The Lion and The Jewel’s All Brief Questions Here
- Who is Wole Soyinka?
Ans: Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright and poet. - What is the full name of Wole Soyinka?
Ans: Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka - When and where was Wole Soyinka born?
Ans: Wole Soyinka was born in the city of Abeokuta, Nigeria. - When was Wole Soyinka awarded Nobel Prize for literature?
Ans: He was awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. - When did Wole Soyinka win International Humanist Award?
Ans: He won International Humanist Award in 2014. - To whom did Soyinka dedicate his Nobel lecture?
Ans: Soyinka’s Nobel lecture entitled “This Past Must Address Its Present” was dedicated to the then still-imprisoned Nelson Mandela. - Who is the titular lion in The Lion and the Jewel?
Ans: The titular lion is Baroka. - Who is Baroka?
Ans: Baroka is the king of the Yoruba village of Ilunjinle. He is the Lion in the play “The Lion and the Jewel” and also a strong and cunning leader who wants to keep things like the old ways. - Who is Lakunle?
Ans: Lakunle is the local school teacher of Ilunjinle who wants to marry Sidi and westernize everyone. - What genre is The Lion and the Jewel?
Ans: Post Modernism / Contemporary. - What kind of plot does The Lion and the Jewel have?
Ans: The play has a chronological causal plot. - How many parts in the play The Lion and the Jewel are divided?
Ans: The play is divided into three parts: Morning, Noon, and Night. - Who considers himself to be a Christ figure?
Ans: Christ was rejected by the people of his own territory. Similarly, Lakunle’s new ideas are rejected by his villagers. Thus, Lakunle considers himself to be a Christ figure.
Morning Time Start Here…
. - What is Ilujinle?
Ans: Ilujinle is an African Village. - What does the name “Ilujinle” mean?
Ans: “Ilujinle” means ‘deep or distance village’. It suggests a remote community. - What is Odan?
Ans: Odan is a type of tree that grows to majestic proportions. It spreads its branches widely and provides a deep shake which makes it a pleasant place to gather and discuss village affairs. - Who is “a true village belle”
Ans: Sidi is “a true village belle”. - Who is Lakunle?
Ans: Lakunle is a school teacher. - How old is Lakunle?
Ans: He is about 23 years old. - With whom is Lakunle in love?
Ans: Lakunle fell in love with a beautiful village girl, named Sidi. - What is a pail?
Ans: A pail is a beautifully decorated water pot. - What is ‘unwomanly’ to Lakunle?
Ans: Carrying load on the head is ‘unwomanly’ to Lakunle. - Why does Sidi leave her arms free?
Ans: She leaves her arms free to do her chores. - Who is the “madman of Ilujinle”?
Ans: People call Lakunle “the madman of Ilujinle”. - What is the bride price?
Ans: Bride price is money or property given by the bridegroom to the family of his bride. - When will Sidi be a laughing stock to the villagers?
Ans: If she marries Lakunle without any bride price, she will be a laughing stock to the villagers. - What is Lakunle’s attitude to bride price?
Ans: Lakunle hates paying the bride price. He considers it to be a savage custom, barbaric, outdated, accursed, degrading, humiliating, etc. - To what does Lakunle compare the payment of paying bride price?
Ans: He compares the payment of the bride price to buying a heifer off (away from) the market stall. - On what pages of the magazine are the picture of Sidi printed?
Ans: On the cover page of the magazine, there is a picture of Sidi from the abdomen to the top of the head and on the middle page from head to toe. There is an image of him across two pages. - What makes Baroka jealous?
Ans: On the cover page of the magazine, there is a picture of Sidi from the abdomen to the top of the head and on the middle page from head to toe. There is an image of him across two pages. This makes Baroka jealous because his own small image has been printed in a corner of a page near the village latrine. - What does the phrase “the devil’s own horse” refer to?
Ans: It refers to motor cars. - What does the phrase ‘the one-eyed box’ refer to?
Ans: It refers to the camera. - What is Chief Baseje?
Ans: It means a spoilsport. - What is ‘the dance of the lost traveller’?
Ans: “The dance of the lost traveller” is a dance drama with episodes of mime and a final communal dance. - Who is the director of ‘the dance of the lost traveller’?
