So Long a Letter

by Mariama Ba

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So Long a Letter Questions and Answers

What are the setting and plot of So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba?

In So Long a Letter, what is the significance of the theme of betrayal on Ramatoulaye's behavior? What is the importance of betrayal in the novel?

In So Long a Letter, what is the relationship between Ramatoulaye and Aissatou?

Discuss the theme of tradition vs. modernity in relation to characters in Ba's So Long a Letter.

How does So Long a Letter reflect the theme of polygamy? What does it say about the characters since one accepts her husband's second wife and one does not? Is it due to the personality of characters or their culture? I need someone to discuss polygamy as a whole within the novel. 

Who is Jacqueline, and how is her story significant to Ramatoulaye in So Long a Letter?

What are the epistolary themes represented in the novel So Long a Letter?

In So Long a Letter, explain what Aissatou means by “princes master their feelings to fulfill their duties.” Show how how this statement relates to Modou’s situation. Aissatou left the letter on the bed “that used to be [hers].” Explain the symbolism of this action. Explain why “none of a man’s actions are pure charity and none is pure bestiality.”

What are the main conflicts that Mawdo faces in So Long a Letter?

Explain how the bond of sisterhood is portrayed in So Long a Letter.  

Expalin Aissatou Fall and Iba's relationship in So Long a Letter. How do their parents plan on dealing with Aissatou's pregnancy?

Compare and contrast the reasons why the husbands, Modou and Mawdo, take second wives in So Long a Letter.

What are some quotes from So Long a Letter?

In So Long a Letter, Modou and Mawdou are professionals in their own right. Examine the ways in which they are similar and different

The use of the epistolary form in So Long a Letter is an essential merging and, at the same time, a critique of how Western prescription has intruded upon traditional values by African people. Discuss this with specific reference to the consequences of postcolonialism.

How is the issue of widow inheritance discussed in the novel So Long a Letter?

Who are some of the main characters in So Long a Letter, and what are their conflicts?

In chapter 18 of So Long a Letter, why did the Imam consider Ramatoulaye’s words to be profane?

Considering the different generations, how is marriage treated in Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter?

Has Ramatoulaye’s marriage to Modou always been turbulent in So Long a Letter? Justify your answer.

What is the significance of the main characters in the book So Long a Letter?

What time period is So Long a Letter set in?

In chapter 2 of So Long a Letter, what issues does Ramatoulaye describe about identity? Give two examples that relate to patriarchal culture. 

In "So Long a Letter" by Mariama Ba, does the main character have a high status or low status? 

What are the approaches taken by Ramatoulaye and Aissatou when both their husbands take a second wife?

Discuss the significance of friendship and education in establishing a sense of equality So Long a Letter.

Is So Long a Letter considered a biography? If the events of the book are exactly what happened to the author, then is the book autobiography or fiction?

Why does Ramatoulaye see the funeral rituals as unnecessary in  So Long A Letter?

Does Ramatoulaye demonstray a stronger sense of "self" through her letter in the epistolary novel So Long a Letter?

What are the advantages of the use of epistolary technique in Mariama Ba's So Long A Letter?

How we can apply the theme of self worth is the base for any dictation in our lives when we refer to Jacqueline in So Long a Letter?

What is one secret revealed about the deceased in So Long a Letter?

In So Long a Letter, what do the people mean when they told Aissatou "you don’t burn the tree which bears fruit”?

Explain the threat ”boys cannot succeed without their father” from So Long a Letter. 

How does Ramatoulaye's life in Africa and Aissatou's life in the United States differ? How do their views of men and marriage differ?

According to So Long a Letter, how does the view of men and marriage differ in Senegal and the United states?

How do we compare between different womens' interactions in So Long a Letter?

How can we seen women's rights as a human right in Mariama Ba's 'So Long a Letter.'

How does Marxist ideology coincide with feminist thought within the text, and within the context of post-colonial Senegal? What resources are available to help students understand the ideological context for this book?

Explain the situations in which men use polygamy to their advantage in So Long a Letter.

To what extent does young Nabou’s upbringing contrast Aissatou’s?