In her poetry collection Milk and Honey (also known as milk and honey), Rupi Kaur offers both prose and poetry. It deals primarily with survival. There are four sections in the book, each with a different purpose and relevance to Kaur’s experience. Each section discusses a different theme, such as love, loss, violence, and femininity. They are titled:
- hurting, that is
- a loving act
- to be broken
- can heal
Kaur’s writing style stems from her cultural background and desire to be accessible to the auShe has also been subject to negative controversies and rumors in regard to her style and intentions. rumors.
Kaur published Milk and Honey on November 4, 2014. More than three million copies of the collection have been sold. In the 165 weeks since June 7, 2020, it has remained on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Background
Kaur was born in India and later moved to Canada at the age of four. Her family kept the traditions of the Punjabi-Sikh people by speaking only Punjabi at home.
At the age of five, Kaur began reading, drawing, writing poetry, and painting because she couldn’t speak English and had trouble making friends. She credits community open microphone nights with helping her find her voice by fourth grade. As she grew older, Kaur continued reciting her poems at open mic events and gathered a loyal following who were eager to see her poems expanded in the book.
The first place she gained fame was through her photography and poetry posts on Instagram, where she has 4 million followers. This type of work is known as Instagram poetry. As an Instapoet, Kaur’s work was published on her Instagram feed.
A photo posted by Kaur on Instagram in 2015 showed her menstrual blood on her pants as an opposition to a “misogynistic society”. During a school project, Kaur posted a photo on Instagram showing her menstrual blood on her sheets and sweatpants, which received over 100,000 likes. She removed the photo twice. According to Kaur, she had no apology to make for not feeding the ego and pride of misogynistic society that would have my body in underwear, but not be okay with a small leak. Her followers grew as she posted her poetry and controversial photography on Instagram earning the title of an Instagram poet.
Book’s contents
Each of the book’s four chapters features 30 poems: ‘the hurting’ (30 poems), ‘the loving’ (30 poems), ‘the breaking’ (60 poems), and ‘the healing’ (57 poems). Some of the poems in the overall section include illustrations by Kaur, which follow the general theme.
Style
It uses sexual terminology and accessible language, and it discusses personal trauma that is suitable for teens and adults. She breaks traditional poetry rules to honor her native language, Punjabi, and uses both first- and second-person pronouns. The writing style is similar to that of Punjabi, with lowercase letters and few punctuations. She writes in a direct manner that enables the reader to develop a connection with her.
Reception
It has been said that Kaur’s poetry is easy and simple, and she is credited for changing people’s views of poetry because she “tells it how it is”.
Milk and Honey received criticism regarding InstaPoetry, with Bustle stating that Kaur and the book. “by far borne the brunt of these criticisms. For every positive review of Kaur’s work, there is at least one scathing review. Ranging from actual engagement with her writing to cheap shots claiming she commodified South Asian heritage.” According to Publishers Weekly, Kaur is a “polarizing figure. ” For literacy, publishing, and media who might be able to sell poetry again. Maher also stated that although a 2015 survey reported a drop in poetry reading between 1992 and 2012. Poetry sales figures doubled in 2017, two years after Kaur published Milk and Honey.
Kaur’s ability to be a representative for women empowerment is criticized by Chiara Giovanni, who states. “‘There is something deeply uncomfortable about the self-appointed spokesperson . For South Asian womanhood being a privileged young woman from the West'”.
Over accusations that Kaur plagiarized Nayyirah Waheed. work, the book received criticism. Critics have cited similarities in the two poets’ styles of writing. Which use jagged punctuation and line breaks, as well as the same imagery.
About Author (Rupi Kaur):
Rupi Kaur is an Indian poetess and novel writer. She is an internationally proclaimed writer that has authored many best seller books, most of all that is a collection of poetry and prose. Rupi is best known for her beautiful and artistic written expression that has the power to make the readers visualize everything they are reading. Rupi attributes her creativity to her mother – who had encouraged her to express art and creative skills since at an early age of 5.
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