She would ask Joseph Parmuat, to assist her compose a song in her praise. She had already put words to a tune she had composed to ridicule the three women who she thought collaborated with men to oppress the women folk. They were Nasila s three blind mice who, she thought, did not seem to know that the world was changing. Those were the enkasakutoni, who threatened to curse intoiye nemengalana and ensured they did not get husbands nor children: the midwife Enkaitoyoni who threatened to spy on the young women as they gave birth to ensure that any who was still among intoiyenemengalana had her status altered there and then; and the dreadedEnkamuratani, who would never tire of wielding her olmurunya menacingly. 1. Place the excerpt in its immediate context. 4Mks 2. Identify and illustrate two aspects of style in this excerpt. 4Mks 3. Discuss two themes evident in the excerpt. 4Mks 4. Discuss one character trait of Resian and Taiyo in the excerpt. 4Mks 5. The straps that supported the containers pressed down their heads with a painful exhaustion. Rewrite beginning: with . 1Mk 6. How do Resian s thoughts now come to be fulfilled in future? Briefly explain. 4Mks 7. Explain the meaning of the following words as used in the excerpt. 4Mks i Reminisced ii Collaborated iii Dreaded iv Menacingly 4. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow Yes, Papaai, Resian said apprehensively. I am here. Taiyo tells me you are calling me? Yes, yes, her father replied. Please take a seat. Yes, Papaai, Resian repeated as she sat on a chair far away from her father. Come nearer child, her father said pleasantly. Why do you sit a mile away? Come nearer. Resian moved her chair hardly an inch from where it was and then she looked up into her father s face with eager expectation. If I do remember well, her father began in a low even tone, you will be nineteen in September this year, am I right You are quite right, Papaai. Resian answered eyeing him curiously.


Why do you sit a mile away? Come nearer. Resian moved her chair hardly an inch from where it was and then she looked up into her father s face with eager expectation. If I do remember well, her father began in a low even tone, you will be nineteen in September this year, am I right You are quite right, Papaai. Resian answered eyeing him curiously. His face was unusually kind. His eyes held hers as he smiled broadly. That s it! She thought triumphantly. That must be it! You and I have not discussed important issues for a long time, he said with a friendly chuckle that was intended to bring her closer to him. I thought today would be the best day to break the news. Your future is very important to me, my dear child. Resian thought the concern in her father s voice, rang false. She hesitated, but could not holdherself any more. The anxiety was too great. Papaai, is it Yeiyo or Taiyo who spoke to you? She asked sensationally, thinking she was stating the obvious. But seeing her father s face cloud, she added quickly. Who between them spoke to you about our enrolment at the Egerton University? What are you talking about, child? Her father, who seemed dumbfounded, asked after a long and uncomfortable silence. Both Yeiyo and Taiyo promised to talk to you about it, and I thought she had. What, in the name of God are you talking about, child? He repeated, this time agitated and shaking his head vigorously. No, I have never spoken to anybody about any of you enrolling at the university. Never! When I said I wanted us to discuss your future, that isn t what I meant at all. Of course not! Resian looked at her father s face enquiringly. 1. What has happened before the excerpt? 3mks 2. What is so ironical in this passage? Explain your answer referring to elsewhere in the novel. 3mks 3. Your future is very important to me, my dear child From elsewhere in the novel, explain why Ole Kaelo tells his daughter so. 3Mks 4. Discuss two aspects of character in Resian in this excerpt. 4Mks 5. What major issue is addressed in this excerpt?


Sample excerpt 2 1. Oloisudori informs Resian of the benefits she will get for marrying him. Resian gets very annoyed and speechless. Resian learns that her father has alreadyreceived dowry for her marriage to Oloisudori. He reports to her that their fate is sealed. 2. Contemptuous. He asked, the contemptuous quiet of his voice a menace by itself. Proud. He feels superior and egocentric. No one plays games with Oloisudori. Asked your father, he will tell you. 3. She is feeling disappointed and desperate of her father s action of receiving dowry with an aim of sealing her marriage with Oloisudori. She feels really betrayed. 4. Extortion, assassinations shadowy businesses, sexual immorality,robber, smuggler, poacher 5. It is ironical that Oloisudori who is older than Resian s father plans to marry Resian a young girl even after he is told her wish is to study at the university. It is also ironical that Kaelo has already picked dowry from Oloisudori and has never bothered to inform Resian of it. 6. He told her that she was her wife from then henceforth. 7. A Insane b Grand like a palace c Strong loathe d Treat with excessive care8. Resian rans blindly knocking a chair and a table and disappears past Oloisudori s driver. She goes to her father s shop. She is raving mad with indignation. She becomes very disappointed with her father. Sample excerpt 3 1. Before the excerpt, Taiyo and Resian go to the River to fetch water. They remember their discussion with their aunt and admire Minik s fight against women oppression by men. They muse that men must be very angry with her for snatching five hundred girls from her. After the excerpt, Taiyo sings the song she has composed about three women whom she refers as mice silently in her heart. One of those women is the enkamuratani chasing a woman with a knife. 2. Flashback- Resian recalls fifteen years back when she and Taiyo accompanied their father to the Nakuru agricultural show and she saw sheep the first time. Vivid description-The sheep are vividly described as big, docile tawny wooly animals.


2. Flashback- Resian recalls fifteen years back when she and Taiyo accompanied their father to the Nakuru agricultural show and she saw sheep the first time. Vivid description-The sheep are vividly described as big, docile tawny wooly animals. Metaphors-She calls the three women who collaborated with men to oppress women as Nasila s three blind mice. 3. Theme of Determination or optimism. Resian is full of optimism that one day she would join Egerton university. Women as their own enemies. The three Nasila women collaborated with men to oppress women. Negative cultural practices. The three women propagate negative cultural practices against women such as F.G.M. 4. Resian is visionary. She thought how wonderful it would be, had she a chance to enroll at the Egerton University. She dreams of going to university. Taiyo-critical-she wants to compose a song ridiculing three Nasilian women who collaborated with men to oppress women. 5. With a painful exhaustion, the straps that supported the containers pressed down their heads. 6. Later, she is rescued from a planned marriage by Nabaru and is taken to Minik s ranch. There, she is given a house and a job. Minik also helps in securing their admission at Egerton University. She also gives a scholarship. The novel ends when she and Taiyo are going to University. 7. Recall Recalled Worked together Feared Threateningly Sample Excerpt 4 1.Ole Kaelo sends Taiyo to call Resian for him. Resian feels hopeful and excited that she is being called to be informed about admission to the university. She thinks that it is her mother or sister who has talked to her father about the matter. 2. It is ironical for Resian to think that her father is going to tell her about her dream wish of joining Egerton University but he has plans to marry her off to his friend Oloisudori. This is even as he says your future is very important to me 3. He says this because he has plans to marry her to his friend Oloisudori. If this succeeds, his business would be saved because Oloisudori had helped him establish the business and even building his house in Nasila. 4. Ignorant- she thinks that her father has good news about joining university which is not the case. She says, That s it! She thought triumphantly.


4. Ignorant- she thinks that her father has good news about joining university which is not the case. She says, That s it! She thought triumphantly. Is it Yeiyo or Taiyo who spoke to you? Apprehensive. She replies to her father apprehensively. Fearful- she is in fear of her father. She sits on a chair far from her father. 5. Determination optimism. Resian is very much determined to join Egerton University. She thinks it is the reason why her father has called her. Who between them spoke to you about our enrollment at the Egerton University. 6. After the excerpt, Ole Kaelo hesitates telling Resian what he wanted to tell her and tells her to go to the kitchen. He tells her to tell her mother to come. 7. She asked him who between them had spoken to him about their enrollment at the Egerton University. 8. Suspense. The reader is left in suspense wanting to know why Ole Kaelo had called his daughter. Dialogue- there is dialogue between Resian and her father. It reveals the strained relationship between daughter and father. Nervously worriedly fearfully Sit far away Control herselfTroubled disturbed PRACTICE EXCERPTS 1. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow However, the notion that he was about to hand over his own daughter to a gangster continued to gnaw at the conscience of Ole Kaelo relentlessly. He felt guilty, especially when he recalled the atrocities that were known to have been committed by Oloisudori over the years. But another voice told him quietly that he was being foolish and unreasonable to question his own conscience over the matter of Oloisudori, for he was just one among many who were enjoying the fruits of their labour. And it was hardly anybody s business to know how honest that labour was. After all, the small voice reassured him tauntingly, those who committed bigger crimes such as Goldenberg and Anglo-leasing, were still enjoying the fruits of their labour. Had they not invested the yields of their ill-gotten money in housing estates, in shares, in import and exports in tourism, in transport and in other trades, just as Oloisudori had done?


But another voice told him quietly that he was being foolish and unreasonable to question his own conscience over the matter of Oloisudori, for he was just one among many who were enjoying the fruits of their labour. And it was hardly anybody s business to know how honest that labour was. After all, the small voice reassured him tauntingly, those who committed bigger crimes such as Goldenberg and Anglo-leasing, were still enjoying the fruits of their labour. Had they not invested the yields of their ill-gotten money in housing estates, in shares, in import and exports in tourism, in transport and in other trades, just as Oloisudori had done? When he went to bed later that evening, he remained awake for many hours pondering over those disturbing thoughts that went through his mind fleetingly, like water that churned violently in a turbulent sea. He thought of Oloisudori s impending visit and his intended marriage to Resian. He knew the success of failure of the event would determine the fate of his business. Even his continued ownership of that house where he and his family lived, depended on the outcomes of that event. Should Oloisudori fail to get Resian and recall the loan he had extended to him to buy that house, he was done. And knowing Oloisudori, he could very easily draw the rug from beneath his feet, leaving him vulnerable to all kinds of vagaries. And the thoughts gave him anxious moments. At dawn when sleep overtook him, Ole Kaelo had a pleasant dream. Resian had consented to Oloisudori s proposal. After Oloisudori reported that to him, he was greatly pleased and relieved. His wife was rapturous. Although they were astonished at the turn of events, they were relieved to know that they would not have to live with the guilt of having forced their daughter to get married. What a wise child his once hardheaded daughter had turned to be after all! And how devious! After all those years of sullenness, awkwardness and tactlessness, she had finally brought relief to their life and ushered in a period of peace and tranquility. But then, it was just that. A dream! 1. Place the excerpt in its immediate context. 4Mks 2. Discuss three major issues in this excerpt. 6Mks 3. Discuss two character traits of Ole Kaelo in this excerpt.


