Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Greek Mythology and Athena Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Athena Essay On the top of Mt. Olympus lived one of the greatest g o d d e s s e s , A t h e n a . A t h e n a w a s k n o w n a s a g o d d e s s o f w a r, w i s d o m a n d a r t s . S h e i s p o r t r a y e d a s s t r o n g , f a i r a n d m e r c i f u l . S h e h e l p e d m a n y w a r r i o r s o n t h e i r j o u r n e y s . S h e w a s g r e a t l y a d m i r e d b y h u m a n s f o r h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o m a n . A t h e n a w a s a l s o v e r y i n t e l l i g e n t a n d t h o u g h t f u l ; s h e r a r e l y l o s t h e r t e m p e r  a n d p u s h e d f o r a s o l u t i o n t h a t w a s b e n e f i c i a l . A s y o u r e a d o n y o u w i l l f i n d t h a t A t h e n a w a s a g r e a t a s s e t t o t h e O l y m p i a n s a n d h a d f a r m o r e p o s i t i v e a t t r i b u t e s t h a n o t h e r g o d d e s s e s . The birth of Athena was more than an unusual one. Her m o t h e r w a s M e t i s a n d h e r f a t h e r Z e u s . Z e u s r e i g n e d o v e r a l l t h e gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus. It is no wonder that a god this powerful and dominant would need no woman to bear his  o f f s p r i n g . Z e u s w a s t o l d b y h i s m o t h e r a n d F a t h e r t h a t M e t i s w o u l d b a r e c h i l d r e n . Z e u s w a s n o t h a p p y a b o u t t h i s ; h e f e l t i t w o u l d j e o p a r d i z e h i s p o s i t i o n a s r u l e r. W h e n M e t i s w a s a b o u t t o g i v e b i r t h , Z e u s s w a l l o w e d h e r a n d i n t h e p r o c e s s g a i n e d h e r i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d w i s d o m . A t t h e t i m e Z e u s t h o u g h t i t w a s a g o o d i d e a b u t i t w a s n o w c a u s i n g h i m p a i n . H i s h e a d a c h e b e c a m e s o s e v e r e t h a t h e w o u l d d o a n y t h i n g t o r e l i e v e i t . H e gave permission for another god to hit him in the head with an axe. When he did this, out popped Athena full grown and w e a r i n g a s u i t o f a r m o r . A t h e n a b e c a m e h e r f a t h e r ’s f a v o r i t e . S h e r e m a i n e d h i s a l l y b u t a l s o h i s p r o t e c t o r. S h e p r o m o t e d h i s i n t e r e s t s a n d s e r v e d a s h i s a d v i s o r. A t h e n a a l s o i n h e r i t e d s o m e  i m p o r t a n t t r a i t s f r o m h e r m o t h e r a s w e l l ; w i s d o m a n d j u s t i c e were two of the big ones. A t h e n a w a s t h e g o d d e s s o f w i s d o m a n d w a r . S h e w a s normally depicted holding a spear, but she was known more for h e r r o l e a s m e d i a t o r a n d d i p l o m a t t h a n f o r a c t u a l l y f i g h t i n g i n b a t t l e . H e r d e c i s i o n s w e r e h i g h l y e t h i c a l a n d s e l d o m m o t i v a t e d b y h e r s e l f i n t e r e s t o r b e l i e f s . M a n y o f t h e G r e e k m y t h s t e l l  tales of her giving help to various gods, goddesses and hero’s a s t h e y w e n t i n t o b a t t l e . A t h e n a h a d g i v e n P e r s e u s h i s m o s t h e l p f u l t o o l t o s l a y M e d u s a , h i s s h i e l d . A n y o n e w h o l o o k e d t h e m o n s t e r d i r e c t l y i n t h e e y e s w o u l d b e t u r n e d t o s t o n e . A f t e r h e b e h e a d e s M e d u s a h e g a v e i t t o A t h e n a t o d e c o r a t e h e r a r m o u r. A l s o o n t h e v o y a g e b a c k f r o m t r o y s h e p r o t e c t e d U l y s s e s . T h e most help she gave though was to Hercules. She stood by his s i d e a n d w a s a g r e a t c o m f o r t t o h i m . A f t e r h i s p a s s i n g s h e w e l c o m e d h i m i n t o t h e g a t e s o f M t . O l y m p u s . A t h e n a c a m e d o w n f r o m M t . O l y m p u s a n d w a l k e d b e t w e e n t h e t w o a r m i e s a n d m a d e b o t h s i d e s s w e a r t o k e e p p e a c e , s h e d i d t h i s t o p r e v e n t t h e T r o j a n Wa r . U n f o r t u n a t e l y o n e o f t h e s o l d i e r s w e n t a g a i n s t h i s o a t h a n d l e t l o o s e h i s a r r o w ; t h i s w a s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e  T r o j a n Wa r . A t h e n a e x p r e s s e d h e r a n g e r t o w a r d t h e s o l d i e r b y helping the other side to victory. In one of her most well known adventures Athena took shape of men, women and children to l e a d w a n d e r i n g O d y s s e u s . T h i s a l l o w e d h i m t o r e t u r n h o m e s a f e l y t o h i s f a m i l y a n d c h i l d r e n . Athena is one of the three virgin goddesses, referred