Soyinka’s Views of Modernity and Tradition in The Lion and...

A common post-colonial struggle shows itself in Soyinka’s 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 play’s village of Ilujinle as well as a deeper way between two of its central characters—Lakunle representing modernity while Baroka represents tradition. However, although the struggle is brought to fruition throughout the course of the play, it seems rather evident for which side Soyinka himself is more of a prominent advocate, obvious by the way he portrays both Lakunle and Baroka, and how they conclude their roles in the play. Lakunle’s follies in the play become his undoing, whereas Baroka’s strength and titular power as the†¦show more content†¦Given the sudden freedom to choose how their country would be run, Nigerians were faced with the fact that much of the New World had its advantages, but it came at the price of affectin g (or even potentially nullifying) their cultural traditions. It seemed difficult to recognize some advantages of one culture when advocating for the other. This led much of the villagers (in both Nigeria and the play’s town of Ilujinle) to be either for modernity or tradition almost exclusively. In the beginning of The Lion and the Jewel, both Baroka and Sidi seem to be strong supporters of keeping with tradition, while Lakunle is the obvious supporter of modernity, seen as he attempts to be a â€Å"Western gentleman† by offering to help Sidi carry her pail of water. However, Sidi refuses his proposal of marriage because Lakunle will not pay the bride-price, a very traditional outlook on the situation. While Lakunle is a strong proponent of a Western romantic engagement, Sidi finds his offers of marriage without a bride-price offensive, saying she does not wish to be â€Å"a cheap bowl for the village to spit† (Soyinka 896). Later in the play, however, Sidi see ms to change her tune when she discovers her own beauty. Finding her picture on the cover of a magazine causes her to rethink her position and refuse Baroka’s offer of marriage, suddenly rejecting the traditional thought of the importance of marrying theShow MoreRelatedSummary Of Wole Soyinkas The Lion And The Jewel1617 Words   |  7 PagesFor my final paper I chose the works of Wole Soyinka and his play The Lion and the Jewel. Throughout this play there is a constant battle between tradition and modernity as well as a post-colonial struggle seen both in a exhibited in the plays village of Ilujinle. Soyinka published this play at the time Nigeria was battling for independence and freedom under the British control around the 1940’s and 1950’s. Due to this, Nigeria was struggling with whether or not it was prepared for independenceRead MoreThe Conflict Between Tradition And Western Influence On Nigeria1665 Words   |  7 Pagesbegan exploring and colonizing the land grounded in tradition and folklore, Nigeria effectively adapted and grew. Even when torn apart, Nigeria has pulled itself back together and grown stronger. There are many aspects to Nigeria’s culture that are worth considering. But one aspect of Nigeria has proven itself to be rich, transformative, and long-lasting: literature. Nigeria has produced rich literature that shows the conflict between tradition and western influence as well as dividing war. Further