Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

1
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

• by Moniza Alvi

2
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

• Learning Objectives

• As we study this poem you will learn
• The story of the poem
• Cultural alienation
• More about the terms,
• Metaphor Tone Key Phrases Colour Imagery.
• You will also complete some mini tasks, a test
  and an assignment on the poem.

3
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

• Starter

Write down what you know about Salwar Kameez.
4
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

• Starter

Write down what you know about Salwar Kameez.
The Salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The
legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the
ankle. The Kameez is a long shirt or tunic, often
seen with a Western-style collar
5
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
They sent me a salwar kameezpeacock-blue,and
anotherglistening like an orange split
open,embossed slippers, gold and blackpoints
curling.Candy-striped glass banglessnapped,
drew blood Like at
school, fashions changedin Pakistan - the
salwar bottoms were broad and stiff,then
narrow.My aunts chose an apple-green
sari,silver-borderedfor my teens. I tried each
satin-silken top - was alien in the
sitting-room.I could never be as lovely as
those clothes I longedfor denim and
corduroy.My costume clung to meand I was
aflame,I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
half-English,unlike Aunt Jamila.
I pictured my birthplacefrom fifties'
photographs.When I was olderthere was conflict,
a fractured land throbbing through
newsprint.Sometimes I saw Lahore - my aunts in
shaded rooms,screened from male visitors,
sorting presents,wrapping them in tissue.Or
there were beggars, sweeper-girls and I was
there - of no fixed nationality,staring
through fretworkat the Shalimar Gardens.
I wanted my parents' camel-skin lamp -
switching it on in my bedroom,to consider the
cruelty and the transformationfrom camel to
shade,marvel at the colourslike stained glass.
My mother cherished her jewellery - Indian
gold, dangling, filigree. But it was stolen from
our car.The presents were radiant in my
wardrobe.My aunts requested cardigansfrom Marks
and Spencers. My salwar kameezdidn't impress
the schoolfriendwho sat on my bed, asked to
seemy weekend clothes.But often I admired the
mirror-work,tried to glimpse myselfin the
miniatureglass circles, recall the storyhow the
three of ussailed to England.Prickly heat had
me screaming on the way.I ended up in a cotin
my English grandmother's dining-room,found
myself alone,playing with a tin boat.
6
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
The Background to the Poem
Moniza Alvi was born in 1968 of mixed parentage,
her father being Pakistani and her mother
English. She was born in Pakistan but moved to
England at a young age. The poem 'Presents from
My Aunts in Pakistan' expresses her confusion in
her search for her identity. The traditional
clothes that her aunts sent her from Pakistan are
a symbol of a part of her, but only a part of
her, and one that she does not feel entirely
comfortable with.
7
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 1

• Write down what you think is the story of the
  poem.

8
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 1 - The Story Of The Poem
A young girl of mixed race, half English,
half Pakistani, is sent vey colourful clothes as
presents for her birthday by her Aunts who still
live in Pakistan. Although she appreciates the
beauty of the clothes she does not feel she can
wear them. She wants to wear ordinary clothes
like her school-friends and feels embarrassed
when she has to wear her Pakistani clothes.
She is reminded of her birthplace, Lahore and her
journey from there to England where her family
had nowhere to stay but her English grandparents
once they arrived. She remembers a fractured
land , a reference to Bangladeshs war for
independence in 1971 when she was 3 years old.
At the end of the poem she is forced to conclude
that that she feels that she doesn't belong
anywhere and is of no fixed nationality.
9
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
The Poem Structure Meaning
We know who they are from the title of the
poem, but calling her Aunts they in this manner
is impolite and sets the tone for her negative
attitude towards the gifts she is sent.
peacock blue glistening orange are vibrant
colours and are the first examples of the use of
colour imagery in the poem. And colour imagery
dominates this stanza blue, orange, gold,
black, candy striped blood red. The bangles
drawing blood is a more sinister use of colour
imagery. But how did the bangles snap? I dont
think it happened accidently, I think she snapped
them and in doing so cut herself. If this is so
then the question is, why? Note the shape of
the poem. The poet has set it out on a sort of
spiral form, not left justified as most poems
are. Mini Task 2 Summarize this slide
They sent me a salwar kameezpeacock-blue,and
anotherglistening like an orange split
open,embossed slippers, gold and blackpoints
curling.Candy-striped glass banglessnapped,
drew blood
10
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
The Poem Structure Meaning
This is the first reference to her everyday
life and the effect that fashion is having on her
and her cultural identity. Note the enjambment
on the two lines and the emphasis it places on
in Pakistan.. The poet then details the
changing fashions in Pakistan, ironically these
mirror the changing fashions in the UK. She
then describes the sari she got for her
thirteenth birthday, which may have been
appropriate for a teenager in Pakistan, but she
clearly feels it was not appropriate for
her. Mini Task 3 Summarize this slide.
Like at school, fashions changedin Pakistan -
the salwar bottoms were broad and stiff,then
narrow.My aunts chose an apple-green
sari,silver-borderedfor my teens
11
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 4 Stanza 2

