Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. "I shall not call in a native doctor.” Nnaemeka’s father was known to be obstinately ahead of his more superstitious neighbours in these matters. "I will not be another Mrs. Ochuba. If my son wants to kill himself let him do it with his own hands. It is not for me to help him.” "But it was her fault,” said Madubogwu. "She ought to have gone to an honest herbalist. She was a clever woman, nevertheless.” "She was a wicked murderess,” said Jonathan who rarely argued with his neighbours because, he often said, they were incapable of reasoning. "The medicine was prepared for her husband, it was his name they called in its preparation and I am sure it would have been perfectly beneficial to him. It was wicked to put it into the herbalist’s food, and say you were only trying it out.” What are the benefits of analyzing this passage from more than one perspective? Choose two correct answers.
Answer
A
Analyzing the passage from a feminist perspective would likely provide insights on how Ibo women are morally superior to Ibo men.
B
Analyzing the passage from a historical perspective would be beneficial because the analysis would focus on times and places rather than people and emotions.
C
Analyzing the passage from a feminist perspective is not possible in this case because the author, Chinua Achebe, is male.
D
Analyzing the passage from a historical perspective would likely provide insights on how Ibo people of the time viewed native medicine.
E
Analyzing the passage from a feminist perspective would likely provide insights on how a woman like Mrs. Ochuba would be treated in the Ibo culture of that time.
Explanation
A feminist perspective can examine how Mrs. Ochuba is judged and treated as a woman in the culture and time represented in the passage, so B is a useful insight. A historical perspective can explore the beliefs about native doctors and medicine reflected in the characters’ disagreement, making E correct. Historical analysis can include people and emotions, so A is too restrictive; the passage does not establish that women are morally superior, and an author’s gender does not prevent feminist analysis.
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