Echoes of Memory: Tracing Cultural Identity Through Moniza Alvi’s Lens in ‘Presents From My Aunts in Pakistan’ and ‘The Country at My Shoulder’

Abstract

This article investigates diasporic character from the perspective of poetry, focusing on works of Moniza Alvi, a British Pakistani writer. The study leads a textual and comparative examination of two of Alvi's poems, "Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan" and "The Country at My Shoulder," to uncover the complexities of diasporic encounters and cultural identity inside her poetry. According to Stuart Hall, the investigation enlightens how Alvi explores the complexities of belonging, social distance, and the longing for home inside the diasporic setting. Through clear symbolism, suggestive language, and topical investigation, Alvi's poetry mirrors the strain between numerous cultural affiliations, the effect of migration and the discussion of diasporic experience. By looking at the themes of these subjects in Alvi's poetry, this study adds to a more profound comprehension of diasporic experiences, featuring the cultural hybridity diasporic identities.