Investigating Cohesive Devices In Sarojini Naidu’s Songs of Radha

Abstract

This study investigates the use and importance of cohesive devices in Sarojini Naidu’s Songs of Radha. It has also aimed to comprehend the role of stylistic analysis in deriving at the meanings of the poems. In addition to explaining how cohesion contributes to interpreting and understanding the set of poems, the significance of the research is that its mega contribution to the understanding of how analysis of linguistics and stylistics elements enhances one’s comprehension of poems. Grammatical and Lexical Cohesive devices were identified in Songs of Radha and analyzed using the content analysis technique based on theories of Halliday and Hassan (2013). The quantitative analysis reveals that there are all Grammatical devices: reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction (32.4%).and 21.5% of words are lexical cohesive devices. The Qualitative analysis proves Songs of Radha too is true to every sense of Blackwell’s words on Naidu’s Song of Radha, the Milkmaid “is all metaphorical of the soul's (Radha) quest for God (Krishna)” (Blackwell 11) and simultaneously attains the enlightenment that “I am of thee, as thou of me, a part” with the aid of words used as cohesive devices. Radha’s quest for Krishna is embedded with 86.3% of personal pronouns and seven similes in the three poems of Songs of Radha, which proves her to be a Word Monster as voiced by the Nightingale of India herself: “I sing just as the birds do, and my songs are as ephemeral." Inclusion of such poems in curriculum would enrich students’ word power and cultural and spiritual development.