• I tried each satin-silken top
• was alien in the sitting-room.
• I could never be as lovely
• as those clothes
• I longed
• for denim and corduroy.
• My costume clung to me
• and I was aflame,
• I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
• half-English,
• unlike Aunt Jamila.

• In this stanza highlight or underline examples of
  
• alliteration
• irony
• metaphor
• alienation
• key phrases

12
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 4a

• I tried each satin-silken top
• was alien in the sitting-room.
• I could never be as lovely
• as those clothes
• I longed
• for denim and corduroy.
• My costume clung to me
• and I was aflame,
• I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
• half-English,
• unlike Aunt Jamila.

• In this stanza highlight or underline examples of
  
• alliteration

13
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 4b

• I tried each satin-silken top
• was alien in the sitting-room.
• I could never be as lovely
• as those clothes
• I longed
• for denim and corduroy.
• My costume clung to me
• and I was aflame,
• I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
• half-English,
• unlike Aunt Jamila.

• In this stanza highlight or underline examples of
  
• irony

14
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 4c

• I tried each satin-silken top
• was alien in the sitting-room.
• I could never be as lovely
• as those clothes
• I longed
• for denim and corduroy.
• My costume clung to me
• and I was aflame,
• I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
• half-English,
• unlike Aunt Jamila.

• In this stanza highlight or underline examples of
  
• metaphor

15
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 4d

• I tried each satin-silken top
• was alien in the sitting-room.
• I could never be as lovely
• as those clothes
• I longed
• for denim and corduroy.
• My costume clung to me
• and I was aflame,
• I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
• half-English,
• unlike Aunt Jamila.

• In this stanza highlight or underline examples of
  
• alienation

16
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 4e

• I tried each satin-silken top
• was alien in the sitting-room.
• I could never be as lovely
• as those clothes
• I longed
• for denim and corduroy.
• My costume clung to me
• and I was aflame,
• I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
• half-English,
• unlike Aunt Jamila.

• In this stanza highlight or underline examples of
  
• key phrases

17
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
The Poem Structure Meaning
I tried each satin-silken top - was alien in
the sitting-room.I could never be as lovely as
those clothes I longedfor denim and
corduroy.My costume clung to meand I was
aflame,I couldn't rise up out of its fire,
half-English,unlike Aunt Jamila.
She tries on the clothes she is sent more out
of duty than because she wants to wear them.
.because they make her feel alien. They dont
belong in the English life she is now living and
consequently she doesn't belong in them.
Ironically she does recognize their beauty but
does not feel that she is beautiful enough to
wear them and what she wants is the dull blue,
black or brown clothes that ordinary English
people wear. She describes the clothes she
has been sent as a costume, like something she
wears when he has to act being Pakistani. They
embarrass her so much she feels like she is on
fire when she wears them and she feels she cannot
escape from this metaphorical literal torment.
Interestingly she feels half-English not
half- Pakistani. Again enjambment draws attention
to this line, giving it importance. Mini Task 5 -
Summarize this slide. Mini Task 6 What does the
flame metaphor mean?
18
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
The Poem Structure Meaning
My costume clung to meand I was aflame,I
couldn't rise up out of its fire,
Mini Task 6 What does the flame
metaphor mean? She was literally
burning up with embarrassment.
19
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 7 Stanza 3

