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An essay on the kingdom of mali
Characteristics of an epic in Sundiata
Compare and contrast the rise of the Mali empire
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The Epic of Sundiata is a story of Sundiata and the building of the Empire of Mali in the thirteenth century. Sundiata founded the Mali Empire which was located in West Africa. The empire was so important to Mali because it was the biggest trade center during that time. The Epic of Sundiata was told by Balla Fasseke, Sundiata’s griot, and begins with a foretelling story of Maghan Kon Fatta, the ruler of Mali. The Epic of Sundiata began when a hunter comes and tells Maghan Kon Fatta that he will have a magnificent son, but only once he marries an ugly woman. Despite the fact that Maghan was already married, he thought that his empire wasn’t complete so he figured that he needed to get married again. Several years passed by when two hunters came along and presented a woman to him. The hunters earned the woman after defeating a horrific buffalo that was terrifying a land far away from Mali. They defeated the buffalo after learning the secret of the animal from being kind to an elder woman. The old woman told the men to choose the ugliest woman they saw and that’s exactly what they did. Her name was Sologon Kedjou. She was a maid who wasn’t very appealing to the eye …show more content…
Maghan told Sundiata that Balla would teach him about his ancestors and the art of governing Mali according to the way his ancestors did. He says, “I have served my term and done my duty too.” (Niane 17) Balla Fasseke immediately became his best friend and played a very important role in Sundiata’s life. He saw Sundiata stand for the first time and sung out, “Take your bow, Simbon, Take your bow and let us go. Take your bow, Sogolon Djata.” (Niane 20) Balla Fasseke was with Sundiata all the time. He was practically Sundiata’s guardian angel. Not long after announcing Balla has the griot, Maghan died. His oldest son, Dankaran Touman, was appointed to have control over the
An interesting aspect of reading Sunjata is that it allows the reader to get a glimpse into the past. An unmissable trait that the story brings up is the power and control that women hold within their marriages and families overall. Part of this power comes from the West African people carrying on their family through a matrilineal system. Familial ties are a significant motif in Sunjata with even the storyteller tracing his ancestry back to the strong women told about in the oral tale. The matrilineal system means that instead of children taking the name of their father, as seen in many European societies, they would take the name of their mother and hold closer to the ties of her ancestors. This system allows for a sense of feminism to sprinkle all over the story of Sunjata and, ultimately, on the
A long live a king name Maghan who was intimacy by his people in the Kingdom of Mali. He had many wives but was also destined to marry a hideous woman. Most Malians thinks about destiny and fate. The king was told to marry an ugly woman because their son will once rule the kingdom of Mali. Meanwhile, two hunters arrived with Sogolon which the king married.
When considering the amount of information that can be garnered from this section, it is nothing short of abundant. It adopts a traditional narrative format in order to depict every significant event that leads up to the conception of Sundiata. This exposition of the future King helps to inform the reader of what might be considered as cultural norms in this particular setting. The respect displayed towards soothsayers and their divinations by
In Sundiata the power that women have can be seen as knowledge that is gained through experience, and the craftiness to use this knowledge. Sassouma Berete knows this power of craftiness all too well. When Sogolon is to marry the king, Sassouma Berete uses her craftiness to spread rumors about Sogolon. As D.T. Niane writes in Sundiata, “It was known that she was not beautiful [Sogolon], but the curiosity of everyone was aroused, and already a thousand anecdotes were circulating, most of them put out by Sassouma Berete, the king's first wife” (Niane 10). This suggests that Sassouma Berete understood the power of using her experience and craftiness to create a hostile atmosphere for Sogolon.
...re treated poorly but they can overcome their circumstances so that they may still contribute to society in a powerful way. Although women in the epic Sunjata, Indian and Greek society are all seen as the subordinate gender, the women in the epic Sunjata are strong people by making the best out of situations. Some could say that women control the story. In the beginning, the hunters would not have killed the buffalo woman if not instructed to. Also, if Sogolon hadn’t pressured Sunjata to stand, he wouldn’t have walked his all his life.
