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Marriage in different cultures
Essay on igbo traditional marriage in nigeria
Influence of culture on marriage
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Three different Western marriage customs have influenced the characters in the story "Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. It is about a Nnaemeke and Nene. Nnaemeke was an Igbo but Nene was from a different part of the country. They fell in love and Nnameke proposed. Then Nnaemeke got a letter from his father telling him about an arranged marriage that is being planned. Very disappointed, Nnaemeke comes home and tells his father that he will not get married to anybody, except Nene. Nnaemeke was kicked out from his father's house and wasn’t wanted there anymore. Happily married, Nnaemeke and Nene, had two sons. They wanted to see their grandpa and wouldn’t stop asking to visit him. When Nnaemeke's father read the letter about his grandsons he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about them. At last he was beginning to open his heart for his son, daughter-in-law, and his grandsons. The first custom was that the parents arranged marriages for their children. Nnaemeka's father had arranged a wedding for him with a girl from his culture. The second custom was that love was not part of the marriages. All that mattered was that she had to be a good Christian and had the potential to become a good wife. The third custom is that the woman had to be raised from the same culture. Women from other cultures were not welcomed in Igbo culture and families. These three customs had a huge affect on Nene's and Nnaemeka's lives.
One of the first Western customs we read in "Marriage is a Private Affair" is that the parents arrange marriages for their children. According to a writer that lives in Lagos and observes Igbo culture, "Many marriages in the Igbo land are still arranged although in recent years many young people are kicking again...
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...liefs. To conclude, the characters in the story "Marriage is a Private Affair" were greatly influenced by western customs.
Works Cited
"To Love or to Arrange?" Arranged Marriages|Love. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
"Nigeria: Prevalence of Arranged Marriage within the Igbo (Ibo) Community; Description of Traditional Betrothal/marriage Contract and Marriage; Whether Groom's Family Is Financially Responsible for the Bride upon Betrothal; State Protection Available to Women Forced into Marriage." Refworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
"History of Western Weddings." LoveToKnow. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
"African Wedding Traditions." African Wedding Traditions. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
"Marriage in Igbo Land in Nigeria." Wikinut. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
"Nairaland Forum." Why Do Igbo People Detest Marrying Other Tribes? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
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Many people see other people as equal or lower than or higher than them. This includes by wealth, knowledge or rights. Few people know about the caste system in India, but many people are able to point out the untouchables. Why? Is it because everyone knows that they are better than the untouchables? Some people feel that the untouchables are strictly only in India, but they don’t realize that even bigger countries have untouchables; they are just called something else. Many tribes in Africa also have untouchables, including the Igbo tribe.
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen shows examples of how most marriages were not always for love but more as a formal agreement arranged by the two families. Marriage was seen a holy matrimony for two people but living happil...
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Also, as many of the natives ran to the new Christian faith, many family bonds were broken. Before colonialism took place, family was an important thing in the Igbo society. It was not often that a man would give his son away for any reason, but because of the English coming in and teaching a new faith, many families were forced to give up their sons, daughters, and even some men were forced to give up their wives. The new religion also affected the way certain customs took place in the Igbo society. An example would be when one of the newly converted Christians killed the highly honored snake.
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