SAMWITASON ACADEMY: SAMPLES OF A WELL-WRITTEN LITERATURE ESSAYS (based on Tanzanian Curriculum) by Samson Mwita

SAMPLES OF A WELL-WRITTEN LITERATURE ESSAYS ON PLAYS AND NOVELS.

Qn. With reference to two plays that you have studied in this course compare and contrast two female characters one from each reading. Give four similarities and four differences.

Characters are animate or inanimate beings that perform different roles in literary work. Female characters occupy different roles in different literary works which make two different characters from two different readings to have similarities or differences respectively. To verify the above statement references will be made to ‘Juliette’ of “Three Suitors One Husband’ by O. Mbia and ‘Wanjiro’ of “This Time Tomorrow” by N. Thiong’o. To start with their similarities;

Both Juliette and Wanjiro are denied to marry men of their choices. Juliette on one side is denied to marry Oko the person she loves because he is still a schoolboy and has no money compared to other suitors like Mbia. Similarly, Wanjiro is denied by her mother to marry Asinjo because he is a poor man from another tribe and has no job.

Both Juliette and Wanjiro show true love to their fiancés. Juliette on one side shows true love to Oko and does all it takes to ensure that they get married. She steals the money paid by other suitors and gives it to Oko who in turn pays it as a bride price and they get married. Likewise, Wanjiro decides to stand on the side of Asinjo despite her mother’s warnings that she cannot marry a man from another tribe and has no job, but she insists that she loves him.

Both Juliette and Wanjiro finally get married to men of their choices. Juliette on one hand succeeds to marry Oko after playing a trick and stealing the money paid by other suitors. She presents Oko as the rich and greatest man than the civil servant. The family accepts Oko and the two get married. Also Wanjiro on her side decides to escape with Asinjo and the two go together to the city leaving behind the poor Njango in a demolished homestead.

Both Juliette and Wanjiro leave their parents frustrated. Juliette on one side leaves her parents frustrated because of the stolen money. Though they are able to pay back the previous suitors, they remain as poor as before. Likewise, Wanjiro leaves her mother in full frustration as she wonders where she “will be this time tomorrow” because her slum is demolished by the city council and Wanjiro has eloped.

Both Juliette and Wanjiro come from poor families. Juliette on one side comes from a poor extended family that expects to get rich through her marriage to a rich man. They all prefer Mbia to other suitors since he is capable of making them rich. Juliette wonders whether she is a shop or some other source of income. The same applies to Wanjiro who comes from a poor family that earns a living by selling soup to slum dwellers.

Both Juliette and Wanjiro represent young generation that opposes outdated customs. Juliette refuses to conform to the wishes of her parents to marry a man they choose for her and claims her freedom of choice, expression and decision making and finally marries a man of her choice. Similarly, Wanjiro refuses the wishes of her mother to abstain from Asinjo whom she loves, just because of tribalism, finally she elopes with him.

Turning to their differences, the two characters differ in the following ways.

Juliette is educated while Wanjiro is not. Juliette studies at Libamba secondary school and because of the education she gets she is able to defend her rights unlike other women like Matalina, Makrita and Bella who have never gone to school that conform to everything men say. Wanjiro on the other side, is not educated but remains at home helping her mother with domestic chores. Only her brother attends school.

Juliette marries legally but Wanjiro elopes/escapes. Juliette plays a trick and steals the money paid by other suitors and hands it to Oko who in turn pays the dowry. The procedures are followed and the marriage is settled legally. They get all the blessings from her parents. Wanjiro on the other hand leaves her home while there is no agreement/consensus between her and her mother thus she decides to escape with Asinjo.

Juliette comes from an extended family while Wanjiro comes from a single parent family. Juliette on one side belongs to an extended family in which even the marriage decision is not a personal matter. It involves grandparents, parents, uncles, brothers, cousins and many others. Unlike Wanjiro who lives with only her mother after her father’s death and even her marriage is the issue between her and Njango her mother.

