This question is based on MARRIAGE OF ANANSEWA. What theme is emphasised when bride prices are accepted from multiple chiefs?

Assessment: JAMB UTME - Literature In English - 2025 Subject: Literature In English

Question 1 Report

This question is based on MARRIAGE OF ANANSEWA.

What theme is emphasised when bride prices are accepted from multiple chiefs?

Answer Details

In Efua Sutherland's The Marriage of Anansewa, Ananse accepts bride prices from multiple chiefs at the same time, each believing he is the sole suitor for Anansewa's hand. This behaviour directly emphasises the theme of greed.

Ananse's acceptance of bride prices from several chiefs is not driven by financial necessity or a genuine desire to find the best match for his daughter. It is motivated by a desire to accumulate as much wealth as possible. He deliberately deceives each chief into believing they have an exclusive arrangement, which allows him to collect gifts and payments from all of them. The more chiefs he involves, the more he receives. This is greed in its most transparent form - the pursuit of material wealth through dishonest means, without regard for the harm it may cause to the deceived parties or to his own daughter.

The other options do not apply. Heroism involves courage and selfless action, the opposite of Ananse's self-serving schemes. Colonial resistance is a political theme unrelated to this domestic plot of marital deception. National unity is not addressed by one man's private scheme to enrich himself at others' expense. The simultaneous acceptance of bride prices is Sutherland's satirical commentary on how greed corrupts relationships and social institutions, including the traditional practice of bride price itself.

Download The App On Google Playstore

Everything you need to excel in your exams

Green Bridge CBT Mobile App
Personalized AI Learning Chat Assistant
200,000+ Exam Questions Across IGCSE, JAMB, WAEC & NECO
Over 3,900 Lesson Notes
Offline Support - Learn Anytime, Anywhere
Green Bridge Timetable
Literature Summaries & Potential Questions
Track Your Performance & Progress
In-depth Explanations for Comprehensive Learning