The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscencessome wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese. Her first novel, so long a letter 1979, which revealed her clarity of vision and persuasive rhetoric, is written in an epistolary style. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscencessome wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulaye fall. Feminism feminism is a particularly strong theme throughout the novel. The collective spirit of mariama bas so long a letter. Award for the novella, so long a letter, in which she said. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by. The country won its independence from france in 1960 and ba published this story some 20 years later. Rereading mariama bas so lang a letter omofolabo ajayi with her first novel, so long a letter, mariama ba achieved a reputation as a writer who adds a strong, unique, and culturally relevant feminist voice to modern african literature. Emphasis is placed on feminism in general and african. The long letter from one female friend to another is a deeply moving account of a muslim womans innermost feelings and emotional survival following her husbands decision to take a second, and much younger.
The novel so long a letter is created in the form of a prolonged letter written by ramatoulaye fall to her close female friend aissatou ba. Expressing islamic feminism in mariama bas so long a letter. Mariama bas so long a letter is story that dives deeply into the struggles of being a woman in a society that has no thoughts for your pain. Feb 02, 2017 the senegal depicted in so long a letter is a country on the threshold, passing between two historical eras. The woman is forced to give up everything when she marries, including her identity, and she becomes a thing in the service of the man who is now her husband. Analysis of mariama bas novel so long a letter free essays. Written by awardwinning african novelist mariama ba and translated from the original french, so long a letter has been recognized as one of africas 100 best books of the 20th century. So long a letter questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on so long a letter. This papers primary focus is bas critique of polygamy and her celebration of.
Mariama bas so long a letterand the educational empowerment. So long a letter portrays marriage in a mostly negative light. Download so long a letter by mariama ba download free ebooks. So long a letter, by mariama ba 1007 words bartleby. Pdf patriarchy through the eye of mariama ba in so long a. So long a letter is a novel written in the first person point of view. Ramatoulaye is born and educated under the french colonial regime, and she lives through senegalese independence. Tradition and customs in so long a letter by mariama ba tradition and customs very often hold an important position in ones life and culture. I argue that the widely circulated insistence by critics and readers of bas epistolary style novel on the practice of islam in west africa. In so long a letter, ramatoulaye is coming to terms with the hardships placed upon her when her husband takes on a second wife. In some literary works the principal characters are portrayed through their relations with other protagonists. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a fortyday period of isolation and mourning. Analysis of so long a letter by mariama ba so long a letter, is a novel written in french by mariama ba. Nov 10, 2009 this article examines the presence of a strictly quranic base shaping the islamic feminism of ramatoulaye, the narrator and main protagonist of mariama bas francophone classic so long a letter 1979.
Of course, the motherinlaw couldnt take it, its a classic. Your donation is much appreciated, and much needed. Despite the fact that it is a short text of only 90 pages, ba is able to construct and augment every character we meet in a. Mariama ba was senegalese writer who wrote in french and she was a feminist. As the novel begins, ramatoulaye fall is beginning a. Get an answer for what are the setting and plot of so long a letter by mariama ba. The theme of feminism and islam in so long a letter from. It is also pivotal that books like so long a letter can be used to show that women activism and. So long a letter is a story about ramatoulaye, a school teacher who writes a letter to her friend aissatou. The senegal depicted in so long a letter is a country on the threshold, passing between two historical eras.
Its theme is the condition of women in western african society. So long a letter themes from litcharts the creators of. In ramatoulayes case, we see her conflicting emotions because she considers herself a feminist or a modern woman but, is still somewhat compliant to the ways of tradition. Comparing ramatoulaye with aissatou, binetou with nabou and modou with mawdo, this senegalese writer uncovers the identities of her characters, their personal. Through the device of a letter, ramatoulaye narrates her story to her friend as a diary, offering a firsthand account of ramatoulayes life and emotions, distilled in the telling by the isolation of her mourning period.
Get free research paper on the language of feminism and the impact on the society mariam bas so long a letterproject topics and materials in nigeria. Essay about tradition and customs in so long a letter by. A critique of polygamy in mariama bas epistolary novel so long a letter abstract this paper calls for an understanding of feminism in islam as a unique. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by mariama. The novel so long a letter, by mariama ba, is based on the senegalese culture and shows how important tradition is in africa. I am part of the goodreads group by the same name, and i have made it a long term goal to read as many of the choices as possible.
The classic read for african womens studies, gender, and womanhood. Female friendship in toni morrisons sula and love, mariama bas so long a letter and sefi attas everything good will come. Jessica daecher the uneasy conscience of modern fundamentalismcisco networking essentialsartificial intelligence course prof deepak khemani nptel1 recettes mystiques coraniques temple d. Characters that cause immense pain to another, especially to their consorts, succumb to death in the texts so long a letter and blood wedding by mariama ba and federico garcia lorca respectively. Through the device of a letter, ramatoulaye narrates her story to her friend as a diary, offering a firsthand account of ramatoulayes life and emotions, distilled. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like feminism and education. So long a letter by mariama ba under the neem tree. Analysis of so long a letter by mariama ba igcse ibdp exam. Feminism in so long a letter novel december 12, 2016 thecriticsofliterature feminism is defined as a propagation of womens rights of political, social, and economic equality to men as well as it reflects concern with the silencing and marginalization of women in patriarchal culture which is organized in the favor of men. As the novel begins, ramatoulaye fall is beginning a letter to her lifelong friend. In the letter, she describes the suffering she has undergone in a largely patriarchal society. Hers is the generation responsible for the slow process of senegalese selfdetermination. A critique of polygamy in mariama bas epistolary novel so long a letter abstract this paper calls for an understanding of feminism in.
