Personal thoughts on and comparing two poems from different cultures, counties and traditions.
My Essay by Maria Burdett In this essay I will be writing my thoughts on and comparing two poems from different cultures, counties and traditions. One of them is called 'Presents from My Aunt in Pakistan' by Moniza Alvi and one called 'Half-Caste' by John Agard. Although these two poems are of different subjects and are written by different people, these two poems are much alike. They both write about the English culture and many complaints of England. As well as different subjects, the poets have different tones to their poems and attitude. John Agard is very bitter and sounds angry to the English people calling him Half-Caste whereas Moniza Alvi seems sad and unwanted in England. The Moniza Alvi poem describes a young Pakistan born child who has been brought up in England wanting to go to Pakistan to live. The effect of Agard's poem and the way it is set out means that he is getting straight to the point and is angry as he uses short, sharp sentences to prove and to make it look like he is annoyed e.g.: 'Explain yuself Wha yu mean' (repetitive) I think this is what makes this poem effective. Whereas Alvi used longer sentences to make her poem more detailed to show how she really felt, hers is really effective by the way she describes things e.g.: '...glistening like an orange split open, Embossed slippers, gold and black...' (Line4-5) I think that she is very sad
Show how the idea of the importance of individuality is shown by comparing "This Room" and "Love after Love" with one other poem from the Different Cultures Section.
Show how the idea of the importance of individuality is shown by comparing "This Room" and "Love after Love" with one other poem from the Different Cultures Section. Comment on: - Ideas presented by the poems. - The Language Techniques used. "Love after Love" is a poem which represents the struggle faced by someone who does not give themselves any self-recognition and throughout symbolises the struggle and constraints the individual has to face. The poem is written in 2nd person, telling the reader what to do, and hence therefore reaching out and involving the reader far more in the poem. The poet uses the differences in tone and mood to help display how the person involved feels about itself. The language techniques used throughout by the poet re-enforce the message of solidarity in the poem. "You will greet yourself arriving" Through the individual the poet differentiates between the excitement and elation of coming to terms with learning to deal with you. Other language techniques used by Derek Walcott include metaphors for self-recognition and love, "...your own door, in your own mirror..." To show the poem as one continuous passage with all connects with each other, the poet uses enjambment to show the audience that through each stanza the individual is coming to terms with self and how the progression from being apprehensive through to forgiveness and
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan - my annotations and commentary.
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan (+ Annotations by Sophie Brazier 11B) They sent me a salwar kameez[SB1] peacock-blue,[SB2] glistening like an orange[SB3] split[SB4] open, embossed slippers, gold and black[SB5] points curling. Candy-striped glass bangles snapped[SB6], drew blood[SB7]. Like at school, fashions changed in Pakistan - the salwar bottoms were broad and stiff[SB8], then narrow. My aunts chose an apple-green [SB9]sari, silver-bordered[SB10] for my teens. I tried each satin-silken[SB11] top - was alien[SB12] in the sitting room. I could never be as lovely as those clothes - I longed[SB13] for denim[SB14] and corduroy[SB15]. My costume clung[SB16] to me and I was aflame[SB17], I couldn't rise up out of its fire, half-English, unlike Aunt Jamila. I wanted my parents' camel-skin lamp - switching it on in my bedroom, to consider the cruelty[SB18] and the transformation[SB19] from camel to shade, marvel at the colours like stained glass.[SB20] My mother cherished her jewellery - Indian gold, dangling, filigree.[SB21] But it was stolen from our car.[SB22] The presents were radiant in my wardrobe[SB23]. My aunts requested cardigans from Marks and Spencers. [SB24] My salwar kameez[SB25] didn't impress the schoolfriend who sat on my bed, asked to see my weekend clothes.[SB26] But often I admired the mirror-work,[SB27] tried to
"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
Compare the two poems Search for my Tongue and Presents from my aunts in Pakistan.
