2. Attitude
“A relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings and behavioural tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols”
Vaughan and Hogg, 2011:150. 3.
Ambivalent Attitude Referring to the definitions above, ambivalent attitude can be defined as
conflicting feelings or concepts or behaviors towards objects, groups, events or symbols.
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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
The first study used in this discussion is from the research by Taiwo Makinde who writes about the life of women in the Yoruba society in Nigeria. In
his paper, he describes the role of women in the society of how women role in conveying their suggestion, and other things compared to men. He finds out that
women in Nigeria at that time has already been given a ‘place’ in the society.
Makinde writes “A woman in Yoruba Culture occupies various positions – a
mother, a wife, a daughter, a priestess, or even a withch. The way she is perceived depends on the position she occupies
” 2004 : 165. However women also can be seen in a very bad way; as the “eru” slave.
When a woman become a wife, she will be seen as the slave of her husband. However the society’s attitude towards her will change after she has baby-es. In
Yoruba culture, a woman who become a mother will be praised highly 2004: 166. This research will help the researcher in understanding the action done by
Elesin to his new bride before and after their wedding night .
However Makinde’s research and this present research is different on the object and the analysis. The
researcher uses Makinde’s research as a reference to understand the Yoruba Society in Death
and the King’s Horseman’s context. Makinde focuses more on the women in Yoruba culture in general in the marriage affairs while this research
focuses not only for the marriage affairs but also in political affairs in relation to the support of the culture.
The second study is O.O. Familusi ’s research which talks about the
negative and the positive impacts of the woman status in the society in Yoruba. His research described that women at that time in Nigeria had advantages and
disadvantages by using their gender to survive in the society. Familusi also emphasizes few ideas about women
’s position in the society as mothers and how the society reacts to them.
“ Immediately a child is born, the question that will be posed will centre on sex, not minding of health of the mother. If the baby is a female, the
mother will be scolded and treated as a lazy, good for nothing woman. On the other hand if the child is a male, praise will be showered on the
mother, not considering the fact that Biology has shown that it is the
father who determines the sex of an offspring. “ 2012: 300
The society of Yoruba in fact puts the women in a very low place besides the fact that they will be put in a high place only if they have become a mother
and had a sons. There are some cases when women are being put in a lower place than the men. First is in the case of inheritance. When a husband dies, the
one who will be trusted to rule the family is the male child, no matter how young the son is or that he has other sisters. The property then will be given to the sons
not to the daughters. In some cases, the daughter will not be given anything. One thing that is becoming the problem is the mother will be considered also as a
property. So in the end, when a husband die, the wife will be counted as a property that is freely given to the next owner. This research will help me to
understand any opression done by the society and the male characters towards the
