Stammer : Analysis

A Poem by K Satchidanandan

The poem Stammer was originally written in Malayalam by K Satchidanandan and later translated into English.

Stammer (British English) or stuttering (American English) is regarded as a handicap and approximately one percent of the world’s population suffer from stuttering.

For them simple social situations can be a humiliating experience.

There’s a constant worry that what you’ll be called in class, then the terror of public speaking and, of course, the relentless bullying that comes with being a kid with a speech impediment.

On the surface, stuttering is a speech disorder caused by the involuntary repetition or prolongation of certain words and consonants, but the factors that cause stuttering range from genetics, child development, neurophysiology, and family dynamics.

Moreover, stuttering can cause severe anxiety, stress and depression in people who suffer from it.

There are many great men and woman, who have proven, that being afflicted, with a stutter needn’t hold you back from chasing your dreams.

In fact, as Joe Biden once wrote, “You can beat it just like I did. When you do, you will be a stronger man for having won.”

The poet here opposes the conventional notion that stammer is a handicap. He says that it is a way of communication. It is not an imperfection but a language.

Analysis of the Poem

The poem ‘Stammer’, is about human imperfection.

We are unable to fulfill all our dreams and wishes. So, there is a wide gulf in between our dreams and reality.

We are also not able to communicate all that we would like, through words and actions.

When the poet says that Stammer has become our mother tongue, he is critical of our reactions to burning social and political issues. We just stammer or turn our faces away from it, as if it does not affect us.

It may be because of fear, what others would say, that we are unable to stand and react against what we have seen.

The Creator, made man in all his likeness. If man is imperfect, so is God.

Even the God could not make the man with all perfections. Then how can we expect, our self to be perfect.

God, too might have stammered, after the creation of man, when HE thought of the problems, this new being would cause.

Whatever man does, has multiple meanings. His prayers, actions and his life itself, is not what it seems.

Human words are like poetry, and we can interpret as we like.

Stammer is not a handicap. It is a way of communication. It is similar to lameness, the unevenness of our footsteps. Only that this happens between our words and its meaning.

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