Reflections on Relationships: Between Tradition and Self-discovery In A Trumpet in the Wadi, the unnamed female narrator reflects on how she and other girls were raised not as individuals in a communi
This guide provides a deep dive into writing reflections on relationships for the English exam, using a model answer that compares 'A Trumpet in the Wadi' with 'A Doll's House' to show you exactly how to move from a simple summary to a nuanced, analytical comparison that earns top grades.
📋 Exam Question
In the course of your studies, you may have worked with literary texts, television series and/or films about relationships.
Read the text below.
Write a text in which you reflect on what the character in the text says about relationships and compare her insights with what another character learns about relationships in a literary text, film or television series you have studied.
In my bed that night I hugged my knees in distress. We girls were raised and trained to get married. They didn't bring us up as people who live in a community, but rather as soldiers trained to carry out a mission. Plotting, cunning, booty, triumphs, defeats and false morale – all were legitimate in the struggle for the coveted goal, a husband to support us. That was the essential happiness, as our forebears saw it. But we live in a different age, one in which love has become a kind of new religion. The trouble is that in this religion there are no priests or prophets, no divine revelation or scriptures. Individuals must find their own gods, interpret the omens and make their way through life without any clear guidelines. We all go out into the desert in search of this love, and most of us get lost in the wilderness. I felt so tired. The empty roof weighed on my chest. If Wahid had enfolded me with the same fervor with which he enfolded Mary… I shudder to think how I’d have reacted. I, who rejected Bahij…
From: Michael, Sami (2002). A Trumpet in the Wadi, translation from Hebrew by Yael Lotan. Simon & Shuster, English language translation 2003
✏️ Model Answer
Reflections on Relationships: Between Tradition and Self-discovery
In A Trumpet in the Wadi, the unnamed female narrator reflects on how she and other girls were raised not as individuals in a community, but as soldiers in a battle to achieve one goal: finding a husband. She describes marriage as a kind of "mission" they were trained for—where plotting, strategy, and even manipulation were seen as legitimate tools. This perspective reveals a deep frustration with traditional gender roles that reduce women to competitors in the so-called "marriage market." Her words convey both exhaustion and disillusionment. She feels caught between the expectations of her upbringing and the confusing, modern ideal of romantic love.
She compares love to a "new religion"—something sacred but without clear rules or guidance. In this view, modern relationships require people to navigate alone, interpreting their own emotions without tradition to lean on. This metaphor powerfully captures the confusion and vulnerability many people feel in love today. The character yearns for something more meaningful, but feels lost in a world that promises freedom without offering direction. …