Discuss three major issues in this excerpt. 6Mks 3. Discuss two character traits of Ole Kaelo in this excerpt. 4Mks 4. And the thoughts gave him anxious moments Add a question tag. 1Mk 5. Discuss any three aspects of style in this excerpt. 6Mks 6. Explain the meaning of the following expressions from the excerpt. 4Mks i . Gnaw ii . Pondering iii . Impending visit iv . He was done. 2. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow. Her dream was rudely and violently interrupted by a thunderous bang and a loud roar of laughter. She woke up with a start, jumped up to her feet and stared at the door with wide panic-stricken eyes. For a moment she could not figure out her surroundings and called out the name of her sister Taiyo. She was terrified. The door flung open and Olarinkoi staggered in. He was stone drunk. Resian stared at him unblinkingly as he walked towards her and she backed off terrified, squeezing herself flatly against the wall. He followed her there and got hold of her shoulders and shook her violently glaring at her with his glittering eyes. You silly thing, he thundered angrily. I tell you to prepare food and you refuse to do so, eh? Today you will know who is the owner of this home. If you are still in doubt, let me tell you frankly that from today on you are my wife, hear that, eh? You are my wife. For a long time you have been sneering at me, showing how highly educated you are. Today we shall see how educated your body is! Yes, we shall see! He got hold of her hand and began dragging her into the other room. At first she did not understand his intention until he began unfastening her buttons with his rough trembling hands. Then the truth came, and with it, terror and panic. She tried to get away from him, but he held her effortlessly as he brutally continued fumbling with her dress, trying to loosen it. She screamed as loudly as she could while she pushed him away and thrashed frantically about. But that did not deter him and he totally ignored her screams holding her more firmly with his strong arms. Against her loud protest, he tore her garments and began to push her towards the bed.


She screamed as loudly as she could while she pushed him away and thrashed frantically about. But that did not deter him and he totally ignored her screams holding her more firmly with his strong arms. Against her loud protest, he tore her garments and began to push her towards the bed. Then desperately she took the last chance of self defense and self-preservation. Mustering all her strength, she thrust his thumb into her mouth; sunk her teeth intothe flesh like a ferocious animal and tenaciously held onto it, tugging at it fiercely like a lioness. She could feel the flesh tearing and she tasted the salt of his blood as it filled her mouth but she clung unto the thumb as Olarinkoi howled with pain. 1. Make notes on the contents of Resian s dream. 4Mks 2. Discuss one character traits of Resian in this excerpt. 2Mks 3. What has greatly changed in Olarinkoi in this excerpt compared to his earlier conduct in the novel? 3Mks 4. Identify and illustrate two aspects of style in this excerpt. 4Mks 5. Explain two major issues raised in the excerpt. 4Mks 6. Explain what happens immediately after the excerpt. 3Mks 7. Today we shall see how educated your body is Rewrite in reported speech. 1Mk 8. Explain the meaning of the following expressions in the passage. 4 Mks i . Unblinkingly ii . Effortlessly iii . Mustering iv . Howled 3. Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow Nothing is wrong with me, Resian retorted furiously. And pointing at the living room, with her figure, she fiercely charged, I have no quarrel with my father for whom, I have tremendous respect. It is the likes of Olarinkoi I am mad at, and all those other males who come here ordering us to do that or the other for them, simply because they are males. When women visit us, they give us the leeway to respond to their requests. But as we burn our fingers here Mr.Olarinkoi is dozing off comfortably in our living room waiting for his lunch and possibly a little angry and impatient with us for delaying it. It is enough, cried Yeiyo Botorr viciously.


It is the likes of Olarinkoi I am mad at, and all those other males who come here ordering us to do that or the other for them, simply because they are males. When women visit us, they give us the leeway to respond to their requests. But as we burn our fingers here Mr.Olarinkoi is dozing off comfortably in our living room waiting for his lunch and possibly a little angry and impatient with us for delaying it. It is enough, cried Yeiyo Botorr viciously. She instantly abandoned the peeling of potatoes and threw the knife into the pail that held the peeled potatoes. Supporting herself by holding onto a nearby wall, she painfully lifted a large, heavy body. My enkaini, I agree with you that something is wrong with our child, and I think I know what ails her. Come along with me and I will tell you what I think ails her. I am not sick Resian was saying that when she was cut short by Taiyo. Even if you are not sick, you cannot argue with Yeiyo Botorr, Taiyo told her sternly as soon as they were out of earshot of their mother and Yeiyo Botorr, there are things one has to learn on their own. One of them is that you cannot antagonize the older people by arguing with them, however, untenable their argument may be. That goes without saying, my dear little sister. 1. What happens before this extract? 3mks 2. Comment on any two stylistic devices used in the extract. 4mks 3. Explain any issue brought about in this extract. 3mks 4. What is the character of Yeiyoo Botorr from this extract? 4mks 5. From elsewhere in this text how does Olarinkoi contribute to the plot development of the novel? 3mks 6. Re-write and add a question tag. 1mks Nothing is wrong with me. 7. Write the meaning of the following vocabulary. 4mks a Sternly b Antagonize c Retorted d Leeway 8. What happens immediately after this extract? 3mks 4.


4mks a Sternly b Antagonize c Retorted d Leeway 8.What happens immediately after this extract? 3mks 4.Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow At seven o clock in the evening after the lights had been put on, and the traditional esuguroi drink had been served in generous measures, tongues loosened and hearts gladdened. Soon after, the party gathered momentum and voices rose. Within no time, one could hardly be heard over the hubbub of talk and laughter. And as the pleasurable and lively celebration progressed, voices became animated; hands andarms gesticulated vigorously while heads turned more often. Eyes searched out acquaintances within the throng of revelers. And it was all pomp and gaiety as ivory adorned and bejeweled fingers fluttered; bare shoulders gleamed in the light multicoloured bead ornaments glittered upon elaborately bedecked necks: pendulous ilmiintoni of all colours dangled loosely down extended ear-lobes: and the bright colours of lesos, kangas, red shukas and multicoloured blankets, all turned the Ole Kaelo living room into a kaleidoscope of shifting light and colour.1.Place this extract in its immediate context. 4mks 2.State and explain two thematic concerns in this context. 4mks 3.What is the significance of the use of words like esuguroi, ilmiintoni, lesos, kangas, and shukas? 3mks 4.Identify and explain two character traits of ole Kaelo. 4mks 5.Eyes searched out acquaintances within the throng of revelers. Rewrite to form a question 1mk 6.Which other party has an equal weight from the rest of the novel. What is its significance? 3mks 7.Comment on the prevalent mood in the context. 2mks 8.Explain the meaning of the following words: 4mks a Hubbub b Gesticulated c Gaiety d Dangled.


Walterakach gmail.com 2014THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN BY WALTER AKACH THE DEFINITIVE GUIDETOWHEN THE SUN GOES DOWNBYWALTER AKACH2 Table of Contents The guilt, Rayda Jacobs 2 When The Sun Goes Down, Goro wa Kamau .8 Leaving, Moyez G. Vassanji ...15 The War of the Ears, Moses Isegawa 21 The Mirror, Haruki Murakami .30 Diamond Dust, Anita Desai 35 Arrested Development, Sandisile Tshuma 42 Sandra Street, Michael Anthony ...48 Twilight Trek, Sefi Atta ..52 I Stand Here Ironing, Tillie Olsen ..........65 The Retraction, Stanley Onjezani Kenani .....77 The Bamboo Hut, Grace Ogot 85 Tuesday Siesta, Gabriel Garcia Marquez ..91 Two Stories of a House, Leila Abouzeid 100 Law of the Grazing Fields, Cyprian Ekwensi..106 White Hands, Jane Katjavivi .112 The Guilt, Rayda Jacobs South Africa 3 1. Plot a. Introduction We meet Mrs. Lilian Thurgood at the side of her house picking guavas. Her two dogs: Tembi and Tor alert her of somebody s presence at her gate. She is not a very strong woman; she walks with the aid of a cane. Flowers are everywhere sprouting in her compound and this gives her pleasure. B. Narrative Hook She engage s the man at the gate in a conversation c. Rising Action William Sidlay has a letter to prove that he is collecting money for some organization. He is looking for handouts donations if he can t find work. Lilian doubts the authenticity of the letter. Even as she rummages for change in her purse, she knew she was making a mistake to empathize with William. People like William took advantage of people like Lilian or murdered them. Lilian, like the rest of the whites, was filled with guilt of having gained her privileged position because of her race. She gives him the five rand, even though she could ill afford it. D. Climax William offers to work for the money. He says it s too much.


