.Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan by Moniza Alvi

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.‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan’ by Moniza Alvi

 

We have studied the poem ‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan’ by Monzia Alvi; she was of a mixed parentage. Her farther was Pakistani and her mother was English. She was born in Pakistan but then moved to England long before she could even remember. It is very difficult for people to move from one culture to another and having to adapt can be tough. This poem expresses her confusion and her search of her true identity throughout her life. The Pakistani clothes that her aunts send to her symbolise a small part of  who she is expected to be, and a part she doesn’t feel at-all comfortable with. Her poem is mostly about living in one culture but having long lost roots and memories from another. It describes her journey as she searches all aspects to try and reveal her true identity. Because she has no memories of her birthplace her poem describes how she desires to just fit in with everyone else and just feel almost unnoticed and ‘normal’.

‘Presents’ is an autobiographical poem and is written in free verse. The lengths of the stanzas vary throughout as well as the line lengths which are thrown randomly across the page. Alvi uses these poetic strategies to show how she varies from confusion to resignation about where she belongs and her feelings of alienation. There are end stopped lines to describe her sudden emotions. It would be impossible for her to fit in completely with British society because her life is jam packed full of reminders of her home culture and her roots in Pakistan and as she states this quite clearly in the poem.

In the first stanza Alvi describes how she receives her two Salwar Kameezes outfits. She uses colours and references to food to describe the beautiful vivid colours that appeal to the reader, with the second Salwar Kameez she uses sensual imagery and it is described in a more intense way; ‘Like an orange split open’ symbolizes how she feels as if she is being split between the two cultures and the plosive in ‘split’ stresses the sense of division within Alvi. She also expresses how similar to oranges, she feels she has to appear tough on the outside but she feels weak on the inside and has to put on a front. The colours of fruits in the fabrics add to the fact that the clothing is fresh, vivid and vibrant. The clothing is lush, luxury & rich in colours which are traditional in India and compared to British clothing seem striking and beautiful. The use of bold and flamboyant colours such as ‘peacock-blue’ is a good comparison; the peacock is a bird that is native to India and a very decorative animal. Like the bird, Alvi feels that when she wears these clothes she is on show just as the bird is when it walks around showing off its beautifully marked feathers. Alvi however feels unworthy of such beauty as she thinks she is not truly Pakistani.

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 Alvi tells us that the style of the salwar trousers move in and out of  fashion just as the fashions change in England and this increases her confusion as she is not truly Pakistani  The aunts send Alvi some oriental pointed slippers, which are magnificently described as ‘gold and black’. The colours are rich, expensive and almost royal kind but, although they are very decorative, the slippers are extremely impractical for our culture and climate and would be of no use in England. The ‘embossed’ part suggests that her past is also imprinted onto her life, just like scars ...

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The quality of this essay is exceptional, it is very well written, spelling and grammar are flawless, punctuation is used appropriately and there is a good range of vocabulary. Overall an excellent example of the work expected from a high grade candidate.

The candidate goes into a fantastic level of depth and analysis and carefully pulls apart each stanza, discussing the relationship between lines in the poem and the poets feelings. S/he manages to mention many of the key points I had in mind when I read the poem. The only thing lacking in this essay is discussion of the linguistic terms used, such as the metaphorical language used in the following line “there was conflict, a fractured land” the split in Pakistan is compared to her confused identify. She herself is split between the culture of Pakistan and the culture of England, in a sense she is fractured, and torn between two worlds. The use of appropriate technical terms and perhaps independent research into Pakistan as a country is all that is required to turn this into an A/A* piece of work.

A superb example of the level of analysis required to achieve a high grade. The candidate is very through in their response and goes into great detail when discussing each section of the poem. In addition the essay is well laid out and flows nicely.