So Long a Letter Questions and Answers
So Long a Letter
What are the setting and plot of So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba?
So Long a Letter recounts two different paths taken by Senegalese women whose choices are extremely limited. The novel discusses the stories of lifelong friends Ramatoulaye (who is writing the...
So Long a Letter
What are the main conflicts that Mawdo faces in So Long a Letter?
Aissatou's husband, Mawdo, is of very high social standing. He hails from the Senegalese nobility, which means that he's much higher up the social ladder than his first wife. Even so, Mawdo is...
So Long a Letter
Discuss the theme of tradition vs. modernity in relation to characters in Ba's So Long a Letter.
The theme of tradition versus modernity emerges in the stories of the two generations depicted in So Long a Letter. In writing to her old friend Aissatou, Ramatoulaye reflects on the optimism they...
So Long a Letter
What are the epistolary themes represented in the novel So Long a Letter?
An epistolary novel is one that is made up of a collection of letters, articles, or journal entries. Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter is an epistolary novel because, as the title suggests, the novel...
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...
The whole novel is actually a letter, written by Ramatoulaye to her friend Aissatou. The letter explores her and her friend’s experiences in married life. The letter starts off with Ramatoulaye’s...
So Long a Letter
In So Long a Letter, what is the relationship between Ramatoulaye and Aissatou?
In So Long a Letter, Ramatoulaye and Aissatou are both Senegalese women who have been friends since they were young. The book is written as a letter to Aissatou from the perspective of Ramatoulaye...
So Long a Letter
What is the summary of So Long a Letter?
The novel takes the form of a letter from Ramatoulaye to Aissatou, her childhood friend. Now middle-aged women, Ramatoulaye and Aissatou had gone to school together in French colonial Senegal. Both...
So Long a Letter
In So Long a Letter, what is the significance of the theme of betrayal on Ramatoulaye's behavior? What is the...
At the beginning of this poignant novel, Ramatoulaye's husband has just died. As if that were not traumatic enough, she must share her home during these days with Binetou, her husband's second...
So Long a Letter
What is the significance of the main characters in the book So Long a Letter?
I argue that the main characters of Mariama Bâ’s So Long a Letter are significant largely because they represent a marginalized population to Western readers. Indeed, the novella foregrounds the...
So Long a Letter
The use of the epistolary form in So Long a Letter is an essential merging and, at the same time, a critique of how...
This powerful text exhibits the consequences of postcolonialism through describing the way that traditional cultural values have been influenced, or in some cases replaced completely, by Western...
So Long a Letter
Compare and contrast the reasons why the husbands, Modou and Mawdo, take second wives in So Long a Letter.
Despite the fact that he was still in love with his first wife, Aissatou, Mawda bowed to pressure from his mother to take a second wife. His mother, who considered her family superior to Aissatou,...
So Long a Letter
How is the issue of widow inheritance discussed in the novel So Long a Letter?
There are several dimensions to the issue of widow inheritance in this text. I will provide a brief overview of how it is discussed to help get your started. One of the main issues Bâ highlights is...
So Long a Letter
What are some quotes from So Long a Letter?
So Long A Letter, by Mariama Ba, is a masterpiece of Senegalese fiction. It takes the form of a recently widowed woman writing to her friend and revealing the story of her life as one who suffered...
So Long a Letter
Considering the different generations, how is marriage treated in Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter?
Mariama Bâ's portrait of marriage is definitely a complicated one. This might get you started! Both Ramatoulaye and Aissatou have happy, successful marriages at first; they choose among a variety...
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...
So Long a Letter is author Mariama Bâ's semi-autobiographical account of her strained marital relations and subsequent life reflections in twentieth-century Senegal. In the story, the main...
So Long a Letter
In chapter 18 of So Long a Letter, why did the Imam consider Ramatoulaye’s words to be profane?
In this chapter, Tamsir, the brother of Ramatoulaye’s recently deceased husband, tells Ramatoulaye that after she is done mourning he will marry her. He says this like a definitive fact rather than...
So Long a Letter
What time period is So Long a Letter set in?
So Long a Letter is set in the time around the historical independence movement in the African nation of Senegal. The narrator, Ramatoulaye Fall, has lived through the tumultuous times of...
So Long a Letter
In chapter 2 of So Long a Letter, what issues does Ramatoulaye describe about identity? Give two examples that relate...
In this chapter, Ramatoulaye describes the events following the death of her husband Moudou Fall. One of the main identity struggles she faces is intertwined with what her patriarchal culture...
So Long a Letter
Who is Jacqueline, and how is her story significant to Ramatoulaye in So Long a Letter?
In the novel So Long a Letter, Ramatoulaye writes to her friend Aissatou. Ramatoulaye's estranged husband, Modou, has died, and Ramatoulaye is having difficulty coping with the limiting traditions...
So Long a Letter
Has Ramatoulaye’s marriage to Modou always been turbulent in So Long a Letter? Justify your answer.
The relationship between Ramatoulaye and her husband Modou was initially harmonious. She chose to marry for love, overcoming the objections of her parents, and he likewise was not pressured into...
So Long a Letter
Discuss the significance of friendship and education in establishing a sense of equality So Long a Letter.
The equality that results from friendship and education are essential components in So Long a Letter. The fact that Ramatoulaye is writing a letter to Aissatou helps to establish this idea. Both...
