Discuss the problems faced by three poets living in a culture different from theone that they
-Discuss the problems faced by three poets living in a culture different from the one that they were born in. Introduction In this essay I will be looking at three different poems and discussing the problems faced by the three poets living in a culture different from the one they were born in. The three poems I will be reviewing are “Hurricane hits England” by Grace Nichols, “Search for my Tongue” by Sujata Bhatt and “Presents from my aunts in Pakistan” by Moniza Alvi. ... Her inspiration for “Hurricane Hits England” was the hurricane that hit the south coast of England, in nineteen eighty-seven, where she was living at the time. ... This is the basis for her poem, the way she has to0 speak two different languages. ... the poet for “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan”, Moniza Alvi, was born in Lahore, Pakistan. ... The poet feels detached from England as her longing for the Caribbean grows. ... “Search for my Tongue”’s subject matter is the different feelings she expresses at the fear Sujata Bhatt may ‘lose’ or forget her mother tongue ‘Gujarati’ because she has to speak in English all the time within an English speaking country. ... Moniza Alvi’s chosen subject matter for her poem “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan” is the poets thoughts as she reminisces to when she was thirteen and the traditional Pakistani presents she received. The poem explores how she feels being mixed race, how she feels she doesn’t fit into a culture and her liking for the gifts but her dislike for what she might present to people and their perception of her if she wore the clothes. ... This technique of first person is repeated throughout the three poems and revisited in the next poem. Once again, as mentioned before, “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan” is written in first person. ... The main image that is used in “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan” is the ‘aflame’ feeling Moniza Alvi encounters. ... Problems and Solutions The problems Grace Nichols faces in “Hurricane Hits England” is her disability to connect with England and her new surroundings. ... This can somehow be related to “Presents from my Aunts Pakistan” as Moniza Alvi is confused and longing to know where she stands and which race she truly connects with. ... Sujata Bhatt’s problem in “Search for my Tongue” is her fear of losing her native language ‘Gujarati’ because she has to constantly speak English while she is living in America. ... ” “It grows back, a stump of shoot grows longer, grows moist, grows strong veins” “the bud opens, the bud opens in my mouth” Although there was a slight relation with the problem in “Hurricane Hits England” and “Presents from my Aunt in Pakistan” it seems that Moniza Alvi hasn’t really put attention to or thought about her problem and solution. her problem as a thirteen year old girl was she felt uncomfortable wearing/accepting clothes from Pakistan because she thought that when she wears them, people might just interpret her clothes for what the stand for or what they think they stand for, they might not see the person underneath. ... These types of techniques are also included in “Search for my Tongue” and “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan”. The contrast used by Grace Nichols are that of ‘Old and New’ and the aforementioned “fearful and reassuring” The old and new is a reference to the current hurricane and the memories of hurricanes and stormy weather from the Caribbean. ... “Talk to me Hurracan Talk to me Oya Talk me Shango And Hattie” She is connecting with all these different past hurricanes(Oya, Shango etc. ... “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan” has very little poetic techniques. ... The word ‘alien’ suggests this, it means not belonging, different or doesn’t fit in. ... Within “Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan” the mood is mixed and varied. ... One quote could be interpreted as a more positive feel as she realises that moving from Lahore brought her more happiness as she describes the living conditions. ... Structure The first structure technique, which is evident in all three poems, is the use of run-on lines. ... This illustrates the point of loneliness and disconnection because this one line is secluded from the rest of the poem. ... The poem is written in three stanzas and the bulk of it is which is written in Gujarati.