Alicia Frueh
English 384/ Foss
Final Exam
April 28, 2020
A diagnosis of severe or “low- functioning” Autism can oftentimes be accompanied by the inability or limited ability to communicate vocally, thus necessitating those with a diagnosis to communicate by other means. Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay’s poem “Misfit” is a perfect illustration of how someone can be given a silent, yet powerful voice. Mukhopadhyay is a non-verbal autistic who, despite his communication barrier and atypical physical behaviours, is able to illustrate through this poem that he feels no less natural than the world he observes around himself.
“There was the earth, turning and turning.
The stars receded, as if
Finding no wrong with anything.”
It is no accident that Mukhopadhyay should choose this particular structure (Villanelle) in his poem as it seems to format perfectly his perception of the universe and it’s anticipated, or natural, rotation. This beautiful imagery invites readers to experience the daybreak with Mukhopadhyay as he stands witness to the neverending rotation of our planet, spinning night into day. The first two lines of the tercet bear testament to the incontestable truth that the world never ceases to turn, regardless of who or what is watching. The last line of the first tercet offers readers a bit of calming reassurance in that the star’s trajectory is, “Finding no wrong with anything.” (Mukhopadhyay) This line sets the tone for the remainder of the poem in that Mukhopadhyay acknowledges the natural order of the world around him and feels aligned to it.
“Birds flew by all morning-
The sky lit
From the earth’s turning and turning.”
In the second tercet Mukhopadhyay makes it apparent that he has watched the day evolve from dusk until mid to late morning and it is likely that it is not his first time in doing so. With the foreknowledge that Mukhopadhyay has a diagnosis of Autism, his repetition of the words “turning and turning” may give readers the visualization of a person literally spinning, or “stimming,” which is a common or stereotypic, self-stimulatory behavior for many autistics. One might speculate at this point that Mukhopadhyay is mimicking the natural conduct of the world around him or perhaps, at least where he draws inspiration for his whimsical motions.
“My hands, as usual, were flapping.
The birds knew I was Autistic;
They found no wrong with anything.”
This third tercet is where we really begin to perceive Mukhopadhyay’s behavior to be more than just self-stimulatory, but rather as a reenactment of what he sees taking place in his natural environment. He flaps his hands to the rhythm of the birds around him and states undoubtedly, they know him to be Autistic. This isn’t to be taken literal, because after all, how could a bird understand Autism? Rather, Mukhopadhyay finds solace in that the birds refrain from judging his odd or atypical behaviours. In fact, he may feel more like these birds than he does his fellow man. Regardless of the motivation for his flapping or turning, it is clear that Mukhopadhyay recognizes that birds and stars find “no wrong with anything.” They do not question his existence, nor he theirs. In her book, “The Way I See It,” Dr. Temple Grandin recounts her memories of meeting Mukhopadhyay when he was still a teenager. She remembers his mother, Soma, explaining, “How flapping calmed him down and made him happy. If he had been allowed to do it all day he would have never learned anything. Small amounts of ‘stimming’ were allowed so he could calm down.” (Grandin p. 161) We can suppose now that Mukhopadhyay uses his flapping as a means to find release from any sensory overload or societal exclusion he may feel.
“Men and women stared at my nodding;
They labeled me a Misfit
(A misfit turning and turning).”
Once more, Mukhopadhyay gives visualization to another of his stereotypic behaviours; nodding. He admits that he is labeled as a “misfit” by those who pass by and we can presume that he is often uncomfortably perceived as “odd,” “misplaced,” or even “bad.” A brief history of Mukhopadhyay’s early life can perhaps shed some light on this label. Mukhopadhyay was born and raised in India until his thirteenth year of life. In India he was denied formal education at several separate institutions. His Mother, Soma, is recognized as his main source of advocacy and education. Her life’s work as a chemist was set aside to spend the majority of her time working with Mukhopadhyay, teaching him and helping him develop his artistic proficiency. Despite the fact that he is considered now to be a borderline genius as well as a literary master, Mukhopadhyay has said, “I have Autism and learning with typical mammals will not work for me.” (Mukhopadhyay) His need for a particular learning structure, as well as time to turn and turn about may have left him feeling like a misfit, or one that just doesn’t “fit” into societal standards.
“And then I was the wind, blowing.
Did anyone see my trick?
I found no wrong with anything.”
In the final tercet of the poem Mukhopadhyay states that he has become the blowing wind. This line reinforces the central idea that he is capable of speaking the language of the Earth. Autistic people often feel out of place when in the midst of mainstream or “neuro-typical” society. Just because someone can not verbalize their thoughts does not mean they do not have anything meaningful to say. If one could slow down their pace and listen to the language of the world around them they may find that the world itself has quite a lot to say. Perhaps Mukhopadhyay has discovered that the quietness on his lips has provided him with another sense that most people are not equipped with, or at least do not utilize so often. Outside in the wind, turning and turning, Mukhopadhyay “finds no wrong with anything.” This line is repeated throughout the poem (in true villanelle style) and continually reinforces the initial concept that Mukhopadhyay feels “right” in his way of being when able to communicate within his natural element. The metaphorical trick he performs is achieving internal harmony with no judgement or condition, whilst “becoming the wind.”
“Somewhere a wish was rising,
Perhaps from between my laughing lips.
Why stop turning and turning
When right can be found with everything?”
In the closing quatrain, Mukhopadhyay begins to laugh and makes a wish. While we cannot know what his wish yearns for, we can rest assured that his turning and turning is allowing him the inner peace he needs to feel safe and happy in this particular moment. His movements clearly provide him with a zen-like mindset or the “reset” that all people necessitate in some frequency or another, so that “right can be found with everything.”
Dr. Oliver Sacks, Professor of Neurology at the NYU School of Medicine said, “It has usually been assumed that deeply Autistic people are scarcely capable of introspection or deep thought, let alone of poetic or metaphor leaps of the imagination.. Tito (Mukhopadhyay) gives the lie to all of these assumptions and forces us to reconsider the condition of the deeply autistic.” (Sacks) Mukhopadhyay’s “Misfit” reveals undeniable confirmation that although all voices are not expressed or received in the same manner they are no less compelling or impassioned.
I Pledge, Alicia Frueh
1255 Words
Works Cited
Mukhopadhyay, Tito Rajarshi. “Misfit.” 2010.
Grandin, Dr. Temple. The Way I See It: a Personal Look at Autism & Aspergers. Future
Horizons Inc., 2015.
