Initiative of Women in Two Different Generations

[Writer's Name]

[Writer's Institution]

Initiative of Women in Two Different Generations

Introduction

A thorough understanding of the two books, The Joys of Motherhood and So Long a Letter, by Buchi Emecheta and Mariama Ba respectively, give the readers great insight into the lives and mentality of women from differing backgrounds and cultures. The differences will be better understood through an interview session between two women, one above sixty and the other below 30. The interview will help the writer to understand how different generations of women view the world around them. The results of this interview will then be analyzed with comparisons to the two mentioned works of literature.

The Joys of Motherhood - Theme

One can observe that the world of Lagos is continually changing. The traditional Ibo culture is falling out to modernism and thus, Nnu Ego must find an alternative path to follow as a mother. She continually worries about the quality of education her children need to receive as compared to earlier traditions that dictated such things were unnecessary and that children had to forego all personal ambitions just to make sure that their parents are healthy, safe and well cared for. It can be seen that though the older traditions provided balance, security and assurance in the people's way of life, those that fail to conform to modern methods are often left broken and alone. An example of the hardship faced by many elders can be seen through the imprisonment of Nnaife when he refused to accept his daughter's marriage to a man of the Yoruba family. Comparatively, Nnu Ego's punishment is not as physical as it is psychological. She is seen to pass away at the side of a road; alone and full of misery.

The book covers the concepts of motherhood with more than just a philosophical approach. It covers motherhood as a sociological concept, specific to the character's region. Motherhood is not only Nnu Ego's greatest joy, but it also brings about her greatest defeats. Her culture teaches her that as a woman, her sole responsibility is to give birth and raise her children in a manner that accords with their culture. Nnu is shown to strongly believe in the role her society has given her and absorbs her life completely. As her family continues to grow, the weight of being mother catches up to her and she gradually begins to crumble. There comes a time when she begins to regret having so many children. This regret deepens as she realizes that her life revolves around caring for them and happens to get worse when she feels that she does not get anything in return for all the time she has invested in the children. This regret changes her perception of motherhood and begins to believe of herself as more of a sacrificial lamb.

So Long a Letter - Theme

The book details the contents of a letter written by Ramatoulaye Fall. Fall has recently been widowed and is writing to her friend, ...