to as a v i r g i n b e c a u s e s h e w a s a b l e t o r e m a i n u n s w a y e d b y A p h r o d i t e . Aphrodite is the goddess of love, marriage and motherhood. M o t h e r l e s s h e r s e l f , A t h e n a u s u a l l y p l a c e d P a t r i a r c h a l principles above motherly bonds. Athena not only gave to the w a r r i o r s b u t t o a l l h u m a n s . H e r r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s w e r e g i v i n g w i s d o m , i n v e n t i o n s , i n s p i r a t i o n s a n d p r o t e c t i n g t h e A t h e n s . O n e o f h e r g r e a t e s t g i f t s w a s h e r k n o w l e d g e o f t a m i n g h o r s e s , s h e taught the people of Cyrene and word soon spread. She also  c r e a t e d t h e p o t t e r y w h e e l a n d m a d e t h e f i r s t v a s e o n i t . S h e w a s a l s o a g r e a t w e a v e r a n d l o v e d t o d e c o r a t e . S h e w a s a g o d d e s s o f m a n y t a l e n t s a n d a n e x p e r t a r t i s a n . N o b o d y e v e r c a m e c l o s e t o s u r p a s s i n g h e r w o r k a l t h o u g h a y o u n g m o r t a l w o m a n n a m e d A r a c h n e ’ s p u t h e r t o t h e t e s t . T h e c h a l l e n g e w a s t o s e e w h o w a s t h e b e t t e r w e a v e r. A r a c h n e ’s t a p e s t r y h a d o f f e n d e d h e r g r e a t l y,  i t d e p i c t e d Z e u s a s a d u l t e r o u s . A t h e n a r i p p e d t h e t a p e s t r y t o s h r e d s a n d A r a c h n e e v e n t u a l l y h u n g h e r s e l f . O n c e A t h e n a h a d cooled off from what had happened, she transformed the woman i n t o a s p i d e r o u t o f p i t y. T h e w o m a n w a s n o w a b l e t o w e a v e b e a u t i f u l s p i d e r w e b s f o r e t e r n i t y. In the past Poseidon and Athena had a fight to take over a c i t y i n G r e e c e . To s e t t l e t h e a r g u m e n t , t h e y e a c h h a d t o g i v e a  g i f t t o t h e c i t y. T h e o n e w i t h t h e b e t t e r g i f t w o u l d b e c o m e l e a d e r o f t h e c i t y. P o s e i d o n g a v e a s p r i n g o f w a t e r t o t h e c i t y, b e c a u s e i t w a s s a l t w a t e r i t w a s o f n o u s e t o t h e p e o p l e . A t h e n a g a v e t h e c i t y a n o l i v e t r e e . F r o m t h i s t r e e t h e y c o u l d e a t , m a k e oil and have wood for fire. By ruling of the city, Athena’s gift w a s b e t t e r t h a n P o s e i d o n s . I n h e r h o n o r t h e y n a m e d t h e c i t y A t h e n s . T h e r e i s a l s o a p a l a c e d e d i c a t e d t o h e r i n A t h e n s . H e r s y m b o l s a r e t h e o w l a n d t h e o l i v e t r e e . T h e o l i v e s , t a m i n g o f t h e h o r s e a n d h e r c r e a t i o n o f t h e p o t t e r y w h e e l w e r e a l l c o n t r i b u t i o n s t h a t w e r e g r e a t l y a d m i r e d . O t h e r w o m e n r a r e l y t o o k t h r e a t t o A t h e n a ; t h e m o s t n o t a b l e e x c e p t i o n t h o u g h w a s h e r c h i l d h o o d f r i e n d P a l l a s . I n o n e o f t h e s t o r i e s P a l l a s a n d  A t h e n a w e r e b o t h t o m b o y s a n d i n s e p a r a b l e , t h e y p r a c t i c e d f i g h t i n g s k i l l s a n d s h a r e d p l a y f u l a d v e n t u r e s . D u r i n g t a r g e t p r a c t i c e , A t h e n a a c c i d e n t a l l y s h o t a n d k i l l e d P a l l a s w i t h a b o w and arrow. So distraught over the loss of her friend, Athena t o o k P a l l a s ’ n a m e a n d a d d e d i t t o h e r s . O f t e n t i m e s s h e w a s r e f e r r e d t o a s P a l l a s A t h e n a , t h i s w a s t o h o n o r h e r f r i e n d . N o t  o n l y d i d A t h e n a ’s d e c i s i o n s d e m o n s t r a t e w i s d o m b u t a l s o c o m p a s s i o n a s w e l l . I n a n o t h e r s t o r y a m a n n a m e d Te i r e s i a s a c c i d e n t a l l y w a l k e d i n o n A t h e n a w h i l e s h e w a s b a t h i n g . T h i s w a s a n a c t t h a t n o r m a l l y w o u l d h a v e b e e n p u n i s h e d b y d e a t h . Athena took pity on him though; she covered his eyes with her hands making the man blind. She gave him the gift of inner s i g h t. A t h e n a n o r m a l l y p u t p a t r i a r c h a l p r i n c i p l e s a b o v e  m a t r i a r c h a l b o n d s . S h e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e p a t r i a r c h y a n d usually supported their side in a dispute. In the first trial of h i s t o r y, A t h e n a c a s t t h e f i n a l v o t e o n a c q u i t t i n g O r e s t e ’ s o f m u r d e r i n g h i s m o t h e r t o a v e n g e h i s f a t h e r ’s d e a t h . S h e w a s p e r s u a d e d b y A p o l l o w h o s a i d a m o