The use of symbols

A poet might also make use of the symbols of another culture to explore their ideas. In Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan by Moniza Alvi, the poet presents the idea of being caught between two cultures. She came to England as a baby and has grown up in the English culture but looks back to her roots in Pakistan, reflecting on the gifts that her aunts, still living in Pakistan, sent her as she was growing up:

Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan

They sent me a salwar kameez

peacock-blue.

and another

glistening like an orange split open,

embossed slippers, gold and black

points curling.

Candy-striped glass bangles

snapped, drew blood.

Like at school, fashions changed

in Pakistan –

the salwar bottoms were broad and stiff,

then narrow.

My aunts chose an apple-green sari.

silver-bordered

for my teens.

All these gifts are symbolic of the Pakistani culture but the poet remembers that

‘I longed

for denim and corduroy’

which symbolises the western culture she has grown up in. Ironically, even her aunts –

‘…requested cardigans

from Marks and Spencer’s.’

Throughout the poem, symbols are used to reflect the poet’s feelings of being caught between two cultures and her feelings, ultimately of being –

‘…of no fixed nationality.’

Make a list of some of the features to look for when studying poetry from different cultures.

• The use of non-standard or dialect language forms.
• Imagery drawn from different cultures.
• The use of symbols that reflect different cultures.
• References or vocabulary that are rooted in different cultures.