28th Annual Student Research Conference
Nostalgia for Experiences in The Half-Inch Himalayas
John T. Brooks
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
In the poems "Postcard from Kashmir," "A Butcher," and "I Dream It Is Afternoon When I Return to Delhi," from Agha Shahid Ali's The Half-Inch Himalayas, the speaker communicates nostalgia for his homeland as a result of his physical separation from India. As Agha Shahid Ali put it: "The Half-Inch [Himalayas] was not a youthful pose, for I was constantly missing my parents, my home, my friends, Kashmir, Deli. Everything seemed terribly far away." In the first poem, the speaker shows nostalgia through his memories of the visual experience of his homeland, as contained on a postcard. In the second, the speaker conveys the memory of hearing lines of Ghalib and Mir, popular poets in the speakers home. And in the third, the speaker communicates a memory of riding the bus in Delhi. Through memories of these three experiences, Agha Shahid Ali shows nostalgia for his homeland.
Keywords: Agha Shahid Ali, The Half-Inch Himalayas
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 402-1
Location: VH 1010
Time: 2:30