Poems from Other Cultures

– a comparative approach
Work your way through this resource to
give you the tools to approach DCAT
questions in the exam.
 How do poets use language to show culture in Search for My
Tongue and Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan?

Use SMILE to help you answer these questions:

S – structure
1. Why is the Gujarati (Indian language) being placed at
the heart of the poem significant?
…………………………………………………..
2. What does the irregular structure of the lines suggest
about the poet’s message?
……………………………………………………
 M- meaning
3. What does Sujata Bhatt mean when she says
‘You ask me what I mean/ By saying I have
lost my tongue’?
…………………………………………………..
4. What does Moniza Alvi feel about belonging
to two cultures?
…………………………………………………..
 I - imagery
5. What is the central (most important) metaphor
of Search for My Tongue?
…………………………………………………..

6. Give two examples of similes in Presents from

My Aunts in Pakistan
…………………………………………………
……………………………………………….
 L - language
7. What is the key feature of language that you
would pick out from Search?
…………………………………………………..
8. Write down three examples of descriptive
language used in Presents from My Aunts in
Pakistan
…………………………………………………..
 E - effects
9. What is the effect of the metaphor ‘it
blossoms out of my mouth’?
…………………………………………………..
10. Comment on the effectiveness of descriptive
language used in Presents.
…………………………………………………..
 Now answer the comparative
question:
How do poets use language to show culture in Search
for My Tongue and Presents from My Aunts in
Pakistan?

You need to use a POETIC paragraph to structure your

response – remember to cover SMILE in your answer.

Look on the following page for an example paragraph to

help you start your own response.
 POETIC
• Point – make a point about the poem
• Opinion – how effective is this technique/point
• Evidence/example – use a quote
• Technique – refer specifically to a technique e.g
structure, language, presentation, imagery
• Ideas – make a comment about the poet’s ideas and
feelings
• Comparison – use a connective to compare to another
poem
 Sample POETIC paragraph
(P) In Search for My Tongue the poet uses language to illustrate the conflict arising
from having two ‘tongues’ or languages. (O) This shows her concerns about
forgetting her own culture when she is living in a foreign country. (E) This is
shown when she says
‘I ask you, what would you do/ if you had two tongues in your mouth,/ and lost the
first one, the mother tongue,/ and could not really know the other,/ the foreign
tongue.’
(T) The poet’s use of questioning shows (I) her own sense of confusion at
belonging to two cultures. By referring to ‘two tongues’ she forces the reader to
think about the physical and emotional idea of having two tongues in your
mouth/life. (C) Similarly in Presents (P) language is used to show a sense of
confusion at belonging to two cultures. (O) Alvi is struggling to come to terms
with a sense of dual identity. (E) This can be seen when she says:
‘The presents were radiant in my wardrobe./ My aunts requested cardigans/ from
Marks and Spencers.’
(T) The poet’s use of juxtaposition, putting her Pakistani presents next to the very
English presents of ‘cardigans’, reflects her feelings towards belonging to two
cultures at the same time. (I) The technique is effective because it emphasises
the contrasting cultures and gives us a sense of what she must feel.