Juliette loves Oko for who he is, but Wanjiro loves Asinjo for what he has. Juliette marries Oko knowing that he is poor, and cannot even afford to pay the bride price and she helps him to get the money to pay the dowry. Wanjiro on the other hand, marries Asinjo because now he has a job as a taxi driver and a house in Old Jerusalem. Additionally, he promises her a better life in the city. So she hopes to get decent clothes, high-heels shoes and a handbag that she may look modern.

Lastly, Juliette does not run away from problems but Wanjiro runs away to avoid problems at home. Juliette comes back from school and finds problems at home especially those facing her directly. She is forced to marry the suitors she doesn’t love. She becomes stable and solves the problems and succeeds to get what she wants. Wanjiro on the other side, runs away as a solution to her poor situation at home, hoping to get a better life with Asinjo in the city.

Generally, it can be concluded that different characters from different readings may be alike or different depending on the experience they face in their societies. Most characters in African literature behave almost the same way; however education seems to be the main influence in the way different characters behave.

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With reference to two plays you have read, discuss how some traditions, customs and beliefs contribute to misunderstanding in the society. Or analyse the causes of conflicts in two plays that you have studied in this section. Give four points from each play. (NECTA 2017)

Misunderstanding/conflict is a situation in which two sides fail to come into agreement on a particular decision or idea. This can happen due to some different views contributed by the existing traditions, customs and beliefs. This statement can be proved by using the play “Three suitors one husband by O. Mbia and “The Black Hermit by N. Thiong’o” to begin with Three Suitors One husband the following customs, traditions and beliefs have caused serious misunderstandings.

First, forced marriage causes a conflicts/misunderstanding between Juliette and her family. Love is important in marriage. However in this society marriage is not defined by love but by money. The whole family forces Juliette to marry Mbia not because she loves him but because he has paid more money. So forced marriage is also one of the major sources of conflict between youngsters and elders. It should be discouraged.

Apart from that, Bride price causes conflicts/ misunderstanding between Juliette and her family. Just like many other African societies, in this society, bride price is important and has to be paid before the girl is married. However the issue of bride price is seen to be one of the major sources of conflict in African families as manifested in Juliette’s family. It is not a good custom thus it should be discarded.

Furthermore Superstition also is a cause of conflicts/ misunderstanding among the members of this traditional society. People of Mvoutessi believe in superstition and witchcraft just like many other societies in Africa. Consider the following cases; when Abessolo collapses they attack Ndi for bringing his witchcraft to kill people there. When the money is stolen they send for a witch doctor to recover the lost money. When he fails to recover the lost money they beat him up. This is not a good custom so it should be discouraged.

Moreover food taboos cause conflicts/misunderstanding between the old generation and the youngsters.. These are customs that restrict certain groups of people especially women and children from eating taboo animals like vipers and wild boars. Young men are not to eat vipers and if they do, they must be permitted by elders. This causes a misunderstanding as we see Belinga and Owono go against this custom and the elders get angry. This is an outdated custom so it should be uprooted

Male dominance has also been a source of conflicts/ misunderstanding. In this society women have no freedom of choice, speech and decision making. They only need to say yes on every decision made by men on their behalf. When educated girls like Juliette begin to question these traditions, serious misunderstanding arises because they consider it as disobedience to parents.

Turning to the play “The Black hermit” there are customs, traditions and beliefs that cause misunderstanding as follows.

Spouse/Widow Inheritance causes conflicts/ misunderstanding between Remi and his family. According to Marua tribe, it is possible to inherit the wife of a brother who is dead. Remi finds himself faced by this fact when his brother dies of a motor accident and his father and elders tell him to inherit the wife of his late brother according to the custom. This custom is dangerous especially in this era of HIV/AIDS because more often than not in some cases it is not possible to know whether the person who died was HIV positive or not. So it should be discouraged.