I am going to compare the two poems Search for my Tongue and Presents from my aunts in Pakistan. The writer, Moniza Alvi, reveals her past in her poem Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan. The poem shows the reader her feelings for Pakistan, the country she was born in. The line "of no fixed nationality" sums up the mood of the poem, that because she lives in England, speaks English but is from Pakistan, she does not seem to belong anywhere. The poem Search for my Tongue, written by Sujata Bhatt, is similar to Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan, The line "I thought I spit it out" refers to the metaphor the whole poem is based on, that to speak two languages, to be a part of two cultures, is just as difficult as speaking with two tongues at once. While both poems are to inform the reader about the awkwardness of being of mixed race, the authors go about it in different ways. Moniza Ali shows the contrast in cultures by making the description of her presents from her aunts in Pakistan as vivid and exciting as possible: "glistening like an orange split open" and "embossed slippers". This creates an image in the reader's mind of Pakistan being a vibrant, exciting place. Moniza Ali compares this with the clothing she herself would prefer: "jeans and corduroy" just so that she can fit in with her friends. This makes the reader emphasize with her struggle to belong. Sujata Bhatt
Presents from my Aunt in Pakistan and Search for my Tongue comparison
Year 10 GCSE Course Work Essay 'Presents from my aunts in Pakistan' and 'Search for My Tongue' From reading both of the poems I can see that both of the poems describe how they have either lost or are losing part of their identity. Identity can mean anything from our age, gender, race, personality, religion, social position, language or even personality. Identity is either what makes a person different from other people but some elements of your identity might make you the same as other people such as your nationality or religion. Some of our identity can be set at birth and can't be changed in anyway this could be race. Whereas other elements such as social position can continuously change throughout your life. Some changes in or identity we welcome and some we don't. Both of these poems explore changes in their identity. In Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan the young female is telling us how she is changing in the way that she lives and dresses whereas in Search for My Tongue the poet I telling us how she is losing her identity by the loss of her first language. These two poems are laid out quiet differently, although they both use variable line length. In Presents from Pakistan the lines start all over the place and there is no certain point at which they have to start. In Search for My Tongue all the beginnings of the lines start at one place this is because the poem
Line by line commentary on "Presents from my aunt in Pakistan"
Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan (+ Annotations by Sophie Brazier 11B) They sent me a salwar kameez[SB1] peacock-blue,[SB2] glistening like an orange[SB3] split[SB4] open, embossed slippers, gold and black[SB5] points curling. Candy-striped glass bangles snapped[SB6], drew blood[SB7]. Like at school, fashions changed in Pakistan - the salwar bottoms were broad and stiff[SB8], then narrow. My aunts chose an apple-green [SB9]sari, silver-bordered[SB10] for my teens. I tried each satin-silken[SB11] top - was alien[SB12] in the sitting room. I could never be as lovely as those clothes - I longed[SB13] for denim[SB14] and corduroy[SB15]. My costume clung[SB16] to me and I was aflame[SB17], I couldn't rise up out of its fire, half-English, unlike Aunt Jamila. I wanted my parents' camel-skin lamp - switching it on in my bedroom, to consider the cruelty[SB18] and the transformation[SB19] from camel to shade, marvel at the colours like stained glass.[SB20] My mother cherished her jewellery - Indian gold, dangling, filigree.[SB21] But it was stolen from our car.[SB22] The presents were radiant in my wardrobe[SB23]. My aunts requested cardigans from Marks and Spencers. [SB24] My salwar kameez[SB25] didn't impress the schoolfriend who sat on my bed, asked to see my weekend clothes.[SB26] But often I admired the mirror-work,[SB27] tried to
Compare the way in which the poet presents the people in 'Night of the Scorpion' and 'Presents from my Aunt in Pakistan'
Compare the way in which the poet presents the people in 'Night of the Scorpion' and 'Presents from my Aunt in Pakistan'. We live in a world of many cultures and each has it is own way of communicating and two very different poems reflect this. In order to compare and contrast the traditions which have become apparent within the poems; 'Night of the Scorpion' by Nissim Ezekiel and 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan' by Moniza Alvi, further analysis must take place. With retrospect of the poem 'Night of the Scorpion', the content explains the reactions of the villagers and surroundings to an incident whereby the poet's mother was "stung by a scorpion". It is evident through comparison of the second poem; 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan', differences between cultures and traditions produce diverse reactions. A prime example of this is visible as Moniza Alvi feels "an alien in the sitting room" when wearing clothing originating from her native country. In relation to 'Night of the Scorpion', the poet Ezekiel attempts to identify with his personal memories of his mother as she "twisted through and through, groaning on the mat." Through deeper analysis, it became indisputable that Ezekiel merely narrated the experience as apposed to providing his individual viewpoint. Therefore, it became noticeable that the vocabulary required further interpretation, as the use of
People and culture
Name : Mark Burgess 25/0108 Task : Compare how 'What were they like' and 'Presents from my aunts in Pakistan' present people and culture Texts : 'What were the like by Denise' Levertov and 'Presents from my aunts in Pakistan' by Moniza Alvi In this essay I am going to compare to poems present people and culture. Whether it be using words, imagery or the tone of the poem. The two poems I will be comparing are 'What were they like' by Denise Levertov and 'presents from my aunts in Pakistan' by Moniza Alvi. Both people consider the prospect of loosing a culture but the will loose them in different ways to each other, through war and the pressures of society also peer pressure. In 'what were they like' by Denise Levertov we are first confused about what the poem subject matter may be until we delve into the meaning of the poem and explore the history of the Vietnamese war and the people and culture caught up in the conflict. After reading into the poem we can see that it is about how people after the Vietnamese war believed their culture would be lost forever and that they would need story tellers and educators to continue their cultures story. The poem considers issues that are still relevant today such as the possibility of the loss of the culture and tradition in Afghanistan and Iraq due to the ongoing hostilities. The poem heavily romanticises the war and the Vietnamese
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