Unpolished Gem by Alice

Pung
Narrative Structure
Genre
Point of View & Voice
Writing Style
Literary Devices
Narrative Structure
This is not a straightforward chronological narrative of the lives
of the Pungs.
The telling begins in contemporary Australia and then
interspersed are the stories of earlier lives of Alices parents
and grandparents.
The author has constructed the story of her family in Australia
(with retrospective references to earlier lives in Cambodia and
Vietnam) in distinct parts, each representing a stage in their
lives and hers.
The use of an epilogue and prologue serve as parentheses
that open and close the narrative. This provides readers with
vital information about Alice and her family, as well as
suggesting some kind of resolution to a storyline that might
otherwise have appeared to be a series of episodes.



Genre
Creative nonfiction is factually accurate writing that pays
attention to the craft of writing. This text belongs to the
memoir category of this genre.
A work is usually considered literary because of the way its
written. A literary novel is more than simple storytelling. The
writer pays special attention to language, word choice,
rhythm, and voice.
Memoir is a genre of writing truth which uses literary styles
and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. It
relies on the accuracy of the authors recollections and
must be verifiable. It is important to understand that the line
between an authentic memory and a recreated past is not
always clear. And in the process of constructing the
narrative, an author may take some creative liberties with
the facts.
Genre
Reading this story with the knowledge that it is a
memoir alerts readers to the authenticity of the
narrative voice and the experiences portrayed by the
narrator.
Memoir establishes a realistic setting that allows
readers to consider the impact of the socio-political
context of the era.
Knowing that Pungs story really happened might
also encourage some readers to consider the
themes more deeply as they imagine the lived
experiences of this young girl growing up in a
neighbourhood that actually exists.


Point of View & Voice
The fact that the text is created and based upon
memories and stories told to the author, means
that there is a limitation to the perspectives that
we see throughout the text.
Some characters are portrayed with great insight,
while others are only considered from a distance.
This is the result of the way which Alice Pung has
chosen to write the text. It is not entirely
omniscient, but insight is rather selective,
depending upon the character she is writing
about.
Juxtaposition
Pung generates juxtapositions between several
characters and groups in order to highlight different
aspects of integration and assimilation between
migrants and native established Australian citizens.
Mother and Father
1
st
Generation migrants children and the others
Mother and Father
Mother is unable to assimilate to the Australian
way of life successfully due to the nature of her
employment as an outworker. She is essentially
off the grid. This isolation also inhibits her ability
to grasp the English, which further marginalizes
her.
In contrast, Father has managed to grasp the
English language to a sufficient level, which has
allowed him to interact in the community and
workforce. He has taken on a franchise in
Retravision, actively contributing the community,
assimilating as a model hardworking, tax-
paying, English speaking - citizen.
1
st
Generation Migrant
Children
Apart from the fact that they are attending school
alongside other Australian students, dress in
the same clothes and speak (fluently) the same
language, there is still an inherent divide
between those 1
st
generation migrant children
and others.
Pung juxtaposes these two groups during the
graduation dinner, where the distinction becomes
clear. In spite of everything the parents have
done to assimilate their children into the
Australian culture, they are still outsiders.
Style of Writing
Pung writes in a style that captures the idiom of
Australian speech along with the lyricism of eloquent
prose.
Bugger it, why couldnt I have something simple and
spontaneous and not-so-serious? Bugger, bugger,
bugger. (p.231)
And so the door closes, and the Proletarian Princess
walks sadly back into the house, realising that there are
no Proletarian Princesses anyway and how could she
possibly have been so think as to imagine that Dream
Lover would come rescue her from here in the first
place? (p.98)
This juxtaposition of elements serves as a constant
reminder of the narrators intelligence and the cultural
influences to which she is exposed.
The Power of Language
One of the threads running through this text is an exploration of
how powerful language can be, how adaptable, and yet how it
can exclude and divide.
P2 gives us wonderful examples of one of the Englishes that are
evolving all the time. It raises the issue of the primary aim of
language as functional. This is significant in terms of the
difference between oral and written language, the storytelling
skills of Alices grandmother and the communication barriers
faced by her mother.
P144 Shows that language is not just a matter of the words but
the importance of the cultural context in which language is
embedded and which shapes it.
P180 Refers to connections between language, culture and
beliefs and cross-cultural associations.
Alice Pung also uses a variety of language techniques to assist in
conveying her message of Assimilation, Integration and Cultural
Diversity.


