Memories We Lost and Other Stories: ed. Wanjala Chris. "Nothing should come between us and our dreams."Drawing specific examples from the life of characters in Bulawayo’s...

      

Memories We Lost and Other Stories: ed. Wanjala Chris.

"Nothing should come between us and our dreams." Drawing specific examples from the life of characters in Bulawayo’s Hitting Budapest, write an essay in support of this statement.

  

Answers


Martin
Introduction
- When we pretend, we stop being ourselves. This can affect how we relate with others. This happens in Steinbeck’s The Pearl
(Accept any other relevant introduction)

S (i) The doctor who had hitherto refused to treat Kino because he considered him poor, becomes excited when he learns that Kino has the pearl. This is all because he wants to get part of the pearl.
Textual illustrations
- When the news about Kino’s pearl gets to the doctor, he declares that Kino is his client yet he had refused to treat Coyotito of the scorpion bite.
- He begins to think about the luxurious life Kino’s pearl could afford him in Paris- a woman in a room and wine.
- Accompanied by a man with a lantern, the doctor goes to Kino’s house, pretends he was never in when Kino sought his help and that now he had come to treat Coyotito.
- Kino feels enraged and hate for him
- The doctor administers a capsule on the child and comes after thirty minutes when the child’s condition has worsened.
- He demands to be paid but when he learns that Kino is yet to sell the pearl, he asks to keep it safely for him.
- He follows Kino’s eyes to where he had buried the pearl. Later that night Kino is attacked.
S (ii) The priest comes to Kino’s house because he wants to be part of the pearl yet he has always considered Kino’s people as children.

Textual illustrations
- When he walks into Kino’s house because the latter has the pearl, he starts by telling him that he is named after a great father of the church-“he who tamed the desert...” Kino becomes suspicious about him.
- He tells Kino that it has come to him that Kino has the pearl and when indeed Kino shows him the pearl, he gasps at its size.
-He asks him to remember to give thanks to God who has given him the treasure.
- He leaves a happy man when he learns that they will marry in church

S(iii) The pearl buyer is only one but has several agents who pretend to haggle but always seeking to exploit the pearl sellers.
Textual illustrations
-When the pearl buyers hear of Kino’s pearl, their fingers itch with expectation. They begin to nurse the thought that their patron would die and they would be the ones to benefit from such huge amounts.
-The pearl buyers hide their pearls in the desks when they learn that Kino is coming to sell the pearl.
- They arrange themselves to give some semblance of independence from each other yet they had connived to defraud Kino.
-They devalue the pearl with one offering him only 1000 piasters, another dismissing it as a monstrosity, the other using a magnifying glass to see its worth then dismisses it yet another offers 500 piasters
- Faced with the reality of Kino going away with his pearl, the stout man offers Kino 1500 piasters which Kino rejects because he feels his pearl is worth 50,000 piasters.

S(iv) The doctor purports to be a church adherent yet he performs unsuccessful abortions.
Textual illustrations
- The doctor is said to be greedy, cruel and ignorant. He performs clumsy abortions that ended up killing his victims.
- When the doctor goes to church he gives pennies as alms
S(v) The people pretend to admire and follow Kino because of his new found status arising from the pear yet they envy him and long to have the pearl.

Textual illustrations
- When Kino found the pearl of the world, the essence of the pearl is said to have mixed with the essence of men giving rise to a curious dark precipitate.
- When Kino kills a man, the very people who hero-worshipped him are very ones baying for his blood. They destroy his house with all his property before setting it ablaze.