t h e r ’s d e a t h w a s o f l e s s i m p o r t a n c e t h a n a f a t h e r. Wo m e n s i m p l y n u r t u r e a s e e d b u t m e n a c t u a l l y p l a n t i t . M e n a r e v i e w e d a s h i g h e r i m p o r t a n c e t o A t h e n a . M o r e t h a n a n y o f t h e o t h e r g o d d e s s e s A t h e n a r e m a i n s a s y m b o l o f k n o w l e d g e , w i s d o m , l o g i c a n d c i v i l i z a t i o n . A t h e n a r e m i n d s u s t h a t w e c a n s u c c e s s f u l l y u s e o u r i n t e l l e c t a n d c r e a t i v i t y t o r e a c h a n y g o a l s . WORKS CITED: 1. ) http://www. theoi. com/Olympios/AthenaMyths. html 2. ) http://ancienthistory. about. com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/p/Athena. htm 3. ) http://gogreece. about. com/cs/mythology/a/mythathena. htm.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Irony in Everyday Life :: Irony Essays

In general, a discrepancy between appearances and reality is irony. Irony is encountered thoughout our daily activies and comes in many forms; verbal, situational, and cosmic. Verbal irony is the most familiar kind, this occurs when we understand that the speaker's meaning is far from the usual meaning. For example, Sally rushes all morning to get to the parking lot early, only to find her space taken, she then exclaims,"This is exacly why I rushed, just so I can hunt for a empty space." We understand that she is not happy, and that her meaning is not literal. A form of verbal irony is sarcasm, this is when the statement made is ironic, but it is bitter, coarse, and vulgar. An example of this is, a Beth says to Sally (who is covered in mud), "Oh Sally, you look so nice today!" The comment from Beth is made out of spite, simply to be rude and unkind. Sally understands that Beth's real meaning is not what was said. The second form of irony is situational, this form is often confused with cosmic, the difference between the two is minimal. Situational irony is contradiction between what is expected to happen and happens. In cosmic irony the contradiction takes place, but a supernatural force is said to smoking campain, smokes. It would not be ironic for Kim to smoke, however the circumstances make the situation ironic. However; Anne, the head of MADD, on her way to a meeting with the organization, is struck by a drunk driver and dies, not knowing that the drunk driver,who survives without a scratch, was her son. This is an example of both situational and cosmic irony. The situation is ironic but, a supernatural force seems to have created the situation. An example of the third form of irony, cosmic, is found in the story "The Necklace," in which a wife loses a diamond necklace that was lended to her, she and her husband work ten years to pay back the money they lended to buy a new necklace, only to discover the original necklace was fake.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Contribute to Children and Young People’s Health and Safety

MU 2. 4: Contribute to children and young people’s health and safety 1. 3- Explain what risk assessment is and how this is managed in the work setting. A risk assessment is a health and safety procedure, which requires a member of staff or line manager to carry out an examination; on what could cause danger and create harm to anyone within the work environment. During my time at One World nursery, a staff member would carry out a risk assessment every day; within their located room also there would be someone who will carry out a risk assessment outside in the garden. . 1- Explain why a safe but challenging environment is important for children and young people. It is very essential that children and young people are provided with safe but challenging environment reason to this; is so that they enhance their life skills and create a positive impact on all aspects of development. For instance, having a safe but challenging environment could increase a child’s or young pe rson’s self-esteem and allow them to have a deeper perspective view in life decisions.Finally, it is vital to have â€Å"safe† environment in order to prevent any accidents and so that their parents and guardians, are at peace of mind. 2. 2- Identify the differences between risk and hazard. A risk is 50 50 chance, of something to cause an accident or create danger. Whereas, a hazard is something that can actually cause an accident e. g. a spilt water on the ground within a nursery- in a toddler room. 6. 