D. Climax William offers to work for the money. He says it s too much. She opens the gate for him to clean her garden, despite doubts. He however refuses to stop working when she Lilian makes the request. She had to go into the4 house for the phone was ringing. William followed her there. E. Falling Action Lilian bids him to leave but he declines. He demands 10 rand for his effort. When she threatens to call her husband, William tells her that she lives alone. He insists on ten rand besides the 5 he d been given. F. D nouement Feeling threatened she sets the dogs on him. She gets a gun from her bedroom. She gets back her five rand before seeing him off. Although she comes out of the episode unscathed, she does not boast about it to her friends, may be still consumes with guilt. Where there was guilt there was opportunity. Write an essay to confirm this using Rayda Jacob s The Guilt for your illustrations. 2. Setting The story is set in s white suburb in South Africa. Mrs. Lilian a pensioner Thurgood s home is a fortress, 10 foot high wall fence, and has a large compound in which she has fruit trees: guavas and lemons. She also has flowers in her garden: geraniums, basil and oregano. She lives alone. The incident with William takes place in the morning. 3. Conflict. The Guilt has both external and internal conflict. I Internal conflicts - First Mrs. Lilian Thurgood experiences internal conflict. She did not have to answer the call at the gate. She says she had ignored many such calls. 5 - She also suffers from internal conflict when confronted with the forged letter William Sidlay presents. She takes it anyway. -. She is faced with another instance of internal conflict when she discovers that she has 5 rand 23 cents. The five rand she thinks is too much and the 23 cents too little. She gives him the five rand in spite of herself. -. Another instance of internal conflict is on the night it was raining and she had to get the door. She wonders whether it is racist to it one were afraid to open doors to strangers. She does it anyway to make for the guilt of benefitting from the old regime. Ii External Conflict - William Sidlay threatens Lilian physically.


She wonders whether it is racist to it one were afraid to open doors to strangers. She does it anyway to make for the guilt of benefitting from the old regime. Ii External Conflict - William Sidlay threatens Lilian physically. She gives Tembi Tor the first command which allowed them to terrorise but not draw blood. She wonders what they might do if she gave the second signal she doesn t use it. -. Next, she goes for the gun which she uses to drive William out of her compound and survives a potentially murderous situation. 4. Characters Although several characters are mentioned in this story, the action focuses on Lilian and William. A. Lilian Physical attributes - She is a white woman over sixty-six years old and walks with a limp owing to a painful leg for which she takes medicine. -. Assign character traits to Mrs. Lilian Thurgood based on the following situations. 6 i Can I help you? Lilian asked. Respectful courteous ii She handed the letter back to him and said, wait here, kind iii Based on the incidents with the African woman who d knocked her door at night, the woman who d seen her sitting in the stoep , the man who rung persistently at her gate, you would say that Lilian is generous? Iv Her sudden anger when confronted with five rand 23 cents and she longs for her husband s presence he would have ordered the man off the grounds. Insecure v She would not lock the door behind her, she told herself. She trusted him. Naive trusting vi He came forward. Sa! Lilian commanded the dogs. Decisive vii The fact that she did not give the last command to the Alsatians nor pull the trigger of the gun. Humane viii The fact that she did not tell the truth to Margaret, Ruth and Ethel May. Modest Assign character traits to William Sidlay based on the following situations. I The fact that he did not panic when confronted by Tembi Tor. Calm courageous brave7 ii The fact that he forged a letter to gain entry into white homes dishonest iii The fact that he wanted the five rand besides demanding for 10 rand. Greedy iv The fact that he knew Lilian lived alone and that no one was going to come to her aid.


I The fact that he did not panic when confronted by Tembi Tor. Calm courageous brave7 ii The fact that he forged a letter to gain entry into white homes dishonest iii The fact that he wanted the five rand besides demanding for 10 rand. Greedy iv The fact that he knew Lilian lived alone and that no one was going to come to her aid. Scheming v The fact that he moved towards Lilian when she threatened to call the police. Menacing vi Sidlay producing a letter allowing him to beg after being told by Lilian that she had no work. Persistent 5. POV The story is told from the omniscient narrator perspective. 6. Theme i Guilt All the generous actions of Mrs. Thurgood are driven by guilt-she says that it was making good on the guilt, the guilt they were accused of having. Ii Deception a William Sidlay forges a letter that he purports allows him to collect funds for an organisation. It is a plan to gain entry into white people s homes and either take advantage of their guilt or murder them. B The woman who d seen Lilian sitting on the stoep deceives her that she will sell8 her eight plants for four rand and plant them. She asks for water to wet the ground when Lilian returns with the hose she finds 30 plants planted and a bill of 12 rand which she had to pay. Iii Race relations The blacks do anything in their power to take advantage of the whites. On their part, the whites feel inclined to help the blacks because of the guilt they have that their privileged position was a benefit of the previous white regime. Question Show that people pay dearly for showing their weaknesses. Using Rayda Jacob s The Guilt show that this is true. 9 When the Sun Goes Down by Goro wa Kamau The Plot We meet Steve, a successful businessman, walking down the streets of his home town. He receives questioning stares from the people standing along the streets who pretend to be going on with their businesses while in truth they are discussing Steve. He runs into his boyhood friends, Kanja. He invites Kanja to his home for a chat. He asks Kanja to tell him of the rumours about him doing rounds in the town. Kanja informs him that it is rumoured that he is marrying Maureen.


He invites Kanja to his home for a chat. He asks Kanja to tell him of the rumours about him doing rounds in the town. Kanja informs him that it is rumoured that he is marrying Maureen. We learn that people suspect that Maureen is infected with the HIV virus. Steve confirms it is true. Steve then relates the sad circumstances of Maureen s marriage to an abusive and promiscuous soldier. When Kanja meets Maureen, she unashamedly opens up and tells him how she learned that she was infected with HIV. It was long after she had struck friendship with Steve and was carrying his child. It is at this point that Steve also took an HIV test and it turned out that he too was positive. Maureen serves Kanja with juice he declines to take and finally Steve shares it with his son. This stigmatisation discrimination hurts Maureen and sends her into a depression. Despite Steve s appeal to her that they fight the disease together, she is unable to overcome her depressive mood. One evening while asleep, Maureen becomes delirious and starts mumbling bible verses. Tom, a sympathetic neighbor, helps Steve to take her to hospital. When Maureen realizes where she is, she stages a protest demanding to be taken home to die. She does not recover from her depression. 10 She is buried a week later. She leaves Steve and Kanja and Kimotho to continue the struggle. The Title The title, When the Sun Goes Down , is made in reference to Maureen s feelings of depression, hopelessness and guilt to the point of giving up on life. It creates the impression that for her, all is lost. Setting The story is set in a rural town in Central Kenya. The villagers know each other by age, name and family. This explains the concerns of each other s welfare. It also explains how this familiarity results into interference in the private lives of one another. The story is set in the modern times. HIV is a reality and so are ARV s. Conflict We shall approach conflict from two perspectives: conflict developed by Maureen. A Conflict developed by Steve. Steve largely develops external conflict i In the introductory part of the plot Steve is confronted with external conflict: between him and the villagers. He has made a decision that has not gone down well with the villagers. They believe that he deserves better than marrying Maureen.


Steve largely develops external conflict i In the introductory part of the plot Steve is confronted with external conflict: between him and the villagers. He has made a decision that has not gone down well with the villagers. They believe that he deserves better than marrying Maureen. This is because11 Maureen is HIV positive. However, no one is ready to seek his opinion on the matter but they all talk behind his back about his affair with Maureen. His decision to marry Maureen therefore alienates him from the people who looked up to him. His mind is however made up and he doesn t care what they think or say about him He; has no friends but Kanja ii The second external conflict he develops is between him and Kanja, his boyhood friend. Kanja has heard rumours about Steve s intentions to marry Maureen; however he is afraid for Steve because rumour also has it that she is HIV positive. Steve feels that Kanja, his only remaining friend, should not be part of the rumour mill. He has no control over this and it turns out that his friend indeed has come fishing for information based on the rumours he s heard. What is more, his friend had also made advances to Maureen but was unsuccessful. Further, his friend brings the HIV stigma right into their house when he refuses to drink the juice Maureen serves him. It is this conflict with Kanja that is central to the story and is responsible for the ultimate death of Maureen. Iii The other external conflict Steve develops is between him and Maureen. Pp19 Maureen explains to Kanja how Steve came to learn that he had HIV. This was her way of taking responsibility for pass the virus to him; this was her way of making him a victim and Steve resented it. He forbids her to reason like that but will not stop. 12 Pp22 Maureen is hurt by Kanja s refusal to take the juice she serves him. She says it s worthless to live if people cruelly discriminate against you. Steve would have none of this and implores her not to think like that to no avail. Pp25-26 Steve not only buys the most nutritious foods for her but also cooks them but Maureen wouldn t eat. She suffers from nausea after a few bites, what is more she yearns for death.


Steve would have none of this and implores her not to think like that to no avail. Pp25-26 Steve not only buys the most nutritious foods for her but also cooks them but Maureen wouldn t eat. She suffers from nausea after a few bites, what is more she yearns for death. Despite his remonstrations with her that she banishes such thoughts of death from her head she wouldn t stop. Pp26-27 Maureen s sense of guilt finally gets the better of Steve. Her deep seated sense of guilt reinforced by the careless talk of the neighbours finally gets Steve to contemplate the terrible possibility of her death. Iv Steve also develops external conflict between him and HIV AIDS. -. He tries to have good mental health by making Maureen avoid negative talk, this is a battle he loses for her but does not succumb to. He continues to live positively He talks of counting their blessings. -. He stops smoking at the urging of his doctor. This too is a battle that he is winning. -. He buys nutritious foods and takes his drugs. He tells Maureen that she has to eat and take her drugs daily. Although Maureen loses this battle Steve does not he is in it for the long haul. He is determined to stay alive. 13 Even Maureen acknowledges this pp20 she says that she has no doubt he will live. B Maureen develops external conflict as well as internal. Internal conflict Maureen blames herself for passing the virus on to Steve. Pp19 She protests that she was faithful both to her husband and to Steve. She tells the story of how Steve found out he was positive to assuage herself lessen her guilt Pp26 As she gets delirious she mumbles that she was faithful both to her husband and to Steve. External Conflict i She develops a conflict between her and HIV - This is another conflict central to the story. From the time we meet Maureen there is no doubt she is losing the battle against HIV. When we first meet her we are told that she looked somewhat weary. -. When Kanja refuses to take the juice she serves him, she is devastated. Pp21 she asks Steve why people must be so cruel. She refuses to forgive herself for bringing this cruelty on Steve. Subsequently she refuses to eat and it is hinted that she may have stopped taking her drugs pp26 Steve reminds her that she has to eat and take her drugs daily.


