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Language, Words, and Trickery
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Morning Quotes
Lakunle: You could wear something.
Most modest women do. But you, no.
You must run around naked in the streets.
Does it not worry you... the bad names,
The lewd jokes, the tongue-licking noises
Which girls, uncovered like you,
Draw after them?
Sidi: ...Is it Sidi who makes the men choke
In their cups, or you, with your big loud words
And no meaning?
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Explanation and Analysis:
Lakunle is chastising Sidi for wearing traditional Yoruba clothing, which exposes her shoulders and is therefore immodest in Lakunle's eyes. This illustrates that Lakunle, though presumably a native of Ilujinle, has a very different idea of what is appropriate than the rest of the village does. He wants Sidi to dress a certain way—a way that is not how the rest of the village dresses. Notably, this passage shows that Lakunle’s association with modern norms does not necessarily mean that he believes that women should have more options available to them. Here, Lakunle’s ideal is more restrictive to women than Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. M
For that, what is a jewel to pigs?
If now I am misunderstood by you
And your race of savages, I rise above taunts
And remain unruffled.
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Lakunle responds to Sidi's assertion that the village views Lakunle as a madman because of his education and his love of progress and modernity. Here, he deems his education the "jewel." This shows how much he values a modern, British, Western conception of education and learning. In contrast, the villagers are the "pigs" who, in Lakunle's eyes, simply don't understand why education is so important. It’s significant that he uses the word “jewel” to describe his education, since Sidi is the “jewel of Ilujinle.” That Lakunle repurposes her epithet to glorify himself hints at the fact that he sees Sidi Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt.
Well go there. Go to these places where
Women would understand you
If you told them of your plans with which
You oppress me daily.
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Lakunle has just described the wonders of the modern city of Lagos, where modernity and Western ideals are widely accepted. In her reply, Sidi indicates that she feels oppressed by Lakunle's insistence on modern ways of life. This is important, since throughout the play Lakunle characterizes modernity as something that would offer Sidi freedom, while demonizing traditional customs and calling them barbaric. Sidi's language, as well as the outcome of the play, however, show that Lakunle's idea of modernity is indeed oppressive when it's forced upon a person or a village, while tradition can bring types of freedom that Lakunle Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea s
Wasted! Wasted! Sidi, my heart
Bursts into flowers with my love.
But you, you and the dead of this village
Trample it with feet of ignorance.
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Lakunle attempts to convince Sidi to marry him by promising to "open her mind" and using flowery and poetic language. Sidi deems Lakunle's use of language nonsense, which illustrates the unfortunate fact that Lakunle is very out of touch with the village and the village's beliefs and customs. Lakunle's language is therefore ineffective in wooing Sidi, a traditional village girl. Further, he isn't just ineffective; he insults Sidi and the rest of the village by referring to them as "the dead" and calling them out on their "ignorance." All of this begins to develop Lakunle's character as someone who cares Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque
A savage custom, barbaric, out-dated,
Rejected, denounced, accursed,
Excommunicated, archaic, degrading,
Humiliating, unspeakable, redundant.
Retrogressive, remarkable, unpalatable.
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Sidi reminds Lakunle that she'd be happy to marry him if he pays the bride price as is required by local custom, and Lakunle immediately and loudly launches into this string of words to describe the custom. His choice of words makes it obvious to any English speaker that Lakunle himself doesn't have a full grasp of the English language—"excommunicated" makes absolutely no sense in this context, and "remarkable" makes it seem as though he has some respect for the custom, which is the opposite of what he’s trying to convey. Lakunle's use of language again makes him look foolish. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possim
Ignorant girl, can you not understand?
To pay the price would be
To buy a heifer off the market stall.
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Lakunle continues to speak negatively about the tradition of paying a bride price. What he says here is ironic in the context of other things he has said about the kind of marriage he wants and the kind of wife he wants Sidi to be. While he doesn't want Sidi to work for him in the same way that tradition would ask of her, what he wants would put Sidi in a similar position. Though Sidi wouldn't have to perform as much manual labor, what Lakunle wants is a wife to show off and perform the part of the perfect Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio
It's never any use.
Bush-girl you are, bush-girl you'll always be.
Uncivilized and primitive—bush-girl!
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Sidi refuses to marry Lakunle without a bride price and she is offended when Lakunle kisses her. Lakunle sees kissing as a proper Western custom, while Sidi sees it as rude and unclean. This sets up several conflicts. First, it pits Lakunle, who represents progress and the Western world, against the traditional customs of the village. Then, Lakunle's language shows how ineffectively he communicates with the object of his affection. Though he'd previously raised Sidi up above the other villagers by insisting that she understands him, with this he insults both Sidi and the rest of the village. This makes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam con
You are dressed like him
You look like him
You speak his tongue
You think like him
You're just as clumsy
In your Lagos ways—
You'll do for him!
