Sundiata

Roberto Sande Carmona
10 IB English
Period 5 Ms. Peifer

Similarities and Differences of Sundiata in Comparison to Other Hero Tales

Through the stories of heroes and their journeys we often find archetypes that transcend authors and works of writing. Each different epic however includes certain variations taken by influences on the author like: his/her culture, upbringing, time period, etc.
In Sundiata, the audience can clearly see the similar virtues, morals and feelings commonly strewn in these stories. After the protagonist and his mother are run out, she says the following to Sundiata, "...you must take up the challenge . Better death than shame! Never forget that, my son," (Sundiata Part XI). This brief excerpt shows the importance of valor, pride, and honor Sogolon wants to instill in the hero. Like in various others of the tales, some sort of adviser or mentor ensures that the hero hold a righteous character. This also maintains the character as the heroic protagonist, describing him as being capable of holding his pride high.
The reader could also find alterations from the other epics, more prominently the beginnings of the legend. For the other stories, the paladin is revered to be glorious from their beginning, or is at least introduced as already a magnificent being.
Sundiata however begins as a more than humble human being. He is described as somewhat lame, and slow for his age. His mother's rivals relish in this, as described in this passage:

The infant Sundiata had a slow and difficult childhood. At the age of three he still crawled, dragging himself along the ground like a crocodile crawling on a sandbank. He had none of the beauty of his father: a head so big that he seemed unable to support it, large eyes which stared widely whenever anyone entered his mother's house. He did little other than sit in the middle of the house, except when he was hungry and he would drag himself out to rummage about in search of food among the calabashes waiting to be washed. He seemed to be always in a bad mood and scared other children away. He spoke little and his serious little face never relaxed into a smile.( Part VIII)

The imagery and similes used in this paragraph provide quite a vivid exploit of the young hero. Whereas in the other stories only short references were made to the faults of the protagonists, this description goes on to further present Sundiata as a failed foreseeing. This allowed the audience to connect with the character while providing a less unfathomable picture to the likeness of Achilles, Odysseus and other epic persona. It sets the basis for the humble-to-super human origins of Sundiata and emphasizes his achievements to an even greater extent.