Two sisters, two perspectives. Mercy and Connie. Two Sisters written by Ama Ata Aidoo in 1940s Africa questions is it right to use manipulation for the sole reason of benefiting yourself? Powerful and successful men use their wealth to essentially receive what they want from women? Is this bringing down the generation of women as a whole? Connie the older sister and motherlike figure to Mercy certainly thinks so yet her husband opening admits jumping from mistresses even though he is not classified under “Big Men” in Africa. James, Connies husband asks, “Why shouldn’t she?”.Connie struggles against these morals even when she herself receives a gift from Mensar-Arthur. Mercy is on the other-hand in in a purist of happiness and Connie does not want her to be used. Moving from man to man after Mensar-Arthur is imprisoned? But are Mercy’s intentions true for her pursuit of happiness or is she just after material possessions. Waiting for a man to give her a house, car, money while she doesn’t invest in herself for an education or job. “Women allow men to behave the way they do instead of seizing some freedom themselves.” “Girls” are keeping all other women down. Women’s insecurities gives men the power. Both Connie and Mercy are at fault here. Connie for turning her cheek and asserting her own marriage and Mercy for her acquired taste of the unearned finer things. Who is more to blame?

In “Chike’s school days”, Chinua Achebe effectively shows contrast between two different cultures. He tries to show attitudes from both sides. He starts with the culture that white men brought from the neighbor’s view who was not converted to Christianity at the time. When the neighbor offered food to Chike, he said they don’t eat heathen food and rejected, she murmured under her breath “even an Osu was full of pride nowadays, thanks to the white man.” (828). This shows how traditional African culture was very restrictive, class hierarchy discriminative and prejudice fulfilled. On the other hand, it also shows how the “white culture” was tearing neighbors, furthermore nationality, apart. It sat barrier between people who have different religion because Christians started teaching their next generations to be apart from other religion, even not to eat with them. Christianity changed people deeply, from their lifestyle to their conduct. Traditional spiritual religion looked it as “insanity.” Overall, people who stayed with” African religion” was offended by how “white religion” makes people change and invading their norms and traditions.

Chinua also shows difference between two culture by comparing role of education. Chike’s grandmother was once converted into Christianity, but later renounced. She obviously raised by traditional religion. From her point of view, the diviner man was the most respectful and she looked up to him. He was” a man of great power and wisdom” (828). The diviner man wasn’t an educated man. He has more of practical experience and  knowledge of life; and that is what Chike’s grandmother had respect for. It seemed education wasn’t important for her. In fact, she might resemble all the people who have African culture. In contrast, Chike, the person who raised by “white culture”, had respect for his teacher because he was such a well educated man who like to use sophisticated English words and show off his elevated education. Education was definitely intrigues Chike and it was important him. By having “white culture”, Chike could learn about sciences and expand his knowledge. It gives him freedom to think and not to restricted by prejudices that African culture had.

Aidoo switches perspectives in every scene. By alternating these perspectives, we the readers are able to see the thought process of the characters as the scene plays out in real time. Aidoo even gives inanimate objects like Mercy’s shoes life. As Mercy walks to Connie’s home the shoes sing “Count, Mercy, count your blessings” The author chose this song for the shoes to sing to Mercy to shows it’s thoughts on Mercy. It is later revealed that the shoes were a gift from Mensar Arthur, a wealthy old member of parliament that she is using to acquire things. The shoes are trying to steer her in the right direction by reminding her to “count her blessings” If you take a look at the lyrics the song is based on you can see that it’s message is to be grateful for what you have even during difficult times. This is the message the shoes want her to receive.

On pg. 995 the shoes are described as “more realistic than their owner” The shoes want Mercy to be realistic about her situation. While Mercy wants to as she desires “to sleep deep and only wake up on the morning of her glory.” The shoes are telling her to be grateful for what she has for it is her reality. She can’t wish for something to be true. You have to take action for that to happen. Those shoes are a reflection of that message. For they were not acquired through her own work but by relying on the work of Mensar Arthur, whose asking price is her body.

Aidoo also gives life to the Guinea Sea by personifying it as a god. When the sea god says, “People are worms, and even the God who created them is immensely bored with their antics.” He uses the word worms to describe humans as weak. He criticizes the way humans handle their problems like Mercy does. He criticizes the way men think highly of themselves the way Mensar does. The sea god finds their feelings of superiority absurd for in actuality God is superior to them. The sea god as well as God is tired of seeing humans make the same mistakes after it has given humanity multiple chances.

