Question: Lema’s parched earth potrays the socio-economic conditions of the time it was composed. Critically examine this statement by drawing examples from the text.
Name of book: PARCHED EARTH
Author: ELIESHI LEMA
Parched Earth is the novel written by Eliesh Lema. It is the story of teacher Doreen Seko and the unfolding of her relationship with the different men and the life situation and general. It reflects on the modern African women’s negotiations of contradicting roles and expectation of women. It narrates over the various forms of love and how men women survive in the patriarchy social system of Tanzania. It describes characters with their destinies, thirst and their needs they want to meet. According to https://www.apa.org/topics/socioeconomic-status Social-economic condition is the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation. Examinations of socio-economic condition reveal inequalities in access to resources, plus issues to privilege, power and control. By using characters, the novel portrays different socio-economic situations at time it was composed as follows:
The issue of love and marriage versus the social pressure and conformity, Doreen and Martin fall totally and deeply in love with each other. They are happy and playful moment, they decided to get marriage and succeeded to have a baby girl. Things change when social conformity spoils it all, Martin wants a male child and they never managed to have this child. This resulted conflict in the relationship and led to breakup. Therefore during that time the society perceived that for a marriage to sustain or survive a woman should bear a male child. Author use feminism point of view to reveal how the society have influence to the family issues and not regard it as individual matter as Martin demands a male child is due to patriarchal system which internalized by the society as to maintain a manhood and respect, should have a baby boy first and this influence the Doreen’s marriage to disintegrate into pieces due to the social condition of her society.
The domination of patriarchal system, Male are highly entitled due to patriarchal society where man given the power to decide everything in the society, for example from the novel Sebastian’s father choice a wife for his son to marry though Sebastian was not will in page 105 when narrator says “His father choice a wife for him from a nice family in a village Sebastian was married young in order to prevent what his father thought was an incurable and embarrassing way wardens” while man seen as a dominant in the society, female are subjected to hard works like bearing children and taking care of them also woman are not expected to bring changes though they have vision ,thus the identity of the woman is not recognized in portrayed society, Author use feminism criticism to show how woman were subjected to humiliation
The issue of education and carrier, Education is termed as a key to access social services and the basic needs. Education is termed in sex education and carrier. In social education, most of people do not have sex education. Example Foibe who got pregnant and her parents decided to chase her out of home and she got help from Aunt Mai. On other hand the society perceive education as a means to get a certain carrier. Example Doreen is a primary school teacher. Also although education is perceived as a means to social needs accessibility yet is not provided to all people. Example God bless Doreen’s brother has a dream of becoming a prime minister but fails and he became frustrated. In a Marxist community education become a very important pillar to control the society, through education people become conscious and focus on hardworking to attain their carrier and hence their become improved
Poor living condition caused by poverty. Doreen comes from single parent, poor and rural family. Poverty is caused by separation of families as a result of single parent family, irresponsibility of male parents which causes dependency. In the novel Foibe carry the burden of raising four children depending to ensure family survival though providing labor to the farms. Some of the basic needs like shelter are not available. Example Doreen says “Then we washed ourselves and had porridge before running, barefoot to school” (page 9). Also poverty cause Godbless not to meet his dreams of prime minister and making good livelihood of his family and his own. Also in (page 13) Doreen says “My mother said your mother is poor and you are also poor. That is why she gave her the sugar and rice yesterday.” This shows Doreen’s family has the ability to get food. Under consumerisms ideology the novel express the issue of poverty in a society as people were struggled to have a better life through hardworking, for instance Foibe engage in day working to sustain her family needs.
Religion is emphasized to maintain the moral values of the society. Religion is used to shape people in the society and to maintain the social status and moral values like avoiding people to commit sin and those who committed sins were regarded as sinners and they were ex-communicated. Example Doreen says “My mother would be excommunicated from church every time she became pregnant. Aunt Mai said it was because mother had committed a sin.” She was excommunicated because she always got pregnancy and she is not married. This was done as a punishment to her so as to stop committing sins. Also the act of Sebastian to fall in love with Foibe while has a wife and his relation with Foibe became known in the society was regarded as immorality. In page 110 “The church elder was angry, the integrity of his family was at state.” Author use Marxist point of view to express how religion institution act as an umbrella for controlling the society in terms of moral values and ideologies, in a potrayed society characters were under religion rules, thus why people who disobey were punished for example, Doreen’s mother was ex-communicated from the church, in Marxist society the religion were used to soften thought and ways of life of the people.
In communication, letter is a means of delivering a message or express feelings. A character uses it to deliver their intended goals or feelings. Example Martin use letter to express his feeling to Doreen to be his lover. Is evidently when Doreen says “When I received the letter, I must have red it ten times or more. Five long pages of laughing with me, joking with me, dancing with me, and five page of his growing love for me” page 35. Also Doreen says “My letter to Godbless, talking about the good life of teacher education, must have crusted his hurt to a stone” (page 9). So we see how letter used to express feeling or deliver a message.
Generally the social economic condition of the time novel is composed is based on patriarch system as men have great power in all spheres of life. This situation makes the society lives miserable condition. Therefore patriarchy system should be highly abolished so as men and women to have equal opportunities in bringing social economic development in the society, in general scope of life socially, economically and politically.
REFERENCE
Lema E. (2001). Parched Earth 2nd Edition: Dar es salaam
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