Superstition and witchcraft cause conflicts/ misunderstanding between people and communities. In this play it is shown that the Marua elders believe that the neighbouring communities are jealousy of them. They even attribute Remi’s disappearance to black magic that might have been used by their neighbours to turn his mind against the tribe. As the leader says; “who can doubt that Remi’s mind was spoilt by the evil eyes of our neighbours?” This custom is not good as it may lead to hatred and unnecessary conflicts among communities just because of false speculations. So it should be discarded.

Traditional religion has also caused conflicts/ misunderstanding between traditionalists and Christians. In this society some people are still traditionalists who believe in traditional religion while others have followed Christianity. These two sides are not in agreement. That’s why they differ on the question of the return of the hermit. Traditionalists want him to be on their side and Christians want him to be on their side.

Tribalism is also the cause of conflicts/ misunderstanding in this play. Some African societies perpetuate the spirit of tribalism. This is very bad custom that has to be stopped. For example Remi hates this and is trying his level best to stop it. He says “even at college I hated many small political and social organizations based on tribe and race” pg 24. He also comes with Omange, a man from Njobe tribe and introduces him as his brother and theirs too. This causes a conflict between Remi and the elders since he tells them to stop it.

Racism is yet another source of conflicts/ misunderstanding. In this play racism is shown in two ways: Africans don’t want people from other races. For example the elders are happy because Remi married Thoni a daughter of the tribe, instead of going to a white-skinned woman. That’s the reason why Remi refuses to take Jane home because she is different and this causes a conflict between the two. Also Asians ostracize people who cooperate with Africans. Omange tells Remi of an Asian girl who has been ostracised by her community because she was seen going around with an African. This causes hatred between the two races.

It can generally be said that not all African traditions are good. Some of them are outdated and thus they have been the chief causes of misunderstanding and conflicts among people and communities. We have got to discard the outdated customs, traditions and believes that divide us and embrace those which unite us.

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With reference to two novels you have read under this section, explain how the behaviour of some characters affects the welfare of the majority in the society. Give four points from each novel.

Characters are people or other inanimate beings that take part in a literary work. Some characters portray the behaviors that affect the welfare of others in the society. This statement can be explained by using the novels “Unanswered Cries by O. Conteh and “Passed like a shadow” by Bernard Mapalala. To start with “Unanswered cries” the author has shown the following.

The superstitious behaviour of Ya Posseh and bondo women affects the welfare of the society. While other people are struggling to stop Female Genital Mutilation, Ya Posseh leads the bondo women to support it in the name of ancient superstition. They believe in bondo spirits to be able to harm anybody who challenges this practice. By so doing the lives of many young girls are put in danger/at risk.

The womanizing behaviour of Ade Jones affects his family. Ade Jones is not faithful in marriage. He sleeps with many girls and women. He even impregnated Makalay and bears Olabisi through premarital sex. This makes him irresponsible in taking care of Olabisi who starts premarital sex as her father but Ade is not aware. This affects the welfare of the child for lacking Parental guidance and care.

The money mongering behaviour of Salaam Sessay affects the welfare of the majority. People like Salaam are dangerous in the society because they support a cruel custom just to get money. He is a lawyer by profession and possibly informed of the potential dangers of FGM but in the court he supports the bondo women to force Olabisi to be circumcised. This behaviour affects the welfare of the majority in the society.

The hypocritical behaviour of Makalay affects the welfare of the society –She believes that FGM helps to reduce sexual appetite to girls and makes them committed to their husbands. But she fails to explain why FGM failed to make her committed to Ade as she conceived Bisi at the tender age of 16 years, and out of wedlock. Later she moved again to Dauda. Although she is educated, she uses her education in a negative way.

Turning to the novel “Passed Like a Shadow” the author has shown the following:

The drinking behaviour of Adyeri affects his family. Adyeri becomes a hopeless heavy drunkard after losing the job. This makes him unable to provide for the family food bills and the family suffers. He also becomes so mean and hot tempered and beats both his children and his wife. This causes serious misunderstanding in the family and the welfare of the family is affected.

