Pot

"Pot" by Shamshad Khan

Context

Shamshad Khan is a British-Asian poet whose work often explores themes of identity, migration, and cultural heritage. In Pot, Khan reflects on the complexities of belonging to the South Asian diaspora and the feelings of displacement that come with migration. The poem explores how cultural objects, like the pot, hold memories of one's origins and how they become disconnected when removed from their homeland. The speaker's search for the pot's origins parallels their own longing to reconnect with their heritage and identity while navigating a foreign land.

The Poem

so big — they said you shouldn't really be moved

← Imagery

so fragile you might break

you could be from anywhere pot

styles have travelled just like terracotta

you could almost be an english pot

← Comparison

but I know you're not.

I know half of the story pot

of where you come from

of how you got here

but I need you to tell me the rest pot

tell me

did they say you were bought pot

← Symbolism

a looters' deal done

the whole lot

sold to the gentleman in the grey hat

or

did they say you were lost pot

finders are keepers you know pot

or

did they say they didn't notice you pot

must have slipped onto the white sailing yacht

bound for england.

Someone

← Allusion

somewhere

will have missed you pot

gone out looking for you pot

because

someone

somewhere

made you

finger nails

pressed

snake patterned you pot

washed you pot

used you pot

loved you pot

if I could shatter this glass

I would take you back myself pot.

you think they wouldn't recognise you pot

say diaspora

you left now

you're not really one of us.

pot I've been back to where my family's from

they were happy

to see me

laughed a lot

said I was more asian than the asian's pot

I was pot

imagine.

the hot sun on your back

feel flies settle on your skin

warm grain poured inside

empty pot

← Symbolism

growl if you hear me

pot?

Key Quotes + Analysis for a Grade 9 Answer

1. Imagery: "so big — they said you shouldn't really be moved"

• Analysis: This line conveys the physical and emotional fragility of the pot, symbolising the speaker's own sense of vulnerability. The pot is considered "too big" to be moved, hinting at how cultural identity is something deep-rooted and difficult to uproot, yet the pot has still been displaced, much like the speaker's sense of self.

2. Comparison: "You could almost be an English pot"

• Analysis: The pot's resemblance to an "English pot" represents the idea of assimilation, where the speaker reflects on how foreign objects and people are often forced to conform to the dominant culture. This metaphor speaks to the tension between cultural preservation and the desire to fit into the new world.

3. Symbolism: "Did they say you were bought pot / a looters' deal done"

• Analysis: The pot's potential origins, whether stolen or lost, symbolise the colonial history of cultural objects being looted from their homelands. The reference to the "looters' deal" hints at the exploitation of cultures and the loss of heritage that happens when objects are taken away from their rightful owners.

4. Allusion: "Someone somewhere will have missed you pot"

• Analysis: This line alludes to the loss of cultural identity and the disconnection felt by both the pot and the speaker. The pot's absence from its homeland represents how people in the diaspora often feel separated from their roots and heritage, lost in a foreign land with no one to recognise their true value.

5. Symbolism: "Empty pot / growl if you hear me"

• Analysis: The "empty pot" symbolises the absence of a connection to one's cultural roots. The speaker's call for the pot to "growl" represents the hunger for belonging and the frustration of not being heard or recognised in a foreign land.

Form & Structure Points

• Free Verse: The poem is written in free verse, allowing it to flow naturally and reflect the speaker's search for identity. The lack of a fixed rhyme scheme mirrors the feeling of uncertainty and displacement that comes with navigating between two cultures.

• Repetition: The use of repeated phrases like "pot" emphasises the centrality of the pot as a symbol of the speaker's search for identity and belonging. This repetition also conveys the speaker's emotional attachment to the object and their longing to understand its origins, as well as their own.

• Imagery: The vivid descriptions of the pot and its imagined past create a sense of nostalgia and longing for a connection with the past, as well as the displacement felt in a foreign land.

Example Paragraph for a Grade 9 Answer:

In "Pot," Shamshad Khan explores the theme of displacement and cultural loss through the metaphor of the pot, which symbolises the speaker's own longing to reconnect with their roots. The speaker's repeated questioning about the pot's origins, such as "Did they say you were bought pot / a looters' deal done," highlights the historical exploitation of cultural objects and the sense of loss that comes with migration. This is similar to the themes in "Name Journeys" by Raman Mundair, where the speaker's name becomes a symbol of their alienation in a foreign land. Both poems use cultural symbols—names in Mundair's poem and objects in Khan's—to convey the struggles of maintaining one's heritage in a new, often unwelcoming, environment. The sense of displacement and the quest for identity in both poems illustrate the challenges of navigating between cultures while trying to preserve one's roots.