Voicing the wound: Language, trauma, and resistance in Aleena Akashamittayi’s My English

Aleena Akashamittayi’s poignant poem My English explores the intersections of language, identity, colonial history, and the lived realities of postcolonial subjects. The poem voices the struggles of individuals who inherit language born out of historical subjugation. Through the personification of English, Aleena creates a narrative in which language becomes a conflicted character, burdened by its past while yearning for acceptance and belonging. The poem addresses the concerns of power, history, and belonging, and it stands as a powerful contribution to postcolonial and diasporic literary discourse. This paper analyzes how the poet employs linguistic metaphors and powerful imagery to expose sociohistorical injustices deeply rooted in colonial legacy. This study focuses on the emotional complexity of the inherited language, its exhaustion, hunger, and persistent desire for recognition, and considers how these traits reflect the broader psychological pressures experienced by diasporic and marginalized individuals. Special attention is given to the poem’s narrative structure, which moves between personal memory and collective trauma, thereby offering a layered perspective on identity formation. The paper also follows the thematic progression from alienation to affirmation, illustrating how the speaker reclaims an imposed tongue as a vital part of her selfhood. Through close reading, the study reveals how My English examines the conflict between assimilation and cultural preservation, showing how English becomes a powerful medium of resistance, creativity, and voice.