Son Jara: Manding People Epic - Essay Example

It narrates the tale of his birth, ancestry, and efforts with his stepbrother and invasion of Susa Mountain Sumamura, a witch-doctor and pagan. On the contrary, Son-Jara was a born Muslim and integrated the traditional beliefs of Africa as well as Islam (“The Norton Anthology of World Literature” 325). The quest of Son-Jara involves many women from his mother to his sister all provided him the support required to defeat Sumamura. Without the assistance of these women, Son-Jara would have failed in this expedition.

Although the women are neither antagonist nor protagonists of this epic their significance is emphasized. Son-Jara Parallel to Iliad Son-Jara is amusingly parallel to the contribution of Homer.  Homer, in the Iliad, demonstrates that a categorical devotion to seeking power and violence is both catastrophic and self-defeating.  The Iliad’s world ends along with the destruction of Troy to ashes.  The refuges ultimately find Rome; however, the glorious heroes, Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Achilles, created nothing but destroyed everything.

In the Odyssey world, the civilization is once again knitted as like Son-Jara, Odyssey learns to be self-disciplined, patient, and respectful and he is rescued again and again by the guidance of girls like Nausicca and Ino (Fowler 183).