NOORJEHAN BY AHMED ESSOP

The elements of irony that are present in the story are verbal irony and situational irony. An example of verbal irony can be found on page 45 and 46, paragraph 8(pg 45) and 1(pg46), when Noorjehan says “When I think of that day...senses an oblique danger.”Noorjehan is saying that her wedding day will be a fearful day. This is ironic because she says her wedding day will be her nightmare or fearful day. The irony to this passage is that Noorjehan considers her wedding day a nightmare, the day that every girl looks forward to and dreams about

Another ironic moment in the story is situational irony when the teacher tries helping Noorjehan out. The irony to this is that the teacher tried to prevent Noorjehan from getting married to someone she does not like but it turns out at the end of the story that she wanted to get married to the teacher from the start. This is shown on page 48, paragraph 9, sentence 2, when the teacher thinks “Then I was overwhelmed...which she had conceived.” This is the moment when he realized that Noorjehan had feelings for him.

Another example of situational irony is the fact that the teacher had the power to protect her and restore her happiness but doesn’t end up doing it and hurts her. This can be found on page 47, paragraph 10, sentence 3, when the teacher thinks “It ignited within me...her to happiness.” This passage explains that the teacher could have protected and even get rid of her sadness. The irony to this is that the teacher could have made Noorjehan happy and protect her if he realized her love sooner but he didn’t and instead had her leave to Cape Town, sad. These are the elements of irony that present in the story.

THE THEME

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

NOORJEHAN BY AHMED ESSOP

Presented by:

The tone of the story is very serious. There was not any kind of humour at all presented in the story. Also the conflict that Noorjehan had was very serious and it led to a solution which was not a positive ending. The original conflict was that Noorjehan did not want an arranged marriage and she was being forced into it by her parents. On page 43, paragraph 3, sentence 2-3, Noorjehan says “The truth is... I have no choice but to obey.” This passage shows that Noorjehan has no choice but to follow through with the marriage. This conflict is a serious issue itself because it deals with a young girl’s future and how she will end up living.

As the story progresses, the tone of the story becomes more and more serious. It starts off with the fact that Noorjehan attends school and then suddenly stops going there. This is shown on page 43, paragraph 2, sentence 1 when the teacher is thinking “Then suddenly, in early October, Noorjehan left school.” Then she is forced into a marriage with a man whom she does not love or hate, let alone knows. This can be found on page 45, paragraph 6, sentence 1, when Noorjehan says “However much I would... life-long devotion.

• Noorjahan is a young and intelligent girl who attends school in South Africa

• Her parents pull her out of school and arrange a marriage for her with a very wealthy man

• However Noorjahan doesn’t consent to the wedding

THE TONE

OF THE STORY

THANK YOU

She then leaves her town to go to Cape Town to prevent the marriage from happening, leaving her parents, friends, and school behind. As the story continued from beginning to end, you could see that the seriousness of the short story escalated very much from leaving school to leaving her family. This is why the tone of the story is very serious

PLOT SUMMARY

• He struggles to accept her reality an the future has already been decided for her

• So just day before her wedding she decides to take off to Cape Town on her own and seek help from her uncle

• Finally, her teacher sees her off at the train station and as she waves goodbye from the moving train, he realizes the romantic image she had formed of him.

Pooja

Luxi

Chantel

Amrita

Bogun

Sameera

The point of view in this story is coming the teacher, his thoughts as he is reading the letters from Noorjehan and his actions as he tries to help her. The story also gives insight to Noorjehan’s personal feelings and thoughts as letters are read. Although Noorjehan’s opinions are expressed in the letters she sends to her teacher on a regular basis the sole narrator of the story is the teacher. The readers understanding of the story would be.

• She writes a letter to her teacher asking him to visit her home and convince her parents to let her continue her education but when he does arrive at their house, her farther completely disregards his opinion and advice

• Noorjehan continues writing letters to her teacher informing him of what is happening in her life. Within a few days, noorjehan Is engaged to a complete stranger

THE ELEMENTS OF IRONY

The impact on the reader’s understanding is that the teacher cares about Noorjehan’s independence and right to have an education before being pulled out of school to get married, especially when it is against her will. The readers develop a concern about the situation Noorjehan is going through and if she will end up being obedient to her parents or finding her own way.