Theme 4: Linear vs. Cyclical

"I wanted Sidi because I still hoped...that with a virgin young and hot within, my failing strength would rise and save my pride."

Baroka, The Lion and the Jewel (29)

💬 Baroka uses tradition (virgin bride/youthful) to regain vitality

"We won! We won! Hurray for womankind!"

PERSON, The Lion and the Jewel (33)

💬 Cyclical: Celebration of "progress" that might actually be regression

"There's an order things can't happen in. You can't open a door till there's a house."

PERSON, Arcadia (#)

💬 Highlights linear progression of time and progress, where ideas and knowledge are continuously passed down + rediscovered

"When we have found all the mysteries and lost all the meaning, we will be alone, on an empty shore."

PERSON, Arcadia (#)

💬 Suggests cyclical nature of knowledge, where discovery eventually leads to existential emptiness, a reflection of the futility of time's progression