The Jealous behaviour of Amoti affects the welfare of Vicky. Vicky brings home a man called Akena who wants to marry her. But because of the jealousy of Amoti she declares that Vicky cannot marry a man from another tribe (Munyamahanga). This makes Vicky hopeless and forces her to run away from home to find another means for survival. She engages in prostitution and puts her life in danger.

The promiscuous behaviour of David, his father, and Adyeri affects many people including Atwoki. David and his father use their money in a negative way. They use it to get women and sleep with them. They are HIV positive and spread it intentionally. Their behaviour end up ruining Atwoki by affecting his future dreams completely. He ends up getting HIV instead of becoming a reputable footballer.

The womanizing behaviour of Atwoki affects his family and his country in general. Atwoki becomes a womanizer influenced by David. This makes him neglect his family. His mother becomes sick but he doesn’t care. She dies and is buried but he doesn’t care. After getting HIV he comes back home, hopelessly. The country depended on him but now he has nothing for which to hope.

Superstitious behaviour of Aliganyira affects Vicky. Vicky is married to Aliganyira but they fail to get a child. Aliganyira being superstitious forces Vicky to visit the witch doctor to help them get a child. This affects Vicky’s welfare because instead of getting the child she gets HIV and dies of the same. Superstition is one of the customs that affect the welfare of the majority as many get HIV through sharing sharp unsterilized instruments.

Therefore, it can be seen that when some people force their interests on others or use their power to do what they wish, it may affect the welfare of the majority. People ought to assess everything they do by considering what effect it will have on others. Will it affect others positively or negatively? Unless otherwise there may arise unnecessary conflicts in the society.

The playwrights depict the experience of their own society and time but the issues tend to be universal. Justify this contention by using two readings (give four points from each play) or Africa is one in terms of environment and experience. Verify the statement by using two plays.

It is true that the playwrights tend to depict the experience of their own society and the time they live or lived. However, the issues they discuss or depict tend to be universal in a sense that what is happening in their society and time can possibly be happening somewhere else world over. This contention can be verified by using; “Three suitors one husband” by O, Mbia and “The Black Hermit” by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o.

To start with Three Suitors One Husband, The playwright has depicted the following issues;

First, there is the issue of forced marriage. Love is important in marriage. However in this society marriage is not defined by love but by money. The whole family forces Juliette to marry Mbia not because she loves him but because he has paid much money. The issue of forced marriage occurs in many societies especially in African societies.

Apart from that, there is the issue of Bride price. In this society the issue of bride price is seen to be one of the major sources of conflict in African families as manifested in Juliette’s family. Just like many other African societies, in this society bride price is important and has to be paid before the girl is married.

Furthermore there is the issue of Superstition and witchcraft. People of Mvoutessi believe in superstition and witchcraft just like many other societies in Africa. Consider the following cases; when Abessolo collapses they attack Ndi for bringing his witchcraft to kill people there. When the money is stolen they send for a witch doctor to recover the lost money. Superstitious beliefs are very common in most societies, in Africa and beyond.

Moreover, there is the misuse of power by public servants. Mbia is a government official who works as a civil servant. He misuses his power and position by using it to win love. He goes to the village where people are distilling illegal arki, but does not take any measures. But also he misuses the money to buy drinks for the villagers and promises them a lot of things. This is common among the public servants in most corrupt African governments.

Additionally, there is the issue of Male dominance. In this society women have no freedom of choice, speech and decision making. They only need to say yes on every decision made by men on their behalf. There are many societies in which women are deprived the rights to education, decision making and enjoying certain privileges like driving a car or being elected as leaders.

Turning to the play “The Black hermit” the following issues have been depicted but they can also be seen in other societies world over.

There is the issue of Spouse inheritance (Widow Inheritance). This is a sacred custom in Marua tribe. According to Marua tribe, it is possible to inherit the wife of a brother who is dead. Remi finds himself faced by this fact when his brother dies of a motor accident and his father and elders tell him to inherit the wife of his late brother according to the custom. This custom is very common in many societies in the world like Kurya.

