Westernized And The Yuroba Culture example essay topic

... turn which sets her a part from the English society. Nyasha on the other hand, was never taught her culture and origins thus this forms a large gap within her and her inability to speak Shona. Nyasha can be seen as the opposite of Tambudza. Tambudza deals with the situation by constantly clinging to her African heritage. In contrast, Nyasha seems to willingly accept the English culture. But Nyasha also questions both cultures and also tries to make her own judgement's on what is good and bad.

On the surface she chooses to act according to the English culture, but underneath she remains confused and torn apart between the two cultures that she wishes to understand. Mai guru explains that Nyasha and Chido have become too anglicized, thus have picked up all these disrespectful ways in England that are unlike their African cultural traditions and manners. This is clearly portrayed as Nyasha avoids staying around her parents and the elders after church because she is unable to display traditional manners to the elders, which makes her feel alienated and embarrassed at her inability to grasp the 'business of relatives' due to English colonial influence. The familiarity is gone, thus there is a shock when Nyasha and Chido entered back into this foreign past of theirs that makes them seem like hybrids for children since they are unable to cope with these circumstances, they cling to their English identity.

Nyasha experiences inner turmoil as she tries to come to terms with being a woman in Africa. Because of these circumstances, Nyasha refuses to become westernized nor too African because she doubts these cultures and this causes tension within the household and drives her to the brinks of insanity in the end where she feel that they are all trapped in the Western culture that is imposed upon them by the colonists. This is evident in Nyasha's struggles through the eyes of Tambudza, a realization of the continuing devastation countries are experiencing as a result of colonization by another culture. As illustrated, "They " ve trapped us. They " ve trapped us. But I wont be trapped.

I'm not a good girl. But I wont be trapped... I don't hate you daddy, they want me to, but I wont". This is a quote from when Nyasha becomes insane and is speaking of the western culture. Tambudza also becomes like Nyasha as she sees the defects within the western culture and the disparities between the two cultures in terms of living standards, education and so forth. Though Tambudza is able to keep her discrepancies hidden much better than Nyasha because she has a sense of belonging with the African culture.

Tambudza is punished severely for not attending the westernized wedding of her own parents because of her own views that oppose this act, this is one of the first major steps she takes towards expressing her rebellion upon the westernized system of 'goodness'. This is contrasted to Elesin who also feels a part of the duty to cling onto his culture despite the westernized views that come into place to persuade him otherwise, yet Elesin clearly does not want to be sacrificed as he allows himself to be taken away by the police. Elesin seems to doubt his own tradition though he also does not approve of the British people and those who mimic them. When the policemen have imprisoned him he tells Iya jola", My powers deserted me.

My charms, my spells, even my voice lacked strength when I made to summon the powers that would lead me over the last measure of earth into the land of fleshless". (Soyinka, pp 68). This quote reflects that he did not have the willpower to truly kill himself and uses the spirits as the agency of blame. Elesin is caught between the westernized and the Yuroba culture on which he tries to identify with the Yuroba culture but also doubts some of their teachings as well as the western teachings. This rebellious nature is critical to finding one's own place when split between two different cultures that threaten their sense of obtaining a stable identity. There are those characters that remain intact with their culture yet try to accommodate the foreign English culture as well.

The conversation between Jane and Olunde is crucial within Act 4 as it is clearly displayed that though Olunde has become accustomed to British ways, Olunde does not approve of their discriminating views towards the Africans beliefs. Olunde is inevitably aware that his father will die and fails in explaining this custom to Jane whom feels that it is barbaric. Olunde still has faith in his African culture though not completely, but furthers the deterioration of the African system whereas Olunde is to be King after the death of his father by deserting this tradition. Yet he also does not believe that the British are righteous in their attempts to colonize Yuroba, as illustrated Olunde says, Others would call it decadence. However, it doesn't really interest me. You white races know how to survive; I've seen proof of that.

By all logical and natural laws this war should end with all the white races wiping out one another, wiping out their so-called civilization for all the time and reverting to a state of primitivism the like of which has so far only existed in your imagination when you thought of us. I thought all that at the beginning. Then I slowly realized that your greatest art is the art of survival. But at least have the humility to let others survive in their own way. (Soyinka, pp 53).

This quote depicts Olunde's mental state and the wisdom that he has gained from learning from both cultures, though he has been mostly in the western culture, he can still relate to his past because it is a part of his identity. Olunde is able to accommodate western techniques into his life in order to receive education and benefits from it. This is very much like the state of Babamukuru as he tries to fuse both cultures together in his line of thought in order to benefit his family and also have a sense of importance. Yet this comes with a price, as Babamakuru is always so busy that his nerves are bad and there is his constant absence from home. Connections within the closeness of communication between each other as a family are distanced due to the life set for them at the mission. This is inevitably destructive to the harmonious function of the household.

"Nyasha's exuberant nature suffered under these chilly conditions". (Dangarembga pp 102). Yet he accepts this fate to have the life that he can now with the mixture of preferences including the English culture and also some links back to the past to ground him from straying too far from his own African culture and traditions. These two characters are very similar in their objectives in life towards fulfillment of their needs including money, education, respect, status and so forth, and wisely are able to combine the two cultures together in order to receive these benefits despite extraneous factors. Within Whole Soyinka's and Tsi tsi Dangarembga's intricately weaved novels, both pieces of literature successfully intertwine to portray the estrangement and hardships dealt with through the main characters in settling within a separate environment apart from their origins; culture and adopting the colonial mentality which is imposed upon them.

An important theme in Nervous conditions and Death of a King's horseman is of remembering and forgetting ones own identity. There are three major categories within these two texts displaying the characters that forget that they play these roles within society as puppets of colonialism, those who rebel against the invading culture that seems to threaten their sense of identity and lastly those who choose these roles and carry them out. It is like tradition versus modernism whereas the English society is modern and the African society is portrayed as rural and past traditions. The split within the mental states of these individuals portray the immense impact that colonialism and origin can create within the mind state of an individual.