Everyday Use And Marriage Is A Private Affair By Chinua Achebe

daughter who wants to take the quilts that were made by her grandmother and great-grandmother to hang them on the wall as a decoration. However, the mother believes that the quilts should be used for everyday use as they were intended to be. In “Marriage is a Private Affair,” the father is against his son's decision to marry a woman who is not from their tribe. He believes that his son should marry someone from their tribe to keep the tradition alive. The son, on the other hand, believes that love is more important than tradition. Both stories show the conflict between the old and new generation and how tradition and heritage play a significant role in their lives.

"Marriage is a Private Affair" is a story about a young man named Nnemeka who falls in love and plans to marry. However, his father, Okeke, surprises him with an arranged marriage, unaware that his son is already in love with someone else. Nene, Nnemeka's girlfriend, is not a member of their tribe, and he knows his father will not approve of their union. Nnemeka is too nervous to tell his father about Nene, but eventually, he musters up the courage to do so. Unfortunately, his father is highly upset and disowns him. Despite this, Nnemeka and Nene get married and have two sons together. The boys often ask about their grandfather, so Nene comes up with a plan to write to Okeke. Okeke, who had been absent from their lives, finally has a change of heart and regrets his actions. He visits his son and his family, realizing that the past traditions and generations he was living in are not the same as the ones Nnemeka is living in. Okeke accepts the changes and acknowledges that he was foolish to be stuck on old generation methods. Both stories are based on past generations and traditions that conflict with changes that lead to their children's happiness. Both parents in these stories have raised their children in past generations, but now their children are growing up in a new era. The roles of the mother and father in these stories are very different. In "Marriage is a Private Affair," Okeke is not only upset that his son wants to marry the girl he loves instead of the one he found for him, but he also struggles with his role as a father. In contrast, in "Everyday Use," Dee looks down on her mother and sister's lifestyle, and her mother questions her daughter's changing interest in their heritage. Despite the different issues presented in these stories, they both emphasize the importance of a healthy relationship between a parent and their child.