The issue of Tribalism is also depicted in the play. Some African societies perpetuate the spirit of tribalism. This is a very bad custom that has to be stopped. For example Remi hates this and is trying his level best to stop it. Tribalism has caused many problems in most African countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, and Uganda.

Racism is yet another issue depicted in the play. In this play racism is shown in two ways: Africans don’t want people from other races. For example the elders are happy because Remi married Thoni a daughter of the tribe, instead of going to a white-skinned woman. Also Asians ostracize people who cooperate with Africans. Omange tells Remi of an Asian girl who has been ostracised by her community because she was seen going around with an African. This is still common in some countries like America and some Asian countries where racism has not yet ended completely.

Additionally, there is the issue of disunity. There is disunity among Modernists (Christians) and traditionalists (Marua elders). Their disunity is manifested even on issues of common interest. The Christians want Remi to be on their side while the traditionalists want him to be on their side. Many societies in the world are divided on the basis of religious differences especially Christianity and Islam or political parties (ruling vs. Opposition).

Also the issue of betrayal is depicted in the play. Remi betrays Jane by refusing to marry her as he promised. Remi also betrays his tribe for not using his education to help them solve their social problems instead he runs away to the city to enjoy the city pleasures leaving his people in a bad situation. The government has betrayed the citizens most of whom do not see any meaning of independence. Betrayal is common in many parts of the world from individual to national level.

So realistically speaking, the playwrights usually write addressing the problems facing their own societies and the time they lived. However those issues tend to cut across many other societies because human beings are the same everywhere. This shows that most literary works are relevant across time and across space.

Like men, women are equally capable of contributing to the welfare of the society. Use relevant examples from two novels you have read to prove the statement..

Women occupy both positive and negative positions in different literary works. But women have proved to be very important personalities in African families as they are capable of contributing to the welfare of their families and societies at large. This statement can be verified by using “Unanswered Cries” by O Conteh and “Passed Like a shadow” by Benard Mapalala.

To start with Unanswered cries, Women have contributed to the welfare of their societies in the following ways.

Women have been portrayed as revolutionists. In this case we see Olabisi, Oyah and Dr. Asiatu standing firm to fight for the freedom of women and rights of the child of decision making. They help Olabisi to win the case and being set free from female genital mutilation.

Women have also been portrayed as child bearers and caretakers. Makalay is the mother of Olabisi who is very strict in ensuring that Olabisi observes good family standards like avoiding boys until she gets married. Also Oyah takes good care of Olabisi as her child although she is not her real biological mother.

Women are portrayed as agents for social change. We see Oyah, Olabisi and Asiatu standing firm as agents to bring about changes in this society particularly as far as FGM is concerned. All other women are supporting FGM but these few stand firm against other women to bring about changes in the traditional society.

Women are also portrayed as courageous and risk takers. Olabisi is a case in point here. She shows that even women can be courageous enough when they want to achieve a particular cause. This is shown by the way she manages to escape from her mother’s village and from the bondo camp to find her way to Freetown.

Turning to the novel Passed like a shadow, women have brought the following contribution to their society and families;

Women are portrayed as parents and caretakers. Despite all her weaknesses, Amoti has a positive side. She manages to take a good care of her children even after family separation. We are told that until they reach High school, Atwoki and Abooki have never engaged in sexual affairs. This is a good contribution to the society in general.

Women are portrayed as good advisors. Vicky advises Abooki not to go after money it will kill her. She uses her own experience to help Abooki take care of her life. Abooki also advised her brother Atwoki to be careful when he goes to Kampala. She is deeply concerned with the welfare of her brother and makes sure that he does not mess up with his life.

Women are portrayed responsible people. Amoti takes all the family responsibilities while Adyeri is enjoying life with his concubines. She is the one nurturing children alone and protects them from their father’s hot temper something that endangers her own life as she is beaten. Abooki also takes care of her sick mother while Atwoki is enjoying the city life with girls.

