Summary:
The epic "Sundiata" depicts Sogolon Kendjou and Sassouma Berete in direct contrast, as Sogolon is portrayed as a good mother while her counterpart Sassouma is portrayed as an evil mother. Both queens wanted the best for their sons, but the differences in their characters and methods were so different that it influenced not only Sogolon's son Sundiata and Sassouma's son Dankaran, but all of the king's children.
Mothers play a very influential role in a young mans life. Even though Sogolon Kedjhou and Sassouma Berete both had an impact on there son's life, their character traits were at different ends of the maternal spectrum. Despite minuscule similarities Sogolon Kendjou and Sassouma Berete were depicted in direct contrast in the epic Sundiata.
When comparing the two Sogolon Kendjou and Sassouma Berete both did what they thought would help to get their son's to become king. Sogolon knew everything that Sassouma was capable of doing to hurt her family, so she came up with the idea to leave the kingdom. Soglon said, "Lets us leave my son" (113). She thought this would be the best thing to do for all her children so she could keep them alive. "Despairing of ever injuring you, Sassouma will aim her blows at your brother or sister"(115). Although it was Sundiata's destiny to become king there was no set time placed on when this would occur. Therefore traveling to different kingdoms gave them time, and allowed for the fulfillment of not only Sundiata's destiny, but the destiny of his sibling too. Sassouma on the other hand wanted her son Dankaran to reign as the king of Mali after his father passed away. Sassouma knew her late husband would not pass the throne to her son, so she decided to banish Sogolon and her family to the backyard. Sassouma thought this would help her son's path to becoming the next king of Mali. She thought Sundiata was competition and a distraction to her son, so she wanted him dead. "I want to kill Sundiata. His destiny runs counter to my son's and he must be killed while there is still time" (115).
Although Sogolon and Sassouma Berete were both wives and mothers, Sogolon was portrayed as a good mother while her counterpart Sassouma was an evil one. Sogolon played a typical mother to her own kids along with Manding Bory; she took him in when his mother passed away. "Sundiata loved him very much and since the death of Namandje he had been welcomed by Sogolon" (115). She also showed her son unconditional love when the village was spiteful with gossip and ridiculed him. Although they lived in disgrace after they were banned from the kingdom Sogolon still believed in her son. Most mothers possess a motherly instinct that encompasses a love for not only her children but for other people's children as well. Sassouma Berete did like her children very much; let alone the kings other children. She showed no compassion or love to anyone. All she was interested in was running Mali. Sassouma had to pose like she was for her son to become the next king but it was really about her being able to be in control. After getting her son to the throne she did not encourage his growth or strength as a leader, instead she wished he was weak so she could take control. "I would say that I have a son that was afraid to rule, give your seat up to him since you cannot rule" (116).
Another difference between the two women is that Sogolon was humble, where as Sassouma was proud. In the beginning of the epic Sassouma's vanity was based on the fact that she knew her son was the future king of Mali. When Sogolon came along, married the king, and had a baby boy, Sassouma knew then her son's fait had changed. In retaliation to her knowing what was in the future, she made fun of Sundiata because he could not walk at the age of seven and her son could. She regularly put down Sundiata and publicly humiliated Sogolon and her family. Sogolon's humility always shone through because she never retaliated against Sassouma. These contrasting qualities are highlighted in an incident in which Sogolon went to Sassouma to "beg a little baobab leaf" (111). In this scene, Sassouma said to Sogolon, "As for me, my son knew how to walk at seven and it was he who went and picked these baobab leaves. Take them then, since your son is unequal to mine" (111). From this quote, it clearly shows how much arrogance and vanity the queen really had. In contrast to this, and despite the intense humiliation that she went through, Sogolon humbly left Sassouma's home "with a lump in her throat."(111) She never talked back to Sassouma, and she would never let Sassouma see her cry. Since Sogolon and Sundiata let his fait play out, they ended up on top. Sundiata takes his rightful place and becomes the king of Mail which he was born to lead.
In conclusion, despite minuscule similarities Sogolon Kendjou and Sassouma Berete were depicted in direct contrast in the epic Sundiata. It is obvious that, despite the fact that both queens wanted the best for their sons, their characters and methods were different. Since they were so different it influenced not only Sundiata and Dankaran but all of the king's children.
This is the complete article, containing 835 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
