An Epic of Old Mali - Essay Example

The Sundiata is an African epic. To be able to compare and contrast the two major female characters in the epic, it is imperative that they each be identified and described first by who they are in terms of how they were related to Nare Fa Maghan the king who ruled Mali. Sassouma is the king's first wife who has a son of her own named Dankaran. Sogolon is an ugly maiden brought by the hunter to the king and the mother or Sundiata. With these descriptions, it could be said that by way of their affiliation with the king, both women easily assume a role which is very typical. As the first wife, Sassouma naturally feels more superior than Sogolon. In a culture were polygamy is a natural practice, being the first wife of the king is something to be proud of. It means that you are honored and respected because of your rank as the first; and those who follow next – second, third, fourth wife etc. – need to pay the same respect and learn to accept that they can be no greater than the first wife. No greater than Sassouma. Sogolon, being the second wife, should know her place in the palace. She should look up to the first wife, which is exactly what she did. Sassouma and Sogolon showed two very distinct characteristics, which can be simply described as good and evil. It is in this epic that a woman can be seen as a formidable force which can shape the fate of a man and define his being – by being mothers. Children were always left to the care of the mother during this time. As women were seen to take care of the home, provide sauce needed for the standard meal, they are also responsible for raising the child. In ordinary families, women’s role is also defined by what their family does for a living. If for example, the woman belongs to a family which does farming, aside from taking care of the children and preparing the sauce for the family’s meals, women are also expected to be responsible in taking care of the livestock. For women belonging to the royal families, the woman also has “a diplomatic role” primarily that of engaging into marriage with leaders. Having been born into a society where men can engage into several marriages with different women, it is possible that a child could have more than 5 half brothers and half sisters, and however many children a woman has, all of them would be under her care, aside from her other responsibilities as a wife in the family and the society she lives in. With this much defined role, a mother has all the power to mold the child into someone she wanted him to be. In the case of Sassouma and Sogolon, the way they raised their child is very visible in the attitude and personality manifested once the child grows up to be a man. Sassouma’s evil plot of spreading ugly stories about Sogolon and her son only taught one thing to her son Dankaran: How to be evil. Clearly, Sassouma is the evil one, and Sogolon is the good one. They are btoh women, married to the same king, and bore a son. Competition is in the air as both mothers looked after the welfare of their son, each wanting the best for him: The thrown. Niane created the profile of these two women with very distinct characteristics starting off with the physical attributes. It wasn’t mentioned if Sassouma is very beautiful, but what was definitely mentioned was how ugly Sogolon was; and this unpleasant face was somewhat, unusual to be the hero in the epic, when what was the usual practice was, ugly characters were the ones who bring unpleasant events in the story. Sogolon, instead of being the bearer of bad news, she was the bearer of what is good not only for the king but also for the entire kingdom, by being a good and powerful ruler. Sassouma’s whereabouts, like how the king met her, was not clearly stated in the epic. What was clear was that of Sogolon’s. Sogolon was introduced to the king by a hunter. Apparently, Sogolon was not only an ordinary maiden, but an ugly one at that. Human nature dictates that if the person is ugly, that person is undesirable. Such is true in this epic, and this was exactly what Sassouma did to Sogolon. It could be expected that the first wife would have an evil character with the most beautiful face, but what was unexpected was her rival, which is Sogolon, possesses a face which we could say, unlovable, because she is ugly. With her characteristics, Sogolon could be considered as an extraordinary woman. Who would have ever thought that someone like her – her face, her background – could ever be the mother of a powerful ruler someday, and who would have ever expected that the king would marry her in the first place? Just because she was brought to the king by a hunter and was told that she will bear the king a son who would rule the kingdom powerfully, nobody expected that the king would believe this story and marry the girl. It could be said too, that this was brought about because of their culture’s strong superstitious belief; but even so, there was nothing that was written in the epic which showed that the king gave the hunter’s word a second thought or any suspicion at that. This alone, made Sogolon an extraordinary woman. Another argument that makes her as such is her ability to have helped his son to indeed transform into a powerful and good ruler. Remember that Sundiata was born to have physical weaknesses and one of which was he couldn’t walk. This made the king’s hopes vanish. In the midst of the king’s disappointment, Sogolon never lost hope and her belief that her son would be the most powerful ruler, didn’t waver even a bit. Another thing that amazes me about Sogolon is, however ugly her face was, her heart was the purest and most sincere. She showed her wisdom by raising her son well and fleeing when Sassouma evilly spread stories about her and his son. Fleeing is not a sign of cowardice nor guilt, it is rather a good decision. Sogolon know that it would be good to cause so much trouble and fight with Sassouma. Knowing about Sassouma’s knowledge of sorcery, Sogolon chose to go far away and from there think and plan what to do. Away from Sassouma’s eyes of scrutiny and suspicion In the Malinke society, sisters also play a great and important role in giving support to other siblings. In the case of Sundiata, his sisters became a central component in Sundiata’s victorious efforts of claiming back the thrown that was taken from him by Sassouma. When Sogolon decided that it is abot time for Sundiata to be king, a decision which was also strengthened by the horrible situation of the kingdom, Sundiata was motivated and inspired by his mother Sogolon to take a stand and do something. With that, Sundiata finally decided to pt al his strength in learning how to use his legs to be able to walk again. With great determination and mother’s love, he was able to achieve it. It was at this time when his sisters came into play. One of his sisters put Sundiata in the Malian delegation. His half-sister pretended to be charmed by the king of Sosso to be able to find out the enemies’ weaknesses or soft spots. Women can indeed wear several faces, faces of which is not very typical or expected of them. Behind the woman’s fragile and delicate feature, this epic has shown and illustrated how cunning a woman can be. Behind that delicate structure, lies a strength which equals that of a battalion. It is said that behind every man’s success is a woman, and this has been true in Sundiata’s life events, when his fate was not only made possible by having been born by his mother, but also with his mother’s and sister’s help. Another adage states that, woman is behind every man’s ruin, this again is true, not in Sundiata’s case, but in Dankaran’s. As Dankaran was taught ans raised in his mother’s evil ways, he too adapted such an evil personality. We all know that evil may sometimes win a few wars or situations, but in the end, it always loses. It is always in man’s nature not to let evil win over good. Nothing good comes out from evil, and this is what happened in Danakarans case. He may have ruled the kingdom for a while, but then the result of his evil ways is manifested in his kingdom’s state. Women are powerful and strong beings. This is not a battle between gender, but rather a recognition and appreciation of women in the Malinke society. To bear a child is a challenge. To raise him is a much greater challenge because you are raising people who will either be the pride or downfall of the society. A child raised in a mother’s love, wisdom and gentle ways, is not a weakling, but rather a well-rounded individual. Bibliography G.D. Pickett. "D.T. Niane, sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali." prepared by Jim Jones for History 311. West Chester University of Pennsylvania. 2003. Retrieved: 29 February 2008 Ronica Roth. "Mali's Boy-King: A Thirteenth Century African Epic Becomes Digital.Humanities, July/August 1998, Volume 19,Number 4. Retrieved: 29 February 2008. Read More