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. 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. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a fortyday period of isolation and mourning. It means a man from the upper class decides to marry a woman from the lower class. The senegal depicted in so long a letter is a country on the threshold, passing between two historical eras. 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. Patriarchy through the eye of mariama ba in so long a letter. It is at once an epistolary novela novel composed of lettersand a diary. Analyzing ba, mariama 1979 book, so long a letter international. Islam or the community of muslims the umma definitionally trans cends the confines and concerns. Ramatoulaye expresses how her husband modou decided to marry a second wife, binetou, who was her daughters classmate. 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. In the letter, she describes the suffering she has undergone in a largely patriarchal society.
Award for the novella, so long a letter, in which she said. In keeping with muslim custom, ramatoulaye must observe a mirasse, a fortyday period of isolation and. This paper duels on womens lamentation over male subjugation. 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. The collective spirit of mariama bas so long a letter. Islamic feminist discourse as a feminism within the universe of.
So long a letter is a novel written in the first person point of view. 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. So long a letter by mariama ba is an entry in the book 500 great books by women by erica baumeister. The theme of feminism and islam in so long a letter from litcharts. Emphasis is placed on feminism in general and african. Analysis of so long a letter by mariama ba so long a letter, is a novel written in french by mariama ba.
Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like feminism and education. 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. 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. Hers is the generation responsible for the slow process of senegalese selfdetermination. 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. The letter is occasioned by the sudden death of modou, ramatoulayes estranged husband.
Get an answer for what are the setting and plot of so long a letter by mariama ba. 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. Of course, the motherinlaw couldnt take it, its a classic. Pdf patriarchy through the eye of mariama ba in so long a letter. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by. 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.
Aissatous decision to leave her husband after he takes a second wife is a clearly feminist act. This papers primary focus is bas critique of polygamy and her celebration of. 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. Analysis of so long a letter by mariama ba so long a letter. Ramatoulaye is born and educated under the french colonial regime, and she lives through senegalese independence. The novel so long a letter, by mariama ba, is based on the senegalese culture and shows how important tradition is in africa. 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. Fiction net meg 08 ignou english ma a grain of wheat summary novel by ngugi wa thiongo duration. Essay about tradition and customs in so long a letter by.
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. So long a letter is a story about ramatoulaye, a school teacher who writes a letter to her friend aissatou. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscencessome wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese. People must be instructed, cultured and educated, so that things can advance stringer 1996. In so long a letter, ramatoulaye is coming to terms with the hardships placed upon her when her husband takes on a second wife. A study of mariama bas so long a letter and flora nwapas one is enough. Comparing ramatoulaye with aissatou, binetou with nabou and modou with mawdo, this senegalese writer uncovers the identities of her characters, their personal. 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. So long a letter themes from litcharts the creators of. I argue that the widely circulated insistence by critics and readers of bas epistolary style novel on the practice of islam in west africa. The brief narrative, written as an extended letter, is a sequence of reminiscencessome wistful, some bitterrecounted by recently widowed senegalese schoolteacher ramatoulaye fall. 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.
Download so long a letter by mariama ba download free ebooks. So long a letter summary and study guide supersummary. The letter i in spanish has the sound of a long e ee. Its theme is the condition of women in western african society.
So long a letter and scarlet song by modupe bodethomas and dorothy blair. 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. 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. Mariama bas so long a letterand the educational empowerment. The theme of feminism and islam in so long a letter from.
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. My students cant get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof. Abstract feminism as an assertion of womanhood, a demand for the recognition of the potentialities of women and a call for granting women equal. The classic read for african womens studies, gender, and womanhood. So long a letter by mariama ba under the neem tree.
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. Mariama is able to capture the emotion and the day to day life of an african woman in a typical african home setting. Ramatoulaye, writing during the 40 days of mourning she must observe in the wake of her husbands death, addresses her reflections to her best. Get everything you need to know about feminism and islam in so long a letter. As the novel begins, ramatoulaye fall is beginning a letter to her lifelong friend. 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. So long a letter, by mariama ba 1007 words bartleby. So long a letter, mariama bas first novel, is literally written as a long letter. It is also pivotal that books like so long a letter can be used to show that women activism and. 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.
Jessica daecher the uneasy conscience of modern fundamentalismcisco networking essentialsartificial intelligence course prof deepak khemani nptel1 recettes mystiques coraniques temple d. I highly recommend every black woman pick up a copy of this light read, read it, and. Aug 20, 20 back to so long a letter, ramatoulayes friend aissatou was a gnegno, while her husband was a geer. Such a tool of expression is specifically utilized by mariama ba in her famous novel so long a letter. Get the entire so long a letter litchart as a printable pdf. Womens lamentation over male subjugation has in recent years filtered into a determination to abnegate sexism. Feb 02, 2017 the senegal depicted in so long a letter is a country on the threshold, passing between two historical eras. 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. 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. Feministing is a labor of love and all our staff has other fulltime jobs to support their work on the site. 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. So long a letter portrays marriage in a mostly negative light. The importance, effect, causes, relationship, comparison, history, role, solutions are discussed. I first came upon feministing in early 2008, four years after its founding.
This paper aimed at discussing the feminism, the role of woman, masculinity. Analysis of mariama bas novel so long a letter free essays. Back to so long a letter, ramatoulayes friend aissatou was a gnegno, while her husband was a geer. 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.
Analysis of mariama bas novel so long a letter free. A critique of polygamy in mariama bas epistolary novel so long a letter abstract this paper calls for an understanding of feminism in. 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. 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. It took me a little bit to get into this storymainly because id never read a book whose format was a simple. As the novel begins, ramatoulaye fall is beginning a.
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. 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. Realizing the meaning of feminism, i would like to relate this concept with the story of so long a letter by mariama ba. What are the setting and plot of so long a letter by mariama. Pdf negritude, feminism and the quest for identity. This is approved for students in accountancy, business, computer science, economics, engineering, arts.
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. 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. Bat stated in an interview that so long a letter is a cry from the heart agenda 502 02 0 0 1 2. Mariama ba was senegalese writer who wrote in french and she was a feminist. Feminism in so long a letter novel the critics of literature. Pdf patriarchy through the eye of mariama ba in so long a. Female friendship in toni morrisons sula and love, mariama bas so long a letter and sefi attas everything good will come. 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 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. Asked in chicago, literature and language, illinois.
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. 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. Stringer 1996 points out that if a clear distinction can be made between senegalese and other female writing, it is the association with religion. Feminism feminism is a particularly strong theme throughout the novel. 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. An internet search for so long a letter in gender courses revealed 960,000 results. Expressing islamic feminism in mariama bas so long a letter.
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