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Postings to be about some of the information in the handout on background information about Sundiata which may have been surprising to some. Why do you think I begin a course on African American literature in Africa? Consider, for example, how long ago an empire such as Mali existed on what has been called the dark continent, or that one of the centers of Islamic learning was Timbuktu in Africa.
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List three elements in the cultural belief system of the Mande as expressed in Sundiata, and then explain why the elements you chose are significant. Then respond to other students' postings to get full points for the assignment.
Define "divination". Explain the role that divination plays in the narrative of Sundiata. It is not enough, for example, to say simply that "divination played a major role. In that case, you would need to explain what made the role major. List three specific instances of divination in the story. Then respond to other students' postings to get full points for the assignment.
Identify two moments in the narrative when the griot suspends the narrative flow in order to "digress and moralize." Disuss the significance of these digressions in the context in which they occur. Then respond to other students' postings to get full points for the assignment. To answer the question, you must make sure that you understand the meanings of "digress" and "moralize."
Discuss two causes of the war between Sundiata Keita and Soumaora Kante. Be specific, and explain how/why your examples led to the war. Then respond to other students' postings to get full points for the assignment.(There is one reason explicitly stated in the text. You must include that reason.)
From the text, show specific examples of the griot functioning as a teacher, historian, moralizer, and musician. State the example, and list the page numbers. Then respond to other students' postings to get full points for the assignment.
You will find a brief definition of an epic in the handout on the historical background on Sundiata. A more complete definition can be found in Quicklinks/All Things Sundiata under "All Things Sundiata." (You must use both definitions.) Having read both definitions of the epic, what characteristics of the epic do you find in Sundiata. Give specific examples from Sundiata: an epic of Old Mali to illustrate that the text has these characteristics. Then respond to other students' postings to get full points for the assignment.