An Unknown Girl

An Unknown GirlMoniza Alvi

Themes Of The PoemThere are several themes in the poem which are :1.Cultural Identity 2. Sense Of Loss3. Sense Of Belonging 4. Cultural Contrast 5. Love for native culturexxdasd2Cultural IdentityPoet has used some of the words which relates the theme of cultural identity , like :1. She is icing my hand , which she steadies with hers on her satin-peach knee.2.My Shadow,.3.I have new brown veins ,

Sense Of Loss There are many points which relates the theme sense of lose , which are :1.The girl who is hennaing the hand of the poet is known to everyone in that place but to the poet because she came from England to India and she doesnt know about the people and the culture of India. 2. I am clinging to these firm peacock lines like people who cling to the sides of a train.Ill scrape off the dry brown lines before I sleep,Here, she means that of course henna has to be scrape off and it will definitely fade away after one or two weeks and it relates around the theme sense of loss , because she will lose the national bird which has been henna on her hand.Sense Of Belonging There in the poem you can also find some of the words of poet revolving around the theme sense of belonging , which are:India will appear/reappear, : Here she means that when shell go back to England shell think of India again and again , and it will appear and disappear on her mind.My shadow stitched kameez ,.. : Here she wears the national dress of India , and she feels like she belongs to this tradition and she starts loving this culture as she left the culture years ago when she first went to England. Language FeaturesNow , If we look at the poem we may come across many figures of speech like , here are few of them :Metaphor : She is icing my hand.Personification: As a little air catches my shadow stitched kameez a peacock spreads its lines across my palm.Imagery : Now the furious streets are hushed.Personification: When India will appear and reappear,..Here are some of the tradition and cultural views of India.