essays questions in inheritance

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Inheritance by David Mulwa - KCSE Essay Questions with Answers

« Previous Topic Plot Summary - Guide to the Inheritance Play by David Mulwa

Essay questions and answers on Inheritance by David Mulwa

The essays below are mostly in marking scheme format. With points that examiners check.

It should be noted that in an exam situation, essays should be written in prose and not point form as in some of the examples below. In an exam, the "Introduction", "Body" and "Conclusion" titles should not be added in your essays. The examples below just guide on the format that your essays should take.

1. A person’s weaknesses can lead to their downfall. Justify the statement using the character Lacuna Kasoo in “Inheritance.”

An essay should have at least six paragraphs. One paragraph should be the introduction. We should then have four paragraphs of the body, each discussing an independent point. The body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence which is the carrier of the answer.

Introduction.

David Mulwa's play. "Inheritance", is a satirical play which is mocking the bad characteristics of Leader Lacuna Kasoo, which are key contributors to his downfall.

He is like the mythical Greek kings who got drunk with power, to extent that they mock God, and longer care about the feelings of their fellow human beings.

Firstly, Lacuna kasoo is seen to be Materialistic. He has a desire to get all the wealth in the world, even if it is at the expense of his people. He borrows from foreign countries, and funnily enough, he misappropriates the money and even goes to store it in Foreign accounts, opened in the same banks he had borrowed from, in the name of Kutule.

Secondly, he is also seen to be lustful This is the major trait that contributes to his downfall He develops an insatiable desire to marry Lulu and have sex with her because according to him, this will give him a new lease of life, and also helps him connect with the Dead and the unborn. This is evident in the fact that he pulls his key advisors on governance matters into the petty issue of planning this night escapade with Lulu. This makes him blind to the state of the nation. He also falls out with Robert, one of the financiers because he talked to Lulu. He finally is thrown out of power because the foreign power does not support him anymore.

Thirdly his pride is another major contributor to his downfall. He is first of all very determined to create a gap between himself and the citizens. This he does by impoverishing them and making himself super rich. He says that he cannot move around in an insect of a car whereas other world leaders a rolling across the sky. He buys himself a plane and even at some point compares himself to God. This later sees to his downfall because all people turn against him. Also, he is temperamental This makes him to make rush decisions which make him fall into trouble. He jails the foreign financiers after Robert freezes his accounts to recover part of the loan he had taken. This is despite the advice by Chipande against the same. He also orders for the evacuation of the people from Bukelenge valley so that the foreigners can Occupy it and do farming. Another poor decision which he makes in a rush is to introduce martial law, and enclose all his people in their houses in a 24hour curfew. This only serves to fuel the rebellion of his subiects.

In addition to that, he is cruel leader. It is evident in the fact that he kills his own father by poisoning him. He also jails Romanus Bengo for giving him stiff political competition and even winning against him. For that he wants to kill him. He tries to use his brother, Be go to execute the killing and when he refuses, he is sacked and later beaten ruthlessly and dumped at his door. He is finally killed in an accident in Lacuna Kasoo mines. This infuriates the citizens, particularly Ramanus Bengo, who leads the rest in overthrowing him. This we can say was Lacuna's own making.

In conclusion, we can say that the traits mentioned above, among others, are contributors to Lacuna kasoo's downfall.

2. A mother can bear a child and he or (the child) is a replica of her, but can also be very different. Write an essay comparing and contrasting the character of Luli Zen Melo with that of her mother Tamina Zen Melo ”with clear illustrations from “Inheritance” by David Mulwa.

- Lulu is aggressive while Tamina is timid - Lulu is aggressive to change her life and to be like her mother while Tamina is timid and wants the status quo to remain.

- Tamina is religious while Lulu is skeptical. Tamina is very faithful to religion to an extent she is offended by Lulu's skepticism. Lulu on other hand feels that God is unfair to her and her mother because they suffered for long to no avail.

- They are both morally upright. Lulu is seen to be upright in the way she relates with Lucano Kasoo. Tamina is seen to be faithful to her husband and tells him that the bed is there and waiting for her and nobody else.

- Lulu and Tamina are loving. Tamina loves her husband so much and refers to him fondly and she is happy when he gets back home. Lulu is also loving and affected when her father dies and she demands that Lucana should let her go home for his second coronation.

NB: - There must be contrast and comparison -Two points on contrast and two points on comparison

3. Abuse of power has led to failure of many countries in Africa and elsewhere in the world, with relevant examples from inheritance, Write an essay to illustrate this statement.

Introduction

Generally explain with example tied to the question on despotic nature of African Leaders.e.g in Africa there is massive corruption, extra judicial killing and inefficiency which jeopardize the lives of the people.

Point of Interpretation

1. Lacuna Kasoo is a corrupt person; he collaborates with foreign investors and steals money Meant for development and stanches them in his account

2. Lacana Kasoo is lustful- This is because he wanted to forcefully marry lulu and even confines Her in his palace in preparation for marriage ceremony.

3. Lacana Kasoo is murderous- He plans to eliminate Bengo by sending Indah Zen Melo. He said that he has a thorn in his political side and therefore wants Indal to pluck it out

4. Lacana Kasoo is dictatorial-This is portrayed where he orders Meshak to crush the dissidents Starve and impose a curfew to the citizens.

5. Lacana Kasoo is traitorous. He abuses power bestowed to him in order to lead the people much to the pleasure of his ancestors, he vehemently goes against the wishes of his people and Ancestors

Give the opinion i.e. Africa leaders should not emulate leaders like Lacana Kasoo Recap of the point discussed above.

Distribution of marks

Introduction (2 marks) 4 points x 3 marks each = (12 marks) Conclusion 2 marks Spelling : 1 mark Punctuation: 1 mark Sentence construction Correctly : 1 mark Fluency 1 mark Total= 2+12+2+4= (20marks)

4. Misuse of power is a common phenomenon in most African countries. Basing your arguments on Inheritance by David Mulwa write an essay to support this statement

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When individuals get power, it gets into their heads. Leaders tend to forget that they have ascended to power courtesy of the citizens and use the same privileges to look down and oppress their subjects. Basically they have no regard for the people who elected them to that point.

Judah Zen Melo is kicked out of his work because he refuses to be involved in the killing of his brother Bengo, more so they take his land.

Chipande uses his influence as a councillor to buy Tamina's land on the mountains cheaply, for peanuts, and then he goes ahead to ensure that no one is given license to grow coffee for he fears competition.

Most people employed in Kutula government are Leader Lacuna's tribesmen and kinsmen. Tamina comments that Lacuna hasn't seen anyone else apart from his tribesmen. The manager at the mines where Zen Melo works as a gateman is a tribesman of Lacuna.

• Lacuna sacks all employees and employs people from his tribe when he is confronted with protests and rebels against his leadership, in addition he declares martial law and a curfew so that he could track down the dissidents and rebels. He orders the killing of deserters.
• Lacuna detains Lulu against her will at the palace. He kisses her forcefully and wants to marry her against her will.
• Since he has power, Lacuna orders the removal of inhabitants of the valley such that the foreigners should occupy it. Goldstein wants to use his position to ensure that they benefit fully from the business arrangement with Kutula through the interests earned on the loans advanced to Kutula.
• Lacuna lines his pocket with money as well as giving to his close supporters. This in appropriation of state resources is an abuse of office.

Any relevant conclusion.

5. Write an essay on the admirable character traits of King Kutula XV basing your arguments on the play, Inheritance by David Mulwa.

The admirable character of King Kutula XV in the play enables the reader to enjoy the text, this helps to expound on the main issues in the play. His admirable character traits are exemplified.

He is protective. He fiercely protects his countrymen from colonial exploitation He compares their relationship with the colonial masters to that of the proverbia freezing elephant and the farmer who could neither share the same hut nor see eve to eve He says he regrets the day their forefather agreed to cooperate with the colonial master. He says that all that he wants is stop the colonial exploitation of their land's minerals(gold, silver, oil and wants them to equally share the returns from the minerals instead of the current take all scenario.

He is humble. He deters the continued streaming of praises directed towards him fropm Mr. Thome's attendant's (pg. 6). New, naw, naw! Don't carry on my son. His mortal excellency doesn't understand a word you say?" He also respectably addresses Thorne Macay as Governor, and Menninger as Voice of God. He does also request to sit down after he is in the office of Thorne

He is wise. He appropriately uses proverbs in his speech. When urging Thorne to proceed in his speech he tells him, "It's a weak suitor who asks his new bride how to proceed." (pg 7). When probed about his people's breach of trust, he quickly brings in the analogy of the hare and the chameleon. (pg 8). He even accusses Thorne to have talked like a waterfall yet said nothing.

He is bold. On pg 7 he is presented as a most self-assured ruler with unnerving presence. He surveys Governor Thome's room with almost arrogant but deliberate disdain, selects a seat opposite the door and equally sits on it He reprimands Thome and reminds him that though he (Thome) is a governor, but in the soil on which he stands, elders dont bandy insults. He acknowledges to Thome that he aware of the countrywide uprising in his kingdom and slights the colonial mission of civilization and good will. Moreover, he warns Thorne that as long as the exploitation continues, Thome's people will continue to die and that they have nowhere to hide.

It is always good to stay focussed on your virtues for your own bettermen and the bettermen of the society at large.

Mark as follows Any 4 well developed points 3:3:3 Award 2 marks for Introduction and 2 marks for conclusion Award 4 marks grammar/Linguistic mark

6. The play, Inheritance, clearly brings out the opposite meaning of the saying that “Blood is thicker than water. ”Write an essay to justify this.

Introduction:.

In life people tend to get much more attached to people who are related to them by blood. This is, however not always the case. The play brings out cases that appear to negate this.

King Kutula XV is more attached and devoted to his adopted daughter Sangol. He moves around with her and it is known to many that she is the favourite one. This is even though he has a biological child.

Lacuna, who is the king's son, accepts to be used by Bishop Menninger to end his own father's life. Lacuna does this in a very cold way. As a leader, Lacuna locks his only sister Sangoi out of government and openly shows hostility to her. When he finally picks her to government he makes it clear that it was not his wish. Lacuna makes the lives of his own people very difficult. Under him the people suffer more than they did in the colonial era.

It is not always the case that the people close to you will be of help.

7. Inheriting a top seat without merit only invites ridicule from subjects. Write an essay showing how satire has been used in The Inheritance by David Mulwa.

In the Inheritance, Mulwa exposes the vices in Kutula colony by Lacuna and his government in a rather exaggerated manner as discussed below.

King Lacuna abuses power and takes advantages of his position to exploit and oppress his subjects. He orders the killing of anyone who opposes his leadership. He asked Juda Zen Melo to kill his brother Bengo who is an activist and a threat to his leadership. When he refuses, he faces the consequences by being sacked and evicted from the government house and his car is taken away. He is also forced to sell his farm to Lacuna's Cronies for peanuts and the wife is forced to work in the same farm to make ends meet.

His leadership is also satirized when he uses money meant for the country's economic grown for his own selfish gains. He buys an aircraft and deposits the rest in his own account in the same banks that lend the money.

His greed for power is highly satirized. It is ridiculous that he takes his father's life so that he can get to power. He colludes with the imperialists to poison his father so that he is installed the new king.

The imperialists are also satirized. Their despising and demeaning attitude towards the blacks is highly criticized. It is laughable that the financiers justify such conditions in the name of helping the people. It is expected that financiers would be sensitive and practical in their demands.

Others satirized include kings cronies like chiparde and government officials who worship him, and are ready to do anything to please him. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is quite clear that the author has satirized the poor leadership and the resulting predicaments.

Mark Introduction 2 Condusion 2 Body 12 - Any 4 well illustrated points (3-3-3-3) = 12 Language 4 Total 20

8. “Lacuna represents the evil that bedevils our leaders. ”Write an essay to justify this using Inheritance by David Mulwa.

Lacuna's evil nature is a reflection of the evil nature of most of the leaders of failed states.

Lacuna is tribalistic as seen from the people he has appointed to key positions. This is also reflected in the army

Lacuna is very insensitive as he drives people from their homes to please the imperialists so as to get a loan.

Lacuna is brutal as he kills Judah Sen Melo to coerce his daughter Lulu to marry him.

He detains Lulu in the palace and also imprisons Daniel Goldstein and Robert Rollerstone.

Lacuna embezzles funds that he deposits in his own account and gives the rest to his cronies. He rules with an iron fist and insits on having his way and say.

Any other relevant.

Lacuna is a true reflection of a bad leader.

9. For the people of Kutula the colonial days were better. Using illustrations from David Mulwa’s play Inheritance write an essay discussing what could have gone wrong under Lacuna.

At times independent African States find themselves in more leadership chaos than the case was during the colonial days. An example of such as State is Kutula in David Mulwa's Play Inheritance.

• Lacuna brings divisions worse than during the colonial period. He openly buys an aircraft because he does not wish to be associated with his subjects whom he refers meanly.
• There are unexplained deaths that can be associated with the people in government such is like the death of Judah Zen Melo.
• Lacuna oppresses his people by making them work for longer hours for little pay.

Lacuna's leadership is greatly tribal. Lacuna is seen to have members of his tribe in key government positions and also in the military.

• The government led by Lacuna has no development record to show. It has instead concentrated on making lives of few people better at the expense of the majority.

The independence government under Lacuna proves to be worse and more oppressive than the colonial establishment.

10. ‘Some leaders contribute to their own downfall. With close reference to Lucana and David Mulwa’s play, ’Inheritance’ Write a composition supporting this statement.

-Can be general, specific or general to contextualized. A definition of any term is not considered as an introduction. Accept any reasonable introduction Sample.

Truly, some leaders are their own worst enemies. They lead to their own downfall by ruling with an iron fist, being corrupt, immoral and selfish. In so doing they have no one to blame but themselves. Lacuna is such a leader as portrayed in David Mulwa's play 'Inheritance'.

1. Dictatorship.

Some leaders rule with an iron fist and this leads to their downfall. Lacuna is a dictator. He never takes 'no' for an answer in any of his advances(pg 43). He views everyone who goes against his wishes as an enemy, a dissenter, a contradictor and a show in the dark (pg 44). He even kills at will........"a snap of my fingers and heads could roll. (pg 65)When Juda Zen Melo disobeys Lacuna, no one wants to be associated with him pg 34). It takes a very long time for lacuna to forget it and it is only after this that he is able to get a job as a gate keeper (pg 34). To make matters worse, he later orders the killing of Judah(pg 108) after he tries to seduce his daughter, Lulu in vain. This Dictatorship is what makes his subject to hate him so much that when the idea of overthrowing him comes up, they are more than willing to make it successful.

2. Tribalism

Some leaders ruin their chances by practicing tribalism. Lacuna favours his tribesmen immensely. When Lulu asks her mother's to see Lacuna so that he can help with school fees, she declines and angrily puts it that for all the years that Lacuna has been in power, he has not seen anyone but his clansmen (pg 29,71). For anyone to get any meaningful employment in Kutula, they have to be from Lacunas tribe(pg71). Judah has to befriend lacuna's tribesman, Mithambo,a manager at the mine, for him to get to the position of machine operator (pg 34). This tribalism, which is a form of corruption, promotes poverty since people do not have equal opportunities. It makes them angry and consequently, they overthrow Lacuna.

3. Selfishness.

Some leaders are so selfish that they do not think of others but their stomachs. Little do they know that this becomes the beginning of their downfall. Lacuna borrows in the name of Kutula but only benefits himself. He takes huge loans and instead of using it to develop Kutula and help the citizen out of poverty, he stuffs most of it in his personal bank accounts in foreign counties. (pg 76) He goes ahead to buy an aircraft with this money that his subject have to sweat it out to repay (pg 72). The situation is so bad that he has to plead with the donors to give him another loan to service the interest of the one that has already been advanced to him (75). This selfishness does lacuna no good since finally, all the money he has hidden in his foreign accounts is transferred by Robert, a donor, as the donors seek to pay themselves part of the money that Kufula owes them (pg 110-111). Lacuna is left as nothing but a pauper and this makes almost lose his mind.

4. Immorality.

With money and power, some leaders become immoral. They tend to forget that all this is vanity and it will turn against them in the course of time. Lacuna is rather immoral. He wants to take lulu by force. After the remembrance ceremony, he detains her in his palace with the intention of marrying her. Although Lacuna is advised by Malipoa not to touch Lulu as it is against the custom, he says that customs are useless and that sometimes they must bow to national emergencies (pg 57). He goes on to seduce Lulu and decides that he is going to marry her, whether she likes it or not(pg 120) This kind of immorality is wrong. It makes Lulu's mother and Sangoi so angry that when time to overthrow Lacuna comes, none of them hesitates.

Accept any other relevant point-well explained and illustrated Mark 3,3,3,3=12 mks

Conclusion-2 mks

In conclusion, it is clear that some leaders are the ones who contributes to their own downfall. Their behavior is what makes or breaks them. Every leader must knowledge the fact that they have a duty to their subjects and act accordingly.

11. With illustrations from David Mulwa’s ‘Inheritance’, write an essay explaining how moral decadence affects the society. (20marks)

Aspects of moral decadance

a) Greed and selfishness.

Leader Lacuna and his cronies use public resources to enrich themselves. Lacuna is greedy for power and this makes him kill his own father, King Kutula XU in order to become the leader of Kutula. Lucuna borrows moneys from foreign countries to use it for development of Kutula. However, he embezzles the money by buying an aircraft for personal use. He carelessly gives money to his cronies and deposits money in foreign accounts in Canada, Swiss, Luxemburg and Manhattan. This causes suffering to the people of Kutula. Due to his selfishness, Lucuna kills Judah Zen Melo for not to allowing him to Mary his daughter.

