Death and the kings horsmen : giving up the battle
Death and the King's Horseman: Giving up the BattleFrom the Western perspective, it is hard to understand ritual suicide as anything positive or helpful to the living. There almost seems to be no Western equivalent to the "duty" of Elesin in Death and the King's Horseman. However, Wole Soyinka gives us a comparable situation in Jane's description of a captain blowing up a ship to save the people on the shore. It's a moment of hypocrisy on Britain's part, both trying to prevent Elesin's suicide and lauding a Western suicide which purports to do the exact same thing - save the living from destruction. It's also clear that Olunde sees this ridiculous parallel, but he does not make Jane see the connection. Instead, he lets the matter drop, which, in the Western perspective is puzzling. We want everyone to see the truth and explain it, and think worse of Olunde because of his inability to show Jane what's really going on. But it is really his own unique viewpoint and actions that show that what he does is much smarter than our want of brute force.Olunde's intelligence stems from thinking before acting. Yes, Jane gives perfect ammunition to explain
If he fights openly for the rites of the Yoruba that seem abhorrent to the English, he will lose this position in their eyes. Olunde's education and background combined give him a unique vantagepoint on action, and he sees that he can best help his people by waiting and evaluating the situation. And this would involve recognizing her husband's ignorance and the harm of his action on the Yoruba. Secondly, and perhaps the most obvious of reasons, her knowing the reality as starkly and consciously as he would put it wouldn't cause any good in the grand scheme of things. First of all, while Jane seems intelligent and ready to accept what he says more than any other Brit in the play, it is also true that Westerners like to discover the truth and "reality" themselves. Changing people's opinions in discussion might be a Western virtue, but opening one's trap is not always the best strategic option. So, even if he spoke and pointed out smartly the connection, it wouldn't be as credible to her. Furthermore, it would probably cause her great discomfort. The truth will be much stronger and more immediately convincing for her if she discovers it herself. Although he does seem fairly certain that Elesin will die instead of going with Pilkings, it is still a beneficial circumstance for Olunde, and he's smart enough not to sacrifice that for a small amount of pride or to try and convince someone who has no power to do anything. There are three essential reasons why Olunde avoids pointing out the obvious to Jane. So there is no direct necessity or benefit by his telling Jane. While it might seem at first that the Yoruba are giving up the battle, they are really keeping their high ground without stooping to fight with the English. And it is indeed this situation which allows him to kill himself to save the destruction to his people. Yes, he would right, and would win the argument, as it were, but nothing will change.
Common topics in this essay:
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Yes Jane,
It's Olunde,
Wole Soyinka,
Battle Western,
giving battle,
death king's horseman,
King's Horseman,
death king's,
Death King's,
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king's horseman,
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Acceptance Essays
