Serena Nanda’s essay, “Arranging a Meeting in India,” recounts Nanda’s transition of views on arranged marriages in India as she experiences the process first-hand. Literary elements such as structure, diction, tone, mood, and ethical and emotional appeal all play a role in the reader’s impression of her story. Nanda uses an informal writing style that the reader can more easily identify with, including phrases like “She had me there,” and “pick and choose.” She also uses structure to transition the reader through parts of her experience, and infuses different literary elements into each.
The first time she visits India, she has a “typical” American woman’s view of arranged marriages: she found them “oppressive” and thought that “the choice of such an intimate and permanent relationship could be made only by the individuals involved.” After speaking to some local Indians, she conceded that the practice made sense, and the logical reasons behind it were not that far out. For example, she learns that daughters often believe that “ ‘Marriage is too important to be arranged by such an inexperienced person as [themselves]...’ ” and realizes that “People …show more content…
For example, the author is at first “enthusiastic” about a certain match, but then learns about factors she hadn’t even considered. Her friend tells Serena “The family has so many daughters, how will they be able to provide nicely for any of them?” This and other statements show the financial and even racial bias still present in India today. Nanda argues her ethical and cultural views by rebuking that “the quality of the girls themselves made up for any deficiency in the elaborateness of the wedding.” Nanda’s opinions of her matchmaking escapade begin to change, and becomes “impatient,” and finds it hard to wait for a match to come
The first time she visits India, she has a “typical” American woman’s view of arranged marriages: she found them “oppressive” and thought that “the choice of such an intimate and permanent relationship could be made only by the individuals involved.” After speaking to some local Indians, she conceded that the practice made sense, and the logical reasons behind it were not that far out. For example, she learns that daughters often believe that “ ‘Marriage is too important to be arranged by such an inexperienced person as [themselves]...’ ” and realizes that “People …show more content…
For example, the author is at first “enthusiastic” about a certain match, but then learns about factors she hadn’t even considered. Her friend tells Serena “The family has so many daughters, how will they be able to provide nicely for any of them?” This and other statements show the financial and even racial bias still present in India today. Nanda argues her ethical and cultural views by rebuking that “the quality of the girls themselves made up for any deficiency in the elaborateness of the wedding.” Nanda’s opinions of her matchmaking escapade begin to change, and becomes “impatient,” and finds it hard to wait for a match to come