The poem “An Unknown Girl” text is about identity and discovery. Moniza Alvi (author of “An Unknown Girl”) and Alice Munro (author of “Night”) manage to express these themes using a variety literary devices as well as lexical choices. Alvi employs a variety of captivating vocabulary to draw the reader into a vibrant, yet engrossing environment. Munro, on one hand, creates a perplexing environment to help the narrators find their identity through language structure, literary devices, and structure. Unknown Girl shows discovery through her experience of her family’s culture that she lost while living in England. Alvi, who is originally from Pakistan, now lives in the UK. Alvi feels like she’s a tourist. Alvi’s new identity is reflected in this powerful metaphor. Particularly “canopy”, which is a term used to describe a large covering or protecting. This can be easily applied to the comfort Alvi feels towards her new environment.
It is a powerful way to discover a new culture. Alvi captures the emotions of the narrator while she senses “a wetbrown line” touching her hand. This contrasts well with the mysterious girl, who is far away and perplexing but so close and “hennaing me hand”. Alvi continues to emphasize the idea that Alvi is “icing her hand”, which could be used to refer either to a distant feeling or a newly discovered emotion. The repetition of the phrase “an unfamiliar is hennaingmy hand” adds to the notion of an unknown discovery. It can be seen that the narrator has difficulty understanding the concept of this mystifying entity so far from home, yet so close to her heart. The setting is a neon bazar. But the narrator eventually leaves India for the neon bazar and realizes how it has changed her feelings. Both texts are influenced by the idea of finding what is gone. The loss of a “Unknown Girl” is portrayed in a very different manner to that of ‘Night. “Unknown Girl” depicts loss differently from “Night”. The personification of dummies almost seems to make them appear alive, which can lead to cultural identity and tradition loss. The narrator is struggling to find traditions and cultures. Another section is about loss. “Longing for an unknown girl” This girl was lost to the narrator and she sees her as a way of reconnecting with her culture. Both authors use the word “Longing” to describe a feeling of discomfort and a desire to return to the “unknown” girl. Each author represents a new identity in their respective texts. After an unforgettable experience, “An Unknown Girl” depicts the discovery of an older identity within the narrator. When the narrator attempts to grasp onto the culture she has rediscovered, the subtle metaphor of “When India appears” is used. With her “hands outstretched”, the narrator welcomes her new identity. This directly refers both to her discovery of the lost and unknown girl, hence the title “An Unknown Girl”. While “Night” may have a darker atmosphere that “An Unknown Girl”, “Night”, shares the theme discovery, and more specifically the coming-of-age. Night is the story of a young girl whose traumatizing surgery caused her to become a paralysed child. As her mental state changes and she is now a woman, Night shows how she experiences many emotions that drive her crazy and cause her to have a difficult time. Being a teenager can be scary and difficult. Munro portrays Munro’s young adult character as overwhelmed by discovering her identity. She doesn’t even know it. “I wasn’t myself.” The short sentence is a difficult discovery that leads to her trying to discover her true self. The narrator is “more disturbed” by her “failure of falling asleep” as she tries to justify it. Finally, she “Think Again”, a short powerful sentence that suggests she came to the realization she was not well. As she tries to overcome this time in her own life, the extract becomes a series of short sentences and paragraphs. Similar to “An Unknown Girl”, so too “Night” addresses the unknown. Her father asks about her problems with sleeplessness and contorted thoughts. She explicitly replies with “I didn’t know.” This brief sentence shows how confused she is about her unresolved emotions.
“Night” is expressed in a series of short sentences. It is worth trying the worst. These sentences are reminiscent of the gradual loss of childhood and the simple life that allows you to forget about everything as a child. “The thought of strangling my sister” is a possible reason, but it could also be out of jealousy for her beautiful and happy childhood.
Her new identity in “Night” is maturing into an adult woman. As she states, “My troubles returned in the night of course”, this implies that her mental illness is at the root of her unwellness and disorder. Near the end, she finally realizes what was happening and reveals her feelings. “I could finally sleep from that day on. This sentence emphasizes the narrators concerns about her health and fears towards adulthood. It creates a strong bond with the reader. Munro uses short sentences to express herself throughout the entire poem. The text is almost like a set or instructions on how to deal with difficult times.
All of the themes discussed in these texts relate to identity and discovery. Each author has their own style, but there are common elements. Munro uses concise sentences to express the emotions of her narrator, while Alvi uses metaphors to convey joy and personifications to do so in a more joyful setting. Munro addresses this problem in her text. Her lexicon is darker. It creates a sense that the text and the setting are completely opposites. Yet, both texts share feelings and emotions.
