In the poem To the Welsh critic who does not find me identifiable as Indian, Arundhathi Subramaniam explores the politics of language and how it affects the identity of Indian immigrants in England. She asks questions about the place and place of language and suggests that it is up to the English to judge. Subramaniam also comments on how Indian identity is decided by the English, which is reflected rather bitterly in the poem. English expectations of Indian authenticity are highlighted by Subramaniam as incorrect and slightly ridiculous. This analysis of Subramaniam’s position on “this matter of language” will explore these ideas further. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayLanguage plays an important role in identity (Joseph, 2004). Language and identity have a dynamic relationship. Language creates a sense of group identity, whether national or ethnic. And the need for identity through expression continually shapes language. Identity itself affects how one interprets what is said. The language we speak identifies to others the place we come from and will then qualify us as a foreigner or an insider. This even applies to the way we speak a language. Speaking a language with a different accent always alerts people to the fact that you are not the same as them. Because language has such an effect on identity, it can be used to control certain groups of people. In the poem To the Welsh Critic Who Doesn't Find Me Identifiably Indian, Arundhathi Subramaniam talks about the English categorizing Indians based on language and how an Indian behaves as "Indian". The title of the poem refers to a critic from Wales. . Wales has a history of fighting for self-rule as it is part of the United Kingdom. They have successfully established their own government, but the United Kingdom still retains ultimate power. Some Welsh people fear that their culture will be absorbed into English culture and so it is very relevant that the poem is addressed to a Welsh national. The Welsh would not hesitate to criticize anyone they felt was abandoning their culture, particularly their submission to English culture. They themselves are determined to preserve their culture and identity in the face of a more powerful nation. Subramaniam uses the title of the poem to address the Welsh critic but also possibly to convey a message to anyone who feels it is their duty to determine the identity of others. Using the first person point of view for the speaker creates a better idea of ​​what a language is. A person living in a foreign country might find it difficult to adopt this language. Subramaniam begins by commenting on how the English believe that their culture and language belong to an elite and assume that this is a goal that India wants to achieve. “You think you know me” (Subramaniam 1). The word "believe" indicates that in fact the English do not really know the speaker and the feeling of cultural arrogance is highlighted. “You imagine that you have cracked / my deepest fantasy” (Subramaniam 7-8). Subramaniam mentions Dharma (Subramaniam 10), which means having a cosmic order or purpose. This comment has a rather sardonic tone and could imply that the speaker believes that the English think that Indians are targeting English life in an almost spiritual way and that he finds this possibly offensive, or on the contrary laughable. But then the speaker creates space for an argumentpossible in the third stanza when she says: “Perhaps you are right” (Subramaniam 13). The speaker admits to not knowing much about what is supposed to be Indian, namely cricket and being fluent in Tamil. She also indicates that she agrees with certain first world concepts and would appreciate certain first world luxuries, such as things "without odor, / bottled in Switzerland, / money." »(Subramaniam 19-21). But on the contrary, “You may be right” (Subramaniam 13) means that it is just something to consider and not the absolute truth. These few things that the speaker admits he does not know very well cannot determine or declare false an Indian identity. In the global village that the world has become, cultural characteristics have become more of a stereotype than what actually happens in society. The aspects of European culture that the speaker says she appreciates do not mean that she has rejected her own culture. It is simply a new mix and combination of cultures. But it is clear from the comments on the poem “Smear my consonants / with cow dung, turmeric and godhuli” (Subramaniam 48-49), that the British expect exoticism and that Indian culture is completely opposed to English culture . It could be said that the English are trying to create a new Indian identity based on a lack of understanding of Indian culture and what might be called the tourism idea of ​​India. The reference to “rustic” (Subramaniam 38) implies that the English expected India to be rural. This misunderstanding perhaps comes from cultural arrogance on the English side; perhaps the lack of desire to know the Indians well. But in the poem Subramaniam questions this expectation because, as the title of the poem indicates To the Welsh critic who does not find me identifiably Indian, the English decide that Indians are not really Indian enough if they do not respond to these false criteria. In line 22 “This matter of language” (Subramaniam), the speaker asks the question of language and wonders who it belongs to, where it comes from and what it represents. Subramaniam uses parallelism by starting eight lines with “how much” (Subramaniam 23-30) and three lines with “how I say” (Subramaniam 31-33). This repetition suggests the complexity of this language matter and the number of different aspects that need to be considered when discussing it. There are so many different questions that need to be asked. There is also the suggestion of the importance of point of view in "how I say." Written language can be objective but verbal language is subjective in the way it is received. The change occurs in line 34 when the speaker entrusts the question to the person to whom she is addressing: “It is up to you to measure” (Subramaniam 34). She doesn't answer it herself. It can be argued that the English are the owners of the language they speak and have the right to judge the way it is spoken and perhaps the speaker is implying that in a foreign country the matter is not up to him to respond. The question is both rhetorical and calls for an answer. Perhaps the speaker would like to answer it but feels that their view would be considered invalid. In the first four stanzas, each stanza constitutes a sentence. The mood changes after line 34 changes and becomes somewhat bitter. The stanzas become longer and are divided into sentences. Short sentences give the impression that the speaker has become irritable. The imagery becomes unpleasant. Words like “Pathology” (Subramaniam 35) and halitosis (Subramaniam 36) are used and both are associated with illness and create an image of it. This could suggest that the speaker