Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by
Chinua Achebe. In this excerpt, Nnaemeka is the first to
speak, and Okeke speaks after him.
"I can't-we must-I mean it is impossible for me to
marry Nweke's daughter."
"Impossible? Why?" asked his father.
"I don't love her."
"Nobody said you did. Why should you?" he asked.
"Marriage today is different..."
"Look here, my son," interrupted his father, "nothing is
different. What one looks for in a wife are a good
character and a Christian background."
Nnaemeka saw there was no hope along the present line
of argument.
How could the characters' differing views of arranged
marriage be analyzed from a historical perspective and
from a feminist perspective?
OA historical perspective would focus on arranged
marriage being part of the culture at the time the story
is set. A feminist perspective would focus on how
arranged marriages took choice away from women.
OA feminist perspective would focus on arranged
marriage being part of the culture at the time the
author wrote. A historical perspective would focus on
how arranged marriages took choice away from
women.
OA historical perspective would focus on how the story
would be different if it were written by an author of a
different gender. A feminist perspective would focus
on how the characters interact.
OA feminist perspective would focus on the biography