0470005
Yiming Wu (Luther Wu)
June 21, 2007
Timed-writing Three
Directions: In Dead Men’s Path the priest says “let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch.” Discuss what you think he means and what this saying reveals about him.
As is known to all that hawk and eagle are similar birds which just differ from each other in slight taxonomical aspects, so it is quite clear that in Dead Men’s Path the priest means that both western culture and local tribunal culture are not so much conflicting to each other, and both can achieve a conformity if each is placed in same weight.
From the story, we already know that Michael Obi has a conflict with the local people on whether a path across the campus should still be maintained, which has somewhat religious meaning to the local. In order to solve this issue, the priest goes to have a talk with him and pleads not to block that path. Quite wise is the priest that he immediately finds the real conflict masked by this issue, Michael Obi’s wholly adoration to the western culture and thus his disdaining of the local tribunal belief. As Michael doesn’t weigh these two cultures in balance, he is certainly prone to contempt the latter. So by telling this saying, the priest hopes Michael would see that although western and local tribunal cultures are rather different in their outside forms, each of them is just a kind of belief in its inner side, just like that hawks and eagles are quite the same in inner characters but different in outer figures.
“Let the hawk perch, let the eagle perch” also means that as they are the same to some extent, they should also receive equal treatment. In Dead Men’s Path, the priest suggests to Michael Obi that he ought to let the villagers keep that path though he was bred in western culture and sticks to that. In other words, the priest is asking for that the local beliefs should have its status which at least isn’t be shadowed by the western culture.
From this saying, we can see that the priest is a wise man. A bare threatening or an adulating flatter each doesn’t seem to be effective to make Michael retreat from his previous standing point, since he had received so many honors and has great enthusiasm to practice his ideas, thus neither will “move” him. So the priest chooses another way, a persuading way, to plead to him. I have to acknowledge that the priest is fairly clever and wise, for the saying is nothing but intrinsic and moving. But unfortunately, his counterpart is the stubborn Michael, a man who is too egocentric and refuses to take other’s advice. Though the priest’s persuasion failed at last, this does no harm to reveal his wisdom.
From this saying, we can also notice that the priest is neither a dead-hard of the local culture, nor surrender to the western culture. He clearly sees the strong power of the western education missionary, and avoids irritating it but takes a accommodating way to solve the problem. Wise, isn’t he.