Plot summary the lion and the jewel is a powerful play by awardwinning nigerian poet and playwright wole soyinka. Wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel dramatizes the conflict between tradition and modernization in a small nigerian village as two men compete for the love of a. The lion and the jewel summary the play is about within the village of ilunjinle, nigeria. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like tradition vs. Download the lion and the jewel ebook in pdf, epub, mobi. In wole soyinkas 20th century play the lion and the jewel, there is a constant battle between tradition and modernity as well as a postcolonial struggle seen both in a exhibited in the plays village of ilujinle. The characters all react to each other in relation to this central theme. This is perhaps the most conspicuous theme in the play. In spite of the fact that he begs sidi not to work like a customary lady, lakunle still harbors the idea that ladies are the more fragile sex. The main aim of this study is to evaluate soyinka s play.
A song for the road wole soyinkas imagery and tradition 1. The first ever book i am reading by wole soyinka, the lion and the jewel is rather interesting and comfortable at the same time. Wole soyinka brilliantly writes this play to both provoke discussion and serve as a pleasure. Ebscohost serves thousands of libraries with premium essays, articles and other content including sidis choice of baroka and the victory of traditional values over western ones in wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel. It was here that he wrote the lion and the jewel, which went on to become one of his most famous pieces. A common postcolonial struggle shows itself in soyinkas the lion and the jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a transparent manner as the western world clearly and gradually influences the plays village of ilujinle as well as a deeper way between two of its central characterslakunle representing modernity while baroka represents tradition. The lion and the jewel is characterized by culture conflict, ribald comedy. A song for the road wole soyinkas imagery and tradition. It chronicles how baroka, the lion, fights with the modern lakunle over the right to marry sidi, the titular jewel. Soyinkas views of modernity and tradition in the lion and the jewel. Modernity, or the modernization of village life, is something that bale baroka has been fighting against for some time.
The lion and the jewel also available for read online in mobile and kindle. Modernity the lion and the jewel was written and first performed the year before nigeria was granted its independence from great britain, and the script was published two years after independence. Soyinkas views of modernity and tradition in the lion and. The main characters are sidi the jewel, a true village belle and baroka the lion, the crafty and powerful bale of the village, lakunle, the young teacher, influenced pdf by western ways, and sadiku, the eldest of barokas wives. How the lion hunts the jewel is the theme of this ribald comedy.
As such, one of the primary conflicts of the play pits traditional yoruba customs against a western conception of progress and modernity, as. Lakunle is portrayed as the civilized antithesis of baroka and unilaterally attempts to modernize his community and change its social conventions for no reason other than the fact. Its a great example of the uniqueness of african drama and serves as a commentary on the tradition vs. Read online the lion and the jewel and download the lion and the jewel book full in pdf formats. Essay about soyinkas views of modernity and tradition in the lion and the jewel a common postcolonial struggle shows itself in soyinkas the lion and the jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a transparent manner as the western world clearly and gradually influences the plays village of ilujinle as well as a deeper way between two of its central characters.
Get an answer for what is the conflict between tradition and modernity in wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel. Culture, tradition, oppressed, conflict, consciousness. Tradition and modernity look to be poles apart but in this research paper and attempt would be made in order bring out the amalgamation of tradition and modernity in wole soyinkss celebrated play the lion and the jewel keywords. Written by africas well known dramatist, wole soyinka, the play the lion and the jewel has its setting in the village of ilunjunle in yoruba west africa. Now, if the play reflects a conflict between old ways and new ways, then who is the winner.
Modernization one of the biggest themes in the play is that of tradition versus modernization. Such conflicts lie at the heart of the lion and the jewel, a sly and subversive comedy by nobel prizewinning author wole soyinka. A common postcolonial struggle shows itself in soyinkas the lion and the jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a transparent manner as. It chronicles how baroka, the lion, fights with the modern lakunle. It is a response to one of the prompts given to the class asking that modernity and tradition be compared in reference to the lion and the jewel. The lion and the jewel by wole soyinka africa book club. The performing arts department continues this deceptively lighthearted carnival of dance and song as its spring mainstage production this weekend, april 2527.
This paper was written as a research assignment in english 1023h, introduction to literature for honors students. The lion and the jewel, though a deft comedy which provides excellent theatre to the audience. What is the conflict between tradition and modernity in wole. Click download or read online button to get wole soyinka the lion and the jewel book now. A study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel in. Yoruba, tradition, brideprice, polygamy, modernity. On the other hand, the elements of change in both books defer, as in things fall apart, what brings the change originates from the outside, that is, the missionaries.
The subject of the frail average africans challenges with the whims and fancies of the white forms the central nucleus of the play. Cultural conflict in wole soyinkas play the lion and the. Summary of wole soyinkas the lion and the jewel 1617 words 7 pages. The lion and the jewel was written and first performed the year before nigeria was granted its independence from great britain, and the script was published two years after independence. However, as the play progresses soyinka defies the audiences assumptions.