Pp21 she asks Steve why people must be so cruel. She refuses to forgive herself for bringing this cruelty on Steve. Subsequently she refuses to eat and it is hinted that she may have stopped taking her drugs pp26 Steve reminds her that she has to eat and take her drugs daily. -. When forced to eat pp26 she develops nausea and says that she longs to rest euphemism for die. -. At the hospital, she tells the nurse that she is dying. Pp28 - pp21 tears flow down her face as she thinks of Kanja s action and wishes people were more compassionate. -. Pp26 she declares that she is a living dead - In short, Maureen s sun went down the day she discovered she d passed on HIV to Steve. Ii She also develops a conflict between her and the Kanja s of this world. When Kanja refuses to take her14 juice, she is devastated and asks Steve why people are so cruel. She feels that her family is discriminated against because she brought AIDS into it. -. She hardly goes out for fear of what people will say. -. Pp 26 Steve laments that her sense of guilt was the product of listening to lose speaking tongues. Themes Two of the best developed themes in this story are fear and guilt. They are both developed by Maureen. -. Kanja develops the theme of hypocrisy friendship cracks at mention of AIDS. -. HIV AIDS is developed by both Steve and Maureen. The author uses Steve to show how people can live positively with AIDS. Maureen on the other hand serves to illustrate how hopelessness and not AIDS kills people infected with HIV. -. Ignorance is developed by: Kanja not taking the juice Maureen serves The town s folk in general not knowing that their negative talk kills worse than AIDS. Mr. Kabia- fears contracting AIDS if an AIDS sufferer is carried in his car. -. Loneliness is developed by both Steve and Maureen. Characterisation 1. Steve: determined, loving, realistic, open, sociable, hardworking 2. Kanja: hypocritical, ignorant, lustful 3. Maureen: hopeless, faithful, loving, religious, hospitable, stoic15 Essay Question 1. Life is worth living even if one is suffering from HIV.


Kanja: hypocritical, ignorant, lustful 3. Maureen: hopeless, faithful, loving, religious, hospitable, stoic15 Essay Question 1. Life is worth living even if one is suffering from HIV. Using Goro wa Kamau s When the Sun Goes Down for your illustrations show that this is true. 16 Leaving by Moyez G. Vassanji 1. Setting The story is set in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. We first meet the family leaving on Uhuru Street where the Narrator s mother runs a shop. Later they move to the residential area of Upanga, upon her selling her shop. 2. Plot The story opens with the concept of leaving. The girls are getting married. Mehroon marries a former school mate who leaves in Dar. Razia marries a wealthy man who leaves in Tanga. Then there is Firoz who drops out of school and gets employed. The narrator s mother then sells her shop and moves from Uhuru Street to Upanga residential area. The narrator informs us their mother laid hopes on he Aloo. This is because they both excel at school. The narrator joins the local University. Meanwhile, in his last year at school, he proves to be exceptionally bright in his studies. Mr. Datoo, a farmer student and teacher at the boys school, visits the town from U.S.A. the similarity of Datoo s and Aloo s background makes Aloo feels that he too could study in the USA. He starts writing applications to various universities in America. His ambition is to study medicine. When the results are out, he has straight A s. However, the local varsity gives him a place to study Agriculture. This is what makes the offer from CIT more appealing. They not only offer him a place at the university but also give him a scholarship. His determination to study in17 America intensifies; however, the money required for transport and upkeep as well as his mother s fear of losing her son stands in his way. After seeking Mr. Velji s opinion, and some reflection, his mother is ready to let go. She bids Aloo not to smoke nor drink and not to marry a white woman. Her fears allayed, she sends Aloo to America for further studies 3.


Velji s opinion, and some reflection, his mother is ready to let go. She bids Aloo not to smoke nor drink and not to marry a white woman. Her fears allayed, she sends Aloo to America for further studies 3. Conflict This story is about Aloo s determination to study medicine i The first conflict he faces is bureaucracy and corruption. On pp 35 the narrator hints at this: But some bureaucratic hand, probably corrupt, dealt out a future prospect for him that came as a shock. This explains why the family does not want to question the university about Aloo s placement. Clearly, with his straight A s deserved a place in the medicine class. However, the family does not even think about arguing his case with the varsity would be an exercise in futility. Nothing would come out of it. Ii The second conflict is developed by Velji and Aloo s mother on pp 3 he tells Aloo s mother, But if you send him, you will lose your son. It s a far place, America, It is his mother, however, who fully develops this conflict on page 35, after Aloo has overcome his shock of getting CIT placement and scholarship, we are told: But first he had to contend with mother. 18 She does not believe it and thinks that he is teasing her. Next she raises issue with the money required. 3000 shillings is required for pocket money. She further questions where they d raise his air fare from- it was not a little money that needed. She concludes that no one in Dar would help him Pp 36 she gets angry at him and asks him why he wants to go away, so far from them and wonders whether they mean so little to him. Further, she is worried that something might happen to him. Her final resistance to his leaving is on page 39- she asks him to promise that he will not marry a white woman, nor will smoke nor drink. At this point we now understand her fear at telling him go: she would lose him to a different culture that all the values she d taught him would be in vain. 4. Characters and Characterisation. I Aloo a intelligent scores straight A s in his final exam b respectful -pp 36 He had raised his voice to her, the first time I saw him that.


This shows that she understands that through education her children would improve their lot. Iii Fear The main conflict in this story is Aloo s mother s reluctance to let him go study in a foreign country. This conflict is borne of fear a That her son doesn t care much for the family b That something could happen to him c That he could start smoking and drinking d That he could marry a white woman 6. POV This story is told from the 1st person pov. The narrator is the 2nd last born child in a family of 3 boys and 2 girls. It is an inspirational story of how upbringing influences the destinies of he and his siblings in general but Aloo in particular. He reports objectively the factors that influence Aloo s destiny. We trust his judgment because he is not only an adult but he is at the university. He wished his brother well from the start and in the end it comes to pass. In the end we do not just read a story for entertainment value. Stories also have information value. For us to exploit this fully we need to answer 3 questions. I Is the title appropriate? 21 Yes, all the 5 siblings and their mother are involved in leavings of sorts. Ii What is the significant event? Mr. Datoo s visit is. He inspires Aloo to be all that he can be. This is so important because schools are yet to find a place for alumni. Without a doubt they influence the destinies of students and they should therefore be incorporated in career guidance activities. Iii What is the author s intention? A First of all the author s main audience are parents. Parents should learn that the way they bring up their children determines how positively they live life and how successful that life is. B The author s second audience is the youth: although the environment in which you are brought up matters; ultimately, there is no success without input. The contrast between Firoz and Aloo exemplifies this. 22 The War of the Ears by Moses Isegawa 1. Setting The story is set in a rural Uganda during a period of civil strife. A rebel group, God s Victorious Brigades, is fighting to stamp corruption out of the country in the light of their interpretation of the Ten Commandments. The ultimate sufferers are civilians.


Setting The story is set in a rural Uganda during a period of civil strife. A rebel group, God s Victorious Brigades, is fighting to stamp corruption out of the country in the light of their interpretation of the Ten Commandments. The ultimate sufferers are civilians. The story s main setting is Nandere Primary School with episodes in Ma Beeda s home and the forest. Most of the activities take place in the night. Darkness symbolizes the evil that has befallen the country at large and is about to befall Ma Beeda s village in particular. 2. Plot The story opens at the close of day at Nandere Primary School. Beeda is confronted with a problem: the world outside school is full of questions he couldn t answer and things he couldn t control. This drives him into a panic that it is possible that these events beyond his control could stop the children from coming back to school. Indeed, his fears are fanned by the letter that arrives in the school that day. The rebel group, God s Victorious Brigades, says it is the last letter they send to warn Ma Beeda of dire consequences should she fail to close the school. She however swears to defy them and believes that they have government protection. Beeda, however, is clearly terrified and feels helpless because he does not believe the government s promise would come to much. We learn that his father had died when he was four, and now as a secondary school student, he doubles up as a teacher at his Mother s school. 23 To prove their point, the rebel group has dispatched four child soldiers to Nandere Primary School, the only surviving school in the region. They are led by Major Azizima who is 14. The other 3 boys are his juniors. His immediate superior, Colonel Kalo, is 17. Upon reaching the school, Azizima awaits instructions from Kalo to burn it down. We learn that the supreme leader of the rebels is Generalissimo who is revered because he spoke with God. All the rules and guidelines come from him. This involves indoctrinating the child soldiers with his interpretation of the Ten Commandments and heavy doses of barbaric punishment for offences against his rules. Similarly, the soldiers mete out barbaric punishment like chopping off the ears of those who do not support the course of the rebels.


All the rules and guidelines come from him. This involves indoctrinating the child soldiers with his interpretation of the Ten Commandments and heavy doses of barbaric punishment for offences against his rules. Similarly, the soldiers mete out barbaric punishment like chopping off the ears of those who do not support the course of the rebels. The arrival of these rebels in Beeda s village brings to his door step those things he d feared he has no control over. At school first they are confronted with the pane Azizima had broken the previous night, Next, Miss Bengi informs them that a man s ear had been cut off the previous night and because of this insecurity, she intends to leave the village for the city. The gunfire later that night is the last piece of evidence that the war of the ears had finally come to their village. 3. Conflict a External i The first conflict we meet is between Ma Beeda and the rebels. They have been sending her letters telling her that she is a government agent and that she should close her school. The final letter is24 signed by Colonel Kalo. It tells her that her punishment for defying them will be both heavy and harsh. She continues to defy them in the hope that the government s security apparatus will protect her and her investment. Ii Secondly, we learn that the teachers too are in direct conflict with the rebels. We are told that Beeda s is filling in for a teacher who had fled weeks ago. Further, Ma Beeda s says that she spoke to the teachers and 2 or 3 want to run away pp 46 . Then there is Miss Bengi who announces her desire to leave for the city after a man s ear was cut off pp 59 iii The major conflict is between the government and the rebels pp 46 A war was going on in the forest and hills where government forces occasionally clashed with the rebels. This is also confirmed in the letter sent to Ma Beeda in which she is called a government agent. Their professed goal is to stamp corruption of out of the country. Iv The conflict between the rebels and the government has also brought on conflict between the civilians and government on one hand and civilians and rebels on the other. Major Azizima s father died in the hands of the government security apparatus.


