The Ways in Which Culture and Identity are Presented in Search for My Tongue and Presents From my Aunts in Pakistan
In this essay I aim to discuss the ways in which culture and identity
are presented in 'search for my tongue' and 'presents from my aunts in
Pakistan'
The first poem, 'search for my tongue' is written by a woman called
Sujata Bhatt who was born in nineteen fifty six, in Ahmedabad, India.
She emigrated to the United States of America in nineteen sixty eight.
She is a very successful poet and translator of Gujarati and English
and if that was not enough she is now living in Germany.
Search for my tongue is a very unique poem as it suddenly changes from
English to Gujarati half way through. The poem is about language and
the effect of language when living in a different place with people
speaking different languages. The word 'tongue' means two things. The
first is the language one speaks and the other is the more obvious
tongue in your mouth. Although this poem may have autobiographical
content, its concerns have a much wider relevance.
The first paragraph of 'Search for my Tongue' is written in the second
person, which suggests a level of detachment.
"You ask me what I mean by saying I have lost my tongue"
is the first sentence of 'Search For My Tongue'. It is written as a
reply to a question and the word tongue is used as a conventional
metaphor for language. Next she says
"I ask you, what would you do if you had two tongues in your mouth"
the word 'tongues' re-awakens the metaphor by making us aware of its
physical sense. Sujata Bhatt then repeats the words 'tongue' and
'could' several times in the nex...
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...or where we
really belong. It ends without a clear view. She is still an outsider
looking in and never being a part of it.
Both of these poems discuss the struggle of being part of two cultures
and both poets have had to deal with this in there own life, so they
are both autobiographical poems. 'Search for my Tongue' starts off
very negative, but as the poem goes on it becomes more positive, like
a seed emerging into a flower. 'Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan'
starts off more positively but as it goes on it gets quite glum and
negative.
My personal view of these poems is that they are both very fascinating
in a very dull, boring way. It made me think closer about the struggle
people deal with everyday over changing cultures. My favourite poem
was 'Search for my Tongue, as it was shorter and easier to digest.
between the two authors, they share similarities towards the message they try to send out.
however, this is actually a contrast that would strongly influence the courses of the two poems to
For this study, researcher classified the cultural identity of the participants as traditional, assimilated, bicultural, or marginalized by how they identified with highly with Indian values, highly with white values, ewally with both, or with none.
Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.
then I am able to associate with the soul of the writer. Two poems that
The definition of poetry, instead of becoming more selective and exact, has become a much more broad and open minded classification of literature. From It's beginning's in romanticist Puritan literature, to its more modernistic function on present society, poetry has become a way to blend the psychological side of human intellect, with the emotional side of human intuition and curiosity. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were two early poets from the late 19th century. Unlike Walt, Emily liked to write at home, she was a more secluded author who enjoyed to look out the window for inspiration. Walt on the other hand loved to travel. He found inspiration through nature and the diversity of thriving cultures throughout the world. Although these writers found inspiration from two different methods, their poems have distinct similarities in theme, images, and main ideas.
The poetry by these two poets creates several different images, both overall, each with a different goal, have achieved their purposes. Though from slightly different times, they can both be recognized and appreciated as poets who did not fear the outside, and were willing to put themselves out there to create both truth and beauty.
When considering the structure of the poems, they are similar in that they are both written loosely in iambic pentameter. Also, they both have a notable structured rhyme scheme.
Since the birth of America many cultures came to find freedom and opportunity to accomplish the American Dream. The American Dream is the idea that anyone who comes to America possesses the opportunity to succeed based on their merit. Through this different cultures diffused what America came to be. The influences of immigrant cultures gave America the name the land of the free. Cultural diffusion, migration, immigration, and transnationalism is important in relation to global economy based on the fact that through these countries we are granted many ideas, styles, religions, technologies, and languages from these different cultures. America became a melting pot of various cultures bringing their individuality in a country of many customs. The struggle between culture and identity is conveyed through the writings of Richard Rodriquez and Armstrong Williams to break stereotypes and be proud of who you are. People need to identify with their own culture first before identifying with America because a key American value is individualism and maintaining one’s own culture. America is a melting pot of different cultures making it necessary to remember one’s own culture in the flood of ideas and traditions within America. Through maintaining culture they are simultaneously upholding American beliefs and identifying with America.
In conclusion, this book gave me a whole new view on life and how we can interact better with different people. The book emphasized that culture is key to understanding people. Sometimes it is hard to connect with others because they are indicated as different but in due time we can adjust. Every culture has their own traditions when it comes to what they eat, what to wear, dating, various ceremonies, holidays and more. Reading this book helped me become more accepting of who I am and where I come from.
This is a journey of self-discovery to understand the fundamental meaning of what makes me, me? All of us have a unique identity and culture. An Identity are a sets of social expectations related to ourselves and others that are grounded in the interplay between similarities and differences and pertain to the personal, relational, and communal aspects of lives (Hall, 102). In other words, it is our identity that makes us who we are. On the other hand, Culture is defined as a historically shared system of symbolic resources through which we make our world meaningful (Hall, 4). Culture is how we as individuals make sense of the world. So what is Cultural Identity? Cultural Identity allows us as individuals to feel a sense of belonging to a particular
For my Anthropological observation study, I will be writing about my culture which I will be familiar with since I have a greater understanding. And also I will be able to analyze some aspects based on my observations that I have received throughout my life. I was born in Srilanka in a Hindu family and lived there for twelve years, until I came to Canada. I would like to write about Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus, that I have observed so far in Srilanka and Canada. I will be focusing on family relationship and social life. In this essay Ill argue that Tamils culture has changed in Canada over time and why it is important to adapt to a new culture in a different country.
similarities that are inevitably beyond mere coincidence. One could surmise that both of these stories might have a basis in common historical occurrence. However, despite the fact that both of these works discuss a common topic, the portrayal of this event is quite different. Like identical twins raised in different cultures, the expressions of these works are products of their environment.
How is it that two poems, written on the same theme, could be so incredibly d...
In Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake, the protagonist, Gogol, struggles with his cultural identity. He is an American-born Bengali struggling to define himself. He wants to fit into the typical American-lifestyle, a lifestyle his parents do not understand. This causes him tension through his adolescence and adult life, he has trouble finding a balance between America and Bengali culture. This is exemplified with his romantic relationships. These relationships directly reflect where he is in his life, what he is going through and his relationship with his parents. Each woman indicates a particular moment in time where he is trying to figure out his cultural identity. Ruth represents an initial break away from Bengali culture; Maxine represents