2. Oppression and exploitation.

Lucuna kasoo is an oppressive leader. He poisons his own father King Kutula XV. The people are forced to work without rest and they only rest when they are dead. The black man is sentenced to work for the white man till death. The leaders in power forcefully take people's property. Tamina loses her house, land and cars. Those who raise their voices to criticize the government are in danger of being killed. Judah Zen Melo is beaten up for refusing to kill his brother Bengo who is a critic of the government. Zea Melo cannot easily find a job since nobody is willing to employ him. His land is taken. Lulu is forcefully locked up at Lucuna's palace. He wants to make her his wife against her wish. There area lot of murder. Bango is jailed.

3. Corruption.

Lucuna borrows money meant for development but embezzels it. The people's sweat is poured in Lucina's porous pockets as he deposits public funds in his foreign banks. Bribery - Lucina wants to bribe to kill Bengo whom he considers a thorn in his leadership. The people are given handouts and this makes them sing praises to Lucina. They become blind to the truth. Lucina is nepotic: He favours his own tribesmen, kinsmen and concubines.

4. Abuse of office

Those in power disregard their subjects. They use their power to dismiss. Judah Zen Melo for refusing to kill his brother. Chipande uses his power to purchase Tamina's land at a very cheap prize. He later influences Lucina not to give anyone licence to grow coffee since he does not want competition. Lucina uses his power to employ his own tribesmen and kinsman. This is after he is confronted by the employees who protest and rebel against his leadership. He sacks them all and employs his people. Lucina uses his power to have people killed. He orders the killing of all deserters. He also uses his power to remove the inhabitants of the valley so that foreigners can occupy it. Lucina uses his power to arrest and lock up Lulu in his palace. He wants to marry her forcefully

5. Dictatorship/ Authoritarian.

Lucina takes over power forcefully after killing his own father, king Kutula XV. The leaders order the killing of people. The people are detained arbitrary. Lucina uses dictatorship to freeze employees salaries after his foreign accounts are emptied by Robert. He increases the tax of profits of companies and business and keeps it for himself.

6. Inefficiency:

The government as lead by Kutula do not do their work well. Lucina takes a loan meant to fund the mining of silver. He fails to follow up the money and production of silver. He does not care whether they are making a loss or a profit. When the production of silver reduces by 15%, Lucina is not aware. He only gives order without monitoring. Due to his inefficiency, Lucina, does not keep records of the...

12. “Depriving people of their dignity has far-reaching consequences.”validate this statement with close reference to the play, Inheritance

Drama- David Mulwa Inheritance

• Lacuna Kasoo has little regard for other people. His opinion is what matters, it carries the day and he does not entertain divergent views
• His desires for lulu is unrivalled and stops at nothing but to manhandle her.
• He also keeps grudges that would be executed with a lot of ruthlessness. In an effort to contain the famenting rebellion triggered by his coronation, many people are killed.
• Humiliation on leads resentment chipande uses his influence as acouncilor to buy Taminas land on the mountains. Tamina has to work on her former farm to pick coffe in order to fend for her family. This causes resentment among the people at the end they humble Chipande after Lacuna is overthrown
• Detention leads humiliation lulu is detained at the palace against her will. She is kissed forcefully and Lacuna plans to marry her against her will. This is what attracts Taminas ire that she slaps Lacuna after he is toppled by the rebels. The fact that he is even denied an opportunity to attend her fathers burial leads to the ultimate humiliation of Lacuna.
• Fear/death Judah Zen Mello is hunted down for refusing to kill his brother Romanus Bengo, a fierce critic of Lacuna. He is humiliated to a point that he can get gainful employment that he has to flee from home and lies low until he finds away into the mines as a security guard. His fate is sealed once it is discovered that he is working at the mines that the malfunctioning machines make a mine meat out of him. Ultimately the mines are recording fifteen percent drop in production and the mines are unnecessary burden on the tax payers.
• Frustration leads rebellion abolishing of all positions is quite embarrassing to employees that it deprive them of dignity and is against labor laws. Withholding of salariesearned is equally painful to employees . with reviewed status and no earnings, it is imperative to note that every one turns against Lacuna in a rebellion that topples his leadership.
• Confrontation Lacunas nerve to confront Reverend Sangoi with accusations of fermenting trouble through her pulpit teachings is quite uncouth of a leader. He relies on hearsay and does not look for evidence of these allegation. For a leader to bend that low is quite unacceptable. Hurling insults and casting as pensions on Reverend Sangoi is also unacceptable of a leader.
• A people that have lost their all have nothing else to loose rather than fight for their souls. This is the position the people of Kutula find themselves in after being pushed by Lacuna Kasoo and his allies –overthrowing the evil regime is never an option for them.

13. “If you have bad leaders you suffer” Using Judah Zen Melo’s family in Inheritance, write an essay depicting the truth of the statement.

• Beating Juda senseless making him run away from home, he wonders looking for a job.
• Dispossessing Tamina from her coffee farm through Chipande and centralizing coffee farms making Tamina a labourer in her own farm.
• Raising school fees by introducing extra levies, making Lulu drop out of school.
• Choosing to confine Lulu in the palace during the late father’s commemoration ceremony, hoping to make her his virgin wife, he beliefs this would rejuvenate him and restore his youthfulness.
• Lacuna orders Juda’s death in order to have his way with Lulu.  He makes it look like an accident while working as a machine operator on the pretext that the machines gave in.
• Lacuna orders for centralization of all the water wells in Kutula in order to get another loan from the foreign financiers.  This has a huge devastating impact on Juda’s family as Tamina complains of how a drop of water is quite costly.

14. In order for a dictatorial government to be kept on check, the citizens must exhibit courage and sacrifice. With reference to David Mulwa’s Inheritance, write an essay to illustrate this statement.

• Entrenched dictatorship is very difficult to bring to an end. However, this is possible when men and women of courage, determination and selflessness take the initiative to save the citizens.
• Has been detained for years due to being against Lacuna Kasoo’s bad leadership
• He fights for the poor at the expense of his family – Tamina says “ You would have put your family a head of your politics” pg 21
• He has been released and promises to change “Take up the fight where I left off when you can see better days a head for all, it is a crime not to sacrifice” pg 22
• Lacuna wants to enlist the services of Bengo’s brother Zen Melo to eliminate him pg 23
• Bengo’s selfless efforts see him assemble a team in the forest to overthrow Lacuna – “Group A and B converge as a greed. No weapons though……………” pg 124
• He leads a revolution that overthrows Lacuna and installs Rev Sangoi as the new leader.
• Brother to Romanus Bengo
• A party official
• lacuna tries to bring him close to eliminate Bengo but he refuses “ I cannot betray my own blood, and the mother who bore me and him” pg 23
• Lacuna sends thugs to attack him and they dumped his mangled body at the government house doorstep and his life saved by Dr. Jonathan.
• Juda has been on the run for his life from town to town while his family suffers at home pg 34.
• In the end Lacuna follows Zen Melo to the mines where he was working as a machine operator and kills him in arranged machine accident.
• Stands against her brother, Lacuna Kasoo’s bad rule
• Lacuna make her minister for Reclamation and Remedies to facilitate the displacement of residents of Bukelenge valley
• Works with Bengo to peacefully overthrow Lacuna pg 102 – 103.
• She agrees to lead the people on the condition that after that the people will elect their own leader and allow her to go back to the pulpit.
• She finally takes over with the promise of freedom.
• Zen Melo’s wife
• Has been always against Lacuna’s rule and refuses to allow Lulu her daughter to accompany the dance troupe to the palace.
• She refuses to be compromised by Lacuna Kasoo when her husband had been killed in an arranged accident. She spat on the faces of Lacuna’s messengers and chased them away with a cooking spoon.
• Taminas support Rev Sangoi’s revolution “Let their army come! ………………. we will stand behind you………. with our spades, hoes, doves and branches…………” pg 98
• When Lulu is brought in during the takeover Tamina deliberately walks to Lacuna and slaps him hard across the cheek.
• Tamina and Lulu drags a helpless Lacuna off the throne.
• They mobilise themselves everywhere to overthrow Lacuna in a peaceful way.
• They are armed with no weapons but only hundreds of doves
• The masses shout DOWN WITH LACUNA
• Lacuna’s order to violently disperse them become. Relevant introduction 2 marks Expect any four well illustrated points mark 3: 3: 3: 3 12 marks Relevant Conclusion 2 marks Grammar and Presentation 4 marks 20 marks

15. Closely referring to  David mulwa’s text inheritance, illustrate how most citizens in most African countries suffer because of the behaivour of their leaders.  (20 marks)

Accept: General Both general and contextual An outline/ summary (2 mks) Accept any relevant introduction

• Most leaders engage in senseless extra judicial killings to silence their opponents. Kasoo organizes for Judah to betray his brother and when he refuses, he is exterminated.
• They suffer from poverty. Basic commodities are not easy to find due to leaders poor planning and not prioritizing country’s needs
• They exploit the masses by manipulation for example: Chipande , Kasoo buys off Tamina’s coffee farm for a pittance. He becomes the only licensed coffee farmer so as to wardoff competition in the sector.
• Most leaders have plunged their countries to poverty by incurring huge debts by overborrowing in the name of the country and stashing borrowed cash in the same accounts abroad ( Lakuna Kasoo)
• Most leaders are lustful and constantly harassing women for sexual advance like Lulu a young girl whom Kasoo lusts suffers when detained in the palace.
• Leaders make life for the conman very expensive hence basic amenities like education are out of reach for the masses in Kutula, Lakuna kasoo raises school levies leading to school dropout like Lulu.

Expect any four well illustrated points Mark3:3:3:3 Conclusion In conclusion, leaders should not be selfish but should selflessly serve their subjects by working for the benefit of their subjects for that is what their mandate is. Accept any other relevant conclusion. ( 2mks)

16. ‘Citizens suffer due to bad leadership’ Write an essay showing the truth of this statement from David Mulwa’s: ‘Inheritance’.

INTRODUCTION (2MKS) Citizens of Kutula suffer because bad leadership from Lacuna, who misuses power and public resources to enrich himself while his subjects suffer total poverty, unemployment ,affliction and oppression among others.( Accept any other relevant introduction

CONTENT 12mks

• Dam – Lacuna’s poor leadership is exhibited when he comes up with the idea of the construction of the dam which ends up causing the citizens of Kutula misery. Together with leaders such as Chipande they bring machines to construct a dam at the Bukelenge valley . Since it is a bad move some citizens such as Reverend Sangoi protest but the uprising yields no fruit. Initially , the dam held half the water expected so canals and brooks were channeled to the dam. The valley became dry, citizens such as Tamina have to walk for 15 km from sunrise to mid-day and back by sunset just to get the precious commodity.
• unlawfull detention- Poor leadership cause agony to citizens when they are detained unlawfully or for no legal reason. Bengo suffers greatly , he is imprisoned for 20 years since he opposed Lacuna’s leadership . Lacuna had tried to get rid of Bengo by asking Judah to prove his loyalty by killing Bengo but he refused as blood was thicker than water. Lacuna does not take no for an answer and Judah is beaten almost to death and were it not for Dr. Jonathan Judah would have died. Later Judah has to run away from Kutula and roams around looking for elusive jobs. Out of desperation he denounces God and bribes the the manager by buying him drinks and using fake certificates to get the job as machine operator. Tamina is later informed by Sangoi that Judah died at the mines due to faulty machines but the truth is later revealed by Robert .Lacuna detains Judah’s daughter at the palace without her consent and tries to convince her to accept his marriage proposal but being principled she refuses. Lulu suffers both emotionally and physically in the hands of Lacuna.
• Killings – Citizens of Kutula suffer due to bad leadership of Lacuna who rules with an iron fist. During his coronation the natives grumbled that they were crowning the wrong leader. Those who complained mysteriously disappeared . During the climax of the uprising and peacefull demonstration Lacuna orders that all dissidents be shot on site and a martial law was immediately enforced plus a 100% taxation on any company making profits. A citizen like Tamina could not afford a meal a day. She preferred King Kutula’s reign.
• poverty- Under Lacuna’s leadership the citizens of Kutula live in poverty while he buys himself aa personal jet and lives lavishly at the palace. Tamina’s family suffers greatly when their government house and cars are taken away when Judah refuses to prove his loyalty to Lacuna by killing Bengo his brother and a political activist against Lacuna’s men i.e Chipande for very little money. Licence to grow is forced to work on the same piece of land for very little money and cannot even afford to pay Lulu’s school fees in her fourth year in secondary school. Lulu is so desperate and even argues with mother concerning their poverty state. Lulu’s threatens to even use her body to study and become a doctor like Reverend Sangoi husband . Lacuna’s leadership does spare the youth who are the future of Kutula.

CONCLUSION( 2mks) In conclusion, bad leadership results in nothing but agony to citizens. Citizens should therefore elect their leaders wisely. AWARD 2:3:3:3:3:2 + 4MKS Language = 20 mks

Introduction The citizens suffer because of bad leadership. Lacuna Kasoo is a dictator who demands to be obeyed. Those who refuse to obey him are incarcerated and killed. Those who oppose him, like Bengo, are imprisoned. Accept any other introduction 2marks Points of interpretation

• Si: Bengo Lacuna asks Judah Zen Melo to kill his brother Bengo because Bengo is opposing him. When Judah refuses, he is put out by Lacuna and he cannot get employment. His family suffers in his absence as Tamina his wife cannot make ends meet.
• Sii: Subjects Bad leadership causes suffering because Lacuna refuses to give licenses to farmers and they cannot grow or sell their products. He then buys the land cheaply and other people work on their farms as slaves. Lacuna employs people from his clan even when they are uneducated because he wants loyalty even if it is at the expense of efficiency. As a leader, Lacuna stashes away money in foreign accounts and the people are charged high taxes in order to repay the loans that he enjoys with his ministers and councilors.
• Siii: Foreigners Lacuna gives the imperialists a dam and the people spend a whole day getting a little amount of the precious commodity from the dam.
• Siv: Lulu Lacuna wants to marry Lulu forcefully because, as a leader, he assumes that he can do whatever he wants. He even has Lulu’s father murdered and this causes Tamina and Lulu untold suffering. 3:3:3:3=12 points

Conclusion Bad leadership brings a lot of suffering to the citizens. They lack food and basic necessities like water, they lose their loved like Tamina and Lulu, ‘they also lose their property; this causes disillusionment among the people. Accept any other valid conclusion 2marks

17. A leader’s shortcomings can cause untold suffering to the subjects. Write a composition on this statement basing your illustrations on the character of Lacuna Kasoo in David Mulwa’s The Inheritance.

Any relevant introduction

• Greed and selfishness Leader Lacuna and his cronies use public resources to enrich themselves. Lacuna is greedy for power and this makes him kill his own father. King Kutula XV in order to become the leader of Kutula. Lucuna borrows moneys from foreign countries to use it for development of Kutula. However, he embezzles the money by buying an aircraft for personal use. He careiessl gives money to his cronies and deposits money in foreign accounts in Canada, Swiss, Luxemburg and Manhattan. This causes suffering to the people of Kutula. Due to his selfishness. Lucuna kills Judah Len Melo for not to allowing him to Mary his daughter.
• Oppression and exploitation. Lacuna kasoo is an oppressive leader. He poisons his own father King Kutula XV. The people are forced to work without rest and they only rest when they are dead. The black man is sentenced to work for the white man till death. The leaders in power forcefully take people’s property. Tamina loses her house, land and cars. Those who raise their voices to criticize the government are in danger of being killed. Judah Zen Melo is beaten up for refusing to kill his brother Bengo who is a critic of the government. Zen cannot easily find a job since nobody is willing to employ him. His land is taken. Lulu is forcefully locked up at Lacuna’s palace. He wants to make her his wife against her wish. Bango is jailed.
• Corruption. Lacuna borrows money meant for development but embezzles it. The peoples sweat is poured in Lucina’s porous pockets as he deposits public funds in his foreign banks. Bribery - Lacuna wants to bribe to kill Bengo whom he considers a thorn in his leadership. The people are given handouts and this makes them sing praises to Lacuna. They become blind to the truth. Lacuna is nepotic: He favours his own tribesmen, kinsmen and concubines.
• Abuse of office Those in power disregard their subjects. They use their power to dismiss Judah Zen Melo for refusing to kill his brother. Chipande uses his power to purchase Tamina’s land at a very cheap price. He later influences Lacuna not to give anyone licence to grow coffee since he does not warn competition. Lacuna uses his power to employ his own tribesmen and kinsmen. This is after he is confronted by the employees who protest and rebel against his leadership. He sacks them all and employs his people. Lacuna uses his power to have people killed. He orders the killing of all deserters. He also uses his power to remove the inhabitants of the valley so that foreigners can occupy it. Lacuna uses his power to arrest and lock up Lulu in his palace. He wants to marry her forcefully. He also has Judah killed.
• Dictatorship/Authoritarian. Lacuna takes over power forcefully after killing his own father, king Kutula XV. The leaders order the killing of people. The people are detained arbitrary. Lacuna uses dictatorship to freeze employees’ salaries after his foreign accounts are emptied by Robert. He increases the tax of profits of companies and business and keeps it for himself.
• Inefficiency: The government as led by Lacuna does not do its work well. Lacuna takes a loan meant to fund the mining of silver. He fails to follow up the money and production of silver. He does not care whether they are making a loss or a profit. When the production of silver reduces by 15%, Lacuna is not aware. He only gives order without monitoring. Due to his inefficiency, Lacuna, does not keep records of the mines proceeds. Machines are not serviced or new ones bought. Any valid conclusion

18. “People do not always turn out the way they appear to be.” Closely referring to David Mulwa’s Inheritance show the truth of this statement.  (20 mks)

Introduction People have a subtle way of camouflaging to conceal their true self. Many of these people appear kind, honest or display any other admirable character yet in other areas they are despicable people who need help. This is the unfortunate case of many characters in the play Inheritance.