It is ironic that Mercy is named Mercy when she shows no mercy to herself or others. She doesn’t care how it affects the wife and children of the men she is having affairs with or herself. She doesn’t respect her body or her mind. She yearns for something greater but instead of feeding herself the necessary nutrients she needs to grow she decided relying on men would be an easier way of getting the things she wants. James explained it best, she is surrounded by girls who sell themselves to get what they want. She doesn’t really have a role model. Her mother died when she was young. She didn’t spend as much time as her older sister Connie did with her mother. Connie and Mercy also don’t see eye to eye. Connie is a traditional woman who is content with taking on the role that is expected of her by society. Mercy is sexually liberated. She has no problem using men for her own gain. She considers dating a taxi driver or her boss just to have the convenience of a car. Mercy may also think she knows better because her sister has an outdated viewpoint on how women should act. Instead of being compassionate towards her sisters grief over her cheating husband she laughs and tells her to cheat too. Mercy’s response to Connie in line 3 on pg. 996 reveals Mercy’s desire for more out of life than what is expected of her and the differing viewpoints among sisters. Although women have made some progress like being allowed to work and be more sexually open about themselves, they still haven’t made much progress. Women still have boundaries imposed on them: They have limited career options (ex. typist, secretary or teacher) and are still being controlled by men to an extent. Powerful rich men use girls like Mercy to get what they want and women like Connie still lack the power to leave a bad relationship. Mercy could rely on her own work to get what she wants but chooses not to and thus, dooms herself to a life of unhappiness in doing so. Connie is described as self reliant but when it comes to her husband she can’t bring herself to leave a cheating man who doesn’t love her the same way and thus also dooms herself a life of unhappiness.http://http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/irving_berlin/count_your_blessings_instead_of_sheep.html

As stated on your assignment handout, timely and satisfactory completion of the various assignments leading up to the anthology will be factored into your grade as follows (the anthology in total is worth 25% of your grade):

Proposal: 5%

Short essay: 5%

Introduction draft: 5%

Active attendance at both days of presentations: 5%

Complete Project: 80%

In Alice Walker’s “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens,” she states that:

“Virginia Woolf, in her book A Room of One’s Own, wrote that in order for a woman to write fiction she must have two things, certainly: a room of her own( with key and lock) and enough money to support herself.” (Page 235)

Immediately after this passage, Walker goes on to critique this thought as false using the example provided in the life of Phillis Wheatley. Although I initially agreed with Woolf in that the prerequisites for writing fiction were as she described, after reading through In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens, I found myself disagreeing with Woolf. While a room along with funds are certainly important for a person’s state of being, the only real necessity for creating works of fiction is the drive to do so. If Phillis Wheatley, a slave who didn’t even own herself was able to create great poems through great effort to herself then why can’t any other striving female writer?

Walker further goes on to talk about how while many great stories were first thought up by one generation, they simply did not have the resources necessary to publish their thoughts and had to instead pass down their stories to their children in the hopes that their children would be able to publish the stories. Two of the most famous and well known pieces of fiction, The Iliad and The Odyssey, were passed down through the generations through word of speech until they were finally published once the tools were available to do so. Unfortunately for many of the black mothers described by Walker, their names will never be accredited to the stories their children wrote. Walker herself gives credit to her mother for several of the stories she has published but personally, there is no need to.  Much like the title, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens, the role of the first generation of female slaves is to provide the seeds from which the second generation will grow from along with the decayed compost from which the second generation will gather nutrients from until the cycle repeats with the final generation producing fantastic results, which in this case will be great works of literature.

What if Shakespeare had a sister, would she of had the same opportunities to make it as a writer? In order for a woman to write she must have a room of her own and enough money to survive. Woolf’s unconventional style speaks of women and fiction. “It would have been impossible, completely and entirely, for any woman to have written the plays of Shakespeare in the age of Shakespeare.” Woolf says even if Shakespeare had a sister she never would have had the same education or he same opportunities. Limited education to women and lack of opportunities they have. She does not only address the male and females conflict but also societies class system. Address men that say women don’t have ability to be artists. “Have you any notion of how many books are written about women in the course of one year? Have you any notion how many are written by men? Are you aware that you are, perhaps, the most discussed animal in the universe?” Asks, why are men writing about women if they “are not” threatened by them. She is very sassy throughout her lectures on her thoughts and how frustrating it was for a woman. Woolf wants women take away with them is freedom, freedom to write without consequences, free to be themselves. Virginia talks about women before her and how they went against the grain, went against everything they’ve been told. Reading Woolf’s work really kept bringing me back to a previous story we read, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft. They share a lot of the same ideas and similar styles in expressing themselves.