Thursday, August 29, 2019
Comparing poems about identity Essay
In this essay I will be comparing two poems about identity-ââ¬Å"Presents from my Aunts in Pakistanâ⬠by Moniza Alvi and ââ¬Å"Welsh Landscapeâ⬠by R.S. Thomas. ââ¬Å"Welsh Landscapeâ⬠was written in approximately 1963. Itââ¬â¢s a poem of dismay; Thomas is despairing about what is happening to his country. Although he has an obvious love for his country, in ââ¬Å"Welsh Landscapeâ⬠this is almost hidden by Thomasââ¬â¢s feelings of bitterness and frustration at whatââ¬â¢s happened to the once infamous landscape, history and language of Wales. Thomas wishes that Wales would just move forward and embrace its heroic past, but in his eyes this just isnââ¬â¢t happening. ââ¬Å"Presents from my Aunts in Pakistanâ⬠was written in the late 20th century. Itââ¬â¢s also a poem of despair-but in a different way. Thirteen-year-old Moniza Alvi isnââ¬â¢t angry, but sheââ¬â¢s uncomfortable where she is and wishes that she could fit in. Sheââ¬â¢d give anything for that. She wishes desperately that she could feel more at home and ordinary in Britain, where sheââ¬â¢s lived practically all her life, but she canââ¬â¢t. She canââ¬â¢t reconcile her two cultures-Pakistani and English-and sheââ¬â¢s confused and upset about this. Moniza Alvi wonders why she canââ¬â¢t fit in and feels utterly trapped. This is like Thomasââ¬â¢s poem; he feels that his country is trapped between two cultures-English and Welsh-too. Both Alvi and Thomas feel that theyââ¬â¢ve completely lost their identities. Both poets explore their culture in these poems. Theyââ¬â¢re both proud of many aspects of their cultures, but feel that a lot needs to be done to enable them to live in their idea world. RS Thomas seems angry. He talks about how in Wales you ââ¬Å"cannot live in the presentâ⬠and how thereââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"only the pastâ⬠. Heââ¬â¢s angry that that over the years, the Wales he knows and loved has crumbled away. It could have been avoided. Thomas directly addresses his reader when he comments that ââ¬Å"You cannot live in the presentâ⬠. Here, heââ¬â¢s saying that this is the same for everybody in Wales; itââ¬â¢s unavoidable. Although you can tell that Thomas is proud of his culture (he talks about the ââ¬Å"immaculate riversâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"soft consonantsâ⬠) he believes that a more negative atmosphere has now taken over his country. He believes that Wales should remain purely Welsh, and anybody who defies that is ââ¬Å"inbreedingâ⬠. Overall, I think that RS Thomas is trying to say that we should appreciate Wales but be conscious of its violent past and try to move on from that-instead of being trapped between the past and present. At the moment, people just arenââ¬â¢t moving on. Moniza Alvi, on the other hand, feels lost. Sheââ¬â¢s confused. She longs to be able to wear her ââ¬Å"glisteningâ⬠, ââ¬Å"satin-silkenâ⬠, ââ¬Å"embossedâ⬠clothing, but canââ¬â¢t fee comfortable in them. ââ¬Å"My costume clung to me and I was aflame,â⬠she says. ââ¬Å"Aflameâ⬠implies that when she wears these clothes, she feels embarrassed and angry that she doesnââ¬â¢t look right. ââ¬Å"Costumeâ⬠suggests that these donââ¬â¢t feel like her ordinary clothes; itââ¬â¢s like sheââ¬â¢s trying to be something that sheââ¬â¢s not. However, although she longs for ââ¬Å"denim and corduroyâ⬠(ordinary, plain British clothes) she doesnââ¬â¢t describe them with anywhere near as much enthusiasm. Theyââ¬â¢re plain, even if they are comfortable, and here we see that Moniza Alvi is again torn between her two cultures. Sheââ¬â¢s envious of her Aunt Jamila, who can ââ¬Å"Rise up out of its fire, half Englishâ⬠. She feels that she canââ¬â¢t do this at all. She simply wants to be accepted for who she is. She loves her Pakistani clothing-it looks ââ¬Å"radiantâ⬠in her wardrobe-but on her, it just doesnââ¬â¢t look right. She talks about her motherââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"cherishedâ⬠jewellery which was stolen from her car. The jewellery, like her, was stolen from its roots-now itââ¬â¢ll never be cherished in the same way again. She then goes on to discuss the ââ¬Å"camel-skinâ⬠lamp. Just like her, the camel-skin lamp has been taken out of its own culture and put somewhere else. She says that she considers its ââ¬Å"crueltyâ⬠-we see here that the lamp is a metaphor for herself. She feels that she has been treated cruelly when she was taken out of her culture and put somewhere else-and sheââ¬â¢s having difficult dealing with it. Ever since she left Pakistan, sheââ¬â¢s felt out of place. On the journey to England, Moniza Alvi says that ââ¬Å"prickly heat had me screaming on the wayâ⬠-her trek to England even started off on the wrong foot. She ââ¬Å"ended up in a cotâ⬠-this implies that as soon as she arrived in England she was completely trapped. She then immediately ââ¬Å"found myself alone, playing with a tin boatâ⬠. She;s already lost, and the tin boat insinuates that she already wants to sale back home. She just wants to feel right where she is; she doesnââ¬â¢t have an identity. Here, we see a contrast between the two poems that Iââ¬â¢m studying-brittle as it is, at least RS Thomas has an identity. The mood throughout ââ¬Å"Welsh landscapeâ⬠is that of frustration. RS Thomas is irritated because he sees the potential in Wales-ââ¬Å"the constant noisy tractorâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"hum of the machineâ⬠which implies that work in Wales is indeed moving forward. He sees the beauty of Wales in the ââ¬Å"immaculateâ⬠rivers and the ââ¬Å"wildâ⬠sky, but is angry that people arenââ¬â¢t willing to maintain this beauty in other aspects of Wales-the ââ¬Å"wind bitten towers and castlesâ⬠and, ââ¬Å"mouldering quarries and minesâ⬠. Heââ¬â¢s frustrated that people arenââ¬â¢t maintaining the areas that his country has always been famous for. He feels that heââ¬â¢s been affected unnecessarily-if the Welsh people did what in his eyes are their duties, he wouldnââ¬â¢t be in this situation. Heââ¬â¢s extremely aggravated that this has been allowed to happen and that Walesââ¬â¢ reputation and condition is continuing to deteriorate. Heââ¬â¢s worried that eventually, Wales wonââ¬â¢t even have its ââ¬Å"soft consonantsâ⬠and, ââ¬Å"wind-bitten towers and castlesâ⬠to its name-theyââ¬â¢ll be allowed to die out.
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