Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. In this excerpt, Nnaemeka is the first to speak, and Okek
e speaks after him. "I can’t—we must—I mean it is impossible for me to marry Nweke’s daughter.”
"Impossible? Why?” asked his father.
"I don’t love her.”
"Nobody said you did. Why should you?” he asked.
"Marriage today is different . . .”
"Look here, my son,” interrupted his father, "nothing is different. What one looks for in a wife are a good character and a Christian background.”
Nnaemeka saw there was no hope along the present line of argument.
How could the characters’ differing views of arranged marriage be analyzed from a historical perspective and from a feminist perspective?
A historical perspective would focus on arranged marriage being part of the culture at the time the story is set. A feminist perspective would focus on how arranged marriages took choice away from women.
A feminist perspective would focus on arranged marriage being part of the culture at the time the author wrote. A historical perspective would focus on how arranged marriages took choice away from women.
A historical perspective would focus on how the story would be different if it were written by an author of a different gender. A feminist perspective would focus on how the characters interact.
A feminist perspective would focus on the biography of the author. A historical perspective would focus on the power dynamics between characters.
Historical perspectives take a look at the story's historical culture. Therefore, a historical perspective would focus on arranged marriage being part of the culture at the time the story is set. A historical perspective would not focus on the impact on women, the gender of the author, or power dynamics between characters.
Feminist perspectives analyze how the events (or characters) impact the women in the story. Therefore, a feminist perspective would focus on how arranged marriages took choice away from women. A feminist perspective would not focus on the culture as a whole (only its impact on women), and it would not focus on how the characters interact (although it would focus on how the characters impact women in the story). A feminist perspective would not focus on the author's biography at all.
For these reasons, the correct answer is the first one.