Bishop Menninger comes across as a man of God. As a Christian and a leader in the church, he is expected to live true to the Christian teachings and observe the teachings rather than just professing them. This does not happen for his evil nature is seen when he manipulates Lacuna Kasoo into hatching a scheme to eliminate the late King Kutula XV on the grounds of hindering progress. He advises Lacuna Kasoo to poison his father, King Kutula XV claiming ‘… it was time to bring Kutula back to dignity’. The Bishop should uphold the sanctity of human life. This is confirmed by Lacuna when he says ‘…I must do it for the future…Menninger says so standing in the courtyard…’pg 68 Thorne Macay and Bishop Menninger tell King Kutula XV that they have the interest ‘of his people at heart’. Yet these are the same leaders that connive with the naïve Lacuna Kasoo to eliminate his father. By sanctioning the death of King Kutula and installing in his place Lacuna Kasoo, they betray the very people they purport to care for by having a bad leader take up power. They assume that since King Kutula is an advocate of his people’s rights, they would rather have Lucuna Kasoo who appears enthusiastic about cooperating with the empire pg14-15. It is the height of hypocrisy for lacuna Kasoo to pretend that he is holding a commemoration of king KutulaXV yet he is the one who poisoned him to death. All the fanfare,dances,speeches and related activities are meant to trick the people that he is really mourning a great man. No wonder he would want to give himself a new lease of life through marrying Lulu, a high school student.

Goldstein pretends to care about Kutula citizens yet he advises Lacuna to restructure the public service leading to massive unemployment. He also advises that the wages should be kept low with the run-away inflation and the rising cost of living. These actions can only stir riots and civil unrest that would ultimately lead to change of regime in Kutula. He further advises that the working hours be extended which would be unfair to the citizens.

Conclusion From the discussion above, it is clearly evident that people are quite deceptive in that their words do not match their deeds.

19. Closely referring to David Mulwa’s text Inheritance, illustrate how  most citizens in most African countries suffer because of the behaviour of their leaders. (20 mks)

Accept any relevant introduction

• Leaders make life for the conman very expensive hence basic amenities like education are out of reach for the masses in Kutula, Lakuna kasoo raises school levies leading to school dropout like Lulu. Expect any four well illustrated points Mark3:3:3:3

Conclusion In conclusion, leaders should not be selfish but should selflessly serve their subjects by working for the benefit of their subjects for that is what their mandate is. Accept any other relevant conclusion. ( 2mks)

20. With illustrations from David Mulwa's, "Inheritance," write an essay to illustrate the following statement. (20marks) "Corruption and inefficiency breed revolt."

INTRODUCTION Inefficiency in government offices coupled with corrupt practices deny citizens government services and opportunities they deserve. Following such frustrations, many, especially the youth, revolt to show their displeasure. In the set text, inheritance by David Mulwa, Juda Zen Melo's sons are some of the young people who join forces with others to rebel against the corrupt government of Lacuna Kazoo under their uncle Bengo and Sangoi.

• People are organized under Bengo and Sangoi, and many have joined them including those who were initially sceptical, pg 98.
• The rebels are everywhere. They are planted in government institutions, churches as well as homes and key positions, pg 102.
• Chipande has acquired land that belonged to ordinary citizens by paying peanuts. Further more, he gets a licence from Lacuna that makes him a monopoly producer of coffee thereby denying the peasants the right to cultivate coffee. This escalates citizens anger and desperation leading to revolt, pg 29.
• Lacuna has been in power for long but he has never known anyone apart from his clansmen, and a bevy of concubines. This promotes nepotism and tribalism. Those denied their rightful share of the national cake, resort to organizing revolt against leader Lacuna Kazoo,pg 29.
• Lacuna entrenches tribalism and nepotism. People are hired despite their educational ability which in turn entrenches inefficiency. Promotion is based on whom they can trust with their safety. Such actions on the part of government officials, push citizens to rebel against the government,pgs 95,96.

CONCLUSION Corruption and inefficiency create despondency, desperation and anger that lead to uprising and revolution with unimaginable consequences to those who oppress others.

21. To the people of Kutula, life was probably better when they faced colonial challenges. Illustrate this claim with reference to David Mulwa, play The Inheritance. 

Introduction  At times life can be better when there is something to hope for. When that hope is robbed away, and its place dominated by serious leadership chaos, pain and frustration creeps in, and this is the sad state of Kutula people in David Mulwa’s Play Inheritance.

• Lacuna’s leadership is greatly tribal. Lacuna is seen to have members of his tribe in key government positions and in the military.
• The independence government under Lacuna proves to be worse and more oppressive than the colonial establishment

22. The author presents Kutula as republic as a society confronted by tyranny. Discuss this using the Play Inheritance by David Mulwa. (20mks)

King Lacuna abuses power and takes advantage of his position to exploit and oppress his subjects.

• Unlawful sacking of workers. When Juda refuses, he faces the consequences by being sacked and evicted from the government house and his car is taken away. He is also forced to sell his farm to Lacuna’s cronies for peanuts and the wife is forced to work in the same farm to make ends meet.
• People are brutally murdered as Lakuna orders the killing of anyone who opposes his leadership. He asks Juda Zen Melo to kill his brother Bengo who is an activist and a threat to his leadership. After many days of job searching, Juda gets a job as a machine operator in one of the silvers factories, but he is killed while operating the machine. His greed for power makes him kill his father. It is ridiculous that he takes his father’s life so that he can get to power. He colludes with the imperialists to poison his father so that he is installed the new king.
• Embezzlement of funds from the public coffer. Lakuna embezzles funds meant for public use. His leadership is also satirized when he uses money meant for the country’s economic growth for his own selfish gains. He admits having bought himself an aircraft with loans advanced to him in the name of his subjects. It is ironical and unbelievable that he justifies that action by saying that he cannot be at the same level with his subjects and that he has to soar above them and their complaints and hatred.
• To make matters worse, he deposits the remaining money in his own accounts in the same banks that lend the money. His is the highest level of impunity and when the financiers force him to pay the loans, he swears that he will make his subjects pay for him so that he remains in power.
• Corruption is evident in Kutula. Lacuna is also corrupt and practices nepotism. The subjects are aware that for you to get a job, you must know or be of the king’s tribesmen; otherwise, getting a job will remain elusive.
• Appointments are also made politically and those given the jobs must pledge their loyalty by giving a kick back and their positions will remain secure regardless of their performance. He collects 30 per cent of what the ministries get as a sign of their loyalty and in return their positions are guaranteed.
• People are forced to do certain things against their wish. Lakuna Kasoo forces everyone to attend the commemoration of his father, declaring it a public holiday. After the celebrations, he forces Lulu to entertain him and he swears to make her his second wife, with or without her consent. When she refuses to toe the line, she is detained in his palace for days and denied the opportunity to attend her father's funeral.
• There is forceful eviction as Lacuna Kasoo also orders the eviction of the natives from the valley to create room for foreigners to occupy it and make it productive for their own selfish gain. All he cares about is the continued financial gains from the foreigners at the expense of the welfare his own people. He even orders drastic action to be taken against those who resist. By doing this, the citizens will be made homeless and they will be enslaved and they will live at the mercy of the foreigners who will benefit from the produce.
• There is imposition of labour laws that are oppressive to the people. Lacuna Kasoo conspires with the colonialists to cut down on employment and quadruple production of the exports by making them work long hours and on lower wages.

23. A selfish leaders governance negatively affects the subject referring closely to the play, write an essay on how Lucuna’s leadership affects the people of Kutula.

She feels that God cannot be present and allow such kind of poor leadership that, harms its people “How can he live in a place like this ?

We are alone mama. Alone, you have prayed sinceI was small and only the dusty winds answer you. No! I shall do it myself if you won’t do it. Page 30.

She sees God has let her down by allowing such leadership of Lacuna and she “will use my beauty then I must complete school and be somebody.

In any way, mama anyway p.g 31 Any other valid point mark 3:3:3:3 =12mks Grammar and presentation 4mks

CONCLUSION Leaders, should take good care of citizens, protect their property and avoid all vices that make the citizens lives difficult. 

24. Basing your arguments on Inheritance by David Mulwa, show how citizens can influence their own governance.

Introduction An oppressed people will at some point find ways and means to be heard and liberate themselves. The people of Kutula through characters like Bengo and Sangoi stage an uprising against the oppressive regime led by Lacuna.

Illustrations

• People in Kutula decide how they will be governed. Bengo refuses to be governed by Lacuna and forms an opposition. He mobilizes the people to rebel against bad governance. The people want a leader who does not oppress them and one who does not shed innocent blood.
• The people have had enough of oppression and dictatorship and they rebel against the leadership of Lacuna. They choose their own leaders to lead them to revolt. Bukelenge occupants organize a peaceful march carrying doves. The army has no reason to hurt them. They do not use weapons as they do not want any bloodshed.
• The people have support from all tribes including some of Lacuna's supporters. They are planning to get Lacuna out of the palace from the inside and with no weapons. Bengo and the leaders do not want bloodshed and they insist on unity if they want to win. They choose a Sangoi, a spiritual leader and a leader who chooses peace. In doing so, they are in charge of their governance. Bengo is also a patriot and does not want any bloodshed in the process of liberating the people.
• Authority is given to people who have fought bad governance like Bengo. These people know the way to govern the people as they have fought bad leaders like Lacuna Kasoo. They lead the people peacefully to get what they want without violence.

Conclusion The people choose the leaders that they want and the way to be led. Bengo and Sangoi lead the people to rebel but no weapons are used. They are still able to remove Lacuna from power.

25. ‘In whatever you do, whether good or bad expect a pay.’ Write a composition in support of the statement using illustrations from the Drama, Inheritance.

Introduction What goes around comes around. /Such characters as Lacuna Kasoo, Chipande, Reverend Sangoi and the colonialists receive a pay for their actions. / Leaders who are loved like Rev. Sangoi are rewarded with good smile while Lacuna who is ruthless is rewarded accordingly.

• Colonialists P3,5 - The colonialists who had occupied Kutula by forcefully grabbing the natives’ land (p8) are forcefully/violently overthrown. They accused the natives of breach of trust – attacking farms, factories, and businesses – leaders walk tails tucked p.46. Thorne complains about colonial office banning the use of whip on natives. He refers to them as idiots. Meninger says African natives are full of utter confusion. Kutula natives rise against the colonial government leading to independence. They are forced out without Kutula paying their debt. (p135-136) They are embarrassed.
• Lacuna’s brutality Lacuna who leads Kutula with iron fist (p15,41,45, 49) is overthrown by the citizens (p132, 133, 136) and leadership handed over to Rev. Sangoi. Many people who felt that Sangoi was more qualified for leadership post than him disappeared mysteriously. He is inhuman and corrupt and he oppresses the people. He too gets his dues accordingly. He takes loans and makes the people pay very high taxes. He oppresses them and uses martial law to rule them as he is the commander in Chief (p115). He puts people who are illiterate in offices just because they are his clansmen. (The overthrowing of Lacuna must come out.)
• Tamina’s land Chipande forces Tamina to sell her land in Bukelenge to him for peanuts but later suffers for it. He also makes sure no one gets licence to grow coffee. She is forced to be a casual laborer at the farm. Chipande is accused of taking all farms on the mountains after the exit of whites – (p24, 29). When Lacuna’s government is overthrown, Chapande, Lacuna and Malipoa are seized and confined amid cheering and jeers – embarrassment - as they wait to face charges for their crimes. (The underlined parts, if well brought out will allow the candidate transit to a fair)
• Lulu Lacuna who forcefully takes Lulu Zen Melo, a school girl as his second wife is dethrone. She is rescued from confinement within the palace during the revolution. She refuses to marry him. When she is free, she slaps him for confining her against her wish for one month. P. 117, 118, 119, 120-121, 129-130 (Without slap, do award beyond a thin) 
• Leadership Sangoi who does good to the people of Kutula is repaid with leadership and love by the people. During the commemoration they shout down Lacuna and ask Sangoi to be their rightful leader. The elderly leader even addresses Sangoi as the president and swore his unwavering loyalty. He forces the school children to sing his praises yet he knows that the people do not like him. Eventually, they choose her to lead them into rebelling against Lacuna Kasoo as she is still a good leader.

Conclusion In conclusion, no good or bad goes unpaid.

26. ‘Lacuna represents the evil in our African leaders’ Write an essay to justify this using ‘Inheritance’. (20mks)

Sample Introduction. Some people are not satisfied with what they have and want more all the time as illustrated by Leo Tolstoy’s main character Pahom.

• Pahom had a farm and a house but wanted more.He had 123 acres of land and pasture.As he farmed the number of cattle kept increasing. He had thought that this land was not enough he wanted wider and more futile. He would constantly ask himself how can he have more land?
• He was easily convinced to go buy land from the Bashkirs .A passing dealer tells him there is cheap land in the land of Bashkirs and Pahom thinks he has to go there and buy the land. He enquired how to get to Bashkir and buys many presents in the market . He started on the journey and took his servant with him.
• Pahom could not sleep thinking of the land he would acquire. He thought if he walked the whole day what a large track of land he will mark off. As he thought of this he lay awake all night. When he was shown the tracks of land hios eyes glistered there was a wide land infront of his eyes. He thought of how he would get the best land above all the people.
• Pahom bit more than he could chew. He tried to get more land but his body could not sustain walking. He kept walking without thinking , he felt serious pain but pressed on, he threw away his coat ,his shoes,his flask and cap.When he could not stand the fatigue any more his legs gave way beneath him and he fell forward. He eventually dies after straining to get more land.

Conclusion. It is out of greed and obsession to get more land that Pahom dies tragically. Award 2:3:3:3:3:2 Language 4mks( Total mks 20)

27. “Nothing good comes easy” Using illustrations from David Mulwa’s Inheritance, show how true this is.

There’s a belief that peace can only be achieved through violence. When faced with danger, the only recourse is violence. This is well illustrated in the play inheritance by David Mulwa. (2mks)

(Accept any other valid introduction)

• The people of Kutula got their independence through violence. There was insurrection, supported by king Kutula as he so readily admits, that targeted the whites and their property. The king explains that nothing will stop the people’s quest for independence. The Kutula people achieve independence through violence.
• After independence the hopes and dreams last for a few years. They had peace as they had food to eat and were totally debt free. When lacuna murders the king, their dreams end. He is cruel, selfish dictator with overwhelming greed. He jails those who resist his rule like Bengo and makes it impossible for others to earn a living like Judah.
• When things go wrong for Lacuna, his only re course is violence. Over the years he has bought the loyalty of his supporters, He advises Meshak that he should enlist men who would even guard his sheep. He believes that as long as he has the support of the army, he is safe. When trouble breaks out, Lacuna orders Meshak to shoot the resistors and demonstrators.
• When the rebels meet, the young among them feel that they should use violence. They feel that the pleas for peaceful resistance are what have kept the people oppressed for long. When the country is unable to pay up the debts the colonialists show their faces. In amazing show of subservience, Goldstein’s ascends to the throne and Lacuna becomes a groveling servant at Goldstein’s feet.
• The revolution changes things. The puppet is deposed and the people make it clear that they do not consider themselves indebted to the whites. The loan have been procured by Lacuna were his personal business and the creditors should know because it was an individual who borrowed and misappropriated the funds. The people make a choice to have Sangoi and the white men have been told the truth and things are looking up. Mar 3:3:3:3.

Conclusion In conclusion we can say that good kings must be taught for just like true independence of the people of Lacuna. (2mks) (Accept any valid conclusion) .

28. Using examples from Mulwa’s play, Inheritance, write an essay to show that as a leader you cannot fool people all the time.

Introduction If you are leader of any sort and you think that your subjects are easily deceived you may be in for a rude shock. (Accept any relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• Lacuna Kasoodiverts donor funds to personal use and stashes some in his own personal accounts. He uses the money to buy himself a personal jet claiming that he cannot crawl like his subjects but to fly above them. When the financiers visit him his foreign accounts are frozen and this makes him even more desperate.
• Lacuna sacks Juddah from his prime government job when he refuses to kill Bengo his brother on an account that he is leading an opposition against him. He dispossesses Juddah making him resort to a life of squalor and poverty. When he learns that Juddah has a job at the theKasoo Mines, he organizes his death but camouflages it under a freak accident. Lulu and Tamina learn of the untimely death of their father and put up a spirited onslaught against Lacuna’s leadership.
• Lacuna increases taxation by 100% and orders that the money be deposited in his personal bank account. This is because he wants to rebuild new wealth after his accounts have been frozen. Instead of making him happy, this decision irks the subject who resolve to an insurrection that sees him finally toppled.
• Leader Kasoo organizes the late father’s commemoration ceremony which is an annual event with the sole aim of getting a virgin to “rejuvenate himself”. At the end of the ceremony he detains Lulu in the palace with the sole intention of making him his wife. He cajoles the mother Tamina with rewards such as a piece of land in the Bukelenge Valley. He kills Juddah with the intention of coercing Lulu into submission but it fails. In the end the young lass slaps him- a humiliating feat for a leader of his standing.
• Kasoo despises Sangoi. He claims that she doesn’t know who her mother was and that she doesn’t belong. This does not stop the masses from recognizing her efforts. They finally crown her their leader.
• The leader of Kutula detains Bengo with the hope that he would suppress dissent from any quarter. He paints Bengo in a negative light as the enemy of the government and by extension the people’s enemy. This does not stop Bengo from teaming up with the like-minded people like Sangoi to bring about the much needed change to their people.
• Kasoo recruits his relatives into the armed forces hoping to please them and use them to suppress revolt against his leadership. This does not work. Force fails to stand against a united front. (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 4;4;4;4. Total 12marks) Grammar and Presentation. 4marks

 When a leader thinks that he is more cunning than his subjects he may have to confront stiff opposition from those he undermines. (Accept any other valid conclusion) 2marks

29. Pretenders are worse than murderers. Write an essay to show the truthfulness of this statement basing you answer to Inheritance by David Mulwa.

