POET'S CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT FEMALE MARGINALIZATION : A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON KAVSILUMINA AND SEEGIRI GRAFFITI

The excellence of any art form is determined by the extent to which it embodies universal values. Whether in ancient or classical art, assessing present-day significance relies on advanced critical benchmarks. Examining artistic creations through the lens of their attitude toward women enables an evaluation of how well such works reflect and uphold the value of humanity. This research focuses on a comparative analysis of the poet, the Second Parakumba's Kavsilumina and 686 verses from the Sigiri poetry, investigating the cognitive perception surrounding the marginalization of women. The objective is to explore whether the poet engages in the marginalization of women and, if so, how this aligns with their perspective on women. The research question revolves around whether Kavsilumina and Sigiri poetry collectively foster an androcentric worldview. A comparative analytical methodology was adopted, incorporating both inductive and deductive approaches. The findings revealed a clear contradiction in how Sigiri poetry handles the marginalization of women, showing strong evidence of criticism and opposition. In contrast, Kavsilumina was concluded to overtly marginalize women. While the Sigiri poetry, predating Kavsilumina, critiques patriarchal narratives in an ironic and artistic manner, Kavsilumina more explicitly promotes such narratives. As the conclusion, Sigiri poetry emerged as being definitively opposed to marginalization, demonstrating a highly conscientious poetic philosophy, whereas Kavsilumina frequently objectifies women. The cognitive awareness of the Sigiri poets regarding the marginalization of women is considerably higher compared to the poet, the Second Parakumba, who authored Kavsilumina.