Brick Lane
This passage taken from the novel Brick Lane by Monica Ali depicts the journey and feelings of the persona, Nazneen in her navigation of the streets of London. Using the setting of the novel, mood and various literary devices, the author, Ali, is able to convey to readers the subject matter of the extract, which is the loneliness and confusion faced by the persona.
The setting of the extract plays a major role in the understanding of the passage as a whole. The passage is set in London, England, which can be deduced from the reference to Brick Lane in line 19 and also to the many tall buildings described by Nazneen, “The building was without end … it crushed the clouds”. These tall buildings are located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets where Brick Lane is a street in. The tall buildings are described as very foreign by Nazneen, as she describes them as “stone palaces”. This sense of foreignness allows readers to feel the confusion and loneliness faced by Nazneen.
Apart from the buildings, the weather and the scenes around Nazneen also plays a role in signifying the loneliness and confusion of the persona. The weather is described in the first line as “small patches of mists”. The mist in the air causes vision to be disrupted as one cannot see clearly, adding to the sense of confusion faced by the persona. The things occurring around Nazneen, the scene of the baby (line 3 to 5), the chaotic road which she tries to cross (lines 10 to 15) and her navigation around the streets, taking “every second right and every second left … leaving herself a trail”. These scenarios point to the confusion faced by the persona and this portrayal of the sense of confusion of the persona goes a long way in allowing readers to better understand this passage.
The passage is portrayed in a negative mood of loneliness and confusion. This portrayal is done through the choice of diction used by Ali and also other literary devices. The negativity is present right from the
The setting of the extract plays a major role in the understanding of the passage as a whole. The passage is set in London, England, which can be deduced from the reference to Brick Lane in line 19 and also to the many tall buildings described by Nazneen, “The building was without end … it crushed the clouds”. These tall buildings are located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets where Brick Lane is a street in. The tall buildings are described as very foreign by Nazneen, as she describes them as “stone palaces”. This sense of foreignness allows readers to feel the confusion and loneliness faced by Nazneen.
Apart from the buildings, the weather and the scenes around Nazneen also plays a role in signifying the loneliness and confusion of the persona. The weather is described in the first line as “small patches of mists”. The mist in the air causes vision to be disrupted as one cannot see clearly, adding to the sense of confusion faced by the persona. The things occurring around Nazneen, the scene of the baby (line 3 to 5), the chaotic road which she tries to cross (lines 10 to 15) and her navigation around the streets, taking “every second right and every second left … leaving herself a trail”. These scenarios point to the confusion faced by the persona and this portrayal of the sense of confusion of the persona goes a long way in allowing readers to better understand this passage.
The passage is portrayed in a negative mood of loneliness and confusion. This portrayal is done through the choice of diction used by Ali and also other literary devices. The negativity is present right from the