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Questions and
Exercises
Selection
List:
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Matrilineal Descent
Matrilineal descent, in traditional
African societies, refers to the recognition of kinship
based upon relationships deriving from the mother's side of
the family. Matrilineal descent might also consider women
and children under the control of the woman's male
relatives. Also dictated by matrilineal descent are the
degrees of rights and privileges afforded members of a
community based upon this familial connection. Matrilineal
descent might also be considered in regards to where family
members might reside. If a community is based upon
matrilineal descent then subsequent generations reside in
the family matriarch's region. Furthermore, matrilineal
descent might also be used in determining an individual's
social status, financial wealth, and occupation.
Assignment:
- How is "matrilineal descent"
constructed in the three novels? How are relationships
based upon lineage created to illustrate the impact
familial ties have had on each of the three female
protagonists in the novels? How does matrilineal descent
function as a catalyst towards each woman's movement
towards self-awareness and fulfillment? What information
from the texts can be used to support your
statements?
- In addition to the above, analyze the
following passages in terms of matrilineal descent and
the resulting impact these words or thoughts might have
had on each woman's progression toward womanhood.
Their Eyes Were Watching
God
Nanny: "You ain't got
no papa, you might jus' as well say no mama, for de good she
do yuh. You ain't got nobody but me. And mah head is ole and
tilted towards de grave. Neither can you stand alone by
yo'self...Ah got tuh try and do for you befo' mah head is
cold" (15).
Sula
"With the exception of
BoyBoy, those Peace women loved all men. It was manlove that
Eva bequeathed to her daughters. Probably, people said,
because there were no men in the house, no men to run it.
But actually that was not true. The Peace women simply loved
maleness, for its own sake"
(41).
Meridian
Mrs. Hill: "I just
don't see how you could let another woman raise your
child...It's just selfishness. You ought to hand your head
in shame. I have six children...though I never wanted to
have any, and I have raised every one myself" (86).
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