Their professed goal is to stamp corruption of out of the country. Iv The conflict between the rebels and the government has also brought on conflict between the civilians and government on one hand and civilians and rebels on the other. Major Azizima s father died in the hands of the government security apparatus. They had alleged that he was collaborating with the rebels pp 51 We are also told that in between engagements with rebels, government forces looked for rebel collaborators pp 46 . 25 Then there is the conflict between rebels and civilians in general. We are told that in the period between engagements with government forces the rebels attacked civilians pp46 Major Azizima tells us that his mother was killed by the rebels. What is more, he d been asked to cut off her ears pp 51 . Major Azizima also cuts off the ear of a villager who was looking for medicine for his sick wife. Pp53 . Further, after this act, they trained their rifles on the shops in case people confronted them. No one did. In the letter to Ma Beeda the rebels state that the war of ears had begun. This is in reference to cutting off the ears of civilians who defied them pp 45 . Finally the village is awakened deep in the night by gunfire. Pp61 b The other conflict developed in the story is internal i Beeda In front of the class he knew everything and there was nothing he could not do. However, the world outside was full of questions he could not answer and things he could not control pp43 it is a flash-forward in the problems the villagers face from the government and rebels ii Azizima He thinks of escaping from the rebel base but if caught by the government soldiers he would be tortured or killed or both. If caught by the comrades he would be killed. Either way he would die but he wanted to live to26 avenge his parents. Besides he wanted to find out what had happened to his siblings who had disappeared. Further, at school Nandere he felt a yearning to return to school, to study and get a certificate but he hated having to take orders from teachers. Moreover it would mean surrendering his power something he knew he would not do freely. 4. Characters and Characterisation.


Moreover it would mean surrendering his power something he knew he would not do freely. 4. Characters and Characterisation. A Ma Beeda A widow, entrepreneur and a single parent, she has a son, Beeda i Hardworking started her school under a mango tree but is now a full-fledged learning centre. Ii Determined Resolute Hers is the last operational school. All the other schools have shut down at the behest of the rebels. Despite the numerous letters by the rebels that she shuts down her school, she defies them. Iii Optimistic Despite the war going on around her, she is hopeful that it will not touch her school. She says that the rebels have no chance of victory and that they don t have the people s support. She also tells us that the government would hunt down all the criminals and punish them pp57 27 iv Secretive She had a journal in which she entered the Nightcrawler s reports. Beeda was not allowed to look in the book. Pp 59 v Curiuos Has set the Nightcrawler to find out details of what several people had heard and seen the night before. Vi Perceptive pp 47 She had the ability to guess what her son was thinking and at times he disliked it intensely. B Beeda i Hardworking stays at school teaching until late -plans his lessons in good time ii Concerned pp 46 asks his mom whether she spoke to the teachers i.e. ask them to stay. -Wants to know the response of the regional commander in relation to their insecurity. C Azizima -ambitious violent reflective determined 5. Themes a Human rights abuse crimes against humanity. I Children are denied the right to education. Ma Beeda tells us that hers is the only school opening in the area, and even this is threatened to be short28 lived by the rebels who have served her with a final notice to close the school. Ii People are killed both by the rebels and the government. Azizima tells us that government forces killed his father for allegedly collaborating with the rebels. The rebels too killed his mother for an unspecified reason. Iii People suffer mutilation in the hands of the rebels. The letter sent to Ma Beeda warns her that ears that don t listen to their master get chopped off and hers would be next.


The rebels too killed his mother for an unspecified reason. Iii People suffer mutilation in the hands of the rebels. The letter sent to Ma Beeda warns her that ears that don t listen to their master get chopped off and hers would be next. Azizima tells us that Blue Beast forced him to chop off his mother s ears. Azizima chops of the ear of a villager and keeps it as a trophy and proof to his superiors that he is loyal. Miss Bengi threatens to leave for the city saying she does not want her ear chopped off. Iv Displacement People are fleeing the village on account of insecurity arising from the war of the ears. Ma Beeda tells us that two or 3 teachers have expressed their intention to leave for the city. Beeda is filling in for a teacher who had fled several weeks before. Miss Bengi is thinking of going to the city to avoid the atrocities of the rebels. V Enlisting of Child Soldiers. Major Azizima is only14 years old and is a soldier trained and armed by the rebels. The three soldiers he is sent to Nandere Primary school with are younger than he is. His superior, colonel Kalo29 is only 17 years. These children are first abducted and then forced into fighting. Vi Barbaric treatment of the soldiers at the base. Sex was forbidden at the base except for the four people in high command. Anyone who broke this rule got one hundred strokes of the hippo-hide whip. Rape was punished with amputation of the left hand. Dissention and theft were punished with death. There is no appeal against the words of the spies. They were made to chant Generalissimos hatred for the Uganda government for hours on end. B Family relations i MaBeeda trains her son on the work ethic; he not only knows his house hold chores but loves his teaching job. Ii Beeda is very respectful of his mother and she too of him. -. When his mother summons him, he drops what he is doing and goes to her for example when he was talking to Miss Bengi and his mother summons him he goes to her despite the fact he would have liked to continue talking to her. -. She too is respectful of him when he burns their supper; she resists the urge to raise her voice at him. Further, although she d lost her appetite, she respectfully eats some of the food he serves her.


- When his mother summons him, he drops what he is doing and goes to her for example when he was talking to Miss Bengi and his mother summons him he goes to her despite the fact he would have liked to continue talking to her. -. She too is respectful of him when he burns their supper; she resists the urge to raise her voice at him. Further, although she d lost her appetite, she respectfully eats some of the food he serves her. C Violence - War going on between government and rebels - Government torturing and killing rebel collaborators death of Azizima s father30 - Rebels mutilating or killing government sympathisers death of another chopping of the ears of a man. -breaking of a window pane at the school and its imminent burning down. -. Killing and mutilation of soldiers who break rules at the camp. D Fear. Pp46 Beeda is afraid that teachers will desert the school; further, he is afraid that the promise of their safety by the regional commander may not hold water. He is afraid that something might have happened to uncle Modo Pp 54 Most people went home early and were barricaded inside their house by nightfall. Pp 51 Azizimo is afraid that if he runs away from the base he ll be executed by the rebels upon capture. Further if he does escape he ll be tortured or killed by government agents upon capture. Pp 53 After Azizimo had chopped off the ear of a villager, the train their rifles on the shops- Nobody came out to confront them for fear of being killed or mutilated by the rebels. Pp 54-6 MaBeeda wakes up feeling that a messenger was at the door, waiting to break the news that her school was no more. It was a daily ordeal which reached its peak every morning. 31 The Mirror by Haruki Murakami 1. Setting The story is set in the narrator s house in the night. He is seated with some friends and they are relating scary stories or those of premonitions. There is however, another setting in which the narrator rebels a frightful moment in his life. This is at a school junior high school in which he was employed as a lone night watchman at the age of 18 or 19. The night was windy and hot. Mosquitoes buzzed all over amidst the noise of the wind.


This is at a school junior high school in which he was employed as a lone night watchman at the age of 18 or 19. The night was windy and hot. Mosquitoes buzzed all over amidst the noise of the wind. The broken gate of the swimming pool made banging rhythmic banging noises in the dark night. This description creates a scary mood which is consistent with his frightening experience. 2. Plot The narrator is hosting a number of friends and they pass time relating scary experiences or those of premonitions. The narrator says that there is a force linking the world of the living with that of the dead giving rise to the narrator of stories being related. These forces he says restrict people to either group those people who see ghosts are unable to have premonition and vice versa. The forces don t give people the ability to do both that is, they are mutually exclusive The narrator then distances himself from these experiences. He says that in his 30yrs he has neither seen a ghost nor had a premonition. However, he admits that he has had a scary experience which he narrates for the first time. He had kept it secret for fear that if he spoke of it then it might happen all over again. 32 He relates how in his 2 am round on a scary night, he thinks he notices something in the hallway. Upon closer inspection it turns out that a mirror, which had previously not been there, gave his reflection. The mirror has him spell bound until he forcefully tears himself from it and shatters it rashes back to the janitor s room to sleep. In the morning, he goes back to inspect the scene of the incident. He finds the cigarette butt and his kendo that he dropped. However, that shattered mirror is not there. 3. Conflict i The first conflict is about the nature of these supernormal experiences. The narrator tells his friends that all their experiences fall into two broad categories. The repetition of the phrase all your stories , suggests that his friends were not in agreement with him. Ii The second conflict is that the narrator is immune to verse experiences. He describes an incident in an elevator with two friends who swear they could see a woman standing next to the narrator. He insists it was only the three of them in the lift. Iii The third conflict is between the narrator and his parents. At seventeen they expected him to proceed to college after high school.


