Wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel is a comedy that chronicles how baroka, the bale of ilujinle, fights with lakunle, the village school teacher, for sidis hand in marriage. Culture, tradition, oppressed, conflict, consciousness. It aims to throw a light on the play from feminist and postcolonial points of view. Modernity and tradition professor samdhong rinpoche. The lion and the jewel questions and answers the question and answer sections of our study guides are a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss literature. The continuing dichotomy of values in european society a bstract the modernisation theories developed in the 50s and 60s suggested that societies were converging toward modern values, graduall y abandoning their traditional values. It is fierce and virile, and forever lording over other animals. The conflict in the play, set in nigeria in the 1950s, is between indigenous tribal tradition and western modernity. Dec 21, 2010 the lion and jewel comically emerged a serious dialogue between tradition and modernism, rather than a mere parodic revaluation of the eccentricities of a deluded modern elite. Lakunle is portrayed as the civilized antithesis of baroka and unilaterally attempts to modernize his community and change its social conventions for no reason other than the fact. The following study shows how wole soyinka emphasizes in the lion and the jewel the theme of corrupt african culture, more particularly the nigerian culture. Overall, however, soyinkas attitude on the matter of modernity vs. As the bale, baroka is given the epithet the lion, and by all accounts, lives up to the nickname.
The competition between baroka and lakunle for sidis hand in marriage brings the conflict between tradition and modernity to life. Apr, 2017 the confusion also happens when we define modernity from a western perspective, which see modern as antithesis to tradition. Naturally the old ways of doing things cannot change so easily. Proverbs in wole soyinkas construction of paradox in the lion and the jewel and death and the kings horseman author. Wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel ashli watts follow this and additional works at. In wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel, there is a constant. One of the major yoruba festivals is the ancient egungun, a masquerade performed annually to establish a link between the living and the dead. It was published in 1963 by oxford university press. This nigerian writer, who won the nobel prize for literature in 1986. The two are inseparable, they are both aspects of the modern world. It shows how the females in ilujinle are treated just like commodities to satisfy the need of the males. Lakunle is a schoolteacher of the village who is a young man of twentythree years who is bent on bestowing western culture onto the people of ilujinle.
The lion represents an animal who is king of its domain. Read download the lion and the jewel pdf pdf download. Complete list of characters in wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel. In india those of us who work in theory tend to fall into three broad categories, the regionalist, the nationalist and the internationalist. The main characters are sidi the jewel, a true village belle and baroka the lion, the crafty and powerful bale of the village, lakunle, the young teacher, influenced by western ways, and sadiku, the eldest of barokas wives. Issues addressed include psychoanalysis and gender, literary antisemitism, post modernity and the jew, and the memory of the holocaust. European societies, thus addressing the question if differences or similarities can be found in this sample allegedly representative of the western civilisation and modernity.
Pdf a study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel. Soyinkas views of modernity and tradition in the lion and. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Wole soyinka has been recognized as one of the most talented of twentieth century writers. It initially seems like soyinka is setting a clear dichotomy. The play the lion and jewel is written by wole soyinka he is nigerian writer. Modernism and the two traditions in philosophy michael. Introduction wole soyinka is a nigerian writer, who explores the cultures and traditions of yoruba, a nigerian culture in this play the lion and the jewel. Soyinkas views of modernity and tradition in the lion and the jewel. Cultural identity is the identity of a group or a culture of an individual as far as the influence.
Learn everything you need to know about sidi, baroka, and more in the lion and the jewel. There is a conflict between the people of illunjire village who have accepted western culture modern life versus those. As such, one of the primary conflicts of the play pits traditional yoruba customs against a western conception of progress and modernity, as represented by the conflict between baroka and lakunle for sidi s. This is a period in which countries in africa were achieving their independence. His the lion and the jewel explores the value of traditional yoruba ways and european. Get an answer for what is the conflict between tradition and modernity in wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel. The lion and the jewel portrays the tradition and modernity at crossroads. A study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel in the.