Vivid Writing/Imagery
Pung uses highly descriptive language in order to draw the
reader into the text and assist them in seeing the world
through different eyes (including those of Agheare/Alice).
My fathers moment is lost when a middle-aged woman with Maggi-
noodle curls points at the man behind the counter with a flailing
forefinger (p. 2)
In Teochew the word sounded benign, like the careful imprint of a
calligraphy brush, not the heavy finality of the English Stroke. (p.
170)
I was just festively plump. (p.57)
a turnip-and-carrot-soup sort of existence. (p.136)


Simile
p10 My father...growing larger and larger as he
approaches the top with a smirk pasted on his face, like a
slow zoom in a cheesy Chinese film.
p11 She thinks about the ones back home who are
unprocessed and waiting to be processed, unlike the meat
that is stacked in tins of twelve in front of her.
p13 I have a clump of black hair plastered to my head like
a Beatle circa the early 60s.
p162 ...her handwriting tumbled down the blue lines like
Kamikaze pilots.
p170 In Teochew the word sounded benign, like the careful
imprint of a calligraphy brush, not the heavy finality of the
English Stroke.


Symbolism
We can read into some of the imagery used by Pung
throughout the text, as being symbolically representative
of some of the key themes of Freedom and Autonomy
derived from living in a democratic society after escaping
from a totalitarian regime.
Ah, this wondrous new country where children are scared of dying
because they have swallowed some Spearmint Wrigleys, not
because they stepped on a condensed-milk tin filled with
ammunition! (pp. 3-4)
The cars stopped for that old one! my grandmother cries. Tic-tic-tic
goes the traffic light, and as the green man flashes, the old man
casts a suspicious look at the crew pointing at him before hobbling
away quickly to the other side of the road. (p. 8)
The little Green Man was an eternal symbol of government existing
to serve and protect. And any country that could have a little green
man flashing was benign and wealthy beyond imagining. (p.9)
Humour & Tone
As well as having an original turn of phrase and evocative
imagery, Pung is able to use humour to engage the audience
and engender a greater sense of warmth and empathy for the
protagonist and other central characters.
She made the most of the words she still had by delivering
them at ten million decibels in the car. ((p.146)
The use of sardonic humour subverts the conventional migrant
misery story while also challenging the simplistic migrant
success story.
My grandmother pads along in a light-blue pyjama suit she
has sewn herself. A pair of sunglasses sits on top of her head-
a second pair of eyes gazing skywards, beseeching the Lord
Buddha to bless St.Vincent and his kind fraterity for vesting
the family with such finery. (p.7)



Humour & Tone
Pung employs witticisms to everyday situations,
thereby transforming the mundane while drawing
attention to the ironic aspects of life.
I was Chinese Ronald McDonald, minus the Happy
Times. And later. What do you think youre doing in
the car? cried my mother. Fermenting? Get out now.
(p.63)
Her satirical tone invites readers to question and
critique the many serious issues raised within her
anecdotes. At times this kind of humour seems to be
mocking or scornful, yet the candid nature of these
observations further serves to alert readers to issues
that perhaps might require more critical consideration.
Humour & Tone
Bridging both cultures, Alice/Agheare is acutely aware of
the stereotypes that prevail and impact her own efforts for
acceptance and belonging.
A few more outdoor dates and Jims Mowing would be out
of business. (p.235)
At times her humour is self-deprecating, reminding us of
her resilience despite a seemingly fragile self-image.
Going out with him would transform me into Woody Allen
with a black wig. (p.231)



Humour & Tone
Yet Alice (the author) does not adopt a moralising tone and
often depicts her family as quaint, without being patronising
or demeaning.
Mao-Bin U. Their pronunciation made the place sound like
a shonky university in China for discarded communists...
(p.233)
This light-hearted tone enables the author to share painful
experiences and convey powerful messages without
alienating readers or condemning individuals and society
as a whole.
I had spent my childhood with a grandmother who
packaged me into padded Mao suits and made me aware
that I had to defend myself against all the other blandly
dressed banana children-children who were yellow on the
outside but believed they could never be completely white
inside. (p.214)