Conclusion
? Living a lie can affect one’s interpersonal relationships.
marto answered the question on November 7, 2019 at 09:04


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    There was an old woman whose children died in infancy and only a deformed boy survived to grow into adulthood. The boy was a hunchback.
    Although the old woman loved this hunchback son of hers, she was secretly ashamed of his physical appearance. She was so ashamed that each day she was on the look – out for visitors who might come around just to make fun of him. To keep him away from the public eye, she used to confine him in a drum most of the time. So, right from his childhood the boy grew up in a drum. He was taken out only a few times during the day when the old woman was sure that there were likely to be no intruders around. When the boy attained circumcision age, he was duly circumcised. After circumcision he said to the old woman, “Mother, I now want a wife, can you please find me a girl to marry!” “Yes, my son”, said the old woman. “I will try. I am indeed very pleased to learn that you are already thinking of a wife.”
    By and by, the old woman went to look for a suitable girl to marry her son. She approached a pretty girl and asked her whether she would be interested in marrying her son and the girl, promised to think about it. Without disclosing her son’s physical defects to the girl, the old woman set about wooing her intensively. She brought all sorts of gifts to her mother, helped the girl to collect firewood and even helped her with the work in the shamba. Reluctantly the girl gave in and there upon requested the old woman to make the necessary arrangements so that she would meet the future husband. The old woman cunningly suggested that the girl should accompany her to her house where she would be able to meet the boy.
    The old woman lived a long way from the girl’s village. On the day when the girl decided to visit her prospective bridegroom, she walked and walked until sunset. It was a very long journey indeed. When she eventually arrived, the old woman pretended that the young man was around and would appear shortly. The girl waited and waited but the boy did not appear at all. At bed time the girl was told that the boy was already in bed sleeping. She was shown a separate place to sleep, and thus no opportunity to either see or talk to the boy as would have been expected of people who were planning to live together. Very early in the morning the girl asked the old man, “ Please, where is the boy you want me to marry?” and the woman replied, “ My son woke up early in the morning and went to work in a different village yonder so that he can earn something for your bride price”
    Although the girl was visibly disappointed, she tried to conceal her sentiments and appear to be at home with everything around the house. The old woman and the girl went to cultivate in a banana grove. While they were away the boy jumped out of the drum and busied himself about the house with the little chores singing:
    Khanenuya munju, mwange, Khanenuye munju mwange
    Mkhasi nakikhali misilu, maji kakuombelesay musecha kacha
    Khuema, abele khuchuma nacha sina?
    Menyile, mukhang’oma, kurumba kuli khumukongo
    (Let me busy myself in my house. Aren’t women foolish? Mother fooled her. “Your husband has gone to work.” How could I have gone to work? I just live in my little drum because I have a hunchback.)
    The girl heard the boy’s singing but it was so faint that she would neither comprehend the meaning of the song nor even make out as to which direction the sound came from. However, out of curiosity she stopped from time to time and listened. This went on for several days until she started to guess the meaning of the words in the song. On getting the message home, she was quite disturbed. Her suspicion was strengthened by the fact that each morning they left for the shamba without sweeping or washing utensils but on their return they found everything tidy about the house. One day she deceived the old woman by telling her that she was going to attend to the call of nature while in fact her intention was to discover the house and stood listening keenly at the door. She got really upset with the boy’s derogatory song. She pondered with herself, “ So this is my husband to be? A hunch back confined to a drum? No wonder the old woman deceived me the way she did. What girl in proper senses could marry a man like that? Anyway what can I do now? I must put an end to this continued bluff…..”
    One morning she said to the old woman, “Mother, today will you go to look for firewood while I go to the plantation alone?” The old woman said, “Yes, my daughter, we can share work that way.” She had grown so used to the cheerful and friendly manner of the girl, thinking that she would not mind staying on as her daughter – in law even after discovering that her son was deformed. Indeed she was already contemplating making the revelation to her.
    And so each went her separate way. But as soon as the old woman vanished from sight the girl dashed back and stood at the door which had now become a familiar ground for spying on the hunchback. She listened briefly as the boy sang mischievously inside the house. Then she stole a quick glance peeping through a side hole.
    To her amazement, she saw that he was a real hunchback! Quite oblivious, the boy went on sweeping the floor and singing. The girl felt that she could no longer stand it. She broke into the house suddenly with the intention of beating up the mischievous fellow. But before she could get hold of him he dodged nimbly and slipped back into the drum. Nonetheless, the girl fuming with anger picked up the drum and smashed it on the floor. A pool of blood started oozing from the broken drum. The poor hunchback was dead.
    Considering it appropriate revenge on the old woman the girl felt no remorse for the action she had taken. She rolled over the cold body of the hunchback as a lump of anger swelled up in her throat. When the old woman returned home and found the mess she had done in the house she screamed at the top of her voice, “ Ooh , oh…. Uuuuwee…. Uuuuweeeeeee!” But it was all in vain. The deformed boy whom she had been ashamed of showing to the public was dead and gone forever! Yes, instead of feeling relieved by the burden of shame she now felt great anguish for this loss. After killing the hunchback the girl also disappeared never to be seen again. The poor old woman remained there weeping and feeling quite forlorn.

