The Imagery of a Telephone Ringing - “Telephone Call”
The narrator explains, "From a nearby flat a telephone rings and rings, the stops, and the number is redialled and the ringing starts again, then stops, then starts again. What desperate contact is someone trying to make at this hour of the night? Is it a matter of life and death, or perhaps one of love? There is nothing like love to induce such a state of despair, no other reason to explain such obstinacy: a lover has been left and seeks the opportunity to plead to be allowed back. He must know that his beloved is at the other end and is refusing to pick up the receiver." The sound of the ringing telephone is loud for the speaker perceives it from her flat. Communique between lovers who are far apart requires the presence of a telephone. The speaker's speculation regarding the probability of a lover calling is logical considering that it transpires at night.
“The Voice of the Muezzin” - “An Incident in the Ghobashi Household”
The narrator elucidates, “The call of the red cockerel released answering calls from neighbouring rooftops. Then they were silenced by the voice of the muezzin from the lofty minaret among the mulberry trees calling: ‘Prayer is better than sleep.” The voice is central to the religious setting of the story. Through the voice and the imagery of the minaret, the author affirms that the story is taking place in a locality where residents are Muslims. The morning prayers are a religious ritual which the faithful are expected to uphold daily instead of sleeping. Therefore, the muezzin’s voice is a literal ‘wakeup call’ for all.
