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Difficulty: EasyTextual Analysis of Prescribed African Drama

Read the following extract from Wole Soyinka's *The Lion and the Jewel* and answer the question below:

LAKUNLE: A savage custom, barbaric, out-dated,
Rejected, denounced, accursed,
Excommunicated, archaic, degrading,
Humiliating, unspeakable, redundant,
Retrogressive, remarkable only for the stupidity
Of he who honors it.

What 'savage custom' is Lakunle passionately condemning in this excerpt?

  1. The payment of bride-priceAnswer
  2. B
    The village ritual of wrestling for a maiden
  3. C
    The protagonist's tragic flaw of hubris
  4. D
    A dramatic aside overheard by the village elders

Answer

The payment of bride-price
In *The Lion and the Jewel*, Lakunle uses dramatic, westernized rhetoric to denounce the traditional Yoruba bride-price, claiming that paying for a bride treats a woman like property. This refusal creates the primary conflict between him and Sidi.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of Lakunle's speech in Wole Soyinka's *The Lion and the Jewel*.
Lakunle is speaking directly to Sidi regarding their prospective marriage.
Establishing the dramatic context helps identify the specific custom under debate.
2
Examine Lakunle's characterization and conflict with Yoruba tradition.
Lakunle considers himself a modern teacher and intensely opposes traditional Yoruba wedding customs, specifically paying for a wife.
Understanding Lakunle's Westernized worldview explains his strong language against traditional practices.
3
Identify the exact traditional custom Lakunle refuses to honor.
Lakunle vehemently denounces the payment of bride-price as 'barbaric' and 'retrogressive'.
Sidi insists on the bride-price to preserve her dignity in Ilujinle, while Lakunle's refusal forms the core plot conflict between them.

Key Concept

Analysis of character conflict and thematic tradition versus modernity in Wole Soyinka's *The Lion and the Jewel*
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Textual Analysis of Prescribed African Drama

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