    (a) Place this narrative in its correct genre ..

    (b)How is the old woman to blame for the tragedy that befell her?

    (c) Identify two socio – economic activities in the community. Support your answer with the evidence from the story

    (d) What is the role of the song in the narrative?

    (e)With illustrations, describe the character of:
    (i) The girl
    (ii) The old woman

    (f) Explain two features typical of oral narratives present in this story.

    (g) Identify and illustrate any two moral lessons we learn from this narrative




    Date posted: September 11, 2019.  Answers (1)

  • Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. (Solved)

    Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

    Krogstad: No matter about that.
    Nora: What do you want of me?
    Krogstad: An explanation of something.
    Nora: Make haste them. What is it?
    Krogstad: You know, I suppose, that I have got my dismissal.
    Nora: I couldn't prevent it, Mr. Krogstad. I fought as hard as I could on your side, but it was no good.
    Krogstad: Does your husband love you so little, then? He knows what I can expose you to, and yet ventures-
    Nora: How can you suppose that he has any knowledge of the sort?
    Krogstad: I didn't suppose so at all. It would not be the least like our dear Torvald
    Helmer to show so much courage-
    Nora: Mr. Krogstad, a little respect for my husband, please.
    Krogstad: Certainly — all the respect he deserves, but since you have kept the matter so carefully to yourself. I make bold to suppose that you have a little clearer idea, than you had yesterday, of what it actually is that you have done?
    Nora: More than you could ever teach me.
    Krogstad: Yes, such a bad lawyer as I am.
    Nora: What is it you want of me?
    Krogstad: only to see how you were, Mrs Helmer, 1 have been thinking about you all day long. A mere cashier, a quill driver, a man like me - even he has a little of what is called feeling, you know.
    Nora: Show it, then; think of my little children.
    Krogstad: Have you and your husband thought of mine? But never mind about that. I only wanted to tell you that you need not take this matter too seriously. In the first place there will be no accusation made on my part.
    Nora: No, of course not; I was sure of that.
    Krogstad: The whole thing can be arranged amicably; there is no reason why anyone should know anything about it. It will remain a secret between us three.
    Nora: My husband must never get to know anything about it.
    Krogstad: How will you be able to prevent it? Am I to understand that you can pay the balance that is owing?
    Nora: No, not just at present.
    Krogstad: Or perhaps that you have some expedient for raising the money soon?
    Nora: No expedient that I mean to make use of.
    Krogstad: Well, in any case, it would have been of no use to you. Now if you stood there with ever so much money in your hand, I would never part with your bond.

    Questions

    a)Place this excerpt in its immediate context

    b)What is Krogstad's attitude towards Helmer? Explain.

    c)"You have some expedient for raising the money soon". Does Nora have an idea on how to raise the money? Explain

    d)"Yes, such a bad lawyer as I am". What is the tone of this statement?

    e)"Does your husband love you so little then?" How does Helmer's behavior later in the play bear out Krogstad' statement?

    f) Describe Krogstad’s character as revealed in this excerpt

    g) Identify and explain the use of irony in this excerpt.


    h)A mere cashier, a quill driver a man like me even he has a little of what is called feelings you know. (Rewrite beginning: Even .....)


    Date posted: September 11, 2019.  Answers (1)