INTRODUCTION In the society, some people may pretend to have moral standard or opinion that they do not actually have. This is a situation we find many characters in the play Inheritance. Or Most people in any society may pretend that everything is alright, yet they do know that something is wrong.this is what David Mulwa demonstrates in his play The Inheritance. Lacuna pretends to honour King Kutula xv during his commemoration. He says ‘lets always remember with gratitude what my father the king did for us. On your behalf I shall now walk to the Royal grave to pay our continued National respects.’ Yet he was the one who killed the King in order to pave way for his leadership. Lucuna also pretends that Judah’s death was as a result of faulty machines but he is the one who arranged his killing. We get to know this from Robert’s words. It was Murder for poor Judah, not the age of the machines as you would like the world to believe? Bishop Menninger calls himself a man of God and teaches and adheres to the teachings of Christianity, but he is involved in plotting and poising of King Kutula xv. “……..it was time to bring Kutula back to dignity ……….” “ ……… An then it happened ……. I must do it for her future… Menninger say so ……….” Goldstein pretend to care about Katula citizens yet he advices Lacuna to reduce the work force, thus creating unemployment, more so the wages should be kept low, While the working hours are to be extended. This is unfair to the citizens. He also tricks Lacuna into taking loans and advices him to take drastic actions which will only benefit themselves “you will nationalize that valley and we shall occupy it.” Meshack, the commander of Katula’s armedforces, is hypocritical. He pretend to be so much supportive to King Lacuna yet, we know that he is against his rush decisions. “ I know sir. Its hard to be a leader like you.” He flees for his life without notifying his master, when he sees that his end has come. Thorne Macay and Bishop Menninger tell King Kutula xv that they have the interest ‘of his people at heart but behind his back, they plot his killing leading to the citizens of Kutula being left in the hands of a bad leader as Lacuna. They see that King Kutula xv doesn’t serve their interest, thus thinking Lacuna will serve their interest better. In conclusion Lacuna, Goldenstein, Meshak, Bishop Menninger and Thorne are all hypocritical.

30. “Using David Mulwa’s play Inheritance, write an essay showing how Lacuna Kasoo’s poor leadership has been ridiculed.

• African countries rug behind in development due to poor leadership in the play by David Mulwa the writer exposes the weaknesses of Lacuna Kasoos leader which has lead to suffering and under development In Kutula.
• Firstly Lacuna is portrayed as a dictator. Those who fall out with him are ruthlessly silenced either through imprisonment like Bengo or through murder like in the case of Judah Zen Melo.
• Lacuna also uses his position as a leader to enrich himself at the expense of the citizen of his country. He uses money ment for development of the country to buy himself an aeroplane . He staces the rest of the money in foreign accounts.
• Lacuna is a leader who suffers from sexual greed. Despite having a wife, Melisa, he still wants to marry a girl, Lulu, who is only fit to be his daughter. He goes to an extent of trying to marry her forcefully when she refuses his advances.
• Lucanas inefficiency as a leader also makes his cronies to exploit the citizens Chipande buys land cheaply from the people e.g Tamina and uses the same people to work in the same land for his own profit. He has also diverted the rivers to his irrigation project reading to shortage of water.
• His leadership also benefits foreigners rather than the citizen. He prefers to work with foreigners like Goldstain and Robert instead of his fellow countrymen.
• He uses murder to silence those who oppose his orders. He organizes for Judah’s murder when he refuses to kill his brother Bengo who is Lacunas political enemy.
• Lacuna’s leadership seem to live so many weaknesses which have lead to under development in his country and suffering of the masses.

31. Misuse of power is a common phenomenon in most African countries. Basing your arguments on Inheritance by David Mulwa write an essay to support this statement

• Judith Zen Melo is kicked out of his work because he refuses to be involved in the killing of his brother Bengo, more so they take his land.
• Chipande uses his influence as a councillor to buy Tamina’s land on the mountains cheaply, for peanuts, and then he goes ahead to ensure that no one is given license to grow coffee for he fears competition.
• Most people employed in Kutula government are Leader Lacuna’s tribesmen and kinsmen. Tamina comments that Lacuna hasn’t seen anyone else apart from his tribesmen. The manager at the mines where Zen Melo works as a gateman is a tribesman of Lacuna.

32. “Colonial rule is harsh towards the natives.” Write an essay to support this assertion with illustrations from David mulwa’s Inheritance.

Points of interpretation

• White colonial masters live lavishly at the expense of the natives who serve them as slaves.
• The natives are oppressed, through King Kutula we learn that the natives live according to the rules of the white and have no say in running the affairs that directly affect them.
• The colonialists grab tracts of land from the natives for agriculture, mining and settlement thus displacing and enslaving them.
• The British Empire depended on Africa for survival hence exploits
• The native’s natural resources for its own benefit.
• Natives are assassinated and other sexiled as a result of the colonial rule. A country wide uprising begins and the natives demand to be left to run their own affairs.

Any other correct point.

• Mark 4 well illustrated points each 3mks
• A plausible introduction 2mks
• A relevant conclusion 2mks
• Grammar ability maximum 4mks

33. “Lacuna Kasoo is a callous man devoid of any moral values.” Discuss this statement using illustrations from Inheritance by David Mulwa.

Leaders must be people who care about the welfare of the people they lead if they are to win the peoples support and allegiance. Lacuna is a man that is immoral and heartless, and who has no morals.

(Accept any other relevant introduction Award 2 marks)

• Lacuna is a callous man devoid of any moral values. He asks Juda to kill his brother Bengo who is not on his political side. When Juda refuses, Lacuna sends him away and almost kills him. Later, Juda dies in an ‘accident’ while working.
• He plans for his (Juda’s) killing in the silver mines. Lacuna also confesses of having killed his father (he poisoned him) so that he could assume power (g 66, 68,120).
• Lacuna Kasoo borrows money in the name of servicing the silver mines to improve the economy (pg 60-62). Instead, he slashes away money in personal accounts abroad. Some of it is also shared between him and his cronies (pg 70-73) and these people do not return. He borrows more loan (pg75-76) which is wasted and there’s no plan for repayment. He borrows more money to pay interest for loans he has failed to service. The citizens continued to suffer as there’s no more export since the mines ae running at a loss. He also borrows money and buys himself an aircraft instead of using it to service the mines and the machines. He gives his ministers part of this money and they give back 30% to him in order for them to keep their jobs. He also diverts this money to provide subsidies for citizens instead of creating jobs. The citizens suffer further when he is forced to withdraw subsidies and he is also forced to allow foreign investment i.e. Nationalization of Bukelenge valley.
• Lacuna’s rule is one of high handedness and use of excessive force (pg 23). He uses force on people who defy instructions. Judah Zen Melo is physically assaulted for refusing to kill Bengo his brother (pg 27). Brutality is heightened by jailing of Bengo. He says ‘He is of thorn in my political side, pluck it out and wrap my pain inside with red blood? (pg 41). Many citizens were killed when they crumbled that a wrong leader had been installed. He creates fear among the people and Rev. Sangoi says ‘my brother Lacuna never takes no for an answer. You will be a marked home. (pg 43. Lacuna reacts with fury when Lulu refuses to dance with him. He promises to punish the child for having an association with Robert. He also orders Meshack the commander to shoot deserters on site. (The demonstrators) pg 91. A lot of brutality is used to evacuate people from the valley. Goodstein reveals that Lacuna has ordered gun use. He invokes Marshal Law to impose curfew. Lulu is forcefully confined at the pretext of bringing about national rebirth.
• Many people are languishing in abject poverty. Tamina’s house speaks of this. She cannot afford the basic requirements like a radio. Juda fell out with Lacuna’s party and he’s evicted from Lacuna’s party and he’s evicted from the government’s house. There are hanging sacks on his doors. Tamina has to pick coffee yet she sold her farm to chipande, at peanut’s price. They have to work with no extra pay. She can’t pay fees and Lulu is sent home. She can’t pay levies. She wants to pay in instalments (pg 24-27) Juda wanders trying to find elusive jobs to feed his family and has to give up his dignity and offers drink to mithambo (manager) to get a job. He sinks into alcoholism ‘I am a man sunk into depression due to frustrations’. There are many poor people while Lacuna falls banquet. Tamina’s sons are also out and she wonders whether they are dead or alive. They have become fighters. The foods and drinks that are served at the palace are imported. Borrowed money hasn’t availed anything for the citizens. The country is run down while people suffer but they celebrate even when the sun shrivels the earth. Juda Zen Melo’s predicament comes after defying Lacuna Kasoo’s directive to kill Bengo. He loses the government house. Bengo is tortured and he becomes a victim of Lacuna’s revenge. He revenges on the citizens who crumbled during his coronation. He uses threats on Sangoi. He even threatens to close the airport on Robert and Goldstein. He threatens to punish Lulu for associating with Robert. Lacuna has personalized the nation and insists on canalizing its itch. Lulu ends up at the palace, she and her dance troop had won in a festival. She is invited to perform during the commemoration mother is against the pagan ritual for a virgin is needed. He wants the customs to be bent to address the ‘national emergencies’. He wants the young dance to sup with him at his private chambers. On the night of commemoration, Robert snatches her. Lacuna is not pleased by the dance. He forgives Robert but promised to correct Lulu. He confines her forcefully. Later, he summons her to the palace and seduces her. He later maligns Melissa in an attempt to win her over. He defies his spiritual advisor and summons Rev.Sangoi his sister to bless their marriage. If not, they should pick any priest from the clan and orders Chipande to run and come back to be the man. It is callous for Lacuna to confine a young girl, school-gang and make her a sacrificial lamb, disguised as national emergency’.

In conclusion, Lacuna is morally corrupt and is a man that only thinks of himself. He does not care that his people suffer because of paying high taxes and that they lack basic needs. All he cares about is his welfare. He is a killer and a murdered who thrives in his corrupt morals.  

34. Lacuna’s poor governance results in the suffering of the people of Kutula.” Using Judah Zen Melo’s family, write an essay depicting the truth of the statement.

In David Mulwa’s “Inheritance”, Lacuna Kasoo’s brutal and harsh leadership causes a lot of harm to his subjects. Case in point is the family of Judah who end up undergoing psychological and physical torture for going against the regime. My essay illustrates this further.

• Romanus Bengo, Judah’s brother is detained unlawfully for being against the leadership of Lacuna Kasoo. When Lacuna was conducting his campaigns, Bengo stood to compete him. Bengo says that he was headed for a landslide win against the incumbent and this must have threatened Kasoo’s leadership. First Lacuna asks Judah to kill him as a proof of his loyalty to the king to which he refuses as Bengo is his brother and he cannot get himself to commit the atrocity. The king opts to jail Bengo so as to silence him and kill his fight for liberation. Romanus ends up being separated from his close family as a consequence of being against the regime.
• Judah ends up losing his job in the government for going against the wishes of Lacuna. While Judah was still working in the palace at the right hand of Lacuna, his brother was leading a strong revolution against Lacuna’s leadership. This angers Lacuna and he asks Judah to prove his loyalty by killing Romanus Bengo. Despite Lacuna’s promises of wellness to his family, Judah refuses to betray his brother and mother by committing this act. For his act of refusing to help King Kasoo, Judah says that he has been unable to find work as no one in Kutula wanted to be associated with someone who had refused to help the king. Lacuna had closed all paths for him. After a long while, he ends up getting a watchman’s job at the mines far from home where he resorts to being an alcoholic so as to get a promotion. Judah loses his job and becomes an alcoholic as a result of going against Kasoo’s leadership.
• Judah is beaten up and eventually killed by Kasoo’s government. After refusing to prove his loyalty by killing his own brother, Bengo, Judah was beaten up and left for dead. Tamina says that even though Judah had tried to make up for his mistake of going against Kasoo’s wishes, the king still struck and he was beaten up badly and left for dead at their doorstep. It took the intervention of Dr. Jonathan to save his life as he was left in a bad state. He spends a long time recuperating in the hospital before getting back to his feet. While working in the mine, he suffers an accident while operating the machines and dies as explained by Lacuna. Robert later says that they have done their investigation and found out that it was murder and not an accident. Lacuna’s anger at the statement shows that he had a hand in the murder. Judah is not only beaten up but also loses his life because of Kasoo’s poor leadership.
• Lulu, Judah’s daughter is held at the palace on Lacuna’s orders but against her wish. After conducting the commemoration ceremony for his late father, King Kutula XV, Lacuna insists that Lulu must stay behind without offering an explanation. Lacuna intends to satisfy the ancestors wish by laying with the girl and marrying her without her consent. Lulu insists that she wants to go home because she is not of age and Lacuna is old enough to be her father but Lacuna refuses. She is worried that the she is being labelled as a gold digger by others and fears that her mother is worried about her. She also says that she respects Melissa who is Lacuna’s wife and she does not want to be in her bad books. Lacuna spends a lot of money ensuring she is spoilt lavishly to convince her but Lulu is uncowed. When she gets news of her father’s death, she tells Lacuna that she wants to go home to pay her last respect to which Lacuna refuses. He even goes ahead to slap her thus inflicting further pain on Lulu. Lulu’s forced stay at the palace causes pain to her and she suffers from Lacuna’s dictatorship.
• Lastly, Tamina Zen Melo undergoes a lot of frustrations from Lacuna’s government. Her husband is beaten up and left for dead at her doorstep. When Judah loses his job, all the luxuries that she was accustomed to are take away. She mentions that her cars and government house are taken away and her coffee farm is bought by Chipande, Lacuna’s advisor, for peanuts as he has monopolized coffee growing. As a result, she has become poor and she has to fend for her family especially Lulu who still needs school fees that her mother cannot raise. She also suffers psychologically when Lulu is kept at the palace against her will and she thinks that her daughter is after the riches and she disowns her. Later her husband is murdered at the mines and this tortures her mentally, her frustration clear from how she reacts at the news almost losing reason and wanting to fight Sangoi as she goes to avenge her husband’s death. Tamina, Judah’s wife, undergoes a lot of mental torture and frustrations under Kasoo’s leadership. In conclusion, poor leadership results to the torture of innocent individuals especially those who are against a regime as is evident in Judah Zen Melo’s family.

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Inheritance by david mulwa notes summary.

Inheritance is a play that revolves around individuality and the perspective of development as seen by modern day ‘independent’ African states. In the play, particularly the prologue, we get to find that the King of Kutula wanted real independence for his people. However, the British were unwilling to work with such an open-minded individual. They were looking for a leader who will bend to the whims of the imperialists. The perfect candidate was the son of King Kutula known by the name Lacuna Kasoo.

CHARACTER AND CHARACTERIZATION IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE BY DAVID MULWA

Introduction

Characters are the voice of the author in any works of art. In plays, they come alive and may take different forms depending on the director of the play. In the play Inheritance, David Mulwa creates vivid characters some of whom we may have encountered in real life. For instance, Lacuna Kasoo is a clear mirror of our current Kenyan politicians. He is as greedy as he is detached from the problems facing his people. As we explore characters we need to look at them as people who may have or do exist in real life. A character like Judah Zen Meloh represents a confusion of sorts. The Judah we know in the Bible betrayed Jesus while our Judah in the play does not want to betray his blood brother. Although, we need to tell the difference between Judah and Judas. Talking about Judah, he was the son of Jacob in the Old Testament of the Bible. He is the man who came up with the brilliant idea of selling Joseph Ishmaelites.

Our Judah, on the other hand is neither Judas nor Judah the brother of Joseph. He is the brother of Romanus Bengo and the man who tries in vein to redeem his name after he refused Lacuna Kasoo’s directive of eliminating the stubborn Romanus Bengo. Other characters like Tamina, Malipoa and Chipande play mute to all the atrocities being committed in Kutula as long as they get by. In plays, characters play different roles so as to bring out the playwright’s message. In the play Inheritance, David Mulwa creates colonial and post-colonial characters who shape the direction of the play and the ripples of their decisions are felt in the present day Kutula. Bishop Menninger sets in motion neocolonialism by his plans to assassinate the arrogant King Kutula XV. On the other hand, King Kutula plants a seed of hope in princess Sangoi which manifests itself when princess Sangoi now reverend leads a bloodless revolution that ousts Lacuna Kasoo from power effectively ending the colonial grasp over Kutula.

LULU ZEN MELO She is the daughter of Tamina and Judah Zen Melo. Romanus Bengo, the activist is her uncle. Lulu has two brothers both of whom are mentioned but do not play an active role in the play. However, they are pivotal in bringing down Lacuna Kasoo’s leadership.

Lulu is an outstanding student at a local government institution. She has dreams of studying up to university level and becoming a doctor. However, with recession in Kutula, her mother has no money for her university entrance exam.

Lulu gets upset with the complacency of her mother especially when her future is in jeopardy. Her mother’s piety disgusts her. She wants her mother to stop her religious myopism and protest against the dictatorial leadership of Lacuna Kasoo. Nevertheless, it is not just religion that has created fear among the people, Lulu’s mother included, but the fear for the repercussions like those meted on Lulu’s father.