• I wanted my parents' camel-skin lamp -
• switching it on in my bedroom,
• to consider the cruelty
• and the transformation
• from camel to shade,
• marvel at the colours

Write down what you think the Came Skin Lamp
metaphor means.
20
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 7 Stanza 3

• I wanted my parents' camel-skin lamp -
• switching it on in my bedroom,
• to consider the cruelty
• and the transformation
• from camel to shade,
• marvel at the colours

Write down what you think the Came Skin Lamp
metaphor means. The skin belongs on a camel,
not a lamp. Likewise she belongs in English not
Pakistani clothes. To transform the camel into a
lamp is cruel and so is transforming her from an
English to an Asian girl.
21
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 8 Stanza 4a
My mother cherished her jewellery - Indian
gold, dangling, filigree. But it was stolen from
our car.
Her mother was English but seems at home with
her dual nationality as she cherishes her Indian
jewellery. and does not reject it, or the culture
it represents, unlike her daughter..
Ironically the jewellery is stolen, perhaps this
a metaphor for cultural identity being stolen, it
is also a reminder of the reality of life in
England. Mini Task 8 Summarize this
slide.
22
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 8 Stanza 4b
The presents were radiant in my wardrobe.My
aunts requested cardigansfrom Marks and Spencers.
Another reference to the colour and the beauty of
the clothes her Aunts send her.. ..yet
ironically it is boring, dull MS cardies they
want in return! Mini Task 9 Summarize this
slide.
23
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 10 Stanza 5 a

• Write down what you think the poet
• means by weekend clothes.
• How doe these lines reflect the
• theme of alienation in the poem?

• My salwar kameez
• didn't impress the schoolfriend
• who sat on my bed, asked to see
• my weekend clothes.

24
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 10 Stanza 5 a

• My salwar kameez
• didn't impress the schoolfriend
• who sat on my bed, asked to see
• my weekend clothes.

• Write down what you think the poet means by
  weekend clothes.
• During the week the poet would probably wear her
  school uniform most of the time. She could change
  when she got home but if her parents expected her
  to wear her Pakistani clothes she would probably
  stay in her uniform. Her weekend clothes would
  be ordinary English clothes like jeans and a top,
  not saris or salwar kameeze.
• How doe these lines reflect the theme of
  alienation in the poem?
• Her friend would want her to look normal which
  reinforces how forien or alien the presents she
  gets sent are.

25
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 11 Stanza 5 b

• But often I admired the mirror-work,
• tried to glimpse myself
• in the miniature
• glass circles, recall the story

Write down what you think the imagery/metaphor
the poet uses here means.
26
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 11 Stanza 5 b

• But often I admired the mirror-work,
• tried to glimpse myself
• in the miniature
• glass circles, recall the story

Write down what you think the imagery the poet
uses here means. The reflections from the tiny
mirrors sewn into the fabric present a fragmented
view of their subject. This can be seen as a
metaphor for her fragmented cultural identity.
27
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 12 Stanza 5 c
glass circles, recall the storyhow the three of
ussailed to England.Prickly heat had me
screaming on the way.I ended up in a cotin my
English grandmother's dining-room,found myself
alone,playing with a tin boat.
Looking at her fractured reflection reminds
her of her early childhood and the journey to
England by boat (not by air). This is the first
hint that they left, or were evacuated from
Pakistan in a rush. She remembers the physical
pain the journey caused her, but the emotional
pain has probably been much greater. She ends
up in a cot in her grandmothers dining room.
More evidence that the journey had been rushed
and unplanned because her parents hadnt even had
time to find somewhere to live before they
arrived. She finds herself alone, but this is
just the beginning of what will be her cultural
isolation. This is quite a strong image to end
the stanza. Mini Task 12 Summarize this slide.

