African Literature
Midterm Review
There is a problem with how Sundiata came into existence. I have given you three pages of study questions regarding the Buffalo Woman, Sogolon and how she reared him to be a man and a king. You should know about the forced intercourse in order to think about the context of the Malian culture of that period. I bring this to your attention because of my theory of human security. Is having food and water at a subsistence level defining human security? Are you reading definitions of state security, patriarchal security, and traditional security? The question one must ask is, is it enough to live among men who disrespect other men’s wives and covet them like Mhudi? Is abundance only what one can consume? Remember Mhudi’s comments about her and her husband’s life before they went to live among the people who were displaced by the mfecane, as they were?
Study Skills
THE BUFFALO WOMAN
Where is Maghan Kon Fatta’s palace, Canco, located?
What is Maghan Kon Fatta’s capital city?
What kind of tree does the king sit under?
Who seems to have considered the hunter to be one of his favorites?
How can you tell?
Where was the hunter’s homeland?
What are the pros and cons of being left-handed?
What are the two predictions that the hunter makes?
How must the king win the ugly woman?
The two hunters come from which land?
Why was the hunter rewarded with the opportunity to kill the buffalo?
How was the hunter supposed to use the distaff and the egg?
Describe your favorite part of the wedding ceremony.
What was its purpose?
How did Naré Maghan trick Sogolon into becoming a wife?
THE LION CHILD
Who did Sassouma Bérété enlist to help her kill Sogolon?
How was Sogolon protected?
How did nature react to the birth of Sundiata?
When is the naming-day?
What is Sundiata's name?
How was the feast arranged?
CHILDHOOD
How was Sundiata unusual at age three?
What was the reaction of the first wife?
What was the king’s reaction?
During his childhood, Sundiata gains a brother, two sisters, and a stepsister, who are they?
THE LION’S AWAKENING
After the king’s death, what was the role of the council?
Why was the queen mother all powerful?
How did she persecute Sogolon?
Why?
How was the baobab leaf the last straw for Sogolon?
What did Sundiata need to walk?
What does the number of forges tell you about the importance of iron in this culture?
How did the smith know that this was a day of importance?
How did Sundiata’s ability to walk change the popularity of Soussouma Bérété?
Who was responsible for the education of Sundiata?
Why did the nine witches hesitate to kill Sundiata?
What does Soussouma promise the witches?
How did Sundiata confound the witches?
How did Sundiata compensate the witches for the bribes that Suossouma had promised?
What was the final promise of the witches?
What do we discover to be a skill of Sogolon Kolonkan, Sundiata’s youngest sister?
EXILE
Why did Djata accept exile?
Who was Sundiata’s best friend?
What happened to Sundiata’s griot?
Why did Sogolon say it was OK for Balla Fasséké to be sent away as an ambassador?
How old is Sundiata when he leaves?
How long are his travels?
Why did Songolon and her family leave the court of Mansa Konkon?
Why did the king of Tabon suggest that Songolon and her family go to the court of Ghana?
What role does Sundiata intend for Fran Kamara when he returns?
How was Wagadou in Ghana different from Niani?
What was Soumaba Cissé's view of Sundiata?
Where was Sogolon and her family sent after she became ill? Why?
What did Sundiata learn from the caravan?
Who received Sogolon in Mema?
What does King Moussa Tounkara bring back with him to Mema?
Who first takes Sundiata on a campaign?
Describe Sundiata as a warrior.
What title was given to Sundiata after three years of Moussa Tounkara’s tutelage?
When Sogolon has finished the task of raising Sundiata, what advice does she give her son?
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