Lulu displays a rather peculiar personality. On the one hand, she is a naive, innocent and easily trusting girl. That is one of the reason she plays a pivotal role in the commemoration of King Kutula’s death. On the other hand, she is a defiant follower of Romanus Bengo and a fearless critic of the gospel of mindless obedience and fear. Her outspokenness and outgoing nature makes her mingle with Robert Rollerston- a key investor in Kutula. Out of politeness, Lacuna does not get to spend the night with Lulu as had been planned. Lacuna is incensed by Lulu’s behaviour but according to Malipoa, the ritual can be performed at a later date.

She, however, stands for the voice of the oppressed young women who are put down by oppressive leadership and backward traditional practices meant to prey on the weak and the vulnerable. Her triumph after Lacuna’s fall is the win for women who have forever been yoked by a retogressive society.

CHARACTER TRAITS

Intelligent/radical/resilient Lulu is top of her class and an active participant in many of her school’s activities. She nurtures a dream of becoming a doctor. This drives her to join the radicalized in her society. In her struggle she is displays a not-giving-up attitude despite the financial constraints in the familyand the fluctuating Kutula economy.

Rebellious/persistent/insistent/vocal Lulu is rebels against religious and moral standards of her society. It is not really being rebellious but she speaks defiantly against her mother’s religious and moral beliefs which she alludes to their current state. Her scathing remarks against Bishop Menninger’s religion makes her earn stern discipline from her mother. However, this does not stop her from speaking but marks a journey towards activism which ends up with her interacting with Robert Rollerstone.

Social/outgoing/vibrant She is a free spirit a character that earns her a leading role in the commemoration ceremony. Her vibrant soul makes her meet and spend the night with Robert Rollerstone. Although, she was supposed to entertain Lacuna Kasoo, she more than engaged with a like-minded individual and young investor Robert Rollestone.

Naive/Easily Trusting/vulnerable/weak/Pure One of the reasons as to why Lulu was chosen is because of her purity. I should point out that the word Lulu is Swahili for Gold. Therefore, Lulu was as pure as gold. However, her naivete landed her in a hot mess when she learned about the true intention of her being invited in the royal palace. Although, she was driven by the desire to find someone who would finance her education, her vulnerability could be hereditary own undoing.

Demanding/Insensitive/provocative/forceful Lulu is tired of pretending and demands action from her mother. She is insensitive to her parents struggles against the biting poverty and demands that something should be done for her education. Her painful stand makes her appear as a spoilt brat to her mother.

LACUNA KASOO

He is the son of the former King Kutula XVI. He becomes the first leader of the independent Kutula state. As the head of state, Lacuna Kasoo uses his powers to intimidate the people and gain personal wealth as he runs the economy of Kutula down.

Despite the skyrocketing inflation and donors withholding funding, Lacuna is oblivious of the suffering of the masses. He continues to impose stricter rules on the people demanding more concessions on the citizenry. In the silver mines, despite the rickety machines, he demands for more output. This leads to the death of Judah Zen Melo. Around the state, there is massive land grabbing by state to satisfy multinational conglomerate while displacing the poor commofolk.

As can be seen in the play, Lacuna leads his tribesmen and those loyal to him in grabbing state resources. For instance, Lacuna controls the silver mines while Councillor Chipande has large tracts of land in the village from which Lulu resides. Moreover, he rewards those loyal to him with lucrative jobs. He also tortures and fires those who cannot do what has been asked of them.

However, towards the middle of the play, he changes tact. Firstly, he releasedpolitical prisoners including Romanus Bengo. Secondly, he appoints Rev. Sangoi into senior position. Lastly, he reaches out to elders from Bukelenge Basin in order to discuss evacuation plans. Nevertheless, Lacuna’s olive beach was just a veil to get his way. But he was wrong this time. The elders were tired of being manipulated and refused to convince the people to evacuate.

Lacuna represents the voice and puppet of the former colonial masters. Instead of serving his people, he is much more interested in serving two industrialists who control his pocket money. When he fails to pay the industrialists their loans, he realises how vulnerable his position is. Although, he tries to exercise his sovereign power, it is too late because on both sides he has been rejected.

He also represents a class of political elites who believe in the inferiority of their own people. In this regard , they outsource everything subjecting the masses to foreign exploitation. As can be seen in the play, the silver mines and cash crop farming are encouraged over other basic production. In fact, the evacuation from Bukelenge plains is meant for further foreign investment.

Greedy/Corrupt/impatient/ Lacuna Kasoo participates in the execution of his father in order to rise to power. While in power, he uses his position and authority to enrich himself. According to Rollerstone, Lacuna has millions of shillings in foreign accounts. Besides, the loans he takes do not go to economic development as seen in the old machines used by miners in the silver mines. Most of the money is either used for his entertainment or banked for him and his henchmen.

Stupid/Ignorant/Reckless

Lacuna finds pride in associating with internationally financiers whom he believes have his interests at heart. He believes that since he conspired with former colonial masters to end his father, then they owe him. However, when he fails to pay the loans, he realised that business does not have a human face.

Although he is advised by Chipande not to detain the foreigners, he ignores the plea. He also strongly believes in his military despite the growing opposition in the country. That’s one of the reasons he is removed from office.

His ignorance makes him believe Malipoa’s predictions and prophecies when the only thing needed was to listen to his people.

Superstitious/pretender/ignorant/arrogant

Lacuna believes in the wise counsel of Malipoa especially on the matters concerning the leadership of Kutula. He has the notion that he is the rightful heir to the throne of Kutula and that the popular opinion does not count. He pretends to care for the development of his country yet he misuses the loans and grants given by the foreigners to bring development. Lacuna believes that his father was a failure and that he has done more for his country than his predecessor. He talks about free education and healthcare when all that is needed is economic empowerment so that the people can afford education and healthcare among other things. He believes that his subjects do not have intellectual know-how to participate in the complex international trade.

Dictatorial/authoritative/Power hungry Lacuna is described by Bishop menninger as “an ingenious greedy rascal that’s utterly devoid of human feelings.... Nero and Caligula all rolled into one ambitious mould.”(pg15) In his desire to ascend to power, he assassinated his own father. While in power he uses fear and intimidation to rule and control his subjects. He rewards loyalists like Malipoa and Chipande and torture dissidents like Judah and his brother Bengo. Judah had been asked to get rid of his activist brother but he politely refused. This decision turned around Judah’s life from a successful civil servant to a poor man who would die struggling to make ends meet. Activists like Bengo are jailbirds while loyalists continue to loot the country’s coffers with the help of Lacuna himself.

Easy to manipulate/myopic/dependent

Menninger knew Lacuna so well. He is the one who prepared him for the role he would play later in life- that of ending the life of his wife. The foreigners first used him to eliminate the humanitarian leader and

then continually used him to loot both the natural and agricultural resources through loans whose interests were very high. Since Lacuna was not a visionary leader he easily fell for easy cash that lands Kutula into inflation. Dependence on foreign aid becomes Lacuna’s major undoing since the people rebel against him.

ROBERT ROLLERSTONE He is a young energetic foreign investor in Kutula. He plays the role of the bad cop, a business face that has no time for petty conversations like his counterpart Daniel Goldstein. Robert dislikes Lacuna because he believes that the old geezer has thrown Kutula into turmoil. In fact he fearlessly blames Lacuna for the deplorable condition of the country. However, this should not be construed as a sympathetic foreigner. He is just angry because Lacuna has severally failed to to service the loans extended to the country of Kutula.

Meanwhile, the same Robert who could be construed as a sympathetic foreigner, has compelled Lacuna government to allocate prime plots for foreign investment according to his terms. In this regard, he is contributing to more suffering to those who will be evicted in Bukelenge for the said project. Therefore, his interests in Kutula are purely business and has no interest with the ‘stupid’ locals who do not know how to utilize the numerous local resource for development.

Nevertheless, Robert saves Lulu from imminent sacrificial ritual organized by Malipoa in the palace. Lulu was supposed to spend the night with Lacuna according to ‘traditions’ after the celebrations to celebrate the death of King Kutula XV. However, that night the oblivious Lulu spent the night entertaining Robert.

Tough/officious/Straightforward He does not babysit Lacuna Kasoo as Daniel does. He is gruff and bold as he reads out the terms of the loans extended to Kutula and the results for the loans. His official manner makes Lacuna despise him. He readily threatens to take all the money Lacuna and his henchmen have stashed in foreign accounts.

Young/ambitious/business-minded Robert is young and ambitious. His youth drives him into taking bigger risks to expand company operations in Kutula despite the marauding corruption. However, this time round he does want to finance the agricultural projects with company oversight and leave Lacuna’s government out of it.

Outgoing/good listener/social When Robert meets the young Lulu, they instantly hit it off and becomes friends. He keen sense of listening makes him gain insights into operations in Kutula and that is why he does not want to pamper Lacuna any further.

Quick-tempered/Unpretentious/concerned/arrogant Robert knew very well the operations in Kutula and how the leadership misappropriated state resources. For this reason he hated them and did not want to play any games with them. He also shows concern for the local people and that’s why he wants to invest in them. However, he does not ask the people what they should want since he believes that his company has all the answers for the ‘ignorant’ folk

ROMANUS BENGO Romanus Bengo is the brother to Judah Zen Melo and uncle to Lulu and her two brothers. He is the leading civil rights activist in Kutula having escaped death when his brother Judah refused to finish him as had been ordered by Lacuna Kasoo.

According to Tamina, Judah had cursed Judah since it is Judah’s activism that had made them lose their jobs, cars and lands and were now living in abject poverty. Tamina does seem to blame Romanus for the situation in her household.

However, Romanus is adamant. He believes that the only way out of Kutula’s situation is to speak against Lacuna’s excesses despite the apparent challenges. Lulu shares her uncle’ssentiments and so does her brother’s who join him in the revolution that ousts Lacuna Kasoo from power. Therefore, Romanus becomes the voice of reason and hope in the play.

Calm/patient/persistent He displays a calm demeanour even in times when he is incarcerated. He shows patience because he knows fully well that he is dealing with people confronted by teachings of submission and respect for those in authority and the poor. He does not give up in his fight even when imprisoned.

Educated/radicalized/brave/courageous/fearless Judah made sure that Bengo obtained the best education in Kutula. It is this education that exposed Bengo to the suffering of his people and made him decide to fight for the rights of the people. Despite the prosecution of rights activists, Bengo displayed courage knowing fully well the risks to which he exposed himself.

Hopeful/reliable/charismatic/dependable Bengo is hopeful that he will overcome Lacuna’s reign of tyranny. He makes sure that he is reliable and using his wit and charm attracts a huge following. Kind/forgiving/understanding Bengo accommodates everyone and does not take it to heart when his brother curses him. He also understands why Tamina hates and despises him.

TAMINA ZEN MELO Tamina is the wide of Judah Zen Melo. She has three children with him among them Lulu. Currently, Tamina lives in poverty. She is pained by the fact that she has been compelled to live a miserable life because of her stubborn brother-in-law.

Instead of Tamina blaming her situation on Lacuna’s situation, she blames it on her brother-in-law. She is among the majority who believe in doing nothing even when the leadership is blatantly corrupt and unreasonable. She believes that Lacuna was annointed by God and only God shall remove him from office. She is patient as she is prayerful.

Nevertheless, towards the end, she joined the protesting bandwagon that yanks Lacuna from office. This happens late for she had previously lost her husband.

DANIEL GOLDSTEIN Daniel Goldstein is a company man. Together with Robert Rollerstone, they represent neo-colonial interests in Kutula. Goldstein is a wide old man who knows how to manipulate Lacuna Kasoo. He is the man looks towards as a friend and a confidant. He builds such trust in Lacuna which makes Lacuna feel comfortable to work with him. However, once he has put Lacuna into his grasp, he brings in Robert to finish what Goldstein had started. The withdrawal of Goldstein is very tactical since he shows that there is nothing he can do to help. Goldstein claims that business has no human face.

Goldstein’s mannerisms and conduct are the very core of how the situation is in Kutula. He is unlike his counterpart Robert. He is ruthless and cunning. He uses polite talk and praise to uplift Lacuna then once he has gotten an opportunity, he takes a business tone tearing down Lacuna. He knows very well that Lacuna leads a bunch of greedy uneducated loyalists who do not understand investments, but he keeps on extending loans which are grabbed and carted to foreign accounts.

Hiding on the principle of sovereignty, he choses not to pursue the matter of rampant corruption in Kutula. However, when his business is threatened by the huge loans taken by Lacuna, he is ready to take what readily belongs to him including emptying Lacuna’s foreign accounts.

Firm/Calm/Intelligent/Wise/brilliant/calculating/Categorical

He speaks calmly and wins Lacuna’s confidence. Thereafter, he walks Lacuna through the financial debt the leadership owes him until he reduces Lacuna into a helpless beggar. When they started speaking, Lacuna had the authority but towards the end of the conversation we realize that Lacuna is just a puppet but power belongs to Daniel Goldstein. He knows exactly how to put Lacuna in his place despite Lacuna’s arrogance.

Manipulative/cunning/Liberal Goldstein averted Lacuna’s desire for power to greed for money. In this way, he knew Lacuna being lazy and stupid, he won’t look for opportunities to create wealth but take the easy way out- borrow loans. At the beginning he made sure that the loans appeared to have been a mutual consent between two parties. However, he knew pretty well that the loans would be a noose around the people of Kutula especially given the fact that the leadership was clueless. Have bagged Kutula’s resources, he takes a liberal stand and throws in Robert Rollerstone- a fierce financier who makes Lacuna regret his decisions. On the other hand, Daniel plays as helpless as Lacuna.

Heartless/Pretender/aloof Daniel knew very well the insatiable greed Lacuna and his cabinet had, however, he continued to finance Lacuna’s government. The huge debt coupled with inflation lands a majority of the people of Kutula into abject poverty. However, Daniel’s company still has the audacity to proclaim further investment that would evacuate the people from their homes in Bukelenge Valley.

COUNCILLOR CHIPANDE Chipande is Lacuna’s trusted hand in running Kutula. He is a people pleaser and astute follower of Lacuna. Together with Malipoa, they form a ring of trusted allies of Lacuna. Using their positions and power, they enrich themselves by grabbing up lands and embezzling government resources. Chipande is Lacuna Kasoo’s strongest ally. He is there to advice Lacuna Kasoo to tread lightly infront of the two white people. As can be seen, he employs a modest and humble tone with the westerners but is bossy around his countrymen. He believes in the colonial mindset of being ruthless to keep the natives in tow.

As a land owner, Chipande pays his employees peanuts so as to keep them coming. He does not extend credit facilities and that is why Tamina has no savings or nowhere to turn when Lulu asks for school fees money.

COUNCILLOR MALIPOA Together with Chipande, they are the closest and most trusted leaders who surround Lacuna Kasoo. Malipoa plays as the traditional and religious advisor to Lacuna Kasoo just like Menninger was the advisor to the colonial Governor Thorne Macay.

As a religious advisor, Malipoa ensures that he continues to incalculate religious rituals that raise Lacuna to Devine status. In this regard, people of Kutula believe that the Lacuna was chosen by God and no one can supplant him from the office. It is Malipoa traditional rituals that keep Lacuna in office for long. Malipoa also demands certain privileges to be extended to the leader. An example is that the people should offer a pure girl teenager to Lacuna as a piece of sacrifice to appease the ancestors and bless Kutula. It is for this reason that Lulu had been chosen to entertain Lacuna Kasoo.

PRINCESS/ REVEREND SANGOI She is Lacuna Kasoo’s half-sister. She has been adopted by the late King Kutula the XV because of her intelligence and wit. Although she had come from poor background, the little girl was infatuated by the white man’s religion and education.

King Kutula seeing this, he requested that Bishop Menninger should ensure that the girl obtained the best of the white man’s education. However, Menninger had other plans for the girl-he wanted to make her a good for nothing religious and philosophical fanatic who would have nothing to do with the suffering of her people but fervently in search of the white man’s philosophies burried in books. Menninger was wrong. It seems the King had seen something human in the little girl. For although the girl grew to become a Reverend, she never forgot her people. In fact she used the bible to elevate the suffering of her people and fight for the muffled freedoms.

This made her at loggerheads with her half-brother Lacuna Kasoo. Kasoo tries to buy her by appointing her into office as councillor and representative of the people but she refuses to silence the voice of the people. Instead she leads the opposition against Lacuna Kasoo and his foreign saboteurs.

JUDAH ZEN MELO Judah is the father to three children, Lulu and her two brothers. He is the husband to Tamina. He is also the brother to Romanus Bengo.

Judah is an obedient folower to Lacuna Kasoo. He rises above the ranks and becomes one of the most powerful people in Kutula. However, Judah’s brother Romanus Bengo, refuses to tow the line. He becomes a leading activist in Kutula. When Lacuna Kasoo asks Judah to deal with his brother Bengo. Judah declines because he cannot shed the blood of his own brother.

Thereafter, Judah is attacked by a mysterious gang that leaves him for dead. When he recovers, thanks to Reverend Sangoi’s husband. He finds out that he has lost favour with Lacuna Kasoo. For the rest of his life he would work hard to please Lacuna to no avail until when he is killed at the mines.

KING KUTULA XV King Kutula XV was the last post colonial leader in Kutula. He was the father to Lacuna Kasoo, who succeeded him and Reverend Sangoi- an adopted child. King Kutula appears in the prologue. He is one of the driving force behind the activism manifested in Romanus and Sangoi.

