... 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", ...

... so far from the English's style of living in comparison with the Pakistani's style of living. And when she tried to wear that on in her English styled bedroom she felt like as though there has been an alien in ...

... the poem written by Moniza Alvi, she has used many words, which are said, exactly the same in Gujarati, and sometimes English. This shows the similarities in cultures. Here are some examples from the poem: * 'They sent me a ...

... hennaing, but the ending gives it a twist, and I think that the unknown girl is actually, Moniza Alvi, this I will explain at the end. This poem is very atmospheric and realistic, in the way it describes in great detail ...

... and how impractical it is for her to wear them for the active life of a woman in the west. She feels awkward wearing these clothes and bangles and feels that denim and corduroy would e more appropriate. In contrast, ...

... 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 ...

... 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 ...

... 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 ...

... reader, to read. In, the poem written by Moniza Alvi, she has used many words, which are said, exactly the same in Gujarati, and sometimes English. This shows the similarities in cultures. Here are some examples from the poem: 'They ...

... 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 ...

... 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 ...

... from her Aunts in Pakistan. As we can see these colours are not ordinary colours for an average outfit, these clearly must have some kind of different background or an explanation behind them. The last line in the first stanza ...

... verse this means there is no set structure. This reflects the confusion about her identity. The lines are short, this also shows her confusion. There are lots of images in the poem to do with colour, 'peacock-blue', apple green saree' ...

... 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 ...

... reader an idea of the violent nature/intensity of the storm. Nicholls connects the storm with the voices of her Caribbean past. Huracan, Oya and Shango are the Gods and Goddesses of wind, rain and thunder and she asks why they ...

... she doesn't want to be. They make her uncomfortable and self conscious. The next set of clothes show us the passage of time for Alvi with more clothes from her aunts. Yet as in England, and as she puts it, ...

... life would have been like if she had stayed in Pakistan. The phrase "the bullock with the sharp shoulderblades" uses a repetition of soft consonants suggests a feeling of calmness at being somewhere she knows she belongs. The third stanza ...

... to describe the gifts from her Aunts, 'glistening like an orange split open'. This describes the 'Salwar kameez' given to her. The colours and imagery give the reader a sense of splendour in contrast with the plain 'cardigans from Marks ...

... 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 ...

... called Ella Khan and originates from England. Although the father of the family is from Pakistan, his name has been anglicised into an English name. This is probably so that he fits in more with his new home and can ...

... mixed race and the difficulty she finds with fitting in, or feeling apart 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 my Aunts in Pakistan all about? * The speaker in the poem, who is of mixed race, describes the gifts of clothes and jewellery sent to her in England by her Pakistani relatives. * She is drawn to 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 ...

... 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 ...

... 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 ...