The title of the poem ‘presents from my aunts in Pakistan’ has been chosen to indicate how effective the presents are towards Moniza Alvi. It suggests that she focuses on them a lot as it’s a way of holding on to her Pakistani culture. The form of the poem can be described as scattered. The poet has chosen this structure to reflect her feelings of being disorientated. An example of the form being particularly effective is between the lines 15-50. This is when she uses most poetic devices, such as similes ‘was alien in sitting room’. This shows that her Pakistani culture affects her the most when she is in England. Clothes are used as a recurring theme, as well as division and culture. They emphasise her feelings of being split between two. ‘Glistening like an orange split open’. This could possibly mean split between two cultures. At the end of the poem moniza alvi still not come to a solution on how to live in unity with two different cultures and the poem is left with no resolvement.
In the poem entitled ‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan’, the poet’s central message is to show that she has been transformed originally from Pakistan, but now living in England. She uses poetic devices such as comparing objects to herself: ‘ I wanted my camel-skin lamp – switching it on in my bedroom, to consider the cruelty, and the transformation from camel to shade’. She feels slightly like this lamp because it was once a camel and now a lamp. It went through a transformation; just like her. She uses phrases like ‘of no fixed nationality’ this sounds like a slightly threatening phrase (there's a similar phrase - 'of no fixed abode' - which is used in law courts when the defendant is homeless). So this shows us that the writer feels she is “country-less” and that she won’t be wanted in either England or Pakistan, this indicates her divided identity and emotions. Even though she cannot remember her past clearly, only by stories and photographs, she still has an interest in her Pakistani culture. For example when her aunts send presents, she admires parts of the clothing: ‘ I tried each satin-silken top, was alien in the sitting room, I could never be as lovely as those clothes’.
‘Often I admired the mirror work, tried to glimpse myself in the miniature glass circles’. In this piece of text, she claims that she is looking at herself in the circular mirror work, this is a way of expressing her feelings as she is looking in the mirrors for a reflection to see who she really is. The poet signifies one side of her feelings towards her clothes.
When she writes about her friend: ‘ my salwar kameez didn’t impress the school friend, who sat on my bed, asked to see my weekend clothes’ but the school friend seems like another side to her personality, one that prefers the English way of life. One that wants to be part of the English culture like her friends.
‘ I longed for denim and corduroy- my costume clung to me and I was aflame’. This suggests that she feels like she can’t get away from her Pakistani culture, the costume clung to her, an example of good use of personification. It’s showing that the Pakistani culture is not prepared to let her go. All the presents that were sent to her are very typically Pakistani, yet her aunties wanted something very typically English ‘my aunts requested cardigans from Marks and Spencer’ she is attracted to her presents but doesn’t want to wear them, to be Pakistani. She is alienated from both cultures, giving a glimpse into both England and Pakistan, even though she has lived in England all her life. These feelings she has do not change at the end of the poem, she still has no conclusion or result. She has mixed emotions for each side of her cultures. ‘My mother cherished her jewellery.. but it was stolen from our car’ this highlights a negative side to England.