Cultural conflict in wole soyinkas play the lion and the. Cultural aspects in wole soyinkas lion and the jewel. It further investigates the cultural clash between tradition and modernity culture from wole soyinka perspective. Cultural conflict between tradition versus modernism in. The main aim of this study is to evaluate soyinka s play. His first major play, the swamp dwellers 1958, was followed a year later by the lion and the jewel, a comedy that attracted interest from several members of londons royal court theatre. Pdf the lion and the jewel the lion and the jewel cypriel.
Baroka the bale or viceroyal chieftain of ilujinle, a yor. This article is brought to you for free and open access by xula digital commons. Soyinkas views of modernity and tradition in the lion. What is the conflict between tradition and modernity in wole. Traditions represent the actual identity of particular society, while getting rid of them is supposed to be a sign of modernity. It chronicles how baroka, the lion, fights with the modern lakunle over the right to marry sidi, the titular jewel. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Modernism and the two traditions in philosophy michael rosen. The cultural conflicts in wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel. Cultural aspects in wole soyinkas lion and the jewel 550 tradition and modernity lakunle explains her about his view on bride price.
A common postcolonial struggle shows itself in soyinkas the lion and the jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a. He intended to write new works combining european theatrical traditions with those of his yoruba cultural heritage. Modern thoughts, life style, working culture, clothing etc. Read act one of the play page 118 the lion and the jewel and compare the plays satirical pantomimed reenactments with traditional caribbean calypso and its critique of the follies and wrongdoings of those who are prominent in society. Aug 20, 20 the topic tradition and modernization is very important topic in the fast changing modern world where every person faces contradiction between his traditional culture and modernization. Above mentioned two differences are at the level of society. This introduction to modernity does not presume to change mod ernism, nor modernity itself. The lion and the jewel was written and first performed the year before nigeria was granted its independence from great britain, and the script was published two years after independence. Pdf a study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel in the. The performing arts department continues this deceptively lighthearted carnival of dance and song as its spring mainstage production this weekend, april 2527. Modernity theme in the lion and the jewel litcharts. Tradition, modernity and postmodernity the local, national, and global. One of the biggest themes in the play is that of tradition versus modernization.
The play the lion and the jewel is characterized by culture conflict, ribald comedy and love, where the. Thus, while texts like chinua achebes things fall apart 1994 and wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel 1962 portray women as victims of patriarchal ideology, they do not set out to. In the play, the lion and the jewel, modernity vs tradition is a focal theme. Gale academic onefile select results basic search the. Women the lion and the jewel focuses on the competition to win sidi s hand in marriage, which makes the play, in a sense, a battle of the sexes. The characters all react to each other in relation to this central theme. If modernity s existential ego is one of the contestants alongside a renewed tradition, so too is a psychopathology wrought by a sort of protestant hinduism, all rulebooks and guilttripping, all displaced libido and convoluted ego driven to seek imperial mastery over slokas, rival debaters, shallow fellow practitioners, caste inferiors, and. Written by wole soyinka, the play the lion and the jewel has its setting in the village of ilunjunle in yoruba west africa.
In wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel, there is a constant confrontation between tradition and modernity. The play the lion and the jewel is set in typical yoruba village ilujinle which. Apr 16, 2008 photo by david kilpermen versus women, modern versus traditional, culture versus colonization. Such conflicts lie at the heart of the lion and the jewel, a sly and subversive comedy by nobel prizewinning author wole soyinka. Can you explain the play the lion and the jewel by wole. Cultural conflict in wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel. A tradition implies an established method or practice. Modernity, whatever else it entails, certainly involves transition to a new era. This is one of the bestknown plays by africas major. Socio cultural factors in the play of wole soyinkas the lion and the. Traditions, quite often, keep us united, but modernity, usually, takes us apart from each other. To say that these themes are present in the traditions is not to claim that they were, as it were, the unconscious governing determinants behind the thinkers who founded the traditions in question. But this difference between mind and body is visible both at the level of society and an individual, a fact which gandhiji considers significant. View in wole soyinka from soc 40155 at university of notre dame.