The epic pin points the exploits of Sundiata Keita. His father, Maghan Kon Fatta, had several wives. He was the second son of Maghan and the son of Sogolon Kedjou. His father was the king of the Malinke people. Around the twelfth century the Ghana Empire fell and many smaller kingdoms expanded outwards. As the Malinke people expanded so did the Sosso Empire. After the death of his father, his brother was crowned king and exiled Sundiata (Sundiata, 27). While being exiled, the Sosso Empire invaded the Malinke Empire. When Sundiata returned
To understand humankind, one must understand myths. Joseph Campbell wrote that all myths, even though the may be from different places, they are very similar. All myths about heroes follow the same path. In the myth Atalanta, the heroine follows all three stages of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, departure, decisive victory, and they return.
"The Epic of Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton & Compnany, 2012. 99-150. Print
The epic of Sundiata is told by the griot (storyteller and keeper of history) Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté. He begins with details of Sundiata's ancestors, as the force of history is important in the tale of the man whose victory will create the Mali Empire.(pg xxiv) "I teach kings the history of their ancestors, so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is old, but the future springs from the past." Griot Djeli Mamadou Kouyaté, p. 1
Sundiata is an epic of a powerful king who expanded the Mali empire to a great territorial area and he did so because he was destined. My mother read me a more simplified story of Sundiata as a child and through reading this book, I remembered so many lessons and African cultural traditions that I learned as a child. There were several interesting aspects of this epic that reflected some of the material we have learned thus far in class as well as other interesting themes that are repeated throughout it. Sundiata is an epic that recounts a historical event while teaching various African ideologies.
Every culture has a different story of their origin. Each story varies in setting, main characters, and religious aspects. Although the stories are different, the sole purpose is the same for each – to explain how each civilization came to be. In order for a civilization to fully understand their past, they must critically break down the components of their origin story. Creation stories establish appropriate relationships within society by the revelation of the punishment laid out by the gods on unsatisfactory vassals, the importance of a hero figure, and the exposure of human survival based on nature.
Analysis of the Character of Gilgamesh In the epic Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits. The main character in the novel is Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is a character who is very self-confident.
The Ramayana as retold by R.K. Narayan, explores the roles and duty of women and what it takes in order to be a good woman in Indian society. He explores these roles through the women through out the epic whether it is the wife of a King or some form of deity. While in general women were viewed as subpar to men and were seen as second-class citizens, the women in the book shape the men into who they become and account for much of the manipulation of the individuals and the caretaking of the individuals. Women such as Sita and Kausalya demonstrate those women that are good. These women were regarded as beautiful, not only for their physical attributes, but for their behavior in regards to the males in the epic. They are everything women should be- they are kind and respect the males in their lives above all else. However these women are also met with their opposites, those women who have much improvement to make before being recognized as good women in the Indian society. These women, like Kaikeyi and Soorpanaka go against all Indian ideals. They use their sexuality in order to attempt to manipulate the men of the epic. They do everything in their power in order to get their way, even if it is at the cost of others.
Many themes are incorporated into the story line of Gilgamesh. These include three very important concepts: death is inevitable, immortality is unachievable, and friendship is a necessity.
A. A myth that I was told as a child is one version of the myth of Medusa and Athena. There was a beautiful maiden named Medusa who lived in Athens, Greece. She was very proud of her beauty, it was all she ever spoke or thought about. Medusa would also admire herself in a mirror for quite a long time. One day, she visited the largest temple of the goddess Athena, named the Parthenon. The temple was filled with statues and paintings of Athena. Medusa then told her friends that the sculptures and paintings should have been of her since she was prettier than Athena. Medusa was admiring her reflection from the large bronze doors, when suddenly, she was looking at Athena instead of herself. Athena was furious with Medusa, she then tells