25th Annual Student Research Conference
"He'll never, never, move out of here.": A Psychoanalysis of Agha Shahid Ali's "Vacating an Apartment" and "The Previous Occupant"
Lindie K. Perry
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
In Agha Shahid Ali's collection of poems, The Half-Inch Himalayas, "Vacating an Apartment" and "The Previous Occupant" are obviously meant to be companion poems. In the first, a man moves out of his apartment, his home, and feels the pain that we all feel when we leave home forever, as well as a slight anger and bitterness towards the new tenant. In the second, a woman wistfully wonders about the previous occupant, only to quickly realize that the traces of his presence will never truly leave and that her new home will never be hers alone. This paper will examine both the man and the woman's emotions about each other, the apartment, and how their shared home allows them to inadvertently leave their mark on one another without ever truly meeting.
Keywords: Psychology, The Half-Inch Himalayas, Agha Shahid Ali, "The Previous Occupant", "Vacating an Apartment"
Topic(s):English
Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 408-2
Location: VH 1408
Time: 2:45