1- Outline procedures for infection control in own work setting. Similar article: Infection Control in Own Work SettingStaff should report personal illness and exclude themselves from work if suffering with something infectious (not an excuse to ill inform the setting and take time off as in correctly informing the setting could result in the setting incorrectly informing the parents/carers and Environmental Health where necessary. Paper towels are to be used when drying and dispensers are to be fitted beyond splash contamination hands if dispenser becomes empty please re fill instead of using a towel. Nail brushes should not normally be used as they can be a reservoir for bacterial multiplication. Staff should wash their hands:- Before they serve foodAfter smoking if they do before entering premises or during lunch break although this is not permitted on premises. After changing a child’s nappy After they have been to the toilet After outdoor activities e. g. playing in the sandpit Before giving medication to a child or staff 6. 2- Describ e personal protective clothing that is used to prevent spread of infection. Personal protective clothing that is commonly used to prevent spread of infection is; gloves which help to prevent skin contamination from their hands, an apron- to avoid any fluids or other substances reaching personal clothing.SCH 21: Introduction to communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings. 3. 4-Idenitfy sources of information and support or services to enable more effective communication. Sources of information to enable more effective communication could be from: The internet The Library Books Workshops Services that enable more effective communication: Advocacy services Speech and language services Interpreting services Translation services 4. 1- Explain the term â€Å"confidentiality†. The term confidentiality, means to keep something a secret e. . to not share information with unnecessary people regarding a child within a setting. 4. 3- Descr ibe situations where information normally considered to be confidential might need to be passed on. Sometimes information which may be seen as confidential may have to passed on, due to various reasons. For instance, if a child within a nursery setting decides to confide in the keyworker that, they have been abused at home by their parents. The keyworker must take this matter serious and pass this vital information on to the manager, in-order to precede investigation.Another case could be that a child within a secondary school may be finding it difficult to understand the work, due to learning difficulties therefore they may tell their teacher about this matter in private, however in order to attend this child’s needs and allow them to develop, they must inform another member of staff to provide additional support for this particular child. 4. 4- Explain how and when to seek advice about confidentiality. Ways on how and when to seek advice about confidentiality, going to your line manger first or even going to Human Resources department e. . if a child or young person has confided in you that they are being sexually harassed but they don’t want anyone to know. TDA 2. 9- Support children and young people’s positive behaviour. 1. 2-Describe with examples the importance of all staff consistently and fairly applying boundaries and rules for children and young people’s behaviour in accordance with policies and procedures of setting. It very important for of all staff consistently and fairly applying boundaries and rules for children and young people’s behaviour in accordance with policies and procedures of setting.Reason being is so that, children and young people are able to follow and listen to a good set of rules. For example, if one staff member did not fairly apply the rule towards the children and perhaps young people, this could then create confusion upon the children and young people. Another example could be if a staff me mber was not consistent with the set rules e. g. no running in the building – this could be a risk causing the children or young people’s life to be at risk, in-case they fall while running and severely injure themselves. CCLD MU 2. -Contribute to the support of child and young person development. 1. 2-Idenitfy different observation methods and know why they are used. There are various of observations methods, which practitioners tend to use: Narrative reports- consist of simply watching an individual child or group of children and writing down in note-form what has been seen. This form of child observation typically lasts for a short period of time and requires the observer to try to remain as unnoticed as possible as any interaction with those being observed is likely to have an impact upon the child's behaviour.Time sampling-is a useful way on how to gather information based on a child or young person over a long period of time. Event sampling- is a useful way to no tice if a child or young person has a behaviour problem that needs help or referral to another professional. Charts and Pictograms- show how many children have reached particular milestones, but give little information about individual development e. g. through graphs, bar charts, pie charts, histograms. 