Reading Journal: Sundiata Epic of Old Mali
What was interesting to me in Sundiata Epic of Old Mali was the role of opposite attraction. When the King was looking for a wife, he was told to choose the ugliest and the outcast out of all the women. For example, “you will find a very ugly maid uglier than you can imagine sitting apart…It is her you must choose” (The Buffalo Woman, Page 8). The reason for this was because they believed that opposite attraction can create powerful offsprings for the future. In other words, the powerful offsprings they create can eventually take the King’s place when he cannot anymore and become King. This was interesting to me because I would expect the King to want the best looking wife to be with him and have children with, but in this case they believed opposite attraction dominates in creating greatness.
Another aspect that I noticed in Sundiata Epic of Old Mali was the role of destiny throughout the story. Sundiata gets called to action by the impact of Destiny, because his mother Sogolon drove him to exile and this was because of the purpose of destiny. For instance, “you will return to reign when you are a man, for it is an Mali that your destiny must be fulfilled” (Exile, Page 19). In addition, family and history also play a role in this because for family his mother was the one who drove him to exile, and for history because this roots back to his father being King. However, this all cumulates from the idea of destiny and their belief of this element. In other words, without the belief of destiny, there won’t be the belief that someone specific should be King. Also, everything always goes back to destiny and its purpose. Destiny was necessary in order for this hero narrative to be complete because according to the characters in the story, destiny is what leads an individual to become King. The characters believe that destiny has the power to create something, if its meant to be…
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