comparison between presents from pakistan and blessings
Comparison - 'Blessing' vs. 'Presents From Pakistan' Kashif Hussain I am going to compare and contrast two poems, which are called 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Darker and 'Presents From Pakistan' by Moniza Alva. The two poems are similar because they both give a view of how they feel but differ because they talk about different incidents. One of the poems is about a country in southwest Asia and the other is about personal feelings. The poets are also linked with the countries. I know this because of their names therefore their parents or relative can be from Pakistan or India or around the same end. The poets show how s feels about other countries and how it affects them and their culture. Culture can be made up in different ways. Like Islam only allows Muslims to enter Saudi Arabia. This makes up a religious culture. Some people live by their race or ethnicity like in north Europe many people like to live with people from there and people who are the same colour as them. In some countries some people don't mind, they just live with a normal life style in their own world. In central Africa the majority of people live with a similar culture but they are differed because of the languages spoken. I am going to explore the elements of the poems, to see how they go along with cultures and how they give us an insight to other cultures. First of all the poem 'Blessing' is a poem that
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan - review
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan, is a twentieth century autobiographical poem. It is about a girl who is trying to decide whether she wants to adapt to the Pakistani way of living and dressing or stay with the English tradition. Although born in Pakistan, Moniza Alvi was brought up in England, the daughter of a Pakistani father and an English mother. This poem explores the dilemma of divided culture, divided families and a 'self' that feels the pull of somewhere else. Moniza Alvi finds it tough to decide between her own culture and the place where she has spent most of her life. Its hard for her to make her mind up and she has ambivalent feelings, and feels confused as there is both a good side and bad side to living in both countries 'England' and 'Pakistan'. The clothes that Moniza Alvi receives from her Aunts are very beautiful and she admires them but they make her feel as though she is not good enough to wear the clothes. "I tried each satin-silken top- was alien in the sitting-room. I could never be as lovely as those clothes." From this quote we know that the presents were very rich and delicate because of the way Moniza Alvi uses alliteration to emphasize that the material of the clothes were as soft as the words used to describe them.
English Literature Poems
English Literature Poems Compare the methods that 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan' employs to highlight the importance of cultural identity with another poem? I have chosen to compare 'Presents' and 'Hurricane' as both poems highlight the importance of cultural identity in society. Both poets 'Alvi' and 'Nicholas' employ many different and similar methods to illustrate the importance of cultural identity. The poem 'Presents' is about the writer herself at a younger age feeling insecure as she is of dual heritage (mixed race) 'in my English Grandmother's dining - room. In the poem the poet begins to conflict with herself as she believes that she is not of one set race 'I was there of no fixed nationality'. Throughout the poem the poet begins to show her insecurity as she begins to respond to the presents her aunties bought her from her native land negatively 'I could never be as lovely as those clothes'. A t the end of the poem the Alvi is unable to resolve her problem as she finishes the poem feeling rather down saying 'I was there of no fixed nationality'. The poem 'Hurricane' is rather similar in the way that it is again autobiographical. In the poem the writer is also in conflict with herself as she has left her motherland Guyana to move to England. At first the poet dreaded England but as soon as there was news of a Hurricane she began to feel much at home as
How do Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols convey their thoughts and feelings about living in England and having roots in another culture?
How do Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols convey their thoughts and feelings about living in England and having roots in another culture? Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols convey their thoughts and feelings about living in England and having roots in another culture through their poetry. Moniza Alvi was born in England and her father was from Pakistan. Grace Nichols was born in Guyana. I can understand coming from another culture and living in a different country like England can be complex and difficult but at the same time new and exciting. Firstly, Moniza Alvi and Grace Nichols are influenced by different cultures. Naturally, they can offer to our culture, as Britain is a multicultural country. One of the characteristics of Caribbean literature is the strong sense of place, which can clearly be read in the 'Island Man'. The quote " the sound of the blue surf " makes it more appealing to the senses and uses pathetic fallacy. This makes it more interesting as the pathetic fallacy gives you the feeling of the Caribbean climate. The cultural identity of Moniza Alvi's poems is her heritage and traditions. For instance, in 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan' she creates images of the Salwar Kameez using words like "peacock-blue", "glistening like an orange split open". Here she has used metaphor and simile to emphasis the beauty of the presents and makes it appealing to the eyes. I
Discussion of Arthur Millers' The Crucible.