Oxford university press, 1963 african drama 64 pages. Nigeria had been united as the colony and protectorate of nigeria since 1914 and by the late 1950s was facing the challenge of whether or not it was ready for independence and capable of handling modern western civilization. He deliberately loves the tradition of modern society. In wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel there is a c constant confrontation between tradition and modernity. It initially seems like soyinka is setting a clear dichotomy between these two things, tradition embodied by baroka and modernity embodied by lakunle. Thus, while texts like chinua achebes things fall apart 1994 and wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel 1962 portray women as victims of patriarchal ideology, they do not set out to present a critique of this gender dichotomy. He has acquired a bit of western education and wants to impose their culture on his people. This book provides a rich and wideranging analysis of jewish history and culture, relating them to theories of modernity and postmodernity and to recent debates on ethnicity and postcolonialism. Its intention is not to complete the theory or to exhaust the concept, merely to demonstrate that the con. Pdf cultural catastrophe in the lion and the jewel researchgate. A common postcolonial struggle shows itself in soyinkas the lion and the jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a transparent manner as the western world clearly and gradually influences the plays village of ilujinle as well as a deeper way between two of its central characterslakunle representing modernity while baroka represents tradition.
Modernity, or the modernization of village life, is something that bale baroka has been fighting against for some time. I shall marry you today, next week or any day you name. However, as the play progresses soyinka defies the audiences assumptions. Nigerians were debating whether to move into the future or leave their past behind. The play is set in the village of ilunjinle, of the yoruba tribes of africa, on the brink of modernisation and juxtaposes modernity and traditions through the pivotal male characters of a young, westernised school teacher and the old village headman, both vying for the hand of the village belle, the jewel sidi. Modernity appears in each scene of the lion and the jewel. Modernity themetracker the themetracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of tradition vs. Alhasani in the quest for a more sustainable environment, there appears to be a need to confront issues of tradition vs. It chronicles how baroka, the lion, fights with the modern lakunle over the. This is one of the bestknown plays by africas major dramatist, wole soyinka. In wole soyinka in wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel. As the bale, baroka is given the epithet the lion, and by. The lion and the jewel is a play by nigerian writer wole soyinka that was first performed in 1959.
Oct 10, 2014 therefore, there is a fundamental difference between tradition and modernity in determining the priority between duty and rights. What is the conflict between tradition and modernity in. Cultural conflict between tradition versus modernism in wole. Introduction in the play the lion and the jewel we can see the ignorant atmosphere of the people in the village of ilujinle in such village we can saw a cunning woman sidi who wanted to attract many men but wanted a husband of royal status who would pay a brideprice for her let as see about it and getting a cunning response for sidis cunning wish. This convergence idea is reexamined in the foll owing article within the context of european. A foreword by homi bhabha and an afterword by paul gilroy. The lion and the jewel tells a funny story involving four main characters. In wole soyinka in wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel there is. University of lousians undergraduate research journal. Lakunle is a britisheducated schoolteacher who longs to leave nigerian tradition behind and encourage his village to embrace modernity. The play, the lion and the jewel is set in the village of. Pdf a study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the.
No one in this play is highly modern or traditional in. Lakunle does not want to follow the culture and tradition of african society in customs of marriage. Soyinka published the play in 1959, when nigeria was struggling for independence under british control. As such, one of the primary conflicts of the play pits traditional yoruba customs against a western conception of progress and modernity, as represented by the conflict between baroka and lakunle for sidi s hand in marriage. Amalgamation of tradition and modernity in wole soyinkas the. A study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel in. Amalgamation of tradition and modernity in wole soyinkas. In wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel, baroka is an imperialistic.
189 1269 680 782 428 1712 98 1080 145 1580 972 434 1750 1689 864 708 1672 455 317 1633 522 1631 994 1069 260 639 1716 543 403 243 525 852 1280 1203 1011 345 696