1. Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two, unlike things without using “like” or “as.” For example “In this triple-baked continent” 
2. Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal meaning. For example “etch angry eyebrows on mud walls”.
3. Personification: Giving human qualities or attributes to non-human entities. For example “Patiently they sit like empty pitchers” – The line personifies the women, comparing them to empty pitchers, emphasizing their waiting and patient nature.
4. Imagery: The use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating a mental image in the reader’s mind. For example “pleating hope in each braid of their Mississippi-long hair”.
5. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. For example “Zodiac doodlings on the sands”.
6. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words. For example “Looking deep into the water’s mirror”.

Indian Women Summary

The poem emphasizes the restrictions and challenges that women endure in a patriarchal society, emphasizing the suppression of their voices and emotions. It examines how social norms limit female independence and gender inequality. In a culture that suppresses women’s individuality and self-expression, the poem promotes contemplation on the unjust distribution of power and the fight for female empowerment. It asks for a reexamination of cultural attitudes and practices that restrict women’s voices and freedom while criticizing the dominant gender norms. The issue of gender inequality and the need for greater empowerment and equality for women is the central idea of this poem. Indian Women Summary