What is the central idea of this poem?

women are mysterious creatures that must be protected from harm.

legally and culturally, women must be treated with respect and should have equal opportunities.

while walls and veils may appear to protect women, they deny women freedom and happiness.

a woman's life is filled with secrets that can never be discovered.

how does the personification in the lines “time lifts the curtain unawares, / and sorrow looks into her face…” affect meaning?

sorrow is a necessary contrast to joy since it shows the range of the woman’s emotions.

by making sorrow a character, the distress caused by exposure is clear.

time causes the woman’s tears when it lifts the curtain because she is put on display.

when time lifts the curtain, the sadness caused by pardah is revealed.

what is the speaker’s view of the custom of seclusion?

it is a relic from an ancient people that should be studied.

it is necessary to protect women from the ravages of time.

it celebrates the natural beauty and power of women.

it oppresses women and leaves them powerless and lonely.

in the first stanza of the poem, the woman is portrayed as someone who is beautiful and otherworldly.

why does the poet choose to describe the woman in this manner?

the portrayal of the woman in this stanza expresses how some hindu or muslim communities would view this practice; it contrasts the speaker’s views expressed in the final stanza.

as the poem is meant to describe the poet, she includes this stanza to portray herself as beautiful and desirable.

the poem focuses on the speaker’s culture and religious beliefs; the beauty of the woman reflects how the speaker feels about her culture.

because the poem is a cry against injustice and inequality, this stanza expresses how beautiful the woman is when she is free and supports the speaker’s views of women’s rights.

sarojini naidu was politically active during india’s struggle to gain independence from british rule. she was also dedicated to bringing equal rights to women who were treated as a second class in indian society.

how does the poet’s political work and the historical events that took place in india influence meaning in “the pardah nashin”?

the poet is working to become a political leader; this poem expresses her sorrow at being cut off from the political process in india.

“the pardah nashin” expresses the pride that the poet feels toward her country as it fights for independence; the subject in the poem rises to power just as the poet does.

during this time, india is caught between the past and the future; the poem expresses this struggle by showing how the subject of the poem moves from the joy of the past into the sorrow and uncertainty of the future.
the speaker of the poem argues against oppression and for freedom; this aligns with the poet's political work to win freedom for india and to empower women.