So Long a Letter
What are the approaches taken by Ramatoulaye and Aissatou when both their husbands take a second wife?
After twenty-five years of marriage and twelve children, Ramatoulaye's husband, Modou, decides to take a second wife, Binetou. Being of the Muslim faith, Modou's actions are not out of the...
So Long a Letter
What are the advantages of the use of epistolary technique in Mariama Ba's So Long A Letter?
Epistolary tecniques are excellent ways for the character's feelings to be portrayed without breaking point of view, or having to reveal it through dialogue between characters.
So Long a Letter
In "So Long a Letter" by Mariama Ba, does the main character have a high status or low status?
Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter recounts the struggles that women face in a society that is starkly different than Western society. The book is a letter written by the main character, a school...
So Long a Letter
What is one secret revealed about the deceased in So Long a Letter?
In chapter four, Ramatoulaye tells Aissatou about a family meeting she attended. At the meeting, big secrets come out about Modou, mainly concerning his financial activities. One of the most...
So Long a Letter
Who are some of the main characters in So Long a Letter, and what are their conflicts?
The two main characters in So Long a Letter are Ramatoulaye Fall and Aissatou Bâ. The novel consists of a long letter that Ramatoulaye writes to Aissatou. Both women have undergone much hardship...
So Long a Letter
In So Long a Letter, explain what Aissatou means by “princes master their feelings to fulfill their duties.” Show how...
Modou claims that he's only marrying Nadou out of duty. He's marrying her to satisfy his mother, who claims that she will die of shame if her son doesn't accept the "gift" given to him by Farba,...
So Long a Letter
Explain how the bond of sisterhood is portrayed in So Long a Letter.
The bond of sisterhood is undoubtedly the most important element in So Long a Letter. It is the golden thread that runs right throughout the story, the unbreakable connection that gives Ramatoulaye...
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...
Mariama Bâ's So Long A Letter is a semi-autobiographical account of a woman, Ramatoulaye, living in Senegal who decides to write to her friend Aissatou, who now lives in America, while observing a...
So Long a Letter
Why does Ramatoulaye see the funeral rituals as unnecessary in So Long A Letter?
Although Ramatoulaye pays lip service to the traditional funeral rites, she's none too happy about them. According to long-established custom, she's expected to go out of her way to be generous and...
So Long a Letter
How is the bond of sisterhood portrayed in the novel So Long a Letter?
So Long a Letter offers a multi-faceted picture of the bond of sisterhood. On the one hand, connections among women are often shown as fragile and transitory. On the other hand, female solidarity...
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”?
Aissatou's husband Mawdo has taken another wife. He's married young Nabou at the urging of his mother, who claims that she will die of shame if Mawdo doesn't oblige. Mawdo is reluctant to take...
So Long a Letter
Does Ramatoulaye demonstray a stronger sense of "self" through her letter in the epistolary novel So Long a Letter?
The structure of the epistolary novel consists on documents that are brought up by the main "writer" of such documents. These can be letters, diary entries, journal entries, or personal...
So Long a Letter
According to So Long a Letter, how does the view of men and marriage differ in Senegal and the United states?
In a nutshell, the views of men and marriage depicted in this novel stem from the majority Muslim culture in Senegal, and these values are different than the Western ideals to which most people in...
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...
So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba is considered semi-autobiographical because the events in the novel are similar to those in her real life, but she fictionalizes these events by creating Ramatoulaye...
So Long a Letter
To what extent does young Nabou’s upbringing contrast Aissatou’s?
Young Nabou is brought up in the traditional manner to be a fine, respectable lady—a perfect wife for her aunt's son, Mawdo. To some extent, Nabou's upbringing is a way for her aunt—also called...
So Long a Letter
How does Marxist ideology coincide with feminist thought within the text, and within the context of post-colonial...
A Q&A normally consists of no more than 2 very colsely related questions. This strikes me as containing 4-5 very complex questions. Would it be possible to break it down into a series of...
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...
I think that the story of Jacqueline proves the need for self worth in the lives of individuals. It is difficult to critique Jacqueline for she suffers greatly as a result of her husband's...
So Long a Letter
Explain the situations in which men use polygamy to their advantage in So Long a Letter.
So Long a Letter presents polygamy in two different situations. One couple is Moudou and Ramatoulaye, and the other is Mawda and Aissatou. In the first case, the original wife stays married to her...
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 Fall is Ramatoulaye’s daughter, who Ramatoulaye named after her best friend Aissatou. Ibrahima Sall is Aissatou Fall’s boyfriend and is a college student studying law who knew Aissatou's...
So Long a Letter
How do we compare between different womens' interactions in So Long a Letter?
I think that the interaction between women is one of the most important points in the letter. The reality is that as the modern setting befalls upon Senegal, critical choices are going to have to...
So Long a Letter
How can we seen women's rights as a human right in Mariama Ba's 'So Long a Letter.'
I think that you could make the case that Ba's work argues women's rights as a human right. One of the most striking elements of the work is how women, even those steeped in modernity, find...
So Long a Letter
Explain the threat ”boys cannot succeed without their father” from So Long a Letter.
Aissatou's husband, Mawbo, has just taken another wife, a young woman called Nabou. He did so at the request of his mother, who claims that she will die of shame if her son doesn't oblige. Mawbo's...