The crucible is a play full of adversity and hysteria where innocent citizens of Salem are wrongly accused and condemned for witch craft; this can be linked back to 1950's America where normal people were unscrupulously being accused of being communist, they called this search for communists McCarthyism. As characters in the play buckle under pressure they begin revealing some of their deeply hidden qualities. Throughout the play Miller unmistakeably makes connections between Salem and hell. Through Proctor Miller relates intense heat and pressure of hell to that in the crucible. Arthur Miller wrote the play so that people could realise what could happen if a community becomes paranoid, in addition to this, miller himself was interrogated and falsely accused of being a communist and he was required to state the names of any others that were supposedly involved in the communists act. Miller responded to the accusation and the proposal with a speech worthy of John Proctor 'Mr Chairman, I understand the philosophy behind the question and I want you to understand that I am not protecting communists or the communists' party. I could not use the name of his or her person and bring trouble upon them'. Basically if you associated with somebody that was accused of being a communists you would be prosecuted as well, they called this guilty by
Other Cultures Poems
"Is it always a positive benefit to live in two cultures at the same time?" How far do you think this is true of three poems? From the poems on the course, a reader can see that there are both negative and positive aspects of living in two different cultures. In presents from Aunts in Pakistan, the girl, who lives in England, gets clothes from her aunts, traditional Pakistani clothes. At first, the writer says "They sent me a Salwar Kameez, peacock blue, and another glistening like an orange split open", which shows that she achnologes the beauty of the clothes. However, the writer goes on to say, "I tried each satin-silken top, was alien in the sitting room." This shows that as she put the clothes on, she felt out of place in her house and she couldn't see herself in traditional Pakistani clothes like her family. She also said, In a simile, that the clothes showed her own lack of beauty: "I could never be as lovely as those clothes". The bright colours suggest the clothes are burning: "I was aflame, I couldn't rise up out of its fire", a powerful metaphor for the discomfort felt by the girl, who "longed for denim and corduroy", plainer but comfortable and not noticeable. Also she notes that where her Pakistani Aunties can "rise up out of its fire" - that is, "look lovely" in the bright clothes - she felt unable to, because she was "half-English". This might mean because she
aunts in pakistan
Poetry from Different Cultures & Traditions Essay G.C.S.E English Language & Literature Coursework Both "Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan" and "search for my tongue" show slight contrast. Although the poems are about the problems people will have to overcome if they are slightly different to everyone else. Cultural identity is also an important theme in the two poems, language problems as well as lifestyle problems these are all widely expressed by the poets. Both poets show through their poems how problematic it can be to be from a different culture and live in a peculiar environment. In Sujata Bhatt's poem, "Search for my tongue" she explains to the audience what it is like to speak and think in two languages and this leads her to losing her mother tongue whereas in Moniza Alvi's poem, "Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan" she shows the audience how having parents from two dissimilar cultures can make life very confusing. But together the poems give a sense of incongruity and a feeling that you don't belong here. The poems also show your original culture is always there, and that it isn't completely lost, for example in "Search for my tongue" the poet is confident that the mother tongue is still with her and in "Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan" the poet shows your original culture can never be forgotten. The character in Moniza Alvi's poem is shown as a person "of no
Comparing three poems, discuss the theme of life in other cultures.
Comparing three poems, discuss the theme of life in other cultures Presents from my aunts in Pakistan The poem "Presents from my aunts in Pakistan" is about a half English, half Pakistani Girl who was born in Pakistan and brought up in England. Her Aunts in Pakistan sent her some traditional Pakistani clothes. In private she loves the clothes but she doest what to show her friends because she thinks that her friend won't like them. The poets' thoughts and feelings change throughout the poem. In lines 1-19 the girl is happy and grateful "glistening like an orange split open" (line 4) this is an optimistic image, the presents seem to be exhilarating, stunning and full of assurance. In lines 20-26 the girl feels she can't wear these clothes because she is "half-English, unlike Aunt Jamila."(Lines 25 and 26). Lines 27-38 show two sides to her. One side by her saying "I wanted my parent's camel skin lamp." (Line 27) where she is attracted to but at the same time repelled from "to consider the cruelty" (line 29) but then in line 32 back to attracted to the lamp "to marvel at the colours" (line 32). Lines 40-44 is about her in her bed room trying to show off her clothes but her friend isn't impressed "asked to see my weekend clothes." (Line 42-43) Lines 50-end are meant to be about the girl searching from somewhere she belongs "And I was there with no fixed nationality" she
"Presents from my aunts in Pakistan" and "Hurricane Hit England".
"Presents from my aunts in Pakistan" and "Hurricane Hit England" Moniza Alvi contrasts the exotic garments and furnishings sent to her by her aunts with what she saw around her in her school, and with the things they asked for in return. Moniza Alvi also shows a paradox (apparent contradiction), as she admired the presents, but felt they were too exquisite for her, and lacked street fashion. Finally, the presents form a link to an alternative way of life (remote in place and time) which Moniza Alvi does not much approve: her aunts "screened from male visitors" and the "beggars" and "sweeper- " in 1950s Lahore. The bright colours of each salwar kameez suggest the familiar notion of exotic clothes worn by Asian women, but the glass bangle which snaps and draws blood is almost a symbol of how her tradition harms the poet - it is not practical for the active life of a young woman in the west. In a striking simile the writer suggests that the clothes showed her own lack of beauty: "I could never be as lovely/as those clothes". The bright colours suggest the clothes are burning: "I was aflame/I couldn't rise up out of its fire", a powerful metaphor for the discomfort felt by the poet, who "longed/for denim and corduroy", plainer but comfortable and inconspicuous. Also she notes that where her Pakistani Aunt Jamila can "rise up out of its fire" - that is, look "lovely" in the
Analysis of the poem Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan
Analysis of the poem Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan is a poem about a young girl of mixed race and the difficulty she finds with fitting in, or feeling a part of either, the Pakistani or the English culture. The young girl in the poem is describing gifts that were sent to her in England from Pakistan. The presents from Pakistan are beautiful but the girl feels awkward wearing them, feeling that "denim and corduroy" would be more suitable. In contrast the relatives in Pakistan would like the conventional English "cardigans from Marks and Spencer." The poem is a sequence of personal memories. This is shown because the poem is written in the first person. The poem is written in the past as the poet is remembering the memories. When people are remembering things their minds often drift from one image to another in the way that the poem does. As a reader you have to wait until towards the end of the poem to discover the key message in this poem. The phrase "no fixed nationality" sums up the feelings of the poet, being "half-English" she struggles to feel comfortable with either culture. The poem explores this struggle. The "presents" referred to in the title are described in great detail in the opening sixteen lines. The variety of clothes and their colours and textured are recalled quite affectionately. Instead of being critical of the