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 perplexity 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 or feelings to create a defensive barrier against the fear of terrorism. At the same time, the protagonist judges the American attitudes as “dangerous nostalgia”. The semantic choice implies a step backwards of the common American trend towards progress. The idea is highlighted and reinforced by the adjective “retro”, preceded by the adverb “undeniably”, one that does not admit contradiction.

Flags and uniforms are more than simple lexical choices: they become a vehicle of criticism of the patriotic rituals America rhetoric still hangs to. Even the values of “duty” and “honor” sound rhetorical in their graphitic 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 disillusionment 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 American’s strict decision to find an escape in front of the tragedy.

To Changez’s eyes “living in New York” reminds life in 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 could not believe his eyes in front of the new scenery. 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 uses and, last but not least, it conveys the perception of confusion introduced at 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 the narration thanks to the language used that creates an intimate relationship of closeness. Everything turns “unclear to me”. However, the questions imply a negative judgment of the reactional attitude and behavior.

“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 cannot 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 scenery concludes the quotation and conveys the totally new feeling of the protagonist whose detachment becomes therefore perceptible and of analysis.

Comparative analysis:

The original version taken from the novel better highlights Changez’s impressions about the World Trade Center bombing’s consequences recalling the typical American patriotism. English language better reflects American ideals. Italian words’ seem inconsistent, empty in comparison with sensation evoked by different lexical choices. So the most important difference between the two versions is incisiveness. This is the reason why the english language appears more effective. The english language goes straight to the point. Indeed some expressions are traslated in sentence longer: for example “generals addressing cameras” is translated in “generali che si rivolgevano alle telecamere”.

Moreover the italian version hides the prejudices through the used of the adjectives “tutte quelle bandiere e uniformi” that is an expression not used in the original version. So the Italian quotation highlights cultural stereotypes. The effect is more judgmental in the English version.

Another different lexical choice is the translation of the word “America”. The italian narrator translates this word as “Stati Uniti” because the italian version doesn't want to convey the shade of meaning unveiled in the english version. Indeed the english narrator uses the word America as a reference to America's patriotic attitude. In the book Changez creates a difference between New York and America, so this is the reason why the narrator doesn't use the word Stati Uniti or New York. On the other hand the italian version conveys the unity of the country of that particular period.

In addition the expression “I, a foreigner” is translated as “Io, da straniero”. So there are two different effect on the reader: the english version highlights the separation from the American culture and Changez os aware of its position and of his foreigner's figure; in the italian version the preposition “da” focus the reader's attention on the Changez's point of view.