He insists it was only the three of them in the lift. Iii The third conflict is between the narrator and his parents. At seventeen they expected him to proceed to college after high school. He declines, and instead wonders all over Japan working at various manual jobs. Iv The last conflict is internal. He believes that he is immune to the supernormal experiences. Yet he has this encounter with a non-existent mirror that33 holds him captive and seems to control him. He keeps this event secret for over 12 years, but finally he relates it. What is more, he keeps away from mirrors. He is afraid the scary incident would happen again yet he swears he does not believe in supernormal forces. 4. Character and characterisation. Narrator a proud - Thinks that people that have encountered ghosts or have had premonition are not normal and that he is unique because he s never had those experiences. B fearful - Feels apprehensive about mirrors and does not keep them around him. -. He was too scared to fix the broken gate because of the dark night. -. Terrified by the mirror incident he runs back to the janitor s room. C rebellious - Refuses to go to college and chooses to do manual work. D Hospitable Hosts his friends and having been entertained by their stories he too narrates one that he has kept secret in order to further entertain them. E Analytical Upon listening to his friend s stories he separates them into two categories: those of ghosts and premonitions; further, he says a force links people to these things. He goes a step further and says the34 impression he gets is that these experiences are mutually exclusive. 5. Themes i Identity Crisis - At 17 when the narrator should be proceeding to college, he chooses to wander all over Japan doing manual work. This is a typical teenage problem as they try to identify who they really are, different from what their parents want them to be. -. What is disturbing though is that at 30, more experienced with life, he says he d do it all over again. This rebellious streak is stuck with him. -. He also believes that he is different from other people. Other people see ghosts; he doesn t. Other people have premonitions; he doesn t. Yet he is very much like them because of the encounter he had with an imaginary mirror that still controls his life.


36 Diamond Dust by Anita Desai 1. Setting The story is set in Bharti Nagar, an urban civil servants residential area in India. The events take us from Mr. Das house, to the streets of Bharti Nagar, into the Lodi Gardens and down the alleys of the town. 2. Plot We are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Das and Diamond, Mr. Das problematic dog. It is not only a nuisance to Mrs. Das but to service providers and children as well. To Mr. Das, he is a lovable pet hence the name Diamond. As a result of Diamond s nature C.P. Biswas asks Das why he named the dog Diamond and not the more probable coal after its black colour. Das wouldn t hear of this neither does he have an explanation for Mr. Biswas. What is more, Das outs his dog before family; on return from work he greets Diamond then the family members. Mrs. Das has a premonition that all this is not going to end well. But Das is unstoppable. He even frolics with Diamond in public something that displeases his colleagues. His friends Biswas and Base see Das behavior as bringing shame to them before their superiors:- the undersecretary and the retired Joined Secretary. Mrs. Das too disapproves of this attachment to Diamond. Over the years she has had to clean after Diamond: its urine, smell and fur from floor rugs and seats. She has even sacrificed a cooking pot has to move out of the house for one hour as Diamond s37 meat cooks. Her protests do not yield any change. Ironically, Das complains that an animal s nature can t be changed by domestication. Children, though they approved of Diamond, teased him when Das wasn t around. He cautions them against using sticks or stones against Diamond or running away from him. They protest that they d be bitten the way Ranu was if they don t run. However, the real problems begin when Diamond matures into a full grown god. He moves from a nuisance to a menace. First, there is his phobia for uniform. He bellows at the postman, chases him and tears his trousers. The result is Mrs. Das doesn t get her mail regularly for it is thrown at the hedge.


He bellows at the postman, chases him and tears his trousers. The result is Mrs. Das doesn t get her mail regularly for it is thrown at the hedge. Then there are the other service providers: electricity meter readers telephone repair men, and garbage collectors who do not render their services to the Das family because Diamond attacks them when they do. Finally there are the school children who cannot get to the bus stop without adult protection. Neighbours however do not report him to the police out of both propriety and pity. In the end, Diamond becomes a pain to Das during mating seasons. He disappears for long stretches and during this period Das spends days and nights in search of him. What is more, his behavior when he catches Diamond mating alarms parents. Mrs. Das too wouldn t have Diamond back in the house until he s been cleaned. Further, Diamond is a threat to his job. He spends time looking for him instead of going to work or when he does go to work he is distracted. 38 Diamond s final escapade ends badly for both of them. Diamond is caught by the dog catchers and he faces certain death. Das sees him in the moving van jumps onto it and plunges to death. 3. Conflict A conflict arising from Diamond s actions i Diamond Mrs. Das Diamond generally upsets Mrs. Diamond. He upsets the table, when she sets Das food. He knocks her down. He gets more attention than her children do. She had to mop after him when he was a puppy and constantly urinated on the floor. She had to put up with the smell of the dog in her next house. Diamonds further had to be constantly removed from rugs, sofas and armchairs. Her letters got lost or never reached her because Diamond attacked the postman when he made deliveries. She had to nurse Mr. Das when he caught flu in the cold nights in search of Diamond. Finally, her husband dies when he tries to save Diamond from the moving fog catcher s van. Ii Diamond and the neighbours a The children would throw stones or sticks at Diamond, then he d break loose and run after them nipping at their heels or stopping when they fell in the dust. B When his phobia for uniform grew he would chase children on their way to or from school. The result was that they could39 neither go to the bus-stop nor come from it, without adult protection.


Ii Diamond and the neighbours a The children would throw stones or sticks at Diamond, then he d break loose and run after them nipping at their heels or stopping when they fell in the dust. B When his phobia for uniform grew he would chase children on their way to or from school. The result was that they could39 neither go to the bus-stop nor come from it, without adult protection. C During the badmashi days, Diamond would howl so loudly keeping the neighbours awake. This would go on until he snapped his collar. B Conflicts arising from Mr. Das actions:- i Das and Mrs. Das a Mrs. Das complained that he gave more attention to Diamond than he did to his children or grandchildren pp 3 Not even about our children not even your first-born son or your grandchildren, have you made so much of us that dog. She also complains that on his return from work Das greeted the dog Diamond, my friend before greeting Mrs. Das, his grandchildren or anyone at all. B She refuses to go to the butcher s for buffalo meat for Diamond nor would she cook the meat when Das brought it he had to do it himself. Further, she asks him to substitute milk and bread for Diamond s meat but Das would hear none of this. C She complains that her letters don t reach her because Diamond attacks the postman when he makes deliveries. Das instead accuses the postman of being cowardly. D When Diamond goes out on his last escapade in Nov. the night chill made Das sick and she40 had to nurse him every time he came back empty handed. Further, she pleaded with him to give up Diamond before the search kills him to no avail. Iii Das and his colleagues neighbours a C.P.Biswas is convinced the name Diamond is too good for the dog and wonders when it was given such a name. He d rather it be named coal after its black coat. Das says he d never do such a thing to Diamond. B His colleagues had caught him frolicking with Diamond in public like a child. They feel he s taken leave of his senses and this worries them. Further, they feel that his behavior embarrasses them before their superiors, the under-Secretary and the retired Joint Secretary.


7. A Is the title appropriate? Dictionary .com defines diamond dust as pulverized diamonds uses as an abrasive. Diamonds abrasive nature rubs everyone the wrong way including its owner. B What is the significant event? Mr. Das obsessive behavior towards Diamond. C What is the aim of the author? I The author cautions against obsessive behavior Mr. Das does because of the excessive love he has for his dog. Besides, he is oblivious to the pain it causes other people. Ii The author also cautions against the danger pets pose to both their owners and society in general. An animal nature can t be changed simply because it is domesticated. Diamond stays true to this statement which ironically is made by Mr. Das. The other irony in relation to this statement is that Mr. 43 Das personality does not change despite the many pleas from friends and family. Task: One person s pleasure can be a terrible displeasure to someone else. Write an essay that is in support of this statement with illustrations from Anita Desai s story Diamond Dust 44 Arrested Development by Sandisile Tshuma 1. Setting The story is set on a road trip from Zimbabwe s capital Bulawayo, to Beitbridge, a town bordering South Africa. The setting moves from Max s garage, to a contraband ferrying vehicle and ultimately to Beitbridge. This is at a time when Zimbabwe is experiencing hyperinflation. 2. Plot The narrator and tens of travelers are writing at Max s garage for vehicles to take them to their various destinations. The narrator is an academic researcher in search of data on order jumping. There is no public transport and so the travelers are at the mercy of private vehicle owners. As a result of the collapse of public service provision, the people of Zimbabwe have developed infinite patience in order to get anything they want. After three days of waiting, the narrator struggles with other passengers to get onto the back of a pick-up that has stopped next to her. They are charged an exorbitant fare. Though they pay up, the driver takes them back to Max s alleging that his costs will not be covered. Presently she is directed by a tout to a vehicle ready to leave for Beitbridge. She finds herself travelling in the company of two contraband dealers, the driver and the woman in midthirties. She learns that the police take bribes to ignore the contraband.


Presently she is directed by a tout to a vehicle ready to leave for Beitbridge. She finds herself travelling in the company of two contraband dealers, the driver and the woman in midthirties. She learns that the police take bribes to ignore the contraband. She learns that the lot of the cross-border traders is way better than that of highly educated Zimbabweans. For example she and her friend Lihile who has despaired of her lot ever improving. From the45 passenger who joins them at Gwanda, she learns that ignorance is preyed upon in a very cruel way. This cruelty on one another wises up victims. Survival for con-artists therefore is a daily struggle. Zimbabweans are filled with loneliness and despair. Even for the cross-border traders, the risks are many. The best everyone can do is resign themselves to their fate like Lihile who now fetches water and easily contends with blackouts The narrator s research however offers a ray of hope that might salvage the youth from their endless troubles in search of a livelihood. 3. Conflict i Poor public service provision. The public looks to the government for the provision of public service. These have either broken down completely, like transport, or are not efficiently provided like electricity, water etc. The public is powerless to bring on any improvement and have resigned themselves to waiting. Ii Private transport With the collapse of public transport, private vehicle owners have moved in to fill the gap. They charge fares that the public can bear. They even use unscrupulous means, like taking them back to the pickup stations, to Max on fares. 46 iii The Public The public is its own worst enemy. They have perfected vigoroni: the art of getting ahead of the crowd and on top of the pile. A tiny old woman painfully elbows the narrator to earn her place on the vehicle to Beitbridge. The narrator in return scales the sides of the pick-up without regards to the less athletic woman. The passenger who joins them at Gwanda is conned of 780 rand. Payment defaulters in the cross-border trade are sold off to Nigerians in Johannesburg . The traders are mugged by bandits who strip search them. They pay off every government officer they come in contact with for their businesses to continue. They pay off border officials, highway police, magistrates even farmers. For example, Gloria pays a border official in order to cross the border without a pass.