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Sidi and other villagers surround Lakunle and chant this at him to try to convince him to act the part of the stranger in the dance of the lost traveler. With their chant, the villagers turn Lakunle fully into an outsider. It's obvious that, though he exists among the villagers, they see him as a foreigner and not one of them. This begins to create the sense that modernity (as represented by Lakunle) and tradition (as represented by Baroka and the village) are in direct opposition to each other. Furthermore, the estrangement between Lakunle and the village in this passage Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus temp
Noon Quotes
My name is Sidi, and I am beautiful.
The stranger took my beauty
And placed it in my hands.
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Sadiku has just asked Sidi if she'd agree to marry Baroka, and Lakunle angrily responded by referring to Sidi by Biblical names. In her reply, Sidi insists that Lakunle use her real name, which shows that the photograph has given her a sense of autonomy and the power to assert her personhood. Sidi places her beauty, as revealed to her by the stranger, above both Western ideals (the Bible) and traditional images of power (Baroka). While this is definitely an empowering moment for Sidi, it's important to note that Sidi has this reaction to the magazine and the photographs because Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delect
Baroka merely seeks to raise his manhood
Above my beauty
He seeks new fame
As the one man who has possessed
The jewel of Ilujinle!
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Sidi tells Sadiku and Lakunle that Baroka only wants to marry her because her worth has appreciated with the photos taken by the stranger. Though Sidi is entirely correct that Baroka wants to possess and control her, and the photographs likely played a role in this decision, what's most telling about Sidi's words here is how she conceptualizes herself. Though the photographs allow Sidi to act as an independent person in charge of her life (something that the play would likely characterize as a masculine practice), she also talks about herself like she's an object. By referring to herself as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Volup
They are lies, lies. You must not believe everything you hear. Sidi, would I deceive you? I swear to you...
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Sidi laughs and refuses Baroka's request (through Sadiku) that she join him for dinner, saying that all women who dine with him become wives or concubines the next day. Sadiku's response suggests her loyalty to Baroka, since she is defending his reputation and doing his bidding. Her loyalty is entirely understandable; his position as the Bale of Ilujinle is what gives Sadiku her power in the first place. This moment, however, foreshadows two tricks. First, when Sadiku asks Sidi if she would deceive her, Sadiku seems to rhetorically suggest that she is an honest person, but she quickly turns to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit
Voluptuous beast! He loves this life too well
To bear to part from it. And motor roads
And railways would do just that, forcing
Civilization at his door.
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Lakunle described how Baroka paid off a surveyor to reroute a railroad away from Ilujinle. When Lakunle speaks about Baroka, he turns Baroka into a caricature of the greedy African chief, intent on keeping his traditional way of life and securing his wives by rejecting modernity outright. Lakunle, in other words, is suggesting that Baroka is denying the villagers something essential in order to secure his own personal gain. This passage doesn’t reveal much about Baroka, though—when Lakunle speaks like this he only gives the sense that he himself is someone who is so caught up in pushing modernity that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciun
Night Quotes
Like the foolish top you think the world revolves around you... fools! fools! it is you who run giddy while we stand still and watch, and draw your frail thread from you, slowly, till nothing is left but a runty old stick.
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Sadiku dances around a statue of Baroka as she privately celebrates that Baroka's manhood is gone and women, consequently, have won. This suggests that, while men might have the majority of the power, men's power is directly related to their ability to perform sexually and father children. This is something that diminishes with age in most cases, which adds an element of tenuousness to the idea of male power and gives an opening for women to gain power even within traditional structures. While Sadiku's monologue attempts to profess the rise of female power in the traditional patriarchal society, the staging Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde eni
For though you're nearly seventy,
Your mind is simple and unformed.
Have you no shame that at your age,
You neither read nor write nor think?
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Lakunle berates Sadiku for doing nothing with her life besides being Baroka's wife and chief matchmaker. Once again, Lakunle either refuses to see or is genuinely unable to understand that Sadiku enjoys a great deal of power in her position as head wife. She likely wouldn't possess that much power in the modern system that Lakunle advocates, mostly because the polygamous system enables her to act as a matchmaker and control whom Baroka weds, while a monogamous system would deny her that ability. Lakunle also continues to place a great deal of importance on Western modes of learning and education. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum
Ah, I forget. This is the price I pay
Once every week, for being progressive.
