Comparison of the three poems and how they present the theme of human value

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Comparison of the three poems and how they present the theme of human value

Moniza Alvi’s poem ‘An Unknown Girl’ in the EDEXCEL literature anthology carries a powerful theme namely, nurturing one’s cultural identity. The poet drives home this message by portraying the unknown girl the ambassador of Indian culture. Likewise, Phylllis McCormack’s “Crabbit old woman” is a very inspirational poem as the poet pleads the reader not to treat the elderly as inanimate cogs in a machine but as civilized human beings. Similarly, Zulfiker Ghose’s “Geography Lesson” calls upon mankind to shed their ignorance and hatred and learn to live in peace and harmony.  

The structure and form in “An Unknown Girl” is sustained through the literary technique; ‘refrain’ e.g. “an unknown girl is hennaing my hand". Using a pattern of three, the poet maintains the poem’s unity, as the first four lines are repeated thrice with slight variations achieving a link between the poet and the bazaar with all its cultural associations.

The poet also employs imagery to make an analogy with the western culture. This is accompanied through the use of selective diction. For instance, the phrase “Colours leave the street” suggests that the artificial contrived appearance that the western culture has cast upon India has had a strong influence and has subsequently led to the waning of the Indian culture. The poet consolidates this profound influence of western culture on India through the phrase “Dummies …..stare with their western perms” and “shadow-stitched……canopy me”. The former suggests how there has been a clear influence that has permeated the Indian society while the latter points to the pervasiveness of such influence and how it has been stamped amongst the society as clarified through ‘shadow-stitched’.

As the poem continues it’s course, the poet accordingly intervenes, suggesting her immunity to such an influence. This is expressed through the simile “I am clinging to these firm peacock lines like people who cling to the sides of a train” as she exhibits an air of desperation and immediacy in preserving India’s cultural heritage. Similarly, the phrase “ I’ll scrape off the dry brown lines... Reveal soft as a snail trail the amber bird beneath.” depicts the poet’s ingrained sense of identity and how her beliefs correspond to the fact that ridding oneself of the synthetics and the signs of western influence shall enable the true beauty of the Indian culture to be embellished. Her willingness is made clear through the phrase “I have new brown veins” as she reveals her imbued feelings of having assimilated the Indian culture and having caught the spiritual pulse of her tradition.

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The poet hereby draws the poem to an end with the hyperbolic phrase “When India appears and reappears I’ll lean across a country with my hands outstretched longing for the unknown girl in the neon bazaar” implying an open plea to the people of India to nurture the Indian culture. Thus, imagery acts as a powerful visual stimulus provoking a sense of urgency in the minds of readers to fall in with the poet’s cry.  

Phyllis McCormack’s “Crabbit old woman” exacts a long, breathless one stanza attack to address the fallacious perception of the elderly. This ...

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