Ans: Sidi is the director of ‘the dance of the lost traveller’. - Who is the lost traveller?
Ans: The lost traveller is the photographer who comes to take photographs of Sidi. - Whom does Sidi choose to act as the photographer’s car?
Ans: Sidi chooses four girls to act as the photographer’s car. - What happens When the engine of the car has stopped working? Or On what pretext does Lakunle pinch the bottoms of the four girls?
Ans: When the engine of the car has stopped working, the four girls stop moving forward. Lakunle gets out of the car and pinches the girls’ ‘bottoms’ on the pretext of examining the wheels. - Why does one of the girls bite Lakunle on the ankle?
Ans: When the engine of the car has stopped working, the four girls stop moving forward. Lakunle gets out of the car and pinches the girls’ ‘bottoms’ on the pretext of examining the wheels. One of the girls yells in anger and bites him on the ankle. - What does Lakunle see when he leans against a tree to take a rest in the bush?
Ans: When he leans against a tree to take a rest, he sees a snake twisting through the branches of the tree just over his head. - What does Lakunle throw in the direction of the girl singing in the bush?
Ans: He drinks his whisky and throws the bottle in the direction of the girl. - What does the invisible girl do when Lakunle throws the bottle in the direction of the girl?
Ans: At this, the invisible girl screams with laughter and utters a series of words insulting him. - What happens when Lakunle unhitches his camera to snap a picture of the girl?
Or,
How does Lakunle fall into a stream?
Ans: When she stays silent, he tiptoes through the obstructing growth and sees her. He unhitches his camera to snap a picture of the girl. To place himself in a good position, he moves backward and forwards. When he moves forward carelessly keeping his eyes glued to the lens of the camera, he suddenly falls into a stream. - Why does Baroka order his attendants to seize Lakunle?
Or,
On what charge does Baroka order his attendants to seize Lakunle?
Ans: Baroka feels insulted as Lakunle tries to go away without greeting him. So, he orders his attendants to seize Lakunle on the charge of trying to steal the virginity of the village girls by taking part in the dance with them. - Why do the villagers demand Lakule’s blood?
Ans: The villagers demand Lakunle’s blood as he is charged with trying to steal the virginity of the village girls by taking part in the dance with them. - Who is Sidi?
Ans: Sidi is an egotistical beautiful village girl who is famous for her beauty. She is the Jewel in the play The Lion and the Jewel. - What does Sidi refuse to marry Lakunle without the bride price?
Ans: Sidi refuses to marry Lakunle without bride price for the fear of being guilty of losing her virginity before the marriage. - Who is an illiterate goat in The Lion and the Jewel?
Ans: Lakunle calls Sidi an illiterate goat.
Noon Time Start Here…
. - What message does Sadiku convey to Sidi?
Ans: Sadiku conveys the message to Sidi that the Bale, Baroka, wants to marry her. - On what grounds does Sidi reject the marriage proposal from Baroka? Or Why does Sidi reject the marriage proposal of Baroka?
Ans: Sidi rejects the Proposal on the grounds that Baroka is too old for her. - How does Sadiku encourage Sidi to accept the proposal?
Ans: Sadiku encourages her to accept the offer by presenting before her a rosy picture of life as Baroka’s last wife and as the first (head) wife of his successor. - Whom does Sadiku call popinjay?
Ans: Sadiku calls Lakunle popinjay. - Why does Sadiku call Lakunle popinjay?
Ans: Sadiku calls him popinjay to term him a conceited person. - Why does Sidi compare herself with the twinkle of a jewel and Baroka with the back part of a lion?
Ans: Because of her youthfulness and beauty she compares herself with the twinkle of a jewel and Baroka with the back part of a lion with four legs. Thus, she points out the differences in ages between them. - Who is Sango?
Ans: Sango is the god of lightning whose anger is sudden and terrible. - What is Harmattan?
Ans: It refers to the dry cold wind from the north, which brings heavy dews and haziness to the mornings of November, December, and January. - What does the mime of the white surveyor expose?
Ans: It exposes Baroka as a die-hard rogue. - What is a die-hard rogue?