People must be instructed, cultured and educated, so that things can advance stringer 1996. Analyzing ba, mariama 1979 book, so long a letter international. Asked in chicago, literature and language, illinois. Much of ramas character development over the course of the book involves her growing ability to see women, including herself, as fully autonomous humans deserving of equality. Ultimately, so long a letter is about women living in a world transitioning between old religious cultures and the new cultures of globalization and feminism. I have chosen four novels written by women from the black diaspora1 in order to analyze how the specific experiences they describe intersect with ways in which black women make and keep. Get the entire so long a letter litchart as a printable pdf. The importance, effect, causes, relationship, comparison, history, role, solutions are discussed. My students cant get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof. This is approved for students in accountancy, business, computer science, economics, engineering, arts. Realizing the meaning of feminism, i would like to relate this concept with the story of so long a letter by mariama ba. The theme of feminism and islam in so long a letter from litcharts. The opposing pulls of custom and progress that ramatoulaye encounters in the senegalese political climate become personal and particular in her struggle to reconcile her abiding faith in islam with her feminism.
It is at once an epistolary novela novel composed of lettersand a diary. So long a letter by mariama ba and blood wedding by frederico garcia lorca 42 words 6 pages so long a letter by mariama ba and blood wedding by frederico garcia lorca thesis. Analysis of mariama bas novel so long a letter free. Patriarchy through the eye of mariama ba in so long a letter. Womens lamentation over male subjugation has in recent years filtered into a determination to abnegate sexism. So long a letter and scarlet song by modupe bodethomas and dorothy blair. It took me a little bit to get into this storymainly because id never read a book whose format was a simple. The question and answer section for so long a letter is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
So long a letter by mariama ba is an entry in the book 500 great books by women by erica baumeister. Stringer 1996 points out that if a clear distinction can be made between senegalese and other female writing, it is the association with religion. The author of this novel, mariama ba, has achieved a reputation as a writer who adds a strong, unique, and culturally relevant feminist to modern african literature. So long a letter, mariama bas first novel, is literally written as a long letter. A study of mariama bas so long a letter and flora nwapas one is enough. I first came upon feministing in early 2008, four years after its founding. The letter is occasioned by the sudden death of modou, ramatoulayes estranged husband. This work will throw more light on the language of feminism and its impact to society. So long a letters greatest appeal in the west lies in its ability to confirm western feminists assumption of the african woman as a beast of burden. Islamic feminist discourse as a feminism within the universe of. Back to so long a letter, ramatoulayes friend aissatou was a gnegno, while her husband was a geer. The marxist feminist opinion takes off from cultural feminism as it identifies patriarch male domination and capitalism as the bane and springboard of anti woman. So long a letter begins when ramatoulaye, a senegalese woman living in dakar, the countrys capital, decides to write a letter to her old friend aissatou, who lives in america.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in so long a letter, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. I highly recommend every black woman pick up a copy of this light read, read it, and. So long a letter summary and study guide supersummary. The theme of feminism and islam in so long a letter from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Such a tool of expression is specifically utilized by mariama ba in her famous novel so long a letter. This paper aimed at discussing the feminism, the role of woman, masculinity. Ramatoulaye, writing during the 40 days of mourning she must observe in the wake of her husbands death, addresses her reflections to her best. There is an understandable misinterpretation which regards african feminism as a part of third wave feminism, however, it is within the realm of the third wave feminist interpretation that the tensions between race and culture begin to appear. Feministing is a labor of love and all our staff has other fulltime jobs to support their work on the site. Mariama is able to capture the emotion and the day to day life of an african woman in a typical african home setting. Islam or the community of muslims the umma definitionally trans cends the confines and concerns. Feminism in so long a letter novel the critics of literature.
The theme of education forms the connecting link between the three parts of so long a letter, which focuses on the emotional journey of ramatoulaye, a frencheducated school. Ramatoulaye expresses how her husband modou decided to marry a second wife, binetou, who was her daughters classmate. So long a letter questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on. Read it because you get to peer into the birth of feminism for a muslim woman in postindependence senegal. Background of study the struggle for women right began in the 18 th century during the period of intense intellectual activity known as the age of enlightenment in traditional africa the woman is an object of constant scorn, degradation and physical torture. An internet search for so long a letter in gender courses revealed 960,000 results. Get everything you need to know about feminism and islam in so long a letter. Abstract feminism as an assertion of womanhood, a demand for the recognition of the potentialities of women and a call for granting women equal. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a fortyday period of isolation and.
Aissatous decision to leave her husband after he takes a second wife is a clearly feminist act. Bat stated in an interview that so long a letter is a cry from the heart agenda 502 02 0 0 1 2. This article examines the presence of a strictly quranic base shaping the islamic feminism of ramatoulaye, the narrator and main protagonist of mariama bas francophone classic so long a letter 1979. Dec 12, 2016 feminism in so long a letter novel december 12, 2016 thecriticsofliterature feminism is defined as a propagation of womens rights of political, social, and economic equality to men as well as it reflects concern with the silencing and marginalization of women in patriarchal culture which is organized in the favor of men.
Pdf negritude, feminism and the quest for identity. Aug 20, 20 back to so long a letter, ramatoulayes friend aissatou was a gnegno, while her husband was a geer. I argue that the widely circulated insistence by critics and readers of bas epistolary style novel on the practice of islam in west africa, particularly in senegal, as a syncretic presence. Pdf expressing islamic feminism in mariama bas so long a. Analysis of so long a letter by mariama ba so long a letter. This 33page guide for so long a letter by mariama ba includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 27 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. This paper duels on womens lamentation over male subjugation. Fiction net meg 08 ignou english ma a grain of wheat summary novel by ngugi wa thiongo duration. The letter i in spanish has the sound of a long e ee. Pdf patriarchy through the eye of mariama ba in so long a letter.
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