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Essay / Exploring the idea of identity in “An Unknown Girl” and “Night”
Identity and discovery are two main themes in the poem “An Unknown Girl” and the text “Night”. The authors, Moniza Alvi who wrote “An Unknown Girl” and Alice Munro who wrote “The Night”, manage to depict these two themes through a wide variety of literary devices and lexical choices. Alvi uses a collection of jubilant and captivating vocabulary to draw the reader into an intriguing yet colorful and lively environment. On the other hand, Munro creates a confusing atmosphere to depict the narrator's search for identity through language, structure, and literary devices. One way discovery is described in Unknown Girl is experiencing all of her ancestral culture that she missed while living in England. Being from Pakistan but growing up in the UK, Alvi feels like a tourist and this idea of experiencing a new yet old culture comforts her as metaphorically said "For curtain fabrics and sofa fabrics, I have new brown veins." This metaphor in the poem powerfully suggests strong emotions of desire and new identity that Alvi discovers, particularly "canopy", a word generally used to suggest something large that covers and protects, that can easily. be applied to the feeling of comfort that Alvi feels towards her recently. discovered environment.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Experience against the unknown also has a powerful contribution to the discovery of a new culture. An unknown girl puts henna on my hand. » Alvi manages to describe the narrator's feelings as she feels "a wet brown line" brush her hand for the first time. This creates a great contrast with the unknown girl who is distant and perplexed but. and yet so real and so close “henna my hand”. To further emphasize the idea of a new feeling, Alvi writes “icing my hand” which the word “icing” could mean something cold that evokes a distant feeling or in this case a newly discovered emotion. The use of repetition further contributes to this idea of unknown discovery by repeating the phrase "a stranger touches my hand" which can be considered an oxymoron because the narrator has difficulty grasping the idea of this mystifying entity, until now and unknown and yet doing something so real and exciting and intimate. Throughout the poem, the setting is a neon bazaar, but towards the end of the poem, when the narrator leaves India and the neon bazaar, she realizes the feelings she discovered, as a place once unknown suddenly becomes a place she can relate to. as when she leaves, her thoughts are "I will lean across a land, hands outstretched, longing for the unknown girl In the neon bazaar." The discovery of what has been lost plays an important role in both texts. “Unknown Girl” depicts loss very differently than “Night.” In "An Unknown Girl", the idea of discovering something lost runs throughout the poem showing some scenes that depict westernization, and one particular section that highlights this loss of culture is "The mannequins in store fronts s 'tilt and look with their western perms. » where the use of the personification of mannequins almost as if they were coming to life has the effect of giving power to Western objects; leading to a loss of cultural identity and traditions. This is where the narrator struggles to learn about traditions and cultures. Another section focusing on theloss is: “the desire of the unknown girl”. Here, the loss of the girl has a great impact on the narrator because she sees this girl as a way to reconnect to her lost culture by connecting to this glimmer of hope; the “Unknown Girl”. “Desire” evokes discomfort with his new situation and wanting to return to the “unknown girl”. A new found identity is evoked by both authors in both texts, but each represents it in a different way. “An Unknown Girl” depicts the discovery of an old identity that blossomed within the narrator, after an unforgettable experience. A subtle metaphor, “when India appears and reappears” is used when the narrator tries to get hold of the ancient culture she has rediscovered. The narrator welcomes her new identity that she discovered with her “outstretched hands.” This also directly references the discovery of what was lost and the unknown girl, thus receiving the title "An Unknown Girl". "Night", although having a darker appearance. more atmospheric than “An Unknown Girl,” it still shares the theme of discovery, more specifically; the transition to adulthood. Night tells the story of a young girl who underwent surgery that left her traumatized. A few years later, when her mindset changes and she becomes a woman, she goes through many different emotions and feelings that impact her mental state and guide her. absurd ideas which plunge her into a troubled period. Coming of age can be a frightening and difficult experience to overcome. The narrator is portrayed by Munro as a young adult upset by the discovery of her new character, but she does not yet know it. “I wasn’t myself. » This short sentence presents an arduous discovery as she tries to find a new self. The narrator continues to be "more disturbed" by the "inability to fall asleep" as she tried to find justifications, until "Think", a short and powerful sentence which suggests that the narrator has realized that she was sick as she did. I didn't know what was happening to him. The excerpt then extends into short paragraphs and sentences suggesting an influx of thoughts as she attempts to overcome this period in her life. As in "An Unknown Girl", "Night" also addresses the unknown, when the narrator's father questions her problem with twisted thoughts and trouble sleeping, she explicitly responds with "I didn't know". » This short sentence highlights how perplexed the character is by his new and unknown emotions. In “Night,” loss is described in a series of short sentences: “The thought was there and hanging in my mind” and “She could say why not.” . Why not try the worst.” These short sentences evoke the slow loss of childhood and the easy life where you don't care about anything you experienced as a child. “The idea that I could strangle my sister” for reasons unknown but perhaps out of jealousy for the little sister having a wonderful and pleasant childhood; everything she lost. In "Night", her new identity transforms into a young woman. This transition to adulthood was the main cause of her discomfort and disturbances, as she says, "My problems come back at night of course", this also insinuates that it is a mental problem because during the night she is alone and thinks to herself. Towards the end, the narrator finally gains consciousness and discovers what she was feeling. “From then on, I was able to sleep. » Again, here, a short sentence is used to explicitly highlight the narrator's doubts about her well-being and the fearful thoughts she had towards adulthood; this creates a strong and close bond with the reader..