They pay off every government officer they come in contact with for their businesses to continue. They pay off border officials, highway police, magistrates even farmers. For example, Gloria pays a border official in order to cross the border without a pass. The driver buys a ticket from the police to avoid paying more bribes on the way. 4. Characters and Characetrisation i Narrator a Observant -vividly describes the boarding of the twin-cab pickup -places the Gwanda passenger as a Tshuma b Intelligent -an academician carrying out a research project47 c Focused The wealth made by the cross-border traders does not make her give up the quest of improving the lot of the youth in return for quick riches in business. Ii Cross-border traders: -opportunists -cunning -daring- crossing of the Limpopo iii General populace -impotent powerless to bring about change not every via ballot -Greedy change exorbitant fees for services transport and products fuel - Police govt. Officials take bribes Government officials swindle cash meant for development projects like the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Pipeline. -con one another e.g. the Tshuma boys conned by the money changers. -Resigned- Lihile now fetches water and contends with the blackouts despite her education and exposure at the U.K. -Generous there who have found work in S.A send cash and groceries to their relatives in Zimbabwe. 5. Themes. The best developed theme in this story is suffering. There are many other themes but not well developed. I Suffering a No public service or they are inefficient. 48 -the narrator waits for 3 hours before she gets transport. The Tshuma man had waited 18 hours for the mini-bus to Bulawayo to fill. B The narrator had waited for 2 hours at the bank to withdraw money. C black -outs are common place and house taps are dry d payment defaulters are sold off to Nigerians in Johannesburg e traders sometimes have to cross the crocodile infested river Limpopo. At times they are attacked by bandits f The practice of Vigoroni has robbed them of etiquette.


B The narrator had waited for 2 hours at the bank to withdraw money. C black -outs are common place and house taps are dry d payment defaulters are sold off to Nigerians in Johannesburg e traders sometimes have to cross the crocodile infested river Limpopo. At times they are attacked by bandits f The practice of Vigoroni has robbed them of etiquette. The narrator is elbowed painfully by a tiny old woman as they scramble for space on a pick-up ii Impotence -In the first two paragraphs, the word wait has been used five times and waiting once. This apparent patience is actually the collective weakness not strength of Zimbabweans . But it is not in the nature of a Zimbabwean to question or complain. Pp 88 -the educated like Lihile have despaired and put her life expectancy at 40 or just below . What is more, she has adapted to the dry taps and blackouts. Iii Corruption -pp 93 There is no palm that cannot be greased, apparently border officials, highway police, magistrates all take bribes -pp 87 people in high office swindle project fundsMatebeleland Zambezi Water Pipeline has never taken off. 49 iv Human rights violations pp 93 payment defaulters are sold off to Nigerians in Johannesburg, traders are subjected to strip searchers by bandits v Insecurity traders are mugged by bandits in the farmlands of Limpopo Province. Vi Loneliness pp 93 I am struck by a loneliness that I have noticed in everyone lately. On page 93 Gloria tells us that: Trust no one, not even relatives. This lack of trust seems to be the source of the loneliness. 6. POV 1st person narrator makes the story more credible because of her high academic status and the fact that she is the only person doing something to bring about change. 7. A Is the title appropriate? Yes. Arrested development, though a contradiction, points to the fact that the impotence of 12million people has ensured their quality of life does not improve. B What is the significant event? The discovery of the patience of Zimbabweans c What is the aim of the author? Unless people do something about their circumstances, their lot will never change. 50 Sandra Street by Michael Anthony 1. Setting The story is set in a suburb street called Sandra. It is no ordinary street.


50 Sandra Street by Michael Anthony 1. Setting The story is set in a suburb street called Sandra. It is no ordinary street. It houses a residential area, a school and it leads into a forested hill. Sandra Street maintains a somewhat natural environment: there are no fences or gates, a few houses, a small population and its people live in harmony. Neighbouring residential areas are a little way off. 2. Plot We are introduced to Steve, the narrator; Mr. Blades, his new teacher who is a nature lover and Sandra Street. We learn about the natural environment of Sandra Street through a composition by Kenneth, a boy from the other side of town. His story leads t a conflict between boys from the other side of the town and those from Sandra Street. The Sandra Street boys feel that their town has been described negatively. Mr. Blades reads a few more stories, some of which say very nice things about Sandra Street. His delight at these did not appease most of the boys from Sandra Street. In a desperate attempt to calm them, he asks the class to write a composition on the other side of town. This only fuels the conflict between the boys. However, the narrator does an objective assessment of Kenneth s composition and finds that it was a truthful description of Sandra Street. He even begins to appreciate its beauty. He is so caught up in his reflections he does not realise the break bell has gone. It takes Mr. Blades to bring him back to the present. 51 The following Tuesday the boys fight again as a result of what they wrote about the other side of town. More compositions are written on other subjects yet Sandra Street did not go away. Mr. Blades, who is new to Sandra Street, is waiting for the mango season to find out whether the boys had given an accurate description of Sandra Street during that season. What is more, Mr. Blades takes an interest in Steven s writing. The two of them appear at the window several times looking out at Sandra Street. With every discussion they have at the window, Steven s observation ability grows so does this love of nature. His interest in nature takes him to the hills where he explores the river, mango and banana groves and even gets to put away green bananas in the immortelle roots to ripen. In his last encounter with Mr. Blades at the window, Steven invites him to the hills to inspect his bananas. At the hills, Mr.


In his last encounter with Mr. Blades at the window, Steven invites him to the hills to inspect his bananas. At the hills, Mr. Blades, who had thought the trip was a nature trail walk, is disappointed that Steven only focuses on the ripening bananas and not the view of Sandra Street the hill affords them. 3. Conflict a The main conflict revolves around Mr. Blades and Steven. Mr. Blades is a nature lover. He sees in Steven a similar spirit which is however latent. There is an uneasy relationship in which the master trains the pupil to appreciate his environment. The challenge is in showing Steve the beauty of his environment without telling him what stands out as beautiful. So it is a journey in which Steven awakens to the beauty that is his environment with Mr. Blades as his hands-off guide. 52 NB: This journey is made up of a series of conflicts between Blades and Steven. Identify all of them. B Kenneth s work and Steven This is one in the series of conflicts mentioned in a above. However it stands out because it runs through the entire story. Mr. Blades contrasts Kenneth s writing with that of Steve. Kenneth seems to have well developed observation powers Steve does not. It is Kenneth s composition on Sandra Street that Mr. Blades uses to arouse Steven s passion for nature. Although it is unprofessional, Mr. Blades uses Kenneth s work to criticize Steven s pp 103,106 . C Further, conflict develops between the boys from Sandra Street and those from the other side of town. Each writes disparagingly about the other s residential area resulting in two bruising battles. What is the import of these fights? Steven gives us the answer. He had written in anger what I thought of now in joy pp 99. Each of these pupils has a latent love of the environment in them. It however is not well directed. Mr. Blades tries to direct Steven s love of nature and remove the juvenile jealousy and hatred he possesses. D Steven experiences internal conflict. I First, although he likes to hear the steel band they do not have one in Sandra Street he puts it in his composition to disparage the other side of town he describes its sound as horrible pp98 . Ii As Steven begins to appreciate the beauty of Sandra Street, it also fills him with a sense of sadness.


D Steven experiences internal conflict. I First, although he likes to hear the steel band they do not have one in Sandra Street he puts it in his composition to disparage the other side of town he describes its sound as horrible pp98 . Ii As Steven begins to appreciate the beauty of Sandra Street, it also fills him with a sense of sadness. He says53 that certain sadness came over him as he looked over the houses across to the hills pp 100 . Iii Steven writes in his compositions about his experiences at the hills but hopes that Mr. Blades will not see the reality in it. He wonders how Mr. Blades had found out about the bananas; he put out to ripen in the roots of the immortelle pp104-105 . E Mr. Blades suffers internal conflict His dilemma is how to make the pupils appreciate Sandra Streets beauty without telling them what is beautiful. Thus, when he reads Kenneth s work class and appreciates it, he is misunderstood by the boys from Sandra Street. His attempts to placate them by reading stories that said nice things about Sandra Street fall through. Instead of telling them what to look out for, he gives them an assignment to write about the other side of town. His teaching style is allowing learners to discover. He makes a compromise by guiding one. 54 TWILIGHT TREK by SEFFI ATTA 1. Setting The story is set in Gao, Mali. It then moves through Mali and Algeria upto Tangier, a Moroccan coastal town. This is desert country ant the travelers suffer the heat of the scorching sun and constant sand storms. The trek itself must take place in the night- it covers two nights. The travelers stop at a camp on a mountain just outside Tangier. It is a stinking mess. 2. Plot The story opens with the narrator receiving a fake passport in the name of Jean Luc from an agent in Gao, Mali. He narrates how he sold marijuana to raise his fare. Impatient that the money was not coming in quickly enough, he steals from his employer. He threatens to send a gang to sodomise him then slit his throat. The narrator scales up his immigration time-table and starts his illegal immigration journey. At the start of the journey he meets Patience, a girl he travels with to the Tangier camp. During the journey they face a lot of suffering.


