Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan by Poem Hunters https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo Look at the following words: 'split'. 'snapped', 'half English', 'the cruelty and the transformation', 'conflict' and 'fractured', 'alien', 'of no fixed nationality'. What do these words have in common and why do you think this is important in the poem? en-us 2017-04-29 05:36:40 UTC 2025-12-18 20:30:49 UTC hello@padlet.com Nakhul https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169051772 These words are related to the culture of England and Pakistan. This implies the feeling that she has lost a part of her beauty in the transformation that took place as she adjusted from Pakistani culture to the English culture. It is interesting that she refers to herself as an “alien” as she looked at the clothes. She was alien in England. So these words are common and important in the poem. Her nationality is not fixed because she is half Pakistani and half English.  In conclusion, she did not like this transformation.

]]> 2017-04-30 11:24:53 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169051772 Ariana https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169065745 These words and/or phrases connect the reader to the feeling of separation from culture to culture, stuck between the reality of her nationality. Alvi portrays the transformation of identity etiquettely and by using these words and/or phrases she is giving emphasis on the fact that she is confused about her culture thus using the phrase "of no fixed nationality". Overall, the words "half-English" sum it all up by identifying the mix up of cultures, traditions and identities]]> 2017-04-30 16:34:04 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169065745 Erin https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169237973 These words are all explicitly linked to the term incompletion. The term ‘split’ depicts something that tears into pieces, similarly ‘snapped’ bares resemblance to destruction. Moniza Alvi is evidently lost between two worlds, one being her innate country and the other being her country of residence. Moniza Alvi appears to be a young girl deeming about contrary relics, a camel skin lamp compared to attire from Marks and Spencer’s. “Of no fixed nationality.”  This phrase clearly portrays her uncertainty of her ethnic roots.

These terms are essential in this poem because they impact the reader in a way which helps them relate to Moniza as a child. Eg. Majority of us are expatriates in the UAE, distancing ourselves from our culture we have adapted to the modern environment. 

]]> 2017-05-01 17:31:27 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169237973 Ayesha https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169426919 (Phrases)The similarity between these words are that they are all linked together and this is important because they impact the reader.

]]> 2017-05-02 14:06:10 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169426919 Suchismita suchismitachauhan628 https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169433661 Moniza Alvi, through the platform of words meant to describe alienation from your own culture, to which many of us are familiar with.

When she tries her new outfits on for the first time she feels out of the ordinary, an 'alien in the sitting-room' and doesn't think she suited the clothes. She feels that wearing the clothes in the British culture she has grown up to recognize would be inappropriate.

In the sixth stanza, a metaphor is used when the girl speaks about a war involving her country - she refers to it as "a fractured land". The word "fractured" is usually used when talking about broken bones. The girl may feel that it is her country that is slowly being broken, bit by bit. In one of the first sentences, the onomatopoeia "snapped"- it creates an effect of something actually being snapped through what the word sounds like.]]> 2017-05-02 14:24:59 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169433661 xdrakii19 https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169510092 RYAN 
The author was a teenager and usually a very confusing and puzzling time for her. she loves the gifts she gets but doesn’t feel comfortable, or good enough to wear them. And thats why she states that she feels like she is ‘of no fixed nationality’

She writes about how they feel ‘alien’ to her, she uses metaphors to express how embarrassed she feels by wearing them.

The poet talks about how being a child of two totally different nationalities clash and makes her really uncomfortable because she knows that the people of the country she's living in will not like the type of clothes of her home country

]]> 2017-05-02 18:17:04 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169510092 Maaz https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169539465 These evocative words used by the poet belong to one lexical field, 'SEPARATION'. In this context it's a rupture within two cultures.
 
What is a lexical field? 

A Lexical field is the way of organizing related words and expressions into a system which shows their relationship to one another.
 
 Moniza emphasizes on the fact that she is lost, bewildered and stuck between the two cultures in fact, the two phrases do hint us about it 'of no fixed nationality' and 'half-english' 
 
 The explicitly used terms are essential in this poem as they manipulate the readers mind however, such terms would let any poet stunningly deliver their words.]]> 2017-05-02 20:20:18 UTC https://padlet.com/poemhunters/questiontwo/wish/169539465