28
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 13 Stanza 6
I pictured my birthplace from fifties'
photographs.
She is left imagining her identity through old
photographs her parents took of her birthplace.
She is then reminded of the Pakistan/ Bangladesh
war in 1971 when she was 3 years old. It was this
conflict that probably forced her parents to
leave Pakistan when she was so young. The
reference to 'a fractured land', also helps
reinforce the feeling she creates in the poem of
her own fractured identity Lahore is the
capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and
the second largest city in Pakistan. The poet
sees Lahore in her memory and is remembers her
Aunts wrapping presents, like the ones they
send. The screening would imply that she comes
from a Muslim family, perhaps another source of
conflict for her. Mini Task 13 Summarize
this slide.
When I was olderthere was conflict, a fractured
landthrobbing through newsprint.
Sometimes I saw Lahore - my aunts in shaded
rooms,screened from male visitors,
sorting presents, wrapping them in tissue
29
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 14 Stanza 7

• Or there were beggars, sweeper-girls
• and I was there -
• of no fixed nationality
• staring through fretwork
• at the Shalimar Gardens

• Write down what you think is the Key Phrase in
  this final stanza.
• Explain why you think it is the key phrase.

30
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 14 Stanza 7

• Or there were beggars, sweeper-girls
• and I was there -
• of no fixed nationality
• staring through fretwork
• at the Shalimar Gardens

• Write down what you think is the
• Key Phrase in this final stanza.
• of no fixed nationality
• Explain why you think it is the key .
• phrase.
• It is really what the whole poem is about. The
  girl in the poem does not know who she is or
  where she belongs culturally.

31
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Mini Task 15 Stanza 7
Or there were beggars, sweeper-girls.
An interesting contrast is introduced on this
line. Her family is obviously fairly well off,
rich enough at least to send her all these
fabulous clothes but as well as remembering her
Aunts, she also remembers the beggars, a symbol
of the poverty of her birthplace. of no
fixed nationality. Is probably the most
important line in the poem and sums up what the
poet has been trying to say in the rest of the
poem. She knows where she was born and
remembers her life and the culture there, but she
feels her cultural ties to her past also prevent
her feeling completely at home in England so she
feels she belongs to neither country or culture.
However her final thought is of a beautiful
part of Pakistan, not of England. Mini Task 15
Summarize this slide.
and I was there - of no fixed nationality,
staring through fretworkat the Shalimar Gardens
32
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

• Mini Task 16 Structure
• How is the poem structured and composed?
• What is the form of the poem?

33
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan

• Mini Task 16b Structure
• How is the poem structured and composed?
• The poem is composed of 7 stanzas with unequal
  lines in each stanza, 15, 11, 7, 6, 15, 10 5
  lines. Line length is also uneven ranging from
  2/3 to 13 syllables. There is only one rhyming
  line in the poem so it is written in free verse.
  Colour imagery is the key feature of the poem but
  there are also several examples of alliteration
  and metaphor in the poem.
• What is the form of the poem?
• As the poet seems to be addressing the reader
  directly the poem can be considered a monologue.

34
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
What The Poet Says About The Poem
Presents from My Aunts...was one of the first
poems I wrote. When I wrote this poem, I hadn't
actually been back to Pakistan. The girl in the
poem would be me at about 13. The clothes seem to
stick to her in an uncomfortable way, a bit like
a kind of false skin, and she thinks things
aren't straightforward for her. I found it was
important to write the Pakistan poems because I
was getting in touch with my background. And
maybe there's a bit of a message behind the poems
about something I went through, that I want to
maybe open a few doors if possible.
Mini Task 17 Summarize this slide.
35
Presents From My Aunts In Pakistan
Assignment How does Moniza Alvi Use colour
imagery and other devices to make this poem an
effective description of a conflict in cultural
identity. 600-800 words by Thurs 5th March.