General
Instructions:
This last informal writing is fairly straightforward. I would
like you to focus on the set of questions from the reading guide on the
The
Dark Child
that you see below. Make sure that your answers are
thorough. As usual the paper should be typed, double-spaced, and
written in Times New Roman, 12-pt. font. Unless you are quoting
directly from The Dark Child,
you need not use footnotes for this assignment. Here are the
questions:
1) What is the role
of Malinké religious
practices in Upper Guinea c. 1930-1950?
2) What role did family ties and structures
and professional/social identities like one's social caste and one's
family rank play in the lives of people in Upper Guinea? In
Guinea in general?
3) For what purpose(s) did the Malinké have
rituals for the harvest, the solicitation of services, major comings
and goings, and for the transition to adulthood? In other words,
could not these occasions have been dealt with in another way or were
these rituals essential and if so why?
4) What issues were at stake in deciding to
become educated in French Guinea and what were the pluses and minuses
of choosing to become educated?
5) Camara Laye states on more than one occasion that
women in Guinea were strong and independent. Based on his
relationships with the women in his world, was he right?
Submitting
Your Assignment:
You may submit your assignment through April 12th either in
person (in class or to my departmental mailbox in 633 South Shepler
Tower) or to the Class Blackboard module via the Assignment Submission
Portal.