Ahmed Al-Khalili
Ms. Tonya Tienter
English 250
27 October 2014
Arranging a Marriage in India
In her essay “Arranging a Marriage in India” from 1998, Serena Nanda educates the West,
and herself, on marriages in India, from the planning stages to the opinion of the bride- and
groom-to-be using quotations from conversation with the locals, all while being admirably
impartial.
Nanda opens with a small introduction, then dives quickly into a debate with an Indian
girl named Sita, in which Nanda’s impartial point of view begins evolving from her initial
rejection of the plausibility of arranged marriages. “How can you go along with this?” (Nanda
128). Nanda begins the debate, trying to educate herself and learn the thought process that goes
on in Sita’s mind. By quoting a conversation from a woman in the process of getting married
herself, Nanda gains information from a primary source, guaranteeing a level of quality and
credibility for both herself and the reader. Nanda further quotes her conversation with Sita, but
she is sure to bring her own opinion every few lines in the conversation. This puts the reader on
rails, ensuring that they arrive to the same destination Nanda is heading for: educating herself
about the marriage process in India and how it differs from the process in the West.
After quotations, which are obvious, there is one more strategy that Nanda uses that
really helps portray marriage in India in a fair light, and that strategy is being impartial. One
might be initially oblivious to it, but there is an undeniable evolution in the author’s opinions of
arranged marriages. This is the most admirable trait in this essay, because the main idea is so
foreign to the author, accepting the idea and educating herself about it would be impossible
without an impartial, objective point of view. The way Nanda integrates this strategy is by giving
live feedback during her conversation. She immediately expresses her thought process between
sentences of a conversation, thereby holding the reader’s hand in these conversations as they are
imperative when it comes to educating herself, and the reader, on the topic of arranged marriages.
“Her response made further sense, and I began to have second thoughts on the matter,” it is
obvious that Nanda is observing from a third person point of view, being as impartial, unbiased
and open-minded as possible, which is the cornerstone as well as the selling point of this essay.
(Nanda 129)
When it comes to how ethical the essay is, it can certainly serve as the gold standard for
ethics in writing. There was no prejudice or bias for or against the people she had conversations
with, who were the sources of information for the essay. On the other hand, she doesn’t fail to
mention the dangers of arranged marriages and what is called “dowry deaths” in India. Towards
the end, she is so accepting of the idea that she, an American woman, enjoys taking part in the
matchmaking process. She does not try to manipulate people using emotions, and there are no
errors in her logic. It is truly incredible how great of a writer Serena Nanda is when it comes to
ethicality.
To tie a knot, the strategies Nanda used were effective in propagating her purpose; her
quotes were credible and reliable, and her impartial open mind is what made the essay possible
in the first place. She embodies one of Aristotle’s best quotes: “It is the mark of an educated
mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”