Deion D. Smith Senior Exit Portfolio
My education is mine for the taking
Senior Research Paper
By Deion D. Smith
Death And The King's Horesman
Death and the Kings Horseman THE MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY IN AFRICA and the largest in area of the West African states, Nigeria was an early twentieth century colony that became an independent nation in 1960. A country of great diversity because of the many ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups that live within its borders, Nigeria is also a country with a long past. The history of the peoples that constitute the present state dates back more than 2,000 years. The earliest archaeological finds were of the Nok, who inhabited the central Jos Plateau between the Niger and Benue rivers between 300 B.C. and 200 A.D. A number of states or kingdoms with which contemporary ethnic groups can be identified existed before 1500. Of these, the three dominant regional groups were the Hausa in the northern kingdoms of the savanna, the Yoruba in the west, and the Igbo in the south.
The European slave trade that occurred in Africa as early as the late fifteenth century and that crested between the 1650s and the 1850s had a significant impact on Nigeria. Britain declared the slave trade illegal in 1807 and sent its navy to West African waters to enforce the ban. Britain's action led ultimately to British intervention in Nigeria, which had become a major area for the slave trade. Meanwhile, whereas European missionaries were bringing Christianity to the peoples of southern Nigeria, Islam had been introduced along the caravan routes of northern Nigeria. The jihad, or holy war, waged within what became the Sokoto Caliphate between 1804 and 1808, was instrumental in spreading the Muslim faith not only in the north but also into adjacent regions, such as the area that came to be known as the middle belt, running from the Niger River valley in the west to the Cameroon Highlands in the east
Works Cited
Msiska, Mpalive-Hangson. Postcolonial Identity in Wole Soyinka. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2007. Print.
Perspectives on Wole Soyinka: Freedom and Complexity. S.l.: Univ Pr Of Mississippi, 2006. Print.
Soyinka, Wole. Death and the King's Horseman. New York: Norton, 2008. Print.
This is a play by Wole Soyinka. The play revolves around Elsin as the main character. He used to ride the horse of a king. People then decided to name him the horseman. This job made him popular with people. The play presents the themes of colonialism and responsibility towards one’s duties. In accordance to his culture, a horseman had to commit suicide after death of the king. This will help to appease spirits of the dead king from wandering in societies and disturbing people. The horseman had to die during the first month of king’s death. Elsin should have committed suicide after the death of his king but failed to honor this social obligation. This obligation made his life change. Olonde, who had fled to USA to pursue education, committed suicide on behalf of his father in order to restore their family’s grace in society. On learning this, Elsin committed suicide while in jail. The focus is on how Elsin’s life changed from overconfident to noble.
Overconfident refers to a life where people do not care about the decisions they make. Most of the decisions made lead them towards the wrong direction. Elsin was against his son going to USA to pursue education (Soyinka 13). This serves as a decision born by overconfidence. He turned to a noble being because, in the last paragraphs, we are told how he wishes to reconcile with his son. Their relation had hit rock bottom when Olonde went abroad to pursue education against the will of his father. Later, Elsin became noble because he says confidently that his son will go back abroad to continue with education (Perspectives on Wole Soyinka 8). Additionally, through death of his son, Elsin committed suicide because he knew he was the person liable in this case.
Death of the king brought fame to Elsin. This made people consider him as an important figure in the society. This is evident when they sing songs of praise about him in the market place. This makes Elsin move from an overconfident person to a noble person whom the society regards highly. They sing and entertain him (Soyinka 23-69). Market women leave their jobs to come and entertain this hero. They heap praise on him and call him names with titles. Women act to please Elsin and remain willing to do anything that makes him happy. They organize for him a girl that they think will send him perfectly to the ancestors. People thought they should not deny him a request that could serve as the last one. Others see it as an opportunity for him to leave behind an offspring. They think he will make that girl pregnant without hesitation. This is proof of a noble life.
During the event in the market, when people were praising him, he went silent after realizing that he must face death. He had not considered implications of being a horseman. Additionally, women protect Elsin from being arrested by the police (Msiska 76). They surround Elsin and chase soldiers who come to arrest him. This indicates change of life from one of complacency and overconfidence, to a noble one. On a different note, after realizing that his son has committed suicide, Elsin wonders why he had not done enough to prevent this predicament. If he had met his death, nobody else could have died in fulfilling his duty. This bitter realization makes him commit suicide too.
