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1
How does the skin color disadvantage Mireille in her pursuance to win Ousmane?
Mireille is a white woman living in Zimbabwe during the reign of Robert Mugabe. Robert Mugabe instilled an ideology of preference to black color. The people of Zimbabwe believe that they belong to their fellow blacks. Mireille is in love with Ousmane the man who is also being pursued by Ouleymatou who is a black woman. Ousmane prefers Ouleymatou because she is black and disregards Mireille despite being a rich woman. Therefore, Mireille is betrayed by her skin color and this denies her an opportunity to marry the man of her dreams.
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2
Why are men portrayed as inferior players in marriage relationships in the Scarlet Song?
The idolized ideology that anything white is bad in Zimbabwe has given the black women superiority in intimacy and relationships that lead to marriage. The black women have the final say because they have managed to run a cold campaign that has marginalized the white women in Zimbabwe. The chances of a white woman marrying a black man in Zimbabwe are almost zero. Black women have portrayed themselves as favorites a factor that has limited white women's aspiration to get married to black men. A good example is Mireille who despite being a rich woman does not stand a chance to win the love of Ousmane.
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3
Is the author depicting Ouleymatou as a smarter woman than Mireille because she is the one who wins the love of Ousmane?
The answer to this question is no because Ouleymatou is a materialistic woman who uses the idolized ideas regarding white people to win Ousmane. The reader realizes that Mireille is a beautiful woman with a higher level of intelligence. Ousmane is attracted to Mireille because of her beauty as compared to Ouleymatou. However, in the African context especially in Zimbabwe men have little say on who to marry. The white women are perceived as bad people because of their color and that is why at last Ousmane marries Ouleymatou. Ouleymatou uses dirty tactics such as talking badly of the white-skinned women to win Ousmane.
Scarlet Song Essay Questions
by Mariama Bâ
Essay Questions
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