Think about the female role. That this woman is writing during a time when only men did. You must investigate the text and not be general.
Think about the female role. That this woman is writing during a time when only men did. You must investigate the text and not be general.
Secondary sources are not required or permitted for this assignment. It is worth 10% of your final grade in this course.
Choose one of the passages below and prepare an analysis of it. Your analysis should explore and explain the meaning and significance of the passage. Be careful not to impose on the passage, though. Your analysis, or exegesis, should explain the passage, not pass moral judgment on it. Explain what you think the author means, not how you feel about the author’s meaning.
You should briefly place the passage in its context within the work (i.e., note in a sentence or two, but no more, anything of particular relevance that happens before or after; where does this passage appear in the text?). The analysis, however, is the most important component of this assignment. The majority of your submission should explain and analyze the meaning(s) of the passage, discuss the ways that the passage contributes to the themes and argument of the text as a whole, and identify any striking literary or rhetorical tools or imagery which the author uses to convey his or her point. Do not summarize the passage or the larger text; analyze the passage. Focus on this passage and don’t get bogged down in explaining the theme or plot of the work as a whole.
You might consider the following questions, but please do not simply answer them in a list.
1. What is the genre of the text (e.g., poetry, essay, novel, etc)? How does that genre affect the meaning?
2. What are the major themes and meanings of the work as a whole? How does this passage contribute to them? Does it complicate or refine those themes and meanings? How? (You need to be aware of the themes of the work as a whole, but remember that this assignment is focused on a particular passage. Do not distract yourself by analyzing the overall theme at the expense of the particular aspect of the theme which appears in your chosen passage.)
3. What does the passage tell us about the characters involved? If applicable, which characters are speaking?
4. What is the significance of this particular passage?
5. Does the passage contain allusions to other texts? How do those allusions contribute to our reading of the passage? Does it contain assumptions which influence our understanding of the themes and meaning of the larger work
Choose one passage for this analysis:
Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter
Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter
Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter
I was irritated. He was asking me to understand. But to understand what? The supremacy of instinct? The right to betray? The justification of the desire for variety? I could not be an ally to polygamic instincts. What, then, was I to understand?
How I envied your calmness during your last visit! There you were, rid of the mask of suffering. Your sons were growing up well, contrary to all predictions. You did not care about Mawdo. Yes, indeed, there you were, the past crushed beneath your heel. There you were, an innocent victim of an unjust cause and the courageous pioneer of a new life (Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter, translated by M. Bodé-Thomas, 1982, 35).
I shall never forget your response, you, my sister, nor my joy and my surprise when I was called to the Fiat agency and was told to choose a car which you had paid for, in full. My children gave cries of joy when they learned of the approaching end of their tribulations, which remain the daily lot of a good many other students.
Friendship has splendours that love knows not. It grows stronger when crossed, whereas obstacles kill love. Friendship resists time, which wearies and severs couples. It has heights unknown to love (Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter, translated by M. Bodé-Thomas, 1982, 56). I try to spot my faults in the failure of my marriage. I gave freely, gave more than I received. I am one of those who can realize themselves fully and bloom only when they form part of a couple. Even though I understand your stand, even though I respect the choice of liberated women, I have never conceived of happiness outside of marriage.
I loved my house. You can testify to the fact that I made it a haven of peace where everything had its place, that I created a harmonious symphony of colours. You know how soft-hearted I am, how much I loved Modou. You can testify to the fact that, mobilized day and night in his service, I anticipated his slightest desire (Mariama Bâ, So Long a Letter, translated by M. Bodé-Thomas, 1982, 58).