Women are portrayed as disciplined people. Abooki represents a class of women who are disciplined and focused on what they do. She is decent and has determined to keep her reputation despite the moral corruption of the whole society. Although she is fooled and drugged by John, she does not mess around with him instead she remains responsible to keep her secondary virginity. She sets a good example in the society for other girls to emulate.

So generally, it can be concluded that, like men women have proved to be one of the most important figures in the families. They are capable of contributing to the welfare of their societies. In more cases than one they have proved to be the hub in family upbringing and upkeep.

Titles of books usually have a close relationship to the main ideas/messages found in them. Use two novels you have read to show how the titles of those books have a relationship to the message given.

The titles of the books usually have a great connection to the main content or message of the book. The authors select titles that summarise the main content. This can be verified by using the novel “The Interview by P. Ngugi” and “Passed Like A shadow” by B. Mapalala.

To start with “The Interview” the author has shown the following interviews:

Job interview at the City Soap Industry. The major interview in the novel is the job interview which Joe has to attend but unfortunately he misses it because of volunteering to save cucu. We are also told that a lot of candidates have attended the same job interview at the CITY SOAP INDUSTRY including Gladwell.

Police interview with Joe. The second interview is held by the police (Chief Inspector Margaret Kinyua) to interview Joe how the accident occurred and if he can recognize the plate number of the matatu that had knocked the old woman. These interviews are common as part of police investigations.

Hospital interview with Joe. At the hospital the doctors interview Joe by asking him questions whether he knows the old woman or his relationship to the old woman he saved. Of course Joe knows nothing about this woman with exception that he saved her from a fatal accident.

Njogu’s interview with Joe. Njogu asks Joe several questions after inviting him to his home. In that interview they come to find out that they are related and Joe is Njogu’s nephew. This helped Joe to be reunited to his long lost family relatives.

Joe’s life interview. Joe’s life is an interview by itself. From the way he sacrifices his job interview, to save cucu’s life, then keeps on visiting her at the hospital, and helps to finds her relatives. All these are series of actions that later reward him the job he wanted plus other benefits.

Also the book “Passed like a shadow highlights the following relationship between the title and the content.

Living a worthless life on earth that leaves no any memorable mark is having passed on this earth like a shadow. It is like you never existed because no one will remember you. You become like a shadow that vanishes away when the sun disappears in the clouds. Referring to the song sung by Kinyamasika pupils on Parents day. The author shows that people pass like a shadow if they did nothing for which to be remembered.

Adyeri’s family, passes like a shadow. The book presents the fact that AIDS pandemic has invaded the whole of Uganda and washes people away in large numbers and within a very short time. Adyeri’s family vanishes within a short time leaving only one family member (Abooki) who is HIV free. Adyeri dies followed by Amoti. Although Atwoki is still alive at the end of the book it is obvious that he is also going to die as he is HIV positive.

David’s family also passes like a shadow. Within a very short time also David’s family members die of the pandemic. David, his father his mother and their house girl all fall victims of HIV and it is suspected that it is the house girl who infected them all. This is compared to the shadow that disappears quickly when the sun disappears in the clouds.

Aliganyira’s family passes like a shadow. Aliganyira and Vick are also on their deathbed. They are infected due to their belief in superstition. When Vick is unable to conceive they go to the witchdoctor instead of going to the hospital. Vicky gets the disease and passes it over to the husband. Both are going to pass like a shadow.

Apart from these families the whole society in Uganda and Tanzania people are passing like a shadow. AIDS is killing people so quickly and in large numbers. Many people have acquired the disease unawares and ignorantly spread it unknowingly. For example Birungi, and the sick people in the Witchdoctors hut are a case in point. The whole community is passing away like a shadow.

So generally, the authors of literary works select the titles carefully to carry the message across and to provide a clue of what the book is about. However we are cautioned not to rely much on the titles when judging the book since some books contain ironical titles (the opposite of what actually happens in the book)