Sunjata’s initial disability makes his character very different from the heroes of the Western epic tradition. Unlike the Greek ideal of the hero that we saw in Achilles, Sunjata is not the most handsome or the fastest character. Instead, he has to suffer the torment of his half-siblings and neighbors because of his physical disability. Describe Sunjata’s character using examples from the reading. Given the fact that he starts from a position of physical disability, what would you say the Manden people who produced this work of literature value? Do we share those values today? Is there something we might learn from this work of epic poetry?