3. 1- Describe the different transitions children and young people may experience. There are many different types of transitions children and young people go through.For instance, a baby weaning onto solid foods, a child starting nursery for the very first time this big transition and requires their located keyworker to work closely by them. Another transition- a child moving on to secondary school, this is another big step as they are moving on to higher education, which they may find difficult. MU 2. 9- Understand partnership working in services for children and young people. 2. 4- Describe why it is important to record information clearly, accurately, legibly and concisely meetin g legal requirements.First of all, it is important to record information clearly so that other staff members can read and understand what you have written down e. g. when staff members are writing down information based on their key child, they should make sure that is it always clear and accurate, in case if they are absent it will be easy for fellow staff members to read the information regarding the child. If it is a legal document, practitioners must insist that they follow the legal requirements, in order to process the document.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Polygyny in Africa Essay - 4270 Words

Polygyny in Africa Whereas numerous African creation myths are supportive of cultural practices such as circumcision, there are very few, if any, creation myths that justify polygyny. There are many proverbs about polygamy. However, proverbs do not have the same weight as myths in explaining why certain things should be the way they are. African creation myths suggest that monogyny was the original practice not only among creator-gods, but also among the original humans. The pursuit of immortality through procreation is noble. Nevertheless, its achievement through polygyny discriminate against women. So, polygyny is a sexist cultural practice that has no genuine religious basis. It is a post-original sin as well as a culturally and†¦show more content†¦Of course, there are many proverbs about polygamy and co-wives. But proverbs do not have the same weight as myths. Indeed, the former are humans’ sayings, whereas the latter are sacred literatures, so to speak. Numerous African creation m yths develop the idea that monogyny was the original practice among creator-gods and among the first human couples. After reading numerous creation myths, I have identified five of them which substantiate this claim. These myths are representative of five geographic areas of sub-Saharan Africa, that is, the northern, southern, eastern, western, and central Africa. With the exception for The Plant of life, a Nyamwezi story, Tanzania, in which Shida Matunda created all things as well as two women whom he took as wives, virtually all married divinities were monogamists. Furthermore, in my research I came across only one instance in which a God gave the original man, Moon, more than a wife, Morningstar and Eveningstar; but Moon was given the second wife only after God had called the first one to go and live in the sky. Consequently, I contend that African religions are not the authentic foundation of polygyny, or the practice of having more than one wife or female mate at one time. What is more, the pursuit of personal immortality through procreation could possibly be aShow MoreRelatedAnt101 Final Research Paper1307 Words   |  6 Pagesperspective, and furthermore, I will examine another culture from an emic perspective on their traditional practices. Not only will I examine gender roles and equality in the United States workforce from an etic perspective, but also polygyny in Sub-Saharan Africa from an emic perspective. Throughout American history the number of women in the United States workforce has been increasing even though American society has always claimed men to be the breadwinners and heads of the house. AccordingRead MoreCultural Culture Courtship And Marriage1268 Words   |  6 Pagestaking an inside look at another. Over the course of this paper, I will explain my American Culture courtship and marriage traditions through the etic eye to show the perspective to an outsider, and I will examine an aspect of the Sub-Saharan African polygyny marriage from an emic perspective to become familiar with this lifestyle. In this section, I will examine