The Green Leaves was written by Grace Ogot. This short story gives me problems. Thieves run rampant in the beginning, and in the process a man gets killed. A hearing is held but no one is convicted because the entire town wishes the thieves this same harsh exit. At one point white man and democracy is spat on as. "We have ancestors, the white man has none," was written on page 45 and in my opinion sums up this garbage of a story.
Bossy was written by Abdulrazak Gurnah. The narrator of this short story is Karim, a young hard working man. He gets tied up with the wrong person in Bossy, an enthusiastic sailor. Bossy's sail goes limp as he dies in a boating accident. Karim is left behind to guide the boat back to civilization, but on returning is beaten for his arabic backround. This type of story makes me happy to know that I will never have to speak or come in contact with the ignorance that is east Africa.
The Spider's Web was written by Leonard Kibera is about a cook in an English household in East Africa. Ngotho has been a cook in the house for several owners and has a poitical and social awareness about the village and life in a colony. His intelligence is portrayed with his complex dreams and a comparison to his simple-minded roommate Kago. However I find it ironic that while he has complex thoughts about social segregation, elder regard and the balancing of his role in the household, he resorts to base violence when he is overwhelmed with his staion in life. So, despite his lofty thoughts and analysisof those around him he is not much better than his current position in life.
Minutes of Glory is written by Ngugi wa Thiong'o and centers around Beatrice. She is a refugee from a small village who has come to Nairobi to escape the boredom of an uneducated lifestyle in her home village. Once there she floats through various small towns as a bar maid. She laments her upopular status, but gauges the other girls likability based on their attempts to lure men. She is not so much jealous as trying to find meaning and depth in an interpersonal relationship. She finally exposes her inner-most feelings and desires to a man only to be ignored. This act of blatant rejection causes a rage and she uses it to feel empowered. The author does a nice job of casting her in a meek and subserviant light, but does not illustrate the inner emotions of the empowered Beatrice as well. I would have liked to know if the feelings this act of theft gave her will last and help her change, or if she will return to the previous attitudes about life.
An Incident in the Ghobashi Household written by Alifa Rifaat is describes the difficult decisions made by 2 women in a Northen African village. While the man on the house is off working far away the mother is left in charge of the children and the household. When she discovers their eldest daughter is pregnant she must make decisions that go beyond shopping or tending. The daughter must deal with the enormity of the decisions her mother made in a split second for the rest of her life. It is hard to imagine that the mother would choose to bear the burden of that kind of deceit to save her daughter and her family from shame.
A Handful of Dates by Tayeb Salih is told by the grandson who recalls the time when his grandfather, his hero, is shown to be human. He struggles with these first negative feelings toward his role model and despite his strong affection for his elder, cannot agree with his actions. I was impressed with his act of rebellin when he left the harvest. For a child who recalled his obedience to his grandfather so fondly, it must have been hard to continue to walk away. It is also evident that the grandfather enjoyed being controlling and the grandson was coming to terms with understanding the true nature of their relationship was not as pure and endearing as he thought.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Jan. 23 African Short Stories
"The False Prophet," was written by Sembene Ougmane and translated by Len Ortzen. The main character is Mahmoud Fall. In the beginning of the story he is lazy, so he cons people into believing a religion that he has made up to get money from them. He then leaves with everyones coins. After many hours of walking he finds himself in a baron place with just one tree alive. He falls asleep under the tree and is robbed of his coins and hair. Moral of the story do not con people.
"Certain Winds From the South," was written by Ama Ata Aidoo. M'ma Asana is the main character. She finds out that her son in law must leave to find a way to support his wife and newborn. M'ma's daughter is very distraught over the entire situation. M'ma consoles her daughter by telling her the story behind her father's death.
"The Apprentice," was written by Odun Balogun. The main character is Ogunmola. This strory shows that it is bad to run from your past. Ogunmola could have had a life of royalty, but instead choose to become an apprentice blacksmith. He trained under his master for a long time, but never got his certificate. He then went to the other master blacksmith who did the same thing. These masters were quarreling brothers, which left Ogunmola with nothing to show for his hard work.
"The Will of Allah," was written by David Owoyele. There are two main characters in this story and they are Dogo and Sule. These two are both hardened criminals that have been in and out of jails throughout Africa. In the end this life catches up to the men. They steal a goard that has a cobra in it. The men die in the rain next to a stream.
"Cival Peace," was written by Chinua Achebe. Jonathan is the main character of this story. He is a simple man who is just happy to have the health of his wife and three children after a cival war split the countryside. While piecing his life back together he is badgered by looting thieves who want everything that he has worked so hard to achieve. This sort of cival peace makes me proud to be American.
"The Gentlemen of the Jungle," was written by Jomo Kenyatta. Apparently in Africa they can talk animals, because this story is about a trial between man and animals. I am just happy to see that in the end the human outsmarts the animals by burning them alive.
"Certain Winds From the South," was written by Ama Ata Aidoo. M'ma Asana is the main character. She finds out that her son in law must leave to find a way to support his wife and newborn. M'ma's daughter is very distraught over the entire situation. M'ma consoles her daughter by telling her the story behind her father's death.
"The Apprentice," was written by Odun Balogun. The main character is Ogunmola. This strory shows that it is bad to run from your past. Ogunmola could have had a life of royalty, but instead choose to become an apprentice blacksmith. He trained under his master for a long time, but never got his certificate. He then went to the other master blacksmith who did the same thing. These masters were quarreling brothers, which left Ogunmola with nothing to show for his hard work.
"The Will of Allah," was written by David Owoyele. There are two main characters in this story and they are Dogo and Sule. These two are both hardened criminals that have been in and out of jails throughout Africa. In the end this life catches up to the men. They steal a goard that has a cobra in it. The men die in the rain next to a stream.
"Cival Peace," was written by Chinua Achebe. Jonathan is the main character of this story. He is a simple man who is just happy to have the health of his wife and three children after a cival war split the countryside. While piecing his life back together he is badgered by looting thieves who want everything that he has worked so hard to achieve. This sort of cival peace makes me proud to be American.
"The Gentlemen of the Jungle," was written by Jomo Kenyatta. Apparently in Africa they can talk animals, because this story is about a trial between man and animals. I am just happy to see that in the end the human outsmarts the animals by burning them alive.
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