Diction In Marriage

“Marriage is a Private Affair” is a story that shows traditions in other cultures and change. Nnaemeka is the main character that wants to marry who he loves and not to who he has chosen for him. His father, Okeke, has different beliefs and wants to stay with their culture’s tradition to have arranged marriages. Arranged marriage is when the bride and groom are selected by their families. In “Marriage is a Private Affair”, by Chinua Achebe, the theme choose to marry for love rather than custom as demonstrated by the use of textural structure, Okeke’s tone towards his choice, and the use of diction. The author, Achebe uses textual structure through letters to show the conflict and choices that all of the characters make. Okeke tries to arrange a marriage for Nnaemeka and the letter reads “I have found a girl who will suit you admirable - Ugoye Nweke, the eldest daughter of our neighbor, Jacob Nweke. She has a proper Christian upbringing. When she stopped schooling some years ago her father (a man of sound judgement) sent her to live in the house of the pastor where she has received all the training a wife could need. Her Sunday school teacher has told me that she reads her Bible very fluently. I hope we shall begin …show more content…
According to the text, Nnaemeka is very blunt when he says “I am engaged to marry another girl who has all of Ugoye’s good qualities.” Okeke finally backed down on dissuading him “When he sent for Nnaemeka a day later he applied all possible ways of dissuasion, But the young man’s heart was hardened, and his father eventually gave up as lost.” He is also determined when he says “You will change your mind, Father, when you know Nene.” By Nnaemeka being so blunt and going against the tradition, the reader can understand that the tone of the passage was stubbornness. Overall, Achebe’s diction creates a stubborn and determined tone for