the American culture in courtship and marriage from an etic perspective. As Crapo(2013) describes etic as â€Å"etic models invariablyRead MoreAfrican Women and Poligamy708 Words   |  3 Pagesnatural to all people. People believe the way they are raised and are currently living is the best, most correct way to live. People need to learn to look at the situation from another person’s or cultural perspective. This is true for polygamy in Africa. Most Americans hear about polygamy and think it as a way to repress women. Most people do not think about how it is part of their culture and it was created for a reason other than to just repress women. Africans openly practices polygamy. Read MoreThe Social Arrangement That Permits Have More Than One Wife At The Same Time Essay1596 Words   |  7 PagesPolygyny, the social arrangement that permits a man to have more than one wife at the same time, exists in all parts of the world. Although looked down upon by societies views mainly in developed countries, among the 849 human societies, 75 percent practice polygyny. Seeing this, although common in developed countries, it poses a question for the origin of monogamy. Is monogamy really the prevalent practice or simply a moral ideology? Ancient Hebrews, Mormons in the United States and Chinese traditionalistsRead MorePolygamy in Igbo Culture3299 Words   |  14 PagesIGBO CULTURE In the whole world, there are five continents. Africa is the world’s second largest continent, with 80 percent of its area in the tropics. Africa is usually portrayed as a dark continent historically and physically isolated from the rest of the world but it is not. Nigeria is one of the most important country in Africa. It is located in western Africa, bordering the gulf of Guinea between Benin and Cameroon. PeopleRead MorePolygamy : A Common Type Of Marriage1468 Words   |  6 Pagespeople from different cultures and different religious beliefs and backgrounds. Centuries back, the most common type of polygamy was polygyny. No one really knows how or where polygamy originates from but there are ideas. Polygamy is more common in places that were once part of a colony. An example of such a place is Africa. Polygamy is very common in parts of Africa that were once colonized, take for example Nigeria. A reason why polygamy exists in such places is because during the period of colonizationRead MoreCulture And Beliefs From An Etic View And The Sub Saharan Beliefs On Marriage1570 Words   |  7 Pagesperspective men are encouraged to be polygamist in sub-Saharan Africa. Marriage is not just a vice for reproduction. Marriage has many factors to consider in the sub-Saharan culture. (Grey, 2008 pg. 1). With these different factors to consider one must consider polygyny (Simultaneously being married to more than one woman), as an option. Marriage is a political, economic, and social union between people. Therefore, one can prosper more through polygyny. (Grey, 2008 pg. 5). One must obtain multiple wives soRead MoreThe Importance Of A Family On Cultural Diversity1515 Words   |  7 Pageshow this has will be stated. Secondly the situational div ersity and what could cause family form to change. With many aspiring for a nuclear family I will examine if certain conditions such as ethnicity, income effect this, as well the ‘taboo’ of polygyny families and when it’s seen as acceptable in cultures. Lastly the essay will briefly look at individualization and why individual preferences have caused a decrease in the nuclear family. The nuclear family is often known as the traditional familyRead MoreTriple Heritage and Africas Bright Future Essay1736 Words   |  7 Pages Dr. Kwasi Konadu’s course â€Å"Intro to Contemporary Africa† covers a wide range of topics relating to the continent of Africa. Throughout the course, students become aware of how the continent of Africa has arrived at this present time in history. From the beginning chapters about geography and historical context all the way to the final chapter on the trends and prospects for Africa, there are a few conclusions that students can soundly arrive at. As far back as scholars have researched, aRead MoreScarlet Song By Mariama Ba1308 Words   |  6 Pages In her book Scarlet Song, Mariama Ba characterizes the way of life and beliefs in Africa in the 1960’s. The first of the four principles ways that Mariama Ba characterizes this is the cross-culture marriage. She depicts the hardships of two people from different cult ures that want to be married. The troubles that they have when they announce to their families their intensions. Second, the Senegalese Muslim society. Mariama Ba characterizes the Muslim beliefs, and how it defines the lives of Ousmane