Women Breaking Tradition
The women in this weeks reading all displayed strength and bravery in making choices based on their wants and needs rather than complying with tradition or what is culturally accepted. Traditionally, women lived their lives according to the norms of society, but these women lived their lives according to their own aspirations.
In “Land Without Thunder The Rain Came”, Oganda, the Chief’s only daughter, was to be the human sacrifice for the good of her people. The Luo people had strong beliefs in tradition and felt it acceptable to sacrifice a young girl as evidenced when they chanted, “Oganda is the lucky one to die people. If it is to save the people, let Oganda go.” Oganda accepted her fate and just as she was faced with her death, Osinda, her ‘perfect match’ came to her rescue. At first she resisted being saved for she was afraid to break tradition, but then she accepted and ran away with the man she loved, to start a new life in a new place. Her bravery is displayed in the story first by her accepting death and then her not following tradition. In the end the belief of human sacrifice was necessary for the rains to come was proven wrong.
In “This is Lagos”, Soha, a 20 year old woman, renounced tradition and left her home to live with relatives, instead of remaining with her parents until she married. She is described in the story this way, “She is full of life. She pretended that she knew her mind, and showed confidence rare in a girl who had all her education in a village.” Soha displayed bravery and renounced tradition by leaving home, earning her keep, being independent and making her own decisions. She even met a man, had sex and became pregnant. Soha was determined to be in control of her fate and had no fear of breaking tradition in order to do so.
The Essay on Traditions Women Twins Men Indian
War of the Worlds A: Summary of This story is about two Indian twins who live by their mother, because their father died. The twins and the mother are starting to have some problems, because the mother has the opinion that the twins no longer have respect for other people. As a results of this big discussion the mother says that the twins can leave. The twins were real evil to the young men who ...
The author describes the traditional woman of Algiers as “veiled, cloistered in their domesticity, silenced by their Islamic culture and their illiteracy”. In the story “From Women of Algiers in Their Apartment Ramadan Day”, the women follow tradition by baking desserts and preparing for the feast after sunset. But after the feast and the man of the house leaves, the women get into heated discussions arguing and speaking their minds which goes against tradition. Traditionally the women are to be silence and have no opinion, especially in the presence of men. The only time these women are silent is when the father is at home as noted in the line “The meal took place almost in silence because of the presence of the father”. After he leaves, the women neighbors come “pulling down sails and veils” to speak what is on their minds which is traditionally unacceptable.
Traditionally, the South African woman’s role is the baby maker; she is the carrier of the fetus with no recognition of her emotional feelings or the pain that she may feel. In South Africa death is everywhere and considered the norm. South African men believe women are to remain stoic and show no emotion as the author illustrates when she writes, “For a woman whose baby died stillborn, and who was told by a man to stop mourning”. This brave mother writes in detail of her deepest emotional pain, which in this culture is unacceptable.
Although traditions play a key role in the lives of the women in these stories, their strength and desires lead them to follow their hearts and go against tradition to change their fates.
