"He brought out a sharp razor from the goatskin bag slung from his left shoulder and began to mutilate the child. Then be took it away to bury in the evil forest, holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him" (Achebe 78).
The native people of Africa have many superstitions, such as ogbanje and egwugwu. These traditions may seem strange to outsiders, and will no doubt horrify the the Europeans. But we have to ask, is there a right answer? Is it OK to let a witch doctor refuse your dead son a funeral because he is supposedly an ogbanje, mutilate his body, and drag him out to the forest to bury him? I don't know what comes first, but am inclined to believe that there is no correct answer. Societies should be left to discover their own answers about morality and what is right versus wrong. However, I doubt these people will receive the courtesy from their imperialistic assailants.
Please properly cite your textual evidence. I.E.: "________________________________" (Achebe PG#).
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Please properly cite your textual evidence. I.E.: "________________________________" (Achebe PG#).
ReplyDelete{* The period goes AFTER the parenthesis. }