Olunde

The entire plot of Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman is based on a sense of duty. Elesin’s duty to his people is to commit a ritual suicide. Pilkings believes his duty to his people is to prevent this ritual suicide from occurring. Perhaps the character with the most complex yet somehow also clearest experiences regarding duty is seen in Olunde who returns home to bury his father. When Elesin is unable to carry out the ritual suicide, Olunde takes the place of his father and kills himself. Olunde represents an interesting mix of western and eastern beliefs. He has spent the last several years in England at medical school, but he still has deep roots in his heritage and culture. While audiences would expect him to disregard his Yoruban duty after spending time away from home, Olunde symbolizes honor. In many ways, Olunde can be seen as the moral compass of the play.  He commits the one of the few noble acts seen in the work by killing himself. He follows his belief system and stays true to his core values, even when his father is unable to. Elesin allows greed and desire to get in the way of his duty. While I believe that he intended to go through with the ritual, his delay due to relations with a beautiful girl is what eventually prevents him from being able to commit the suicide. Olunde is a martyr, even if at his own hand. He dies for his beliefs and in order to redeem his people. Soyinka is also making an interesting comment on varying beliefs on morality. While Olunde can be viewed as moral due to his following his religious beliefs, the Christian faith would condemn his actions. Through the lens of Christianity, Olunde has just committed an eternal sin against God. Again, while Soyinka urges readers to distance the play from being seen as a clash of cultures, it is almost impossible to not recognize the clear distinctions between varying identities and belief systems.

The Clash of Cultures in Death and the King's Horseman

While Wole Soyinka claims that his play Death and the King’s Horseman was not intended to explore a “clash of cultures,” it is difficult to experience the work without picking up on the blatant ignorance seen throughout the play. The Pilkings, a wealthy, white British couple living in Nigeria, have good intentions for the most part, but their disrespect towards the local Nigerians and their culture is at times painful to watch. Simon Pilkings sets out to prevent Elesin’s ritual suicide at all costs. He never stops to consider what this ritual symbolizes for the Yoruba culture and faith. Audiences also find out Simon helped Elesin’s son get into medical school in England. Olunde’s leaving creates a great rift between him and his father. During a local ball for the wealthy British living in the town, the Pilkings wear "costumes" confiscated from local men practicing a cultural tradition.One of the local policemen who works for Simon finds the use of the attire highly offensive. Simon is completely unaware of the offensiveness until his wife points it out to him. The Pilkings are a classic example of the issues surrounding colonization and the continual westernization of the world. Westerners believe that what they view as a prosperous and successful country is the best scenario for every other country. Too frequently, the rich cultures of these “developing” countries are eradicated with the influx of western culture. In an increasing global economy, various cultures are bound to interact and mix, but it is crucial that we learn to form relationships with these areas without forcing are own thoughts and beliefs on them. The play is set during World War II, yet the meaning is still relevant today. The Pilkings firmly believe they are doing what is best for the people of their town, yet they only disregard the local culture, upset an ancient tradition, pull a family a part, and take part in quite obvious cultural appropriation. With this all said, they still believe that their actions are pure and just. While colonization seems like something that now only exists in history lessons, modern colonization still exists. Whether Soyinka intended to or not, Death and the King’s Horseman can be viewed and analyzed as a commentary on neocolonialism and its implications.

My Most Beautiful Words

Respect. Love. Decency. Kindness. These are words that everyone expects to be considered beautiful, but with a country in turmoil and an American people more divided than they have ever been, these words seem lost. I would argue that today one word rises above the rest with its strength, poignancy, and elegance. It is simple, only four letters, and is arguably what put President Obama in the White House: hope. It’s that thing with the feathers and it sits at the very top of my own personal list of most beautiful words. 

Everyone could use a little hope in his or her life - hope for equality, hope for progress, hope for peace. I have hope that this election will make this country stronger, that this country will not only survive the next four years but continue to advance and progress, and that my generation will make a difference in future elections. Belief closely follows hope on the list. We need to believe in ourselves, in our family, friends and neighbors, and although it may seem impossible to some of use right now, in our new leader. The past few days have been hard for everyone, regardless of political affiliations. Flags are being burned, hate crimes are surging, and there is an overwhelming sense of fear. I will be honest, this election did not yield the results I personally wanted and I have been incredibly angry. While I worry that we have lost sight of what our country represents, I have not lost belief in the possibility of progress. United comes next. We are one country, quite literally the United States of America, and we must remain together. We can only make progress by being united.

 I know it is a scary time for the world, but when we stand strong together the sky is the limit. Yes, that glass ceiling is still there, but by having hope for progress, belief in our country, and remaining united, I am confident, whether it’s four, eight, twelve, or sixteen years from now, shattered will be added to my list of most beautiful words.  

Favorite Poem Project

The first time I read “The Birthday of the World” by Marge Piercy, the poem immediately became one of my favorites. I think this poem is incredibly relevant in the world today. The narrator asks over and over what has she done to make a change in the world. It is not a secret that the world is scary place today. With war, racism, sexism, terrorism, and one of the most divisive elections the United States has ever seen, it seems that most people have become stagnant in their hope for the world. We all need to ask ourselves what can we do to make the world a better place? Whether it is big or small, how can we do our part? The problems we face seem too large or too difficult to attempt to tackle. This poem is a call to action. Piercy is not asking for monumental changes, just anything that could lead to peace and equality. It is about talking to that one person to move them or being brave enough to speak your mind to fight for change. This poem is not a eulogy for the world, but rather an excited promise of what we are able to achieve.

The Impossibility of a Utopian Society

In The Tempest, the character of Gonzalo wonders if it is possible to create a peaceful society where no one holds power, a utopia. The play is a great example of why human nature makes this perfect land is impossible. Humans have subconsciously created the social constructs of class based off of the animal kingdom. There is a food chain for a reason: survival. As humans, it is our natural instinct to do what we can to survive. Holding more power means one is more likely to survive, hence every human’s inherent desire to hold some kind of power, whether it be conscious or subconscious. When Prospero landed on the island, there was technically no need to create a power system. With only four inhabitants, it seems rather pointless to have anyone govern the land. However, his greed and privilege convinced him that it was his right to rule over the other inhabitants. This basic desire for power is seen again in Antonio and Sebastian when they wash up on the island. They attempt to kill Alonso and Gonzalo because they see an opportunity at gaining power back in Milan. Yet, they have no way back to Italy to accept their new positions if they were to kill their companions. Trinculo and Stephano, two butlers for the king, also plan on murdering to gain power. They are convinced by Caliban to attempt to kill Prospero to gain control of the island, which as far as they know only has six inhabitants. Humans are power hungry. Through the The Tempest, Shakespeare provides yet another example of why a utopia is simply impossible.