The narrator scales up his immigration time-table and starts his illegal immigration journey. At the start of the journey he meets Patience, a girl he travels with to the Tangier camp. During the journey they face a lot of suffering. It is a bumpy ride and the sandstorms drive sand everywhere. In the day, they have to hide under the truck from the scorching sun. What is more, their guide increases the fare by 100 or he abandons them in the desert. They pay up and the second leg of their journey starts. Even this leg is disappointing. Their guide drops them at55 the foot of the mountain and they complete their journey on foot. When they reach the camp the narrator is shocked by the insalubrious conditions. Men, women and children all live under plastic sheets and there are no sanitation facilities in sight. Further, they are warned to be wary of thieves, Moroccan security forces, conmen and plagues. Their final destination, Cueta, presents a challenge to get to. Obazee says that he s been trying for six years but keeps getting caught by the police who beat him up. The narrator finds out from Obazee how to cross the sea and what dangers each mode of transport presents and the cost. This information excites him and he shares it with Patience who has resorted to reading the bible for solace. He is ready to meet her crossing fee. She wonders where he would get the money from. He shows her where his money is hidden. They wake up in the morning to find that Obazee is moving the camp further away from the security forces. The narrator wouldn t move because he is still waiting for Patience who had gone to Tangier to find a samsara . He also discovers that she has taken his money. He waits to no avail. He has to start all over again. 3. Conflict The story raises conflicts at different levels. External conflict develops at two levels. First there is conflict56 between people. Second, there is conflict between man and nature. The other level of conflict is internal. The narrator through his dreams understands that his mother s advice was worth taking yet he can t or wouldn t take it. We will now examine conflict in the chronological order that they are developed. I.


The narrator through his dreams understands that his mother s advice was worth taking yet he can t or wouldn t take it. We will now examine conflict in the chronological order that they are developed. I. Illegal immigrant and foreign embassies pp109 The foreign embassies will not grant visas to illegal African immigrants effectively denying them an opportunity to move to Europe. The Africans believe they can still get to Europe. They will cross the Sahara and get to Morocco then cross the Mediterranean Sea into Spain. Ii. The narrator and drug seller pp 109 The narrator disagrees with his mother and runs away from home. To survive he sells marijuana. Dissatisfied with how much he was making, he steals from his employer. His employer in return promises to send a gang to sodomise him then slit his throat. To avoid this treatment he starts his journey to Europe. Iii. The narrator and his mother When the narrator was little his mother would dress him up like a girl. He would struggle during such treatment pp109 . When he got older, she tried to pimp him to a Lebanese man who liked light skinned boys. He runs away from home to avoid such treatment pp110 . Further, we learn that his dreams enhance this mother and57 child conflict. His mother tries to dissuade him from making the trip by narrating to him horror stories of illegal immigration attempts. He is still in Gao and would have turned back but he doesn t pp110 . In the second dream, she alludes to the Promised Land, a story from the bible. However, the people who seek the Promised Land end up us taxi drivers, night guards, cleaners of plates and toilets and some become homeless sleeping in the cold of ghettos and streets. Yet others go on to become sex slaves or cultural slaves pp113 4 . In his penultimate dream, his mother uses strong images of death to hint at Jeans imminent failure. He still does not take her advice. In the final dream she dismisses Patience as a common prostitute and that her reading of the bible was of no value. She gives him more stories of frustrated immigrants. He does not heed his mother s advice that he stays away from Patience and the trip. Iv. Illegal immigrants and nature When the trek gets underway, the travelers find out that they can only travel in the night and the winds are very cold then. The sand too presents a problem.


Iv. Illegal immigrants and nature When the trek gets underway, the travelers find out that they can only travel in the night and the winds are very cold then. The sand too presents a problem. It hurts their eyes, stings their nostrils and mats their chests. It is also in their food and58 water. Their tongues swell so badly they cannot converse. Their legs are cramped. Others suffer from piles and wheezing chests. The conflict with nature continues when they stop in the day. They suffer the scorching sun and hide underneath the truck to avoid the heat. There is however no escaping the sand which is all over them including in their underpants pp112 113 . V. Travellers and Tuareg guide At the start of the second leg of their journey, the travellers get blackmailed by their Tuareg guide. They are deep in the Sahara desert and the guide tells them to pay an extra 100 each or he abandons them. They pay up pp114 5 vi. Illegal immigrants and environment a. The camp is insalubrious The narrator describes it as an open sewer pp115 . There is lack of privacy. Men, women and children all sleep under plastic sheets. The environment is a health hazard. B. They suffer constant bites from fleas. Many are coughing. They are warned that even the air that they breathe may carry plagues pp115 6 . C. At the camp they are told to beware of thieves, Moroccan security forces and con men. 59 vii. The narrator and Patience She steals his money and heads for Tangier and the world beyond. 4. Character and characterisation a. The narrator Independent minded When he was little his mother dressed him up as a girl and he d resist this. When she tried to pimp him out to a homosexual, he ran away from home. B. Gifted He plays football very well. This is the main reason why he wants to travel to Europe where he hopes to develop his talent further. C. Friendly Befriends Patience and helps her through the difficult times. He is willing to pay part of her fare. D. Na ve Trusts Patience and tells her where his money is hidden. She steals it and abandons him at the camp. E. Braggart He brags to Patience about his football skills and how he was going to make a career out of playing football in Europe.


Irony - The most important instance of irony comes at the start of the story and it s concluded at the end. The narrator dupes his master and steals his cash. During the trek he befriends Patience. He builds a tent at the camp which he shares with her; he promises to meet the cost of her crossing the sea and to prove that he can he shows her the where the money is. She steals it and abandons him at the camp. It is the same money that he had stolen from his employer. -. Another instance of irony that runs through the story plays out between the narrator and his mother. She raised him with only one purpose in mind: to pimp him62 out to homosexuals. He flees from home because of this. However, throughout the trek she remains the only voice of reason through his dreams. She constantly impresses upon him the folly of his action. -. Obazee is also an ironic figure. He holds a degree. His knowledge and skills ought to be used in the service of the people of his country. He is however portrayed as lacking in imagination. For six years he is stuck in the camp described as an open sewer. All his attempts to get to Cueta have been thwarted by the Guardia Civil. He fancies himself as the leader of the camp. This is a complete waste of university education. NB: Find more instances of irony. Notice that each of these ironic situations points to a human weakness. That is satire. Now let us examine the things that have been satirised in this story. A Opportunism callousness of human nature and greed The writer satirises the callousness of human nature in taking advantage of those around them for personal gain. The opportunists satirised in this story include: The narrator At the time Patience steals from him he has 1000. This means that he stole a lot of money from his employer. The money has not brought him any benefit. First, the journey through the desert has been a very difficult one. Now far away from home he is not only destitute but he has no way of salvaging himself. Further, his inexperience has made him prey to the older Patience. 63 The narrator s employer He deals in marijuana. This drug corrupts the youth. What is more is that he uses the young Jean to peddle his drugs and pays him peanuts. The result is that Jean steals from him.


This drug corrupts the youth. What is more is that he uses the young Jean to peddle his drugs and pays him peanuts. The result is that Jean steals from him. The narrator s mother She raises Jean with the intention of pimping him out to homosexuals. This is child abuse. She lamely tells him about the Lebanese: He ll only touch you . Her son runs away from home because he does not wish to be a homosexual. The Tuareg guide His greed is satirised. Deep in the desert he takes advantage of the travellers and asks them for more money or he abandons them. The poor souls would die in the desert. They pay up. Patience Her greed too is satirised. Jean was ready to share his loot with her so that they cross the sea into Spain together. She however steals his money and leaves him destitute. B Brutality violence i. The police The last time Obazee tries to get into Cueta illegally, the Guardia Civil catch him and beat him up severely. It is the Medecins Sans Frontieres that saves his life. Pp119 ii. Bandits There is talk that travellers are sometimes attacked by bearded moslems and bandits when their trucks break down in the desert. There is no64 guarantee that the police would arrive in time to rescue them. Such stories make some women turn back at the last moment pp111 . Iii. Samsara In his fourth dream, his mother narrates the story of the Senegalese girl who couldn t swim. The Samsara who carries her in his dhingy refuses to get close to the shore. He orders her to jump out of the dhingy into the sea and find her way somehow. Pp 121 c Collective folly of illegal of illegal immigration At the end of the first dream, the narrator s mother tells him that the lesson to be learned from the deportation story is that the world is round and that means if one ran too fast, one might end up chasing the very homeland one is running from. In his second dream she tells him the story of disillusionment. Those who finally reached The Promised Land wonder what they were chasing.


Pp 121 c Collective folly of illegal of illegal immigration At the end of the first dream, the narrator s mother tells him that the lesson to be learned from the deportation story is that the world is round and that means if one ran too fast, one might end up chasing the very homeland one is running from. In his second dream she tells him the story of disillusionment. Those who finally reached The Promised Land wonder what they were chasing. They end up driving taxis,, washing plates and toilets, guarding buildings at night, sleeping in the streets, serving as sex slaves and enslaving themselves to the West through marriage pp113-4 The illegal immigrants have neither clear plans nor the money to get them to Spain from the camp. The narrator says of the people in the camp: These people here are not like any65 villagers; they are like refugees on television, squatting under plastic sheets: men, women and children. The implication is that they choose to lead a squalid life yet nobody sent them away from their villages which are more comfortable than the camps. Obazee gives a very poor show for an educated man. He lives a squalid life and fancies himself the camp leader demanding to be addressed with respect. How can a man who doesn t respect himself be respected by others. He should be using his university education to improve the lot of his people back at home. Six years have gone by with nothing achieved and many more will go by because he can neither go forward nor turn back. 7. POV The story is told from the first person point of view. It makes the story credible. We would not believe that people can be so wicked or so stupid unless we hear it from the horse s mouth. 8. A Appropriateness of the title Harrap s Essential English Dictionary defines a trek as a long journey usually on foot. Twighlight, on the other hand is the period immediately after sunset. Indeed the trek for the two days begins after sunset. In the day they rest to avoid the patrolling police. The journey is undoubtedly long although very little of it is done on foot. 66 Figuratively too, the sun is not yet up for this would be immigrants. They are not realistic in their ambition to immigrate. B Significant event The notice of revenge on Jean by the drug baron is the significant event in this story.