Kutula’s wisdom and defiance drives the colonial authorities to device a means of eliminating him. Kutula favours complete emancipation as opposed to political freedom when the economy of his people is still in the tentacles of the super powers. His sentiments are shared by Sangoi, who when she released the two foreign friends declared that Kutula was ready to do business with them at her own discretion. GOVERNOR THORNE MACAY He is the last colonial Governor of Kutula. He hopes to continue the exploitation of Kutula by foreign force. However, he meets a defiant King Kutula.

According to conversation between Kutula and Macay, the Governor turns out to be illiterate to Kutula customs and manner of speaking. He is also oblivious to the suffering of the people as he leads a lavish lifestyle while the majority are languishing in abject poverty. His inhumanity blinds him to the fact that the colonial authority is in fact milking the people dry instead of creating an environment of development and prosperity. He is more interested in Kutula’s mineral and natural resources as opposed to humanitarian interests.

BISHOP MENNINGER He is a representative of colonialist religion. As it were, this religion was tailored to raise submissive initiates who have little opposition to their own humiliation.

Seeing that King Kutula would jeopardize his plans, he hatches a plan to eliminate the king. He also plans to also induct Sangoi into the field of academia such that she has no mind of her own or plans to liberate her people from implanted ignorance.

His plans for King Kutula succeeds in driving the king to death and raising Lacuna into power. However, instead of Sangoi being brainwashed, she comes out well educated in matter political freedom and economic emancipation which she plans to use to bring an about turn in Kutula’s deplorable poverty.

THEMES IN INHERITANCE

Inheritance refers to what is left by the deceased to the family in material wealth or sometimes power. However, the word could have diverse meanings when applied to works of literature. In this respect, David Mulwa looks at inheritance in various ways.

The play revolves around a three decades old Kutula under its new leadership. Having achieved

independence from colonial masters, Kutula is now governed by Lacuna Kasoo-the son of pre- independence King Kutula XV. Lacuna ascended to power after the death of his father. Although the King

has adopted Princess Sangoi as his successor, he dies mysteriously thus handing the power to the greedy, self-centred Lacuna. As it were, Lacuna conspired with the colonial masters to assassinate his father King Kutula XV.

Having assumed power with the help of colonial masters, Lacuna runs the government under the influence of Kutula’s former imperialists. He receives hefty loans aimed at ‘developing’ the country. However, the loans are meant to make Kutula a slave of foreign saboteurs led by Old Daniel Goldstein and young Robert Rollestone. Even though Kutula boasts of being an independent state, there is a lot that suggests that the country inherited the former colonial legacies. For instance, the Daniel Goldstein’s company bankrolls Kutula. Without their loans and donations, Kutula’s economy is bound to collapse. (Pg72) Secondly, when Goldstein points out how blatant misappropriations of funds were in Kutula, he assumes power and even sits on Lacuna Kasoo’s throne just to show who exactly was in power in Kutula. (Pg79) Therefore, Kutula was a sovereign nation under imperial powers.

One of the reasons King Kutula was assassinated was because he was tired of being treated as a slave by colonial authorities. He wanted liberation on Kutula terms not the terms set by the imperialists. He had demanded for total independence- a privilege the super powers were unwilling to extend. In order to control Kutula and perhaps harvest humongous profits from her mineral wealth, the colonial Bishop Menninger suggested the appointment of the greedy yet brainless Lacuna Kasoo. (Pg15) With Lacuna in office the colonialists continued to enjoy the same privileges they had enjoyed during the colonial period. On the other hand, the people of Kutula would suffer in poverty and bad governance as they had during the reign of Thorne Macay- the colonial governor. However, the people believe that the conditions were better of during the colonial period.

The play explores inheritance and its pains to the society. As it were, the people believed in the their leaders, especially King Kutula. On the one hand, locals believed that King Kutula had blessed Princess Sangoi- later Reverend Sangoi as the rightful heir to the throne. While on the other hand, the colonialist hatched a plan to swear in the legitimate child- Lacuna Kasoo as the new leader. Therefore, the struggle was between the rightful heir and the chosen one. In this case the rightful heir won but is thrown out of office in a bloodless coup led by Romanus Bengo.

As can be seen, inheritance maintains the status quo but a fresh breathe of new leadership brings to the table new ideas which can be optimistic for the people. In the play, Reverend Sangoi represents a fresh new leadership that would agree to negotiations with foreign investors as opposed to dictation as seen in Lacuna Kasoo’s regime where foreigners enjoyed while locals suffered in slavery and poor pay. The new Kutula is open to quid pro quo kind of agreement as stated by Reverend Sangoi. (Pg35)

POVERTY From the beginning of the play, we are introduced to abject poverty of the people of Kutula. It is one of the reasons as to why Governor Thorne Macay- the colonial leader cannot agree with King Kutula XV. On one hand, Thorne wants the King to silence the surging rebellion in the colony, while on the other, the King is seen to side with the rebels.

According to the King, he cannot sit there and support what the white masters are doing. Riding on the will of the people, he tells the governor that he has no control over the people but is ready to deliver the people from suffering. This is the reason Thorne and Bishop Menninger conspire to eliminate the King in the prologue.

Over three decades after independence, the people of Kutula are still poor. In independent Kutula, the people are burdened by heavy taxation, huge international debt and wanton land-grabbing by their leaders. Besides these, the leadership is embroiled in massive corruption, nepotism and favoritism. The leader Lacuna Kasoo is as greedy as he is incompetent. However, he is supported by foreign saboteurs who really control the goings on the the state. These foreigners finance forced evictions of people from ancestral land for ‘development’ and also mining rights.

With the leaders at the mercy of the foreigners and the wanton greed in the leadership, poverty is the order of the day. As can be seen in Tamina’s sparsely furnished grass-thatched house, families have little to live for. Tamina can barely feed herself and her daughter. She cannot also afford her daughter’s school fees and the never stopping need for money in the school. (Movement 1) As can be seen, poverty is caused by various factors in Kutula chief among them being the leadership of Lacuna Kasoo. As a leader, he has chosen a cabal of sycophants as councillors and his chief advisors. These group of the elite have awarded themselves large chunks of land and hefty payments through graft which have left Kutula bankrupt and the general population poor.

If the government has no funds, every citizen is overly taxed in order to raise funds. Besides, the government may resort to austerity measures like firing older citizens from jobs in order to reduce the wage bill. (Pg38) Judah Zen Melo speaks about how he has to keep with younger men in order to maintain his job. As can also be seen, there are very little job opportunities in Kutula with a large pool of the unemployed.

Another cause of poverty in Kutula is government policy. Kutula’s policies are mostly geared towards promoting the welfare of the foreigners. First of all the government deprives the people water by building a white elephant dam. (Pg17) The dam made the entire valley dry. The second policy is evacuation of people to create land for foreign investment. This is one factor that create a quiet rebellion in Kutula.

NEOCOLONIALISM After independence, many countries that were granted independence found themselves drawn towards their former colonial masters. Such countries were drawn by incentives such as the Commonwealth, foreign aid and the promise of assistance in economic development.

Those countries or leaders who refused such arrangements were either assassinated or removed from power. In this respect, the colonialists found themselves coming back as expatriates and financiers for development.

In Kutula, the king who had vision for his people is assassinated. In his place, the colonial players put his greedy son as the new leader democratically elected. In this way, the former powers made leadership decisions for the people of Kutula even though the people’s favourite was princess Sangoi. Although the

power arrangement has changed from kingdom to a democracy. Lacuna Kasoo seem to retain the pre- colonial title of king. Lacuna Kasoo is controlled by two international financiers: Robert Rollerstone and

Daniel Goldstein. Goldstein is as old as Lacuna but Robert is way younger.

On his part, Daniel plays the good cop. He appeases Lacuna while defiantly asking for more concessions from the country. On his part, Lacuna needs more money to run the country. The colonialists knew how greedy Lacuna was, and they planned to use Lacuna’s greed to profit from Kutula’s Silver mines and rich agriculture lands.

Although the country has rich mineral resources and people are working tirelessly in the mines, the country can’t sustainably pay for the loans. Goldstein still demands for more. Indeed, Lacuna’s greed may have sent the mines to bankruptcy. However, if that was the case, then Goldstein would have frozen aid long ago before things got out of hand. They continued supporting Lacuna because they benefited from the mines and also from the loans they extended to the state.

Robert, on the other hand, is the bad cop. Using business voice, he threatens Lacuna to pay up the building loan instalments as had been agreed upon. He goes even further to claim that he could access Lacuna’s Foreign accounts and use the money to repay for the loans.

The foreigners show Lacuna that he could be running a sovereign nation but without money, he was just useless and dependent on their mercy.

RELIGION Many times when we talk about religion, we look at Christianity and other major religion in the world. Although this religions play major roles in literature, there are still many other religions that writers and playwrights also discuss in their works. In this play, Christianity and Kutula traditional religion play a significant role. However, the role played by these two religions is negative.

The play clearly brings out how religion can be applied subjectively to the people. During the colonial era, Bishop Menninger made sure to preach about obedience and humility in order to make the people of Kutula submissive. Besides, he used the sermons to get to know the people especially the young generation. It is within his teachings that he came to learn that Lacuna Kasoo would make a fine leader for Kutula(pg15).

Menninger also observes that Princess Sangoi would be no bother since she was enamoured by the foreign religion. According to the Bishop, Sangoi would be lost in the corridors of academia to worry about leadership. He was wrong as can be seen in the play.

The teachings of humility and obedience seem to have stuck in Kutula even after independence. Coupled with traditional teachings, they have reduced the people of Kutula into fearful sufferers including the leaders. Although some like Romanus Bengo and Lulu are waking up to reality and condemning this act of cowardice, the rest are still in the murk (pg30-47.) Lulu has woken up to realisation that being godly does not mean being stupid and afraid and points it out to her mother. Her mother Tamina, is afraid of those in power that the only person she can raise her voice to is her daughter. She represents the voiceless who suffer under the laws meant to benefit those in power.

Traditional religion is propagated by Councillor Malipoa. Using his understanding of his traditional religion, Malipoa propagates male chauvinistic ideologies which are meant to satisfy Lacuna Kasoo’s insatiable lust for innocent girls. Malipoa postulates that in order for Lacuna to keep his position, he needs to appease the gods by sacrificing a pure untainted girl in the former king’s chambers. This tradition was meant to prey on unwitting parents and thus let the leader defile young women in the name of tradition.

ACTIVISM/ OPPOSITION Activism is involves standing against what can be perceived as a social, political or economic ill in the society. It takes different forms including enlightening the masses through publications, both fictional and factual. It can also include civil disobedience through protests among other ways. In most occasions, activism is a peaceful process whose main agenda is to bring about change in the perceived wrong. However, some protests have turned violent leading to death and destruction of property e.g. the Soweto massacre in South Africa. Nevertheless, such cases occur when those in power decline to give protesters the needed freedom to express what they feel is wrong.

Other instances have seen those in authority arrest activists and put them behind bars for standing against them. Many activists die in the hands of brutal police force and bad governance. However, in Inheritance we come across arrests as can be seen in the case of Romanus Bengo. Bengo could have been a victim of assassination had his brother Judah Zen Melo been a cold hearted murderer. According to the play, Judah had been asked to take care of Romania Bengo but he declined. Judah ended up losing his lucrative job in the government.(pg23)

Activism did not begin with Romanus in the play, it begun with the late King Kutula XV. The king refused to betray his citizens in the prologue. Since he was such an exceptional king, he was poisoned by his own son. (Pg15)

Other Activists in the play are the Reverend Princess Sangoi and the young Lulu. Lulu seems to have been converted into activism by his activist uncle Romanus Bengo. She speaks confidently against the fear that has been instilled to the people by the government to the shock of her mother. (Pg30) Besides Lulu, her two brothers and several elders too join in the resistance against Lacuna Kasoo’s regime. In the play, the people are tired against colonialism and the grasp the former colonial masters have on the New independent Kutula state. Furthermore, they are tired of the increased nepotism and plunder of national resources by Lacuna and his clansmen and loyalists like Malipoa and Chipande. They are crying for openness in governance and an end to colonial policies.

SYCOPHANCY This is the act of pleasing those in authority in order to gain favours. After ascending to power, Lacuna Kasoo made sure that he appointed people who were loyal to him and would do anything to please him. Chief among the loyalists was Councillors Chipande and Malipoa. Malipoa invokes traditional teachings and practices in order to ensure that Lacuna Kasoo was well respected and adored as the chosen leader of the people. Even though Lacuna was unpopular because of his poor leadership, Malipoa ensured that the leader was confident that he was well received by the ancestors and popular among his subjects. On the other hand, Chipande was the liason between Kutula and his foreign friends. He knew all Lacuna’s secrets including the foreign accounts. Both councillors are well rewarded for example Chipande has a huge coffee farm in which Tamina works. People who refused to show their loyalty was punished and denied jobs in Kutula. When Judah was asked get rid of his activist brother, he refused to obey the Lacuna. Therefore, he was beaten and left for the dead. Besides, his job was taken and he spent the rest of his life trying to win Lacuna’s favour.

PLOT ANALYSIS

The Bishop also observed the darkness in people’s hearts. In his interaction with the people of Kutula, the Bishop observed that Lacuna Kasoo was “an ingenious greedy rascal that’s devoid of human feelings.” (page15) In this respect, Lacuna was the perfect candidate to succeed his father King Kutula. The King, Kutula, would meet his untimely death at the hands of his son. Beside Lacuna Kasoo, King Kutula had adopted an intelligent girl Sangoi. The King brought Sangoi to the palace with the intention that the girl would obtain western education in the hopes that she will become one of the pillars of her society. But the bishop had other plans for her, he hoped that ‘the philosophical whelp will lose herself in Western Libraries, looking for devine answers that have eluded even the experts.’(pg15) He was wrong since Sangoi became the leader of the second liberation of her people.

With King Kutula gone and Lacuna Kasoo as president, neocolonial powers led by Daniel Goldstein and young Robert Rollerstone would descend on Kutula- the young state and command the new leader to do their bidding. The country descends into deplorable poverty with corruption and nepotism the order of the day. The new leader Lacuna Kasoo punishes dissidents and rewards loyalists like Councillor Malipoa and Chipande.

In order to keep the people in check, the leader ensures that the entire extended family of dissidents is

punished and denied even gainful employment. A good example is what happens to Judah Zen Melo- Romanus Bengo’s brother. Romanus Bengo is a well-known activist in Kutula, his brother Judah Zen

Melo, on the other hand, was a ‘Law-abiding’ civil servant who was ready to do anything for Lacuna Kasoo except getting rid of Romanus Bengo. When Judah refused, ‘to pluck this thorn out and pledge,’ (pg23) his loyalty a new to Lacuna Kasoo, he was beaten and thrown out into the cold.

Judah who was once a successful civil servant with large pieces of land becomes a pauper. His family is thrown in turmoil. In order to fend for his family, Judah travels allover Kutula leaving his family behind in the hands of his wife Tamina. Tamina has to feed and provide education for their daughter Lulu. Lulu harbours dreams of becoming a doctor like Reverend Sangoi’s husband. Nevertheless, the family’s economic position stands in her way. Talented and determined to succeed, Lulu falls into the shackles of Lacuna Kasoo as a sacrificial virgin during the commemoration of King Kutula’s death. Luckily for her, she dances with Robert instead of dancing and entertaining the leader Lacuna Kasoo.

In order to appease the gods, Lulu is detained in the palace awaiting for the new moon for the rituals to be performed again. However other events happen putting this event in jeopardy.

Judah and his family blame Bengo for their downfall except for their daughter Lulu who admires Bengo’s efforts to fight for the downtrodden. As things are in Kutula, it is better for one to lick the leaders shoe that live hand to mouth like the way Tamina lives. She is even unable to pay for her daughter’s school fees.

When Romanus is released from prison, he learns that his brother had cursed him and he was unwelcome in his brother’s house. His only choice is to join the revolution. Meanwhile, the people are tired with the level of poverty in Kutula and they are turning against the government. In addition, having squandered donor funds and stashed the rest of the loot in foreign banks, Lacuna is unable to service loans. As he tries to silence dissidents on one hand, he is also struggling to appease Robert Rollerstone and Daniel Goldstein- the international financiers. With no apparent exit, Lacuna corners the two financiers and detains them in his palace. Meanwhile, Romanus has gathered enough support from the people. The large numbers of protesters overpower Lacuna’s security and take over the palace. Lacuna and his close associates are detained, Robert and Daniel are given safe passage to the airport and Lacuna’s adopted sister Princess/Reverend Sangoi takes over leadership.

1. Thorne Macay: Governor of Kutula and representative of the King 2. Bishop Menninger: Servant to Thorne Macay 3. King Kutula XV: traditional ruler of Kutula 4. Princess Sangoi: King Kutula’s adopted daughter (later Reverend Sangoi) 5. Romanus Bengo: An Activist 6. Tamina Zen Melo Romanus’ sister-in-law

7. Lulu Zen Melo: Tamina’s daughter, a student 8. Judah Zen Melo: Tamina’s Husband and Brother to Bengo 9. Lacuna Kasoo: Present leader of Kutula Republic 10. Teacher: Miss Gerima, teacher/choreographer 11. Mama Melissa; Leader and Kasoo’s wife 12. Councillor Chipande: Kasoo’s political advisor 13. Councillor Malipoa: Kasoo’s traditional Advisor 14. Daniel Goldstein and Robert Rollerstone: international financiers 15. Elders (1,2,3) and The Woman: Opinion leaders of Bukelenge Valley 16. Attendant (I,II)- Palace staff 17. Woman leader I and II, Young Male leader, Elderly leader, young woman leader, 18. Palace staff 19. Prologue

The prologue is set in the colonial Governor Thorne Macay’s office. Lavishly furnished with animal skins, photos and a mural, the office espouses wealth and power of the governor. Nevertheless, the governor does not seem happy because of the ongoing unrest within the colony. The Bishop Menninger pays him

a visit and offer advice on how to further contain the people of Kutula. Besides the Bishop, King Kutula- native leader- visits and arrogantly states his terms: that his people are tired of Thorne Macay’s Natives

inhabiting their land. The King believes that it’s time his people were given their freedom. However, Macay and Menninger have other plans; to oust the king from office and bring in the greedy

king’s son Lacuna Kasoo. Meanwhile, the bishop promises to take in the king’s adoptive daughter- Princess Sangoi as a student.

