Teacher's analysis

The original quotation expresses the protagonist's reaction to the World Trade Center attack and in the use of language his sense of bewilderment and perplexion come to surface.

"Possibly", "it seemed to me", "I had always thought" are some examples of Changez's inner confusion and his difficulty to come to terms with the new reality of America.

"To give oneself over" expresses the ironic idea of the protagonist towards the American attitude after the attack. It literally means to spend all one's doing for feelings to create a defensive barrier against the fear of terrorism. At the same time, the protagonist judges the American attitude as "dangerous nostalgia".

The semantic choice implies a step backwards of the common American trand towards progress. The idea is highlighted and reinforced by the adjective "retro" presided by the adverb "undeniably", one that does not admit contraddiction.

Flags and uniforms are more than simple lexical choices: they become a vital of criticism of the patriotic rituals American rethoric still hangs to.

Even the values of "duty" and "honor" sound rethorical in their graphetic writing and use. In addition, they are set in key position.

What's more, Changez's use of the Past Perfect expresses the protagonist's dissillusionment and lack of hope in change in front of his initial dream about America.

The contrast between "look forward" and "look back", symbolically at the end of the sentence, are divided by the word "determination". It refers to Americans' strict decision to find an escape in front of the tragedy.

To Changez's eyes "living in New York" reminds lifein the Second World War or better his idea of it.

The simile unveils the perception of the new atmosphere and makes of New York an almost "unreal city".

It sounds as if the protagonist couldn't believe his eyes in front of the new scenary.He seems to be "staring out at a set".

The speaking voice communicates the feeling of something unnatural in the world surrounding him.

Such image is conveyed by the phrase "not in Technicolor but in grainy black and white". "Grainy" is technical language: it is generally used by the new generation since it refers to Photoshop users and, last but not least, it conveys the perception of confusion introduced in the beginning of the quotation.

Changez finds no rational understanding in America's reaction.

The following questioning syntax adds to the protagonist's puzzlement.

The reader is strongly involved in narration thanks to the language used that creates an intimate relationship of closeness.

Everything turns "unclear to me".

However the questions imply a negative judgement of the reactional attitude and behaviour.

"Dominance", "safety" and "certainty" anticipated by the adjective "moral" clearly provide the new scenario. Again, the choice of "I did not know" brings to surface Changez's feeling of being in front of something he can't make sense of, the feeling of a parade where Americans were dressing in the shape of an old era. And, even worse, he feels "treacherous". All the quotation rests on the expression of Changez's mood, feelings and emotions. The intelligent reader therefore is involved in the sharing of the speaking voice's situation where reality and fiction look and sound the double face of one single reality.

The idea of reaction as a scenary concludes the quotation and conveys the totally new feeling of the protagonist whose detachment becomes therefore perceptible and of analysis.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

The difference between the two versions mainly affects syntax: the English verb "struck" is translated as "colpito". This difference underlines the different meaning of the same word: English verb highlights both physical and psychological aspects; the Italian verb underlines only the psychiological aspect of it. This may mean that English version has more specific terms than Italian language has.

In addition, the difference between "I, a foreigner" and“io, da straniero” implies that Changez feels out of place and emphasizes his sense of belonging to another culture. On the other hand, the expression “da straniero” highlights Changez’s point of view from the outside but doesn’t exclude him from America, like he's observing reality from above.

In conclusion, the adjective “treacherous” is used by Changez to describe himself. It conveys the reader an idea of close danger: it suggests that Changez is aware that American people may have stereotypes about him, because he's a Pakistani person. On the other hand, the noun “tradimento” conveys the idea that Changez is making a mistake, and he's aware of this sense of mistaking.

The overall effect is that English version creates an atmosphere of tension, danger and awareness better than the Italian version, that expresses Changez's feeling of affection towards America.