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Discuss how Jayanta Mahapatra employs the motif of decay in “Grass” to explore the concepts of memory and time. How does the motif contribute to the poem’s overall exploration of human existence? -10 marks

In Jayanta Mahapatra's poem "Grass," the motif of decay plays a crucial role in exploring the concepts of memory and time, offering a profound reflection on human existence. Mahapatra uses this motif to underscore the inevitable passage of time and the gradual erosion of both physical and emotional landscapes.


The imagery of decay is woven throughout the poem, beginning with lines such as "the cracked earth, / ancestral smell of rot," where the physical decay of the earth parallels the decay of memory and history. The "cracked earth" symbolizes the wear and tear of time on the natural world, mirroring how memories, too, can become fractured and distorted over time. The "ancestral smell of rot" evokes a sense of something once alive and vital now slowly disintegrating, suggesting that the past—whether personal or collective—carries with it the weight of decay, as memories fade and lose their clarity.

This motif of decay is further emphasized in the depiction of the environment as a reflection of the speaker's internal state. The decaying landscape becomes a metaphor for the speaker’s own experience of time and memory, where the passage of years has eroded not just the physical surroundings but also the speaker's emotional connections to the past. The imagery of "the earth’s slow ruin" highlights the relentless, inevitable process of decay, suggesting that all things—memories, relationships, even life itself—are subject to this natural law.

By employing the motif of decay, Mahapatra delves into the transient nature of human existence. The gradual disintegration of the natural world in the poem echoes the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death. This decay serves as a reminder that time spares nothing, and human efforts to preserve memory or resist the passage of time are ultimately futile. Yet, within this decay, there is also a sense of continuity; the earth continues its cycle, and life, despite its impermanence, persists in new forms.

In conclusion, the motif of decay in "Grass" is central to Mahapatra’s exploration of memory and time. It reflects the impermanence of human existence, the erosion of memory, and the relentless passage of time, contributing to the poem's meditation on the fragile, transient nature of life. Through this motif, Mahapatra offers a poignant commentary on the inevitability of decay, while also acknowledging the enduring, albeit transformed, presence of life within this cycle.

References:

1.Raghunandan, L. (1990). Contemporary Indian poetry in English : with special emphasis on Nissim Ezekiel, Kamala Das, R. Parthasarathy, and A.K. Ramanujan : other poets assessed are Kolatkar, Shiv K. Kumar, Keki Daruwala, Jayanta Mahapatra, and Arvind Krishna Mehrotra. In Reliance Pub. House eBooks. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA4138592X

2. Mohanty, S. (2014). THE POETRY OF JAYANTA MAHAPATRA (1928- ). In BRILL eBooks (pp. 117–126). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789401210331_008

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