Observations from the prologue

The colonial government’s reluctance to concede defeat is seen as the governor and the bishop plan to

remove King Kutula from office. It is observed that, the colonialists would prefer to work with self- centred Lacuna Kasoo than a King who cares for his people. The mural on the wall depicts the situation

of the people on the ground while the office’s opulence, the lifestyles of those in power. Despite the suffering of the people of Kutula, the governor is more interested in what the land can produce than what he really offers.

Meanwhile, as seen in King Kutula, the people prefer education more than they do religion. Questions from the prologue  Explain on the effectiveness of the proverbs used in the prologue  Identify two styles used in the prologue.  Why do you think King Kutula is unafraid of governor Macay?

The scene is in Tamina’s old grass thatched house. It should be noted that what we see here is abject poverty. From how the house is sparsely furnished, to the dressing of its inhabitant, and the wrinkles that make Tamina appear older than she is, we can tell that they live in deplorable conditions. It is noteworthy that the actions here happen thirty years after independence. In the prologue, we are told of how the colonialists were planning to torment the people of Kutula. Nevertheless, from the scene we can see that their plans never materialized or did they?

In this act, Tamina, the host, receives unusual guests. First to arrive is his brother-in-law Romanus Bengo fresh from prison. From her mannerism and tone, Tamina does not welcome Bengo’s presence. She is ill at ease and blames Bengo for her current indignation. Before Bengo was arrested, Tamina and her husband Judah Zen Melo were prosperous civil servants with decent jobs and a government house. 

But when Bengo, their relative joined the opposition, and spoke against the government of Lacuna Kasoo, they were fired from their jobs. Apparently, the leader Kasoo had asked Judah to silence the rebellious brother Bengo but Judah refused to betray his own blood brother (pg23.)

Tamina longs to return to the past, days when they were living as sycophants. Life was beautiful and prosperous as opposed to how they are currently living. She can be looked at as selfish and self-centered because Bengo is fighting against the oppression in Kutula.

Her daughter, Lulu, is also against living in fear of the leader. Nevertheless, she wants to succeed in education and become a doctor. In order to do this she needs money. Therefore, she begs her mother to talk to those in power including Lacuna Kasoo. According to Lulu, Kasoo had extended an olive branch to the people and they were free to see him and talk to him about their problems. To the mother, this was only empty rhetoric. Lulu, however, promises to finish her school no matter the cost.

Lulu is as a rebellious spirit as her uncle Bengo. She is already aware of her rights and demands what is right. She is also against her mother’s religion of submission and a god who does not come down to help. She wants to go at it alone; something that earns her punitive retribution from her mother. Tamina also receives another guest in the name of her husband Judah Zen Melo. It has been years ever since Judah left home to look for work to sustain his family. After the fall out, Judah cannot get any gainful employment in Kutula so he scrapes for any available opportunity to make ends meet. When he comes back, he is a drunk good-for-nothing man who has given up on life and afraid to stop moving. He has been working in the mines and seems to have been conditioned to work as hard and as long so as not to lose his job to younger energetic individuals. When he comes home, he is ready to die.

Observations from the scene Bad governance, rampant corruption and intimidation make those who are in power become wealthy and untouchable. However, the majority suffer from depravity and long for a day when they too will get to the limelight. Tamina understands how bad Lacuna’s government is. However, instead of becoming part of the solution, she would rather be part of the problem. She would rather be part of Lacuna than join Romanus Bengo in the opposition. Lulu, on the other hand sees the need for change. She hates her mother’s docile approach to life and wants action.

Themes from the scene

Systemic Poverty There seem to be despondency among the people of Kutula. The few who are rich pay meager salaries that cannot sustain the local people. Tamina is left alone by her husband to fend for her children. Life becomes very unbearable for Tamina especially sustaining the education of her daughter Lulu. Apart from the scarcity of food, there is also scarcity of water. Lulu has to walk for long hours to fetch water for her family. According to Tamina, all the water (pg19) had been directed to one large dam thus depriving the people their lifeblood. Loyalty The leader demands total loyalty from his subjects. When Romanus becomes an activist and condemns the current leadership, Lacuna feels threatened. In order to keep his position, he asks Judah Zen Melo to prove his loyalty. The simple task Judah is to carry is to eliminate his brother Romanus Bengo. Judah declines.

Judah is, therefore, fired from his employment and left for the dead. After his recovery, he tries to no avail to appease the leader. However, Judah’s efforts do not bear any fruits. Those who are loyal to the leader like Chipande continue to enjoy the fruits of independence.

Religion This act plays out as a critic to Christianity. Lulu observes that many teachings in the church preach about hope especially to the poor and the needy. However, as much as they continue praying, nothing tangible comes off. She says that the Reverend taught them that with God everything is possible yet, He continues to let them suffer in despondency. As we can see, Lulu is ready to give up, take matters in her own hands and succeed by her own terms. (pg31) Questions from the Scene  What is the central role of religion in this scene?  Do you think Tamina’s anger toward Bengo is justified?  Discuss the relationship between Lulu and her mother.

Scene One The scene shifts to Kutula People’s Park where the commemoration of King Kutula is to take place. The current leader gives an inaudible speech to the audience while Lulu and her school musical team rehearse on the activities that will occur after the ceremony. Lulu has been chosen to be the star of the show (pg53-54.) Among the dignitaries attending this ceremony are Councillor Chipande, Goldstein and Rollerstone (check the list of characters.) After the events at the People’s Park, Lacuna invites the dignitaries and Lulu for a luncheon at the palace.

Observation from the Act Lacuna Kasoo uses this event to look for a fresh girl for his entertainment in the guise of celebrating his father’s legacy. The leader tries as much to hide his true intentions in the fact that he is following tradition and the wish of the gods when his real motive is self-satisfaction.

Scene Two Events in this scene occur inside Lacuna Kasoo’s palace. Councillor Chipande guides Goldstein and young Robert, into the palace. From their discussions, Robert and Goldstein are international financiers and investors. They have loaned Lacuna Kasoo a lot of money for development projects in Kutula. However, the money ended up in foreign accounts and feeding the insatiable greed of Lacuna and his henchmen like Chipande and Malipoa.

Robert is described by Goldstein as a young ambitious man who has come to do business in Kutula and ensure that Kasoo pays up Kutula’s outstanding loans. Lacuna does not seem to get along with young Robert. One of the reasons as to why the two do not get along is because Robert danced with the chosen one (Lulu) desecrating Kutula’s tradition. Lulu had been chosen as a young virgin who would entertain Lacuna Kasoo in the Political Perpetuation Chamber to appease the ancestors but instead she chose to dance with Robert.

Meanwhile, the two financiers are angry with the economic condition of Kutula. As things stand, it seems that Lacuna has squandered the country’s resources thus reducing productivity. This has led to the country not honouring its loan obligations.

In this regard, Goldstein proposes austerity measures including but not limited to reducing the workforce and doubling on production especially of the silver mines. However, the country does not have resources to meet these new demands yet the financiers are unwilling to extend more money towards the economic growth of the state. Having been humiliated, Lacuna tries to detain the foreigners. Chipande advises him against such drastic decision given the field day foreign media will have. He relents and lets them go.

Scene three Lacuna meets with elders to discuss the possibility of evacuation to create land for foreiegn investments as dictated by the donors. The elders oppose Lacuna’s move and refuse to convince the the people to move.

Among the elders in the palace is Sangoi who has now been promoted to position of a councillor. Lacuna blames her for turning the elders against his authority. But Sangoi reminds him that the people are entitled to their own decisions and that no one asked Lacuna to request foreign aid. She says that Kutula could have done well without the foreign aid.

Meanwhile, Lacuna calls Malipoa to report on the impending issue of appeasing the ancestors. According to Malipoa, the event is supposed to be performed again after four weeks during the new moon night. Meanwhile, Lulu is supposed to be detained in the royal palace awaiting the day. In this case her fate is sealed without question.

In the meantime, there is growing unrest in Kutula. Demonstrations against mass movement of people from Bukelenge valley are underway. Lacuna commands commander Meshak to suppress the uprising. Later the commander returns with news that the revolt has been dispersed. Movement 3

Scene One Events occur in Tamina’s house. She is alone awaiting her husband’s return but instead hosts the Reverend Sangoi. Sangoi has bad news. The much awaited for husband Judah Zen Melo is dead. He died while operating an old machine at full speed in the mines when the belt snapped and took him with them.

Tamina is lost for words and wants to walk to the mines but she is calmed by Sangoi and Bengo who comes to check on her sister after learning about Judah. Bengo reminds the Reverend that she needs to make up her mind because after the revolution to oust Lacuna out, they will need a level headed leader. On the other hand, Reverend Sangoi cautions them against spilling any blood as they out to oust Lacuna. She promises to think about the leadership matter and get back to the rebels. Bengo leaves as Sangoi comforts the bereaved Tamina.

Scene two In the palace, Lacuna is impatient of waiting for the day he will appease the dead by spending the night with Lulu. Malipoa cautions him to wait for one more week. In the meantime, Lulu has learnt of her father’s death is exasperated. But she cannot be let out of the clutches of Lacuna and his henchmen. Lacuna is also visited by Robert and Goldstein. This, however, is not a social visit-it is business. Robert blames Lacuna for poor governance and corruption. He tells Lacuna that he is aware of the leader’s foreign accounts. In fact, using his miniature gadget, he transfers all of Lacuna’s loot to the company’s account in order to pay loans extended to Kutula. He says, the donors will use all means necessary to recover the 120 billion loan extended to Kutula. The first step will be freezing Lacuna and his henchmen’s account while the rest will be paid by the citizens. Lacuna is incensed. He commands them to leave. While they are leaving, he calls one of the guards and orders him to detain the foreigners. With growing uncertainty about Lacuna’s future in Office, the leader issues martial law allover Kutula. In addition, he plans decides to marry Lulu and become a de facto leader of Kutula.

Scene one In a simple room in house within the forest, Bengo and leaders of revolution are meeting to deliberate on the oncoming revolution. They are also waiting to hear from Reverend Sangoi. The whole operation depends on whether Sangoi will agree to be the people’s new leader or not. When she comes through, she accepts to lead the people and asks for a bloodless coup.

Sangoi is only ready to lead the people until such time that Kutula is ready for an election then she will retire to her church ministry and her family. Scene two In the palace Lacuna is planning to wed Lulu. He is confident that he will remain in power oblivious of what is happening outside the palace gates. Like a man trapped in a deep pit, Lacuna is caught unawares by the rebels led by Sangoi.

Lacuna together with his close associates is detained while Sangoi assumes power. The two foreigners, Robert and Goldstein are released and escorted to the airport. Sangoi warns them that Kutula will only do business with them according to the terms that they (the people of Kutula) have set. Lulu reunites with her mother after a month of detention in the palace.

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• Compare and contrast binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis. Please include a discussion of their prevalence within their domains of life and the advantages/disadvantages for each approach of cell division.

Cells can divide. In unicellular organisms, this makes more organisms. In multicellular organisms this is used for growth, development, and repair.

Binary fission is the asexual reproduction of a cell which only takes place in prokaryotes. Before this can occur, a cell must replicate its chromosome. This starts when a replication bubble opens within the DNA. There is normally only a single origin of replication, unlike that of Eukaryotes. As the bubble increases in size, the DNA strands become longer. DNA polymerase converts each of these strands into double strands and two circular chromosomes are produced. They then affix to the cell membrane, move apart, and pass into each of the daughter cells.

Mitosis is the process of division of chromosomes. There are five stages in the process. Interphase is the resting phase, however, at this stage replication of chromosomes and cell growth are still taking place. In prophase the chromosomes start to coil, shorten and become distinct. The mitotic spindle also starts to form. In animals, centrioles begin to move toward the poles of the cell. In metaphase, the chromosomes begin to line up along the equator of the cell. In anaphase, the chromatids separate at the centromeres and are pulled to the poles of the cell. Telophase takes place when the new daughter nuclei and nuclear envelopes start to reform and chromosomes uncoil. This is also the start of cytokinesis. Cytokinesis happens only in mitosis. In animals it happens in the cleavage furrow and in plants it happens in the cell plate.

The significance of cell division in mitosis and binary fission is that they produce two cells that are identical to the parent cell. In unicellular organisms, this is asexual production. In multicellular organisms these processes help with growth and repair and asexual reproduction.

Meiosis is present in sexual reproduction. Again meiosis goes through the same phases as Mitosis, but there are multiple of each phase. The phases do differ somewhat.

The differences between mitosis and meiosis are that meiosis occurs in germinal tissues. Meiosis involves two successive nuclear divisions in which the chromosomes are duplicated only once. The two divisions are termed meiosis one and meiosis two, which explains why there are multiples of each stage in the process. At the completion of meiosis there are four daughter cells, instead of two like that of mitosis. The daughter cells are genetically different due to crossing over and independent assortment, unlike in mitosis and binary fission where the daughter cells are identical.

• Describe the two laws of inheritance for diploid species. Describe the process and assumptions that lead to these two laws.

The two laws of inheritance were derived by Gregor Mendel while he was experimenting with pea plants in the 1800’s. While crossing purebred white flowering plants with purple flowering plants, he discovered that a purple flowering plant was produced. This led him to conceive the idea of heredity units or factors as he called them. He stated that each individual has two factors for one trait, one factor from each parent. This is where he started to conceive the notions of dominant and recessive traits.

The first law is the law of segregation. This law states that each individual possesses a pair of alleles for any trait. Each parent passes a randomly selected copy of one of these to its offspring. Whichever allele is dominant expresses that trait in the offspring.

The second law is the Law of Independent Assortment. This law states that separate genes for separate traits are passed independently of one another from parents to offspring. Different traits are inherited independently from each other so for example, there is no relation between eye color and hair color.

• Provide three independent reasons why human females have the greatest influence on the phenotype of their offspring.

The first reason is that females more energy into producing offspring, according to the Bateman’s principle. A female’s ability to reproduce is dependent on how many eggs she produces, rather than how many males she mates with. This results in sexual selection, in which she is picky about which males she mates with.

Another reason that females have a greater influence on phenotype is that they are responsible for prenatal care. The female carries the child until birth. They are responsible for what the offspring are exposed to within the womb. This can lead to differences based on exposure.

Another reason that females have a greater influence on phenotype is that when a mother is pregnant, the male set of genes can be seen as a foreign intrusion within the body that the body tries to fight off like an infection. The set of genes from the mother is trying to produce a successful pregnancy which could be why the mother has greater influence.

• Discuss why the traditional terms dominance and recessive can be misleading concepts. Provide three examples where these terms are misleading.

When speaking of dominant and recessive traits dominant means that it is more likely to succeed where as recessive means that this trait would be more likely to hide. This can be misleading because that is not always the case. Offspring receives an allele from each parent. Each parent could carry a dominant and recessive trait for a particular trait. If the offspring receives the recessive trait from each parent, then that recessive trait will be present rather than the dominant trait.

There are many examples of this. The first is eye color. If one parent has blue eyes and the second has brown eyes it would seem that offspring would have brown eyes because the blue eye trait is recessive. However, if the brown eyed parent carries the recessive trait for blue eyes, it could be that offspring will have blue eyes.

Blood type is another example. The A blood type and the B blood type are both dominant, but the O blood type is recessive. If one parent has an A blood type and the other parent has the B blood type, how is the dominant trait determined. It would be completely up to chance as to what blood type would actually be dominant in this matter, which can be misleading in that we are often taught that there can only be one dominant trait.

Another example that can be confusing is dwarfism. Dwarfism is actually a dominant trait, whereas the normal growth allele is recessive. There are far more people who have show the normal growth allele, than the dwarfism allele. It is still possible for two normal people to have offspring that suffer from dwarfism. Apparently the parents must carry the dominant trait in a recessive way for this to happen.

Recessive and dominant are not as clear and concise as many people deem them to be. There are many instances in which a dominant trait may not appear in a second generation; however it appears again in a third generation.

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My Husband’s Inheritance Could Change Our Family’s Life. But He Won’t Even Consider Using It.

This could pay off our mortgage and then some—i’m furious.

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here .

Dear Care and Feeding,

My husband inherited a small collection of watches from his grandfather. He recently had them valued for insurance purposes, and they are worth an absolute bomb. Just one of them could pay off our mortgage and solve a huge number of financial headaches for us. I desperately want him to sell them all, clear our debts, and put some money aside, but he absolutely refuses to consider it. I’m at a loss, as he has never been particularly close to his family and he never even looks at the watches, but he absolutely refuses to explain himself. Obviously, I want him to see the bigger picture, prioritize our family, and sell the damn watches, but I am also angry that he’s making a firm decision without discussing it. Am I missing something here? How do I handle this?

