Comparing Poems From Different Cultures

Comparing Poems

I am going to be talking about their methods that the poets use to explore the connection between people and the places in which they live in. The poems that I am comparing are Hurricane hits England and Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan.

In Hurricane Hits England the techniques used are personification, she says “Talk to me oya” here referring to the hurricane as a person, she is doing this to try and feel like she is at home, trying to connect back to where she came from, it is almost as if the hurricane has brought her a message that where ever you are on earth it is still the same place. “Falling as heavy as whales” is a simile and this is effective because the torrential rain that comes with a hurricane becomes like the sea and the tree’s become like whales. Also when she says “Come break the frozen lake in me” it is as though being away from her own country has made her uncomfortable with herself and she feels that the arrival of the hurricane can break that and help her be herself again. The thing that connects her to the place that she comes from is the hurricane and the way the hurricane is described creates imagery, for example, “I am riding the mystery of your storm” this creates the image of her actually riding the storm, finally at peace with herself. Also it is a metaphor as she is not actually riding the storm but feels although she is because she is using the weather to help her feel closer to home.

In Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan the techniques used are very different from the ones used in Hurricane Hits England. The techniques in Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan show that she does not think that she fits in to either culture. “My costume clung to me and I was aflame.” This is showing that she doesn’t fit into the culture back in Pakistan and “My salwar kameez didn’t impress the school friend.” This shows that she also doesn’t fit into the English culture. The similes used express how wonderful the gifts are that she receives from her friends, “Glistening like an orange split open.” This makes the gifts sound amazing but she then goes on to say “I could never be as lovely as those clothes” which shows that she feels she can’t wear them because she doesn’t feel good enough as she doesn’t really belong to either culture. The techniques in Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan are trying to convey a different message to the ones in Hurricane Hits England. In