Ans: It is a person who opposes change and refuses to accept new ideas. - What is a bullroarer?
Ans: A bullroarer is a perforated piece of wood that is swung around the head to make a noise. - What terrifies the workers?
Ans: The continuous bull roarer terrifies the workers. - What does Baroka do when the surveyor is alone?
Ans: When the surveyor is alone, Baroka enters with his attendants. He presents (bribes) the surveyor with a calabash bowl through a young girl. - What does the surveyor say when he is fully persuaded by the bribes?
Ans: When he is fully persuaded, he says that he has made a mistake — the rail track should be laid much farther away because the earth of Ilujinle is unsuitable to support the weight of a railway engine. - How does Baroka foil the building of a railway through Ilujinle?
Ans: Baroka foils the building of a railway through Ilujinle by bribing the white surveyor with a wad (pile) of pound notes, kola nuts, a coop (building) of hens, and a goat. - Why does Lakunle call Baroka the ‘voluptuous beast’?
Ans: Lakunle calls Baroka a ‘voluptuous beast’ because he bars progress to gratify his beastly nature. - Who is Ailatu?
Ans: Ailatu is the current favorite (the youngest of his wives) of Baroka. - What is the Festival of Rain?
Ans: It is a rain-making festival celebrated at the height of the dry season. It indicates the importance of rain to agricultural people. - What ‘secret’ does Baroka reveal to Sadiku?
Ans: Baroka reveals to Sadiku that he has lost his manhood and discovered it about a week ago. - What was the name of Baroka’s father?
Ans: The name of Baroka’s father is Okiki.
Night Time Start Here …
. - What is Sadiku’s ‘victory dance’?
Ans: Sadiku’s ‘victory dance’ is a solo (performed alone) performed around the carving of the Bale, Baroka. - Who was the first husband of Sadiku?
Ans: Baroka’s father, Okiki, was her first husband. - Why does Lakunle try to dissuade Sidi from going to torment Baroka?
Ans: Lakunle tries to dissuade her from going to torment Baroka because Baroka is a savage and his behavior is morally unacceptable. He will never lose a chance to beat a helpless woman if he gets it. - What is sakabula?
Ans: It is a kind of oil lamp. - What is Lakunle’s future plan?
Ans: Lakunle wants to modernize the area by abolishing the bride price, building a motor road through the town, and bringing city ways to isolated Ilujinle. - What is ‘ayo’?
Ans: It is a popular counting game played with seeds on a board with rows of depressions in it. - Who wins the wrestling match?
Ans: Baroka wins the wrestling match. - How does Baroka seduce Sidi?
Ans: Baroka defeats the wrestler and Sidi is impressed by his strength and virility. In order to entice her, he tells her of his plans to modernize the village beginning with printing stamps with her photograph for postal and legal documentation purposes. Being delighted by his plan, her head falls slowly on his shoulder. Taking the advantage of it, he seduces her. - How does Lakunle wish to die?
Ans: He prays to Heavens to strike him dead. He asks Earth to swallow him and requests the lightning to turn him to dust and ashes. - Why does Sidi reject Lakunle’s – offer to marry her in spite of her loss of virginity?
Ans: Lakunle offers to marry her in spite of her loss of virginity but refuses to pay the bride price. Sidi cannot accept his offer because Baroka has taken away her virginity. As Baroka has had Sex with her, she cannot take any other man as her husband. - Why does Sidi choose Baroka for her husband instead of Lakunle?
Ans: As Batoka has had sex with her, she cannot take any other man as her husband. So, she chooses Baroka for her husband instead of Lakunle. Her decision is due to the concept of chastity. - Who is the favorite in The Lion and the Jewel story?
Ans: ‘Favorite’ is the youngest wife of the ‘Bale’ in The Lion and the Jewel story. - Who are the characters in ‘The Lion and the Jewel’?
Ans: The characters in the play are Baroka, Lakunle, Sidi, Sadiku, etc. - How old is ‘Sadiku’?
Ans: Sadiku is nearly seventy years old. - What does Baroka foresee about the village?
Ans: If the village is modernized, he will not be able to exercise his power and satisfy his lust for any girl in the village.