Baroka is the parcel the chieftain of the town, and is the lion alluded to in the plays title. The meeting of east and west is one of the prominent themes of the. Cultural conflict in wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel 404. Theme of cultural transition free essay example study. Sidis choice of baroka and the victory of traditional. The lion and the jewel is a play by nigerian writer wole soyinka that was first performed in 1959. Download pdf the lion and the jewel free usakochan pdf. The play, the lion and the jewel is set in the village of ilunjuinle in yoruba west africa.
Lion and the jewel chapter 3 songs of contemplation. Culture, tradition, western, gap, old, new, domination, modernity, bride price, marriage. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the lion and the jewel by wole soyinka. The study shows the relationships between the different cultures. It is a normal off shoot of the intermingling of culture due to the effect of colonization. Wole soyinka the lion and the jewel download ebook pdf. The play the lion and the jewel is set in typical yoruba village ilujinle which is ruled by an. Throughout this play there is a constant battle between tradition and modernity as well as a postcolonial struggle seen both in a exhibited in the plays village of ilujinle. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the lion and the jewel, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. It was published in 1963 by oxford university press.
Read download the lion and the jewel pdf pdf download. This is one of the bestknown plays by africas major dramatist, wole soyinka. The central idea of this study is to show of how soyinka through his. The lion and the jewel is the most simplest among soyinkas plays, connotes much by means of abstract signs and plain usual symbols. Download book the lion and the jewel in pdf format. A common postcolonial struggle shows itself in soyinkas the lion and the jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Yoruba tradition and culture in wole soyinkas the lion and the.
Cultural conflict in wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel. Sidi is the jewel in this play in which baroka tries to woo but her pride in the fact that she appears in a magazine makes her hardened to the request made through sa the first ever book i am reading by wole soyinka, the lion and the jewel is rather interesting and comfortable at the same time. Soyinkas the lion and the jewel is a comical play based on african society, written in. With his foolish wisdom and the love that cannot pay bride price, he becomes a rival to the lion, baroka who gathers women to marry as if they were a collection. The conflict between tradition and modernity is the central thematic concern of the plays like the lion and the jewel, camwood on the leaves, the kongis harvest. The lion and the jewel essays are academic essays for citation. Amalgamation of tradition and modernity in wole soyinkas. So, this reveals the conflict between modern and tradition. You can read online the lion and the jewel here in pdf, epub, mobi or docx formats. Sidi, a gorgeous girl also referred to as the jewel, carries her pail of water past the varsity where lakunle, the schoolteacher and a village outsider with modern ideas, works.
The play portrays a conflict between tradition and modernism. So many discussions have been made regarding the conflict between tradition and modernity in this play wherein tradition wins over modernity through the final action of sidi. The play is characterized by culture conflict, ribald comedy and love, where the old culture represented by the uneducated people in ilunjunle, led by baroka, sidi and the rest. A study of wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel in the light of cultures in conflict. Wole soyinka brilliantly writes this play to both provoke discussion and serve as a pleasure reading book. Introduction the intent of this study is to analyze wole soyinka. For my final paper i chose the works of wole soyinka and his play the lion and the jewel. The book of the lion is an interesting adventure that takes you back in time to the dark ages. Observations the lion and the jewel fighting with words. The lion and the jewel summary and study guide supersummary. As such, one of the primary conflicts of the play pits traditional yoruba customs against a western conception of progress and modernity, as represented by the conflict between baroka and lakunle for sidi s. Photo by david kilpermen versus women, modern versus traditional, culture versus colonization. The main characters are sidi the jewel, a true village belle and baroka the lion, the crafty and powerful bale of the village.
The lion and the jewel is a wonderful play that portrays african culture and society and the effects of western civilization upon it. Soyinka is the first african who won the nobel prize in 1986 for his accomplishment in the field of literature for his country nigeria. The balance of power in a view from the bridge and the lion and the jewel. Project muse reimaging gender and african tradition. The theme of cultural transition is well portrayed throughout the two books. Celebrating brilliance, originality and spirit in the early works of some of the worlds great playwrights and theatre artists. What is the conflict between tradition and modernity in. The lion and the jewel is a great work to read for its content as well as its ability to entertain its reader. Introduction wole soyinka is a nigerian writer, who explores the cultures and traditions of yoruba, a nigerian culture in this play the lion and the jewel. I learned so much by reading this book, and inquiring about it, that im inspired now to read more novels based off of real history.
Worthens book deserves the attention of any literary critic or serious theatergoer interested in the. Modernity and tradition are compared in the pantomime dances. It initially seems like soyinka is setting a clear dichotomy between these two things, tradition embodied by baroka and modernity embodied by lakunle. The present study examines the conflict between cultures in nigeria and western society as represented in wole soyinkas play the lion and the jewel. The lion and the jewel by wole soyinka, 1963 online. It initially seems like soyinka is setting a clear dichotomy.
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