Identity and Culture in Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan
IDENTITY AND CULTURE IN ‘PRESENTS FROM MY AUNTS IN PAKISTAN’
The poem, ‘Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan’, appears to be about a young girl, half English, half Pakistani, talking about clothes she received as presents from her aunts, who live in Pakistan. What the poem is really exploring, though, is the poet’s views on Pakistani and English culture and how she fits into one, both or neither of these cultures. A society’s culture is made up of many things such as the food we eat, the music we listen to and how we dance, as well as our traditions to name just a few, but clothing is also a very important part of a society’s culture. In this poem, the poet uses clothes as a symbol to represent both the Pakistani and British culture. I aim to examine the poet’s use of imagery to express what she thinks, how she feels and what she really desires, as well as why she feels the way she does about her identity and culture.
The poet uses images of clothing to express how she feels about both the Pakistani culture and British culture. She begins the poem by describing the presents she has received: “a salwar-kameez peacock-blue and another glistening like an orange split open.” These vivid and colourful images are rich in connotations and appeal to several of our senses: the sense of sight, smell and taste. The first salwar-kameez refers to one of natures most beautiful and majestic of all birds, the male peacock. This image gives the impression that the Pakistani culture is outwardly very showy, grand and beautiful in its richness and variety. This idea is further developed through the image of the orange, as the colour of the orange appeals to our sense of sight. Orange is a warm and vibrant colour that makes us think of warm, sunny days in summer. It gives not only the idea of warmth but also joyfulness. The image also appeals to the sense of smell. You can almost smell the scent of the orange as the words are read and for many people the smell of an orange
The poem, ‘Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan’, appears to be about a young girl, half English, half Pakistani, talking about clothes she received as presents from her aunts, who live in Pakistan. What the poem is really exploring, though, is the poet’s views on Pakistani and English culture and how she fits into one, both or neither of these cultures. A society’s culture is made up of many things such as the food we eat, the music we listen to and how we dance, as well as our traditions to name just a few, but clothing is also a very important part of a society’s culture. In this poem, the poet uses clothes as a symbol to represent both the Pakistani and British culture. I aim to examine the poet’s use of imagery to express what she thinks, how she feels and what she really desires, as well as why she feels the way she does about her identity and culture.
The poet uses images of clothing to express how she feels about both the Pakistani culture and British culture. She begins the poem by describing the presents she has received: “a salwar-kameez peacock-blue and another glistening like an orange split open.” These vivid and colourful images are rich in connotations and appeal to several of our senses: the sense of sight, smell and taste. The first salwar-kameez refers to one of natures most beautiful and majestic of all birds, the male peacock. This image gives the impression that the Pakistani culture is outwardly very showy, grand and beautiful in its richness and variety. This idea is further developed through the image of the orange, as the colour of the orange appeals to our sense of sight. Orange is a warm and vibrant colour that makes us think of warm, sunny days in summer. It gives not only the idea of warmth but also joyfulness. The image also appeals to the sense of smell. You can almost smell the scent of the orange as the words are read and for many people the smell of an orange