Irony of a Woman Who has Never Fought a War Wanting to Advice Veterans
In page 7, the author expresses her shock that a young white woman who was studying social anthropology was doing so because she wanted to go to Zimbabwe to advise veterans on how to organize. This is very ironical because she has never been in a war and so she did not have the capacity or experience to offer advice to people who had such an experience before. It is also ironical because the women in the case who she wanted to advise had been through a liberation struggle before and therefore they did not need any advice on how to organize.
Irony of Wealth
In page 32 of the novel , the author brings out a very ironical point. When quantifying wealth in the Nnobi society, she tells the story of one Ojukwu Isa Ana who was a priest of the land spirit. The man is considered both wealthy and poor which is very ironical. He was a very successful farmer who grew yam and he had a lot of agricultural produce. He was considered poor in society because she had no sons to inherit him. This is ironic because wealth is often measured in material things and not people.
Irony that Nwajibua did not have any rights to her father's property
It is ironical that Nwajibua did not have any rights to her father's property. This was established when she had gone to cut plaintains. A group of men saw her and reported her to the rulers. She explained that she was the only child in the family . The council ruled that she could have the rights but immediately a man was found in that family, he would take over. It is ironical that she was not allowed to possess her father's property because she was female.Men and women are equal and it is expected that they should have equal rights even in property ownership.
Irony of Making Females 'Male'
The title of the novel is ironical for it is not possible to be a 'male daughter' or a 'female husband'. One is either a husband, daughter, son or wife depending on their gender. The making of women male was popular in the Nnobi culture. This was to make the woman assume the role and the superior rights of a man in the society. This was done when there was no male figure to be the head of the house. This is ironical because women can do this in the capacity of being women and do not need to be men to be able to qualify for these roles.
The irony of cultivating the yam and the cassava
It is ironical that in the Nnobi society, men were the only people who were allowed to cultivate yam because it was considered a superior crop. Women were only allowed to cultivate cassava and cocoyam because they were considered inferior. This is ironical because, both genders could work on both types of crops and be successful in the cultivation. This is because male and female are equal and there should not be any form of divide between them.
