16 July 2012
Superiority of Gender
Throughout the novel, it obviously displays that the Igbo's culture is dominated by men. The women cook for the men, and if the women do one slight thing wrong, the men get to beat them and that is completely acceptable within their way of life. The men's wives don't even live in the same hut as their husband. The men also "buy" their wives as if women are just something off the shelf at Wal-mart. I find these things to be very unnerving because of how much it clashes with our culture in today's society. But there is one thing that sets me at ease on this subject: how some Igbo people name their children "Nneka", meaning 'Mother is Supreme'. I find this to be quite peculiar, but also comforting due to the harsh conditions the women live through all of their life. This also seems to relate to our concept of 'Mother Nature'.
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7 comments:
That's actually something I thought a lot about. They have goddesses that are higher above and must be respected, yet in everyday life, men are supreme. I find it nerveracking just because the two ideas clash so much. If a mother is supreme, why can't they have any say in their society? Why is their existance merely based on the men that provide for them when they are the ones caring for their sons that will soon rule the land? I understand that other cultures have other ideals, but I will never grasp the concept that women can be "supreme", yet beaten for making a mistake.
Obviously, I think the way women are treated in this novel is wrong, and I agree that the "Mother is Supreme" saying is very contradictory to how women were treated. But throughout the novel it is clear that the clansmen blindly follow their traditions and never really question why they are in place. I think women are treated so harshly because that is just how they do things. If some of the men asked themselves the questions in Meg's post above, maybe they would have realized their wrongdoings. However, no one ever questioned why the customs are they way they are.
Contrary to Marleigh's last statement, when the missionaries moved in and started taking over the land, they definitely questioned the Igbo culture and why they were doing things like killing twin babies. The missionaries felt that it was wrong to do such things, so in the end they took action. If you meant that the Igbo themselves didn't question eachother, then you are exactly right. I feel like if you grow up with something that is the same, you don't feel what your doing is wrong. I believe that goes for everyone because in reality we all grew up with different influences.
Yeah, I meant that the Igbo's themselves didn't question their traditions. I definitely agree with Javoni's last comment about how if you grow up with certain traditions or ways of life, you don't tend to question them. Everyone is raised differently and what is acceptable in one family could be an abomination in another.
When your father beats you, who do you run to? It seems as though the households are set up with a tyrranical father by default, although it is made very clear that Onkonkwo is especially fond of his beatings compared to other men, and all living underneath the father, but the father doesn't truly know his children because he is the one causing them to run off to the mother for a venting session.
It is definitely not as extreme anymore, but at least in my house, it still works in a similar way. My dad is the leader of the house and when it comes to important things, he gets to ultimately make the decision. However, when I need someone to talk to or comfort me, my mom is always there to do it.
i don't mean to be the devils' advocate, but maybe the igbo people would've done better if the missionaries didn't come along. i mean, they had their way and it worked for them. they may have been evolving at a slower rate in terms of resources and intelligence and scientific discovery, but they had their way of life going for them. who's to say that their way of seeing things is any better than the man next to them?
even in the classic roles of good s. evil, both sides truly believe that what they are doing is for the best. as they say: "the best of intentions result in the worst situations".
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