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E316k: World Literature

African Literature

Relationship of Love and Hate

There are two types of interactions between nature and humans in Bernard Dadie’s stories. Both sides of nature, pastoral and sublime, are in close contact with the characters of the stories. Pastoral nature is kind and sympathetic to humans in the stories; however, sublime nature is threatening to humans. Both perspectives of nature affect human life and in some scenes, sublime nature is a representation of particular human characters.

In the story, The Mirror of Death, famine is an example of sublime nature because it is the reason for the suffering of humans and of pastoral nature. For example, the river is pastoral nature, which is affected by the famine. Sublime nature is constantly working against humans and is laughing at them. When hungry Ananse tries to catch shellfish “thousand inhabitants of the water would nibble at the bait and drag the float to the bottom, only to let it go at the precise moment our fisherman was preparing to set the hook.”[1] Ananse is an anthropomorphized spider who is a representation of a human. The sun and wind also represent the negativity nature has towards humans, and towards pastoral nature. The sun is causing the river to push back and because of that people are dying.

Dandie explains the reaction of famine on pastoral nature and on humans. Pastoral nature suffers through the same pain as humans. Dandie builds the relationship between pastoral nature and human as friendly. They both are suffering from heat and they both hope for rain. Blowing wind and the colorlessness of the environment, during the famine is causing death to the grasses, which is pastoral nature. Sublime nature is distorting the beauty of humans and of pastoral nature by its angry dusty wind, which blows to the river and to the people. For example, “the tree stripped bare, were pitiful to see. They resemble a woman whose head had been shaved, whose ornaments had been removed.”[2] The nature is dying just as people were dying because of famine. Men made sacrifices so that rain would come. Upon seeing its failure, the river made a plea to God on behalf of man. The River cried to God by pushing itself near the sky in order to save man. Pastoral nature is concerned with human and its own survival. The pastoral nature was as hungry for rain as humans were for food. Pastoral nature lost its grass, trees and earth lost its people.

Humans had close relationship with pastoral and sublime nature because both of these natures affected their life. Humans are dependant and belong to nature. Throughout the story, nature was present; however, when Ananse goes to Eldorade, which was unlike the world he was living in, nature was absent. Eldorado is a city where all men did business and had everything they needed. Even though Ananse is intelligent and had a glorious past similar to the river, which once formed whirlpools before famine, he allowed his curiosity to take the best of him by looking at the mirror. He was sent back to the boat in the river close to nature where he belonged.

In the story, The Black Cloth, nature is beautiful and threatening. Awia has a close relationship with both sublime and pastoral nature. Even her dead mother is portrayed as a part of nature. Awia sings and talks to her and considers her watching her even when she had never seen her mother physically.

The two sides of nature, pastoral and sublime, also occur in the story, The Black Cloth. Awia’s first attempt to wash the black cloth, so it turns white as chalk, occurs when she arrives at the stream. There frogs, sublime nature, attempt to scare Awia by making their voices sound frightening. The frogs did not want Awia to wash the black cloth and even “the stream refuses to dampen”[3] the cloth. The stream is a symbol of Awia’s stepmother, who deprives Awia of her rights just as stream refuses to let Awia to wash the black cloth and the frogs are symbolizing beatings and harsh treatment of Awia by Awia’s stepmother.

The second attempt of washing the black cloth by Awia, nature rejects Awia again and makes it more difficult for her to wash the cloth. Dadie, presents a scary portrayal of the surroundings of water. The yellow water resides in hollow of trunk of the tree and upon seeing Awia the ants surround the water so they can guard the water and not let Awia wash her cloth. In the second attempt, again the sublime nature works against Awia. This sublime nature is a symbol of stepmother’s disapproval of Awia. In her third attempt to wash the cloth once again the sublime nature does not allow her to do it. However, this time Awia tells chimpanzees her story and at first chimpanzees try to frighten Awia but later they allow Awia to wash the cloth in water. Chimpanzees are symbols of stepmother’s beatings. When Awia’s stepmother could not think of any more ways of hurting Awia, she sent her away to wash the black cloth; however, she is like the spring water who still does not allow Awia of her rights just as the water of spring refuses to let Awia to dampen her cloth.

Awia on journey of washing the black cloth walks into a strange place, it was like a different world and no humans lived there. This strange place is a symbol of the land of dead. Unlike the other places, nature here is pastoral to Awia. Pastoral nature communicated with itself and trees and birds spoke to each other. This time the water of spring wets Awia’s cloth. Here for the first time nature allows Awia to wash her cloth and her mother appears who also is a part of pastoral nature. Her mother and nature are working closely, and she gives Awia a white cloth. This shows that ancestors are close to pastoral nature and bad people are similar to sublime nature.

The relationship between nature and humans in Dadie’s stories are very close. Sublime nature is threatening to not just humans but as well to postural nature. In the story of The Black Cloth, the sublime nature is a symbol of stepmother and the pastoral nature is a symbol of Awia’s mother. People’s relationships are reflected in nature.

Relationship of Love and Hate

There are two types of interactions between nature and humans in Bernard Dadie’s stories. Both sides of nature, pastoral and sublime, are in close contact with the characters of the stories. Pastoral nature is kind and sympathetic to humans in the stories; however, sublime nature is threatening to humans. Both perspectives of nature affect human life and in some scenes, sublime nature is a representation of particular human characters. It’s not clear in this context what it is you mean by pastoral and sublime nature. In any case, these don’t seem to be particularly fruitful qualities to bring to this particular discussion.

