Question

In "We Both Live in the Same Village," the speaker uses depictions of the natural world to symbolize his feelings for Ranjana and their relationship. How does this symbolism emphasize the affection the speaker feels for Ranjana? How does the symbolism explain their proximity? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.

Answer 1

Rabindranath Tagore works with symbolism through out the entirety of his poem, "We Both Live in the Same Village". He describes that feelings that a common villager has for Ranjana, by symbolizing them with depictions of the natural world.

For example, when "The yellow birds sing on their tree", the villager experiences happiness. When he writes that "her pair of pet lambs come to graze near the shade of our garden", he is describing how much pride and joy the villager has to be connected in some way to Ranjana.

Tagore also uses the symbolism to explain how these two people inhabit the same city, and how that proximity fuels the love of the villager for the girl. "The stars that smile on their cottage send us the same twinkling look." This exemplifies how both individuals are proximate to each other, the stars are looking at them at the same time because they live in the same village.