Prompted by the school teacher, my servants
Were prevailed upon to form something they call
The Palace Workers' Union. And in keeping
With the habits—I am told—of modern towns,
This is their day off.
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Sidi enters Baroka's house unannounced because it's the servants' day off. Though Lakunle has consistently described Baroka as being in direct opposition to modernity and progress, in this passage Baroka doesn't seem angry at having to comply with his servants' demands to unionize and have days off. Instead, he seems merely resigned, though possibly annoyed. However, the fact that Baroka isn't angry or upset that he's being forced to accept this facet of modernity indicates that Baroka isn't the enemy of modernity. This moment begins to develop the plausibility of Baroka's belief that modernity isn’t always a bad thing. Instead Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. O
Did she not, perhaps... invent some tale?
For I know Sadiku loves to be
All-knowing.
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Baroka insists that Sidi has been talking to Sadiku, but Sidi denies this accusation. The audience sees here that Baroka is fully aware that Sadiku gets her power from the way she uses language to manipulate people. He knows that she's notorious for inventing stories, which hints at the fact that Sadiku’s story might not actually correlate with her increased power and that Sidi’s trick (which was inspired by Sadiku’s story) might not work as she intends. In this passage, Baroka proves himself to be as sly as his reputation suggests. Though he is calling Sadiku out on her tricks, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus t
To think that once I thought,
Sidi is the eye's delight, but
She is vain, and her head
Is feather-light, and always giddy
With a trivial thought. And now
I find her deep and wise beyond her years.
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Baroka has asked Sidi if she's behaving as a good village girl should, and Sidi assures him that she is. With his reply, Baroka tries to flatter Sidi. It's obvious that Sidi is exceptionally vain, and her vanity blinds her to some of the nuance of what's going on around her. However, by calling Sidi deep and wise, Baroka compliments Sidi and also throws her off balance, since she never expected to have this particular conversation with Baroka or to be complimented on any aspect of herself besides her looks. On another level, Baroka implies that Sidi's depth comes from Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessit
I do not hate progress, only its nature
Which makes all roofs and faces look the same.
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Baroka tells Sidi of his plans to create a postal system for the village with stamps featuring Sidi's photograph on them. This refutes Lakunle's insistence that Baroka is directly against modernity, and suggests that he only hates progress when it happens simply for the sake of progress. Baroka suggests here that modernity is a good thing when it directly benefits him or the village, though that doesn't stop him from lamenting the fact that modernity inevitably entails things progressively becoming more the same. This shows, too, that Baroka takes great pride in the day-to-day activities and customs of the village. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum volupta
The old must flow into the new, Sidi,
Not blind itself or stand foolishly
Apart. A girl like you must inherit
Miracles which age alone reveals.
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Baroka explains to Sidi that he and Lakunle have a lot to learn from each other, and that progress and modernity must coexist in order for society to experience success. With this, Baroka shows that he's not the backwards, selfish man that Lakunle thought he was. Baroka is actually interested in helping his people and embracing modernity where he sees an actual benefit to doing so. He also makes an underhanded jab at Lakunle with this, as Lakunle certainly both blinds himself to the positive aspects of tradition and stands apart from it. Finally, this is also dripping with sexual Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati
Dear Sidi, we shall forget the past.
This great misfortune touches not
The treasury of my love.
But you will agree, it is only fair
That we forget the bride-price totally
Since you no longer can be called a maid.
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Sidi has just revealed to Sadiku and Lakunle that Baroka raped her and she's no longer a virgin. Lakunle makes it very clear that he doesn't value Sidi for any of the reasons she values herself. For him, the fact that she's no longer a virgin simply makes his goals easier to accomplish, as that gets rid of the need for either the bride price or convincing Sidi to marry him without one. It shows that he views the fight for Sidi's hand in marriage as a purely logistical one. This also shows how self-centered Lakunle is. It never even Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut ali
A present from Sidi.
I tried to tear it up
But my fingers were too frail.
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When Sidi returns to the village square after preparing herself for her wedding, she offers Lakunle a copy of the magazine as a gift. Sidi indicates that she wasn't physically strong enough to destroy the magazine and the photographs of herself in it. The fact that Sidi couldn't tear it up is a metaphor for the fact that Sidi ended up being unable to control her image—in fact, others were able to use it to control her. Even though the photographs made Sidi feel beautiful and powerful when she first saw them, they ultimately took her power away by opening Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitat
No matches.
