Comparative Essay, How is the theme of ‘identity’ dealt within the poems ‘Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan’ and ‘Nothing’s Changed’.
The poem is written in free verse, where the phrases are arranged loosely across the page. It is divided into stanzas of varying length.
The poem, ‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan,’ investigates problems of identity from the point of view of a "half-English" girl growing up in England but receiving regular presents from her relatives back home.
The poet’s use of the word phrases ‘feeling alien', 'half-English' and having 'no fixed nationality' are direct statements about her conflict of identity. She contrasts the beautiful clothes and jewellery of India with the classic English cardigans from Marks and Spencer. There is a slight pun about her aunts ‘requesting cardigans from Marks and Spencer’s to further explore this shared culture. The ‘radiant’ clothes are so carefully described to stress their difference to British clothing. When a glass bangle 'drew blood' it is an image of how she is not used to these items of clothing. She is also drawn to the loveliness of these things, but feels awkward wearing them; ‘I tried satin-silken top-/was alien in the sitting-room. /I could never be as lovely as those clothes’, (lines 16-19).The girl ‘longed for denim and corduroy’’, (lines 20-21).This shows she wants to ‘fit in’ so she has to struggle between two cultural identities.