The poem ‘presents from aunts in Pakistan’ is about a Muslim family living in England, receiving presents from their aunts back in Pakistan. It’s about how the writer Moniza Alvi receives a salweer kameez which is a suit, and how her parents received jewelry. Moniza also shows signs of jealously in the poem as she is saying how she could never be as beautiful as the clothes that were sent to her.
“I tried each satin – silken top was alien in the sitting room. I could never be as lovely as those clothes.”
The atmosphere in the poem is not to optimistic or happy as Moniza is saying how she can’t be as good-looking as the clothes, the jewelry being stolen, the clothes not impressing anyone, and having memories of her being in the prickly heat.
“Indian gold, dangling, filigree”…..”My salweer Kameez didn’t impress the school friend who sat on my bed”……...”Prickly heat had me screaming on the way.”
In this poem there is no rhyming what so ever. The pronunciation in this poem is standard. Moniza Alvi has only deviated from standard English and only uses figurative language only at times when using words for Indian garments such as salweer kameez which is a suit.
Moniza Alvi does form imagery to the readers in this poem for example when she is saying how the jewelry was stolen.
“ My mother cherished her jewelry Indian gold, dangling, filigree. But it was stolen from our car.
on the whole judging from the stolen jewelry, and how she is jealous of the clothes, the poem has a negative tone.
The next poem is called ‘Hurricane hits England’ which is written by Grace Nichols
In the poem ‘Hurricane hits England’ written by Grace Nichols it is about a Hurricane that has England.
The person is talking to the hurricane asking questions such as:
“Tell me why you visit an English coast?” And “What is the meaning of old tongues reaping havoc in new places?”.
Grace Nichols does not make this poem rhyme at all. He does not have any use of figurative English, he only uses standard English.
Grace Nichols creates imagery into the readers head such as the following sentences:
“What is the meaning of trees falling heavy as whales their crusted roots their cratered graves”.
“The blinding illumination, even as short – circus us into further darkness.”
The poem is divided into eight stanzas . It starts off describing the environment surrounding him. After that he asks the hurricane to talk to him. In the third stanza Grace Nichols begins to ask questions. In the sixth stanza there is only one line, and one sentence. What Grace Nichols is trying to do is make it stand out from the rest of the poem by saying “o why is my heart unchained?” He is asking about the way he feels. In the last two stanzas Grace Nichols is describing how the Hurricane is making him feel.
The overall tone to this poems seems to be showing that Grace Nichols is sad.