In the story, The Mirror of Death, famine is an example of sublime nature because it is the reason for the suffering of humans and of pastoral nature. For example, the river is pastoral nature, which is affected by the famine. Sublime nature is constantly working against humans and is laughing at them. When hungry Ananse tries to catch shellfish “thousand inhabitants of the water would nibble at the bait and drag the float to the bottom, only to let it go at the precise moment our fisherman was preparing to set the hook.”[4] Ananse is an anthropomorphized spider who is a representation of a human. The sun and wind also represent the negativity nature has towards humans, and towards pastoral nature. The sun is causing the river [to push back] and because of that people are dying.

Dandie explains the reaction of famine on pastoral nature and on humans. Pastoral nature suffers through the same pain as humans. Dandie builds the relationship between pastoral nature and human as friendly. They both are suffering from heat and they both hope for rain. Blowing wind and the colorlessness of the environment, during the famine is causing death to the grasses, which is pastoral nature. Sublime nature [is distorting] distorts the beauty of humans and of pastoral nature by its angry dusty wind, which blows to the river and to the people. For example, “the tree stripped bare, were pitiful to see. They resemble a woman whose head had been shaved, whose ornaments had been removed.”[5] The nature is dying just as people were dying because of famine. Men made sacrifices so that rain would come. Upon seeing its failure, the river made a plea to God on behalf of man. The River cried to God by pushing itself near the sky in order to save man. Pastoral nature is concerned with human and its own survival. The pastoral nature was as hungry for rain as humans were for food. Pastoral nature lost its grass, trees and earth lost its people. These last three sentences seem to repeat what has already been established.

Humans had close relationship with pastoral and sublime nature because both of these natures affected their life. Humans are dependant and belong to nature. Throughout the story, nature was present; however, when Ananse goes to Eldorade, which was unlike the world he was living in, nature was absent. Eldorado is a city where all men did business and had everything they needed. Even though Ananse is intelligent and had a glorious past similar to the river, which once formed whirlpools before famine, he allowed his curiosity to take the best of him by looking at the mirror. He was sent back to the boat [?] in the river close to nature where he belonged.

In the story, The Black Cloth, nature is beautiful and threatening. Awia has a close relationship with both sublime and pastoral nature. Even her dead mother is portrayed as a part of nature. Awia sings and talks to her and [considers her watching her] believes that her mother watches over her even when she had never seen her mother physically.

The two sides of nature, pastoral and sublime, also occur in the story, The Black Cloth. Awia’s first attempt to wash the black cloth, so it turns white as chalk, occurs when she arrives at the stream. There frogs, sublime nature, attempt to scare Awia by making their voices sound frightening. The frogs did not want Awia to wash the black cloth and even “the stream refuses to dampen”[6] the cloth. The stream is a symbol of Awia’s stepmother, who deprives Awia of her rights just as stream refuses to let Awia to wash the black cloth and the frogs are symbolizing beatings and harsh treatment of Awia by Awia’s stepmother.

The second attempt of washing the black cloth by Awia, nature rejects Awia again and makes it more difficult for her to wash the cloth. Dadie, presents a scary portrayal of the surroundings of water. The yellow water resides in hollow of trunk of the tree and upon seeing Awia the ants surround the water so they can guard the water and not let Awia wash her cloth. In the second attempt, again the sublime nature works against Awia. This sublime nature is a symbol of stepmother’s disapproval of Awia. In her third attempt to wash the cloth once again the sublime nature does not allow her to do it. However, this time Awia tells chimpanzees her story and at first chimpanzees try to frighten Awia but later they allow Awia to wash the cloth in water. Chimpanzees are symbols of stepmother’s beatings. When Awia’s stepmother could not think of any more ways of hurting Awia, she sent her away to wash the black cloth; however, she is like the spring water who still does not allow Awia of her rights just as the water of spring refuses to let Awia to dampen her cloth.

Awia, towards the end of her on journey of washing the black cloth walks into a strange place, it was which is like a different world and where no humans lived there. This strange place is a symbol of the land of the dead. Unlike the other places, nature here is pastoral to Awia. Pastoral nature communicated with itself and trees and birds spoke to each other. This time the water of the spring wets Awia’s cloth. Here for the first time nature allows Awia to wash her cloth and her mother appears who also is a part of pastoral nature. Her mother and nature are working closely, and she gives Awia a white cloth. This shows that ancestors are close to pastoral nature and bad people are similar to sublime nature.

The relationship between nature and humans in Dadie’s stories are very close. Sublime nature is threatening to not just humans but as well to postural nature. In the story of The Black Cloth, the sublime nature is a symbol of stepmother and the pastoral nature is a symbol of Awia’s mother. People’s relationships are reflected in nature.

This essay needed to be thought through a little more, and maybe the first result could have been that these categories of sublime and pastoral be eliminated, since they seem to be used incorrectly, and do very little to advance the ideas with which you are working. It would be more simple and useful simple to phrase your essay in terms of the oppositional forces within nature, noting that conflicts within nature have a great impact on man. It is a simple idea, though, even when clearly expressed, and may not be sufficient to carry the entire essay.

The extension of the essay may be how this conflict in nature compels the more human characters to make choices to insure their survival, (in the case of “The Mirror of Dearth,”) or reflects both on human disposition and some aspects of the supernatural (in the case of “The Black Cloth.”) The specific thesis of the essay would be up to you, however—for this essay I feel that your terms are less than helpful in increasing the reader’s understanding, and that there is an incomplete idea at work in the essay.

Grade would be in the C range. Probably a 73.

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[1] 2608, The Mirror of Death.

[2] 2609, The Mirror of Death.

[3] 2614, The Black Cloth.

[4] 2608, The Mirror of Death.

[5] 2609, The Mirror of Death.

[6] 2614, The Black Cloth.

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