence in the blood or anger. Kamala Das exaggerates
to emphasize important issue which is the lust and how it
The bound morphemes are: able to destroy love simply.
how, him, a, and, to, his, them, of, but, never, which, in,
must. 5.4.5. Mood
Mood is the feeling created in the reader by a piece of
The bound morphemes are classified in the inflectional and writing. This title “A Losing Battle” creates a dark and
derivational morphemes. The inflectional morphemes are: absurd feeling in the reader. A battle will result in defeat to
plural“-s” in “flaunts”&“tears”., “-ness” in “lioness”, “-less” reflect into reader futility, inanity.
in worthless, “-est” in cheapest.
6. Conclusion
The derivational morphemes are not used in this poem.
"A Losing Battle” by Kamala Das is a metaphoric brief
The abundant use of free morphemes might be freedom of poem that explained, interpreted, and analyzed from diverse
the poetry from chains and rules and the poet as well. fields. This analysis is made under the aspects of
phonological, morphological, lexical, semantic, and
5.4. Semantic Level presentational patterns. The analysis is useful in
understanding the content, form, and inner meaning of the
In "A losing battle", Das portrays the conflict between „love‟ poem. This also gives the stylistic devices used in this short
and „lust‟, „men‟ and „women‟ as well. The poetess observes poem which boosts the message of the poem. It can be
how „lust‟ can defeat „love‟ because it is „gaudy‟ and concluded by stating that the stylistic devices play a very
powerful as a lion. In the poet‟s view, men are worthless as momentous role in helping the readers seize the meanings
the beast that women can trap them with cheapest baits like and message that the poem conveys.
some womanish acts as tear and the silence easily. Kamala
Das believes men don‟t understand love, therefore, love
loses. The poet has employed the following rhetorical
References
devices:
[1] Cuddon, .J. A., A Dictionary of Literary Terms and
Literary Theory. Oxford, Basil Blackwell.
5.4.1 Metaphor
[2] Wales, Katie. A Dictionary of Stylistics.3rd Ed, New
Metaphor is a figure of speech in which two, unlike objects,
are implicitly compared without the use of like or as. York, Rutledge, 1990.
Speaker employs metaphor “lioness” to mean readers that [3] Crystal, D., and Davy, D. Investigating English Style.
woman is as lioness to portray the power of women and lust London: Longman.1969.
as well. The title “the losing battle” can be a metaphorical [4] Leech, G. N. A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry.
poem. It compares love and lust, man and woman and London: Longman.1969.
finally, lust defeats love. [5] Widdowson, H.G. Stylistics and Teaching of Literature.
London: Longman.1975.
5.4.2 Symbol [6] Iyengar, K.R. Srinivas. Indian Writing in English. New
Symbol is an object, animate or inanimate, which represents Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1985.
or “stands for something else”. The losing battle by Kamala [7] Das, Kamala. Kamala Das Poems. Classic Poetry
Das could be a symbolic poem in which she considers lust as Series. PoemHunter.com.Pdf, 2012.
a symbol of power that can lose love. An alike lion is a [8] Kulkarni, KalpanaArun. "A Stylistic Analysis of a few
symbol of power; the writer uses a lioness to represent the Poems by Kamala Das". PhD, Thesis.
power of a woman to arouse the lust in men. The speaker [9] Sharma, Raj, Lok. "A Stylistics Analysis of Tennyson‟s
considers men who are deceived by lust worthless. Poem “The Eagle”". Volume 6, IJCRT, 2018, ISSN:
2320-2882.
Volume 9 Issue 6, June 2020
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20601171414 DOI: 10.21275/SR20601171414 222
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2019): 7.583
[10] Marzyyeh, Atashgeh. "Stylistics of Kamala Das‟
Poems- As a Confessional Poetess". Paper presented at
41st International Conference of DLA- Calcutta, 2018.

Volume 9 Issue 6, June 2020

www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20601171414 DOI: 10.21275/SR20601171414 223