—Poor and Pissed Off

Your husband has the right to do what he sees fit with the watches, and you have the right to continue to try and convince him to sell them. Clearly, he is experiencing some emotions about his grandfather connected to these items: grief, nostalgia, or perhaps regret for the familial distance you mention—in which case, getting rid of them might feel like a further betrayal. Instead of approaching this as a confrontation only about valuable objects, be gentle and try to make space for whatever emotions come up. Implore him to explain just what his reasons are for holding on to the watches and help him process those feelings. Then, you can remind him again how much better your lives could be if he were to let them go. Instead of pushing him to sell them all, offer a compromise in which he could save one or two that mean the most to him. You could let him know that it bothers you that he is making this decision on his own without your input, but if that’s not a pattern in your relationship, it may not be worth it here, given the particular emotions involved. That’s really all you can do, unfortunately. Your husband will have to realize that selling at least some of the watches is in his best interest, but you can’t make this choice for him.

Want Advice on Parenting, Kids, or Family Life?

Submit your questions to Care and Feeding here . It’s anonymous! (Questions may be edited for publication.)

I was a teen dad. My son “Kyle” is now 15, and I’m 31. My parents and his other grandparents do as much as they can, but I’m his only surviving parent, and will also be the only one on the hook for his college costs in a few years. College changed my life, and I know with his love for writing and his grades, Kyle wants to go too.

I’ve been with 33-year-old “Meg” for three years, and I knew we wanted to be serious from the beginning. We talked about wanting a relationship that would become a marriage. She’s wonderful, and a great stepmom to Kyle, and they’re very close. We all live together, and we planned to have another kid together, but she blindsided me by saying she doesn’t want to have a baby until we’re married. I would love to marry her, but the problem is, our combined incomes would wreck Kyle’s financial aid options. We’re at an impasse: She wants to be a mom, I want another child, but the financial side of this isn’t negotiable.

She says having a baby together without the security of marriage “feels risky,” but we live together! I’m happy to marry her when Kyle graduates, but she’s worried about fertility by then. She’s really unhappy about this, but I don’t want to be a dad that lets his kid down for a new stepparent. I don’t understand why she’s so obsessed with having a ring on her finger. Marriage doesn’t guarantee anything. People get divorced all the time. Having a baby doesn’t change that, but I can’t get her to look at this logically. How do I explain this to her so she’ll listen?

—FAFSA Worries

Dear FAFSA Worries,

It’s not unreasonable for Meg to want to be married in order to have a child. There are men who have picked up and left their children. Granted, married dads have done this too, but marriage provides certain legal recourse in those situations. Ask Meg what exactly she is worried about happening. If it’s a matter of assessing your commitment, perhaps she would be willing to have a wedding ceremony, in which you affirm your intentions in front of your loved ones, without going through the process of becoming legally married until your son graduates. If she’s worried about what would happen if you split up, you all could draw up a legal agreement regarding how you intend to divide shared assets and manage the care of your child if that were to be the case. (You might also consult a financial aid expert, if you haven’t yet, to be sure that marriage would definitely impact your son’s aid package in the way that you worry—there may be creative ways around that.) You can also, of course, continue to try and convince her that you are no less committed to being a loyal partner and active dad than you would be if you were married, but that you cannot jeopardize your son’s chances at college in the service of a new child. Hopefully, you can come to an agreement.

Catch Up on Care and Feeding

·  Missed earlier columns this week?  Read them here . ·  Discuss this column in the  Slate Parenting Facebook group !

My wife and I recently took our 3-year-old daughter on a play date with the 2-year-old son of one of my best friends at their house, and the boy wouldn’t share any of his toys. The second my daughter would try to play with a toy, he would take it from her. If he got distracted, she could sneak in a few minutes with a toy before he noticed and took it away. His mom would verbally tell him he has to share repeatedly, but would never follow through and actually make him share.

My friend and I stepped out for a bit, so I only saw this at the tail end of the day, but even my friend didn’t do anything to intervene other than saying “Do you want to share that?” I know if the situation were reversed, I would have physically removed the toy from my daughter’s hands to make sure it was shared with our guest. I also know there are a million philosophies to parenting and I don’t want to judge them or step on their toes, but I also don’t want to put my daughter through that again without being better prepared.

I did explain to my daughter after the fact that it was wrong, that the boy should have shared his toys, and that she handled the situation well and should be proud of herself. However, I imagine this will be somewhat common, and I want to handle it better in the moment next time without rocking the boat and making this awkward with other parents. Are there any subtle techniques/ways to navigate this situation in the moment without making it awkward with the other parents?

—Don’t Rock the Boat, Baby

Dear Don’t Rock,

The selfishness of other kids is something your daughter will encounter throughout her entire childhood and unfortunately, not all other parents will respond well when it’s their kid being stingy. To be fair, a 2-year-old is in a very different place from 3-year-old, developmentally speaking, so it’s not entirely surprising that your friend’s son doesn’t yet know how to take turns. In the future, you can walk up to the other child and ask them to share. Explain that your child wants to play, too, and that it would be nice of them to let her have a turn. If they refuse, then let their parent deal with it. To avoid situations like this one, it may be better for your daughter’s first time playing with a new kid happen with you present, so that you can respond (and if necessary, remove her from the situation). As far as your daughter goes, when these things happen, continue to let her know that she hasn’t done anything wrong to lead to another child being mean or selfish towards her.

More Advice From Slate

My son, a high school freshman, is a very laid-back and relaxed 15-year-old. This was great when he was younger—rarely was there a tantrum or strong resistance—but as a teenager it makes me so worried. We cannot get him motivated about school, or to find his passions. He puts in little effort and does fine. But he is very bright, and with even a modest effort he could do quite well. He doesn’t get in trouble at school, has many friends, and hasn’t pushed our boundaries beyond what is appropriate at his age. Perhaps this is our own hangup about how he should be successful.  Do we just let him find his way?

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Sam Pitroda sparks debate on 'inheritance tax' in India: What is it and what are its income tax implications — explained

Sam pitroda's discussion on inheritance tax in india sparks debate on fair wealth distribution and public welfare resources. mumbai-based expert balwant jain opposes the tax, citing disincentives for hard work..

Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda's recent comments on 'inheritance tax' in India have stirred up a debate. There are differing opinions on whether introducing such a tax could lead to fairer wealth distribution. Conversely, some argue that implementing an inheritance tax in India may not be justified, citing various economic and social factors such as its potential impact on family businesses and concerns about double taxation.

Mumbai-based investment and tax expert Balwant Jain argues that an inheritance tax is not justified in India because it disincentivises hard work and could regress the country.

'It disincentivises people to work hard, and could lead the country backward," said Jain.

He believes that such a tax would discourage individuals from striving for success and could have adverse effects on national progress. In his view, implementing an inheritance tax does not serve the national interest.

Also Read | 'Inheritance tax will bring more people under the tax net': Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath's old video goes viral. Watch here

What is an inheritance tax.

Inheritance tax, also known as estate tax, is a tax levied on the total value of money and property of a deceased person before it is distributed to their legal heirs. The tax is typically calculated based on the value of the assets left behind after any exemptions or deductions. The purpose of inheritance tax is often to generate revenue for the government and to redistribute wealth.

Inheritance tax across the world

In Japan, the inheritance tax rate stands at 55 per cent, making it one of the highest in the world. South Korea follows closely behind with a rate of 50 per cent. France imposes an inheritance tax rate of 45 per cent, while both the United Kingdom and the United States have rates of 40 per cent. These rates reflect the varying approaches countries take to address wealth distribution and taxation. Inheritance tax plays a significant role in shaping economic policies and social welfare systems, influencing decisions on wealth transfer and intergenerational equity.

What is the inheritance tax in India?

In India, there is currently no tax on inheritance. The Inheritance or Estate Tax was abolished in 1985.

Income tax implications on inheritance

Inherited assets may be subject to additional taxes, along with potential implications for income tax. When an individual passes away, their properties are transferred to their legal heirs, which typically include children, grandchildren, or wards. Often, these inherited properties generate income, such as rent or interest, for the new owner. As a result, the new owner is obligated to report this income and pay the relevant taxes.

“When inherited assets are sold by the heirs, they may be subject to some kind of tax. Any income generated by inherited assets, such as interest, dividends, or rental income, is generally subject to income tax. The income tax rate and treatment may vary depending on the nature of the income and the tax laws applicable to different types of assets. When a property is inherited, the tax liability arises not at the time of inheritance but when the inherited property is sold," said Abhishek Soni, CEO of Tax2win.

Taxation on capital gains from sale of inherited property

Capital gains from the sale of property are taxed based on the duration of ownership. “Short-term capital gains are taxed at the individual's applicable slab rate, while long-term capital gains, realised after holding the property for over 24 months, are taxed at a rate of 20.8 per cent, including cess," explained Soni.

Miriam Fozia Rahman, a practising advocate at the Supreme Court of India, states that it has been suggested that inheritance tax isn't a good idea for a developing country.

"As of now, there is no inheritance tax. Instead, we have a capital gains tax that applies when capital assets are sold. During Covid, there was a suggestion that the government should impose an estate tax, but the proposal faced heavy criticism," Fozia Rahman added.

Also Read: ‘Inheritance Tax’ to ‘Selfish Middle class,’ 6 remarks by Sam Pitroda that put Congress on the back foot

Sam pitroda's wealth tax comments.

Previously, Pitroda highlighted the importance of wealth redistribution policies by referencing the concept of inheritance tax in the United States.

"In America, there is an inheritance tax. If someone has $100 million in wealth and passes away, they can only transfer about 45 per cent to their children; the government takes the remaining 55 per cent. It's an interesting law. It suggests that you've accumulated wealth in your lifetime, and upon your departure, a portion of it must be left for the public—not all of it, but half, which seems fair to me," Pitroda explained.

"In India, we don't have that. If someone is worth 10 billion and passes away, their children inherit the full amount, and the public receives nothing...So these are the types of issues we need to debate and discuss. When we talk about redistributing wealth, we're discussing new policies and programmes that benefit everyone, not just the super-rich," he added.

Responding to criticism from several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Pitroda clarified that his comments were made in his personal capacity.

"I mentioned the US inheritance tax solely as an example during a normal conversation on TV. Am I not allowed to reference facts?" Pitroda posted on X.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

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Q: What to do when counsel agrees in writing to a stipulation, but doesn't execute, KNOWING my filing deadline is coming up

Defense counsel said, in an email, that she would stipulate to extend the time I have to respond to defendants' latest filing by x no. of days, and asked that I draft and send a proposed stipulation, which I did within 24 hrs. The proposed stipulation, accompanied by an order, which I emailed to her and her co-counsel, briefly covers the events that give rise to "good cause" for the extension. However, I neither got back an executed copy of the stipulation (to file with the court), nor any communication as to why they are now (it appears) balking. She knows time is of the essence because in her email she herself suggested we do this electronically to save time. Since I have only about a week left to file my responsive pleading, should I just go ahead and file a motion with the court seeking an extension for good cause before my time runs out and becomes another complication I don't need? I have a feeling counsel is either playing games or not taking me seriously because I'm pro se.

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A: Under California law, if you have an email from the defense counsel agreeing to the stipulation, you can file an ex parte application for an extension of time to file your responsive pleading. Here are the steps you should take: 1. Draft an ex parte application explaining the situation, including the reasons for the extension and the email correspondence showing the defense counsel's agreement to the stipulation. 2. Attach the email correspondence and the unsigned stipulation as exhibits to your ex parte application. 3. File the ex parte application with the court as soon as possible, given the approaching deadline. 4. Serve the ex parte application on the defense counsel, providing them with notice of the ex parte hearing date. 5. Attend the ex parte hearing and explain to the judge the circumstances and the need for an extension. In your ex parte application, emphasize the good cause for the extension, the defense counsel's agreement to the stipulation, and their failure to execute the stipulation despite the looming deadline. The court will likely consider the email correspondence as evidence of the agreement and may grant the extension based on the circumstances. It is important to act quickly and file the ex parte application before your deadline expires to avoid any potential complications. By filing the ex parte application, you demonstrate your diligence in seeking the extension and the defense counsel's lack of cooperation, which may help your case.

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A Doll's House

By henrik ibsen, a doll's house essay questions.

The play is usually considered one of Ibsen's “realist” plays. Consider how far the play might be anti-realist or symbolic.

Answer: Consider the symbols, metaphors, and imagery of the play, and weigh their importance against the elements that seem realistic. It also should be very helpful to define “realism” over against the uses of symbols and elements that are absurd, grotesque, or fantastic. Note that “realism” and “symbolism” have gained specific connotations within Ibsen criticism.

When Nora says in Act One, “I can't think of anything to wear. It all seems so stupid and meaningless,” Ibsen illustrates the symbolism of clothing in the play. Describe how Ibsen’s use of clothing works in the play.

Answer: Consider, especially, Nora's tarantella costume and fancy-dress box, as well as her black dress when taking the clothing is a symbol. Explore the metaphor of clothing as something which covers up, something which disguises, or as something which confers identity. Ibsen also uses clothing to make points about agency and gender. Consider who dresses whom and who wears certain clothes for the sake of personal expression or in order to please someone else.

Why is freedom important in the play?

Answer: Nora sees herself as not free when she is confined in the domestic life of her husband’s home. The direction of the play is to perceive Nora’s awakening as someone who deserves freedom. Consider, too, that Torvald becomes free of his marriage obligations, which also have been oppressive of his own liberties. Finally, consider the ambiguous nature of the freedom Nora wins. She is going from a fairly predictable life into something unknown. Remember that Mrs. Linde would rather be tied to a family rather than alone and on her own. Is that because of human nature or because of her individual choice?

Is Torvald Helmer a deeply abhorrent character?

Answer: To answer this question, perform a detailed character study of Torvald Helmer. Do not jump to a conclusion based on your initial feelings about his words and actions in the play. Weigh both sides of the argument—what specifically is the problem in the marriage and in his choices? If you decide to abhor the character, how bad is he? Consider the ways in which he genuinely loves his wife, earns money for the household, and pays attention to her against his selfishness, oppression of his wife, and ability to handle stress.

How does the play illustrate inheritance, the passing along of traits from parent to child?

Answer: Consider Dr. Rank's illness as attributed to his father’s indiscretions. Krogstad's shame for his own alleged errors is inherited by his children by way of reputation. Consider, most of all, Nora's relationships with her father and her nurse as influences on how she treats her own children.

What is the importance of the title of the play?

Answer: This is a reasonably straightforward question that could be taken in a number of directions. How far is Nora a doll, an object or toy for others? How does her home represent a doll’s house, from which the doll cannot escape on her own? When Nora leaves the house, she is breaking free of the metaphor, though it is unclear what will happen if she is going to return to her earlier family home, where she was something of a doll to her father.

Ibsen once described Mrs Alving in his play Ghosts as a version of Nora in later life. Imagine what Nora’s earlier life might have been like, based on her characterization in the play.

Answer: If up till the last day, Nora has been living in a fantasy world, she must have been even less self-aware or independent when she was younger. She probably married by being enthralled by her society’s ideas of love and marriage. Under her father and nurse, she seems to have had few opportunities to get anything like a liberal education; instead, she seems to have learned only how to be a traditional girl and a traditional woman.

To what extent is the play a comedy?

Answer: As well as considering smaller touches, such as individual lines, or jokes that might be funny or comedic, it is worth learning about the theatrical definitions of comedy and tragedy to consider how the structure of the play and the main plot elements might count as part of the tradition of comedy. Consider the roles of marriage, death, friendship, self-awareness, irony, family, holidays and parties, and the various themes of the play in this context.

Is A Doll's House a feminist play?

Answer: Ibsen claimed that his play was about liberation in a more general, human sense, rather than specifically about female liberation. If feminism focuses on both men and women, it is reasonable to see the mutual liberation of Torvald and Nora as a feminist goal, liberating people of both sexes from social and cultural limitations based on gender. Consider the various women in the play as well. How are we to know whether Ibsen wants us to approve or disapprove of their various choices in relation to men and to their own goals? How do the characters themselves exhibit any goals or points that could be described as feminist?

How does Ibsen provide suspense in the play?

Answer: The audience wonders when Torvald will read the letter and what will happen when he does. We also do not know if Nora is going to decide to kill herself, leave, or stay home, but we do know that the pressure on her is building and that something in her is going to burst. Foreshadowing contributes to these issues, such as when Nora tells Mrs. Linde that she has plans Mrs. Linde cannot understand.

Compare the relationship between Mrs. Linde and Krogstad with that of Nora and Torvald.

Answer: Nora and Torvald have lived in something of a fantasy marriage for years, and finally they are separating. Meanwhile, Mrs. Linde and Krogstad have been apart, thinking about one another, and finally they are getting together with a larger degree of self-understanding and maturity.

A Doll’s House Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A Doll’s House is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Explain why krogstad says he would ask for his letter back

The music of the tarantella is heard above, and Mrs. Linde urges Krogstad to be quick. Krogstad now grows suspicious, questioning whether she is saying all of this simply on behalf of Nora. She denies it, and he then offers to take the letter...

Meaning of Excesses with regards to A Doll's House

What act are you referring to?

Mrs Linde States "i want to be a mother to someone, and your children need amother. We two need each other. Nils, I have faith in your real character I can dare anything together with you ?Based on this reading What does she want from life?

Ultimately, Mrs. Linde decides that she will only be happy if she goes off with Krogstad. Her older, weary viewpoint provides a foil to Nora's youthful impetuousness. She perhaps also symbolizes a hollowness in the matriarchal role. Her...

Study Guide for A Doll’s House

A Doll's House study guide contains a biography of Henrik Ibsen, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A Doll's House
• A Doll's House Summary
• Character List

Essays for A Doll’s House

A Doll's House essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House.

• Influence of Antigone on A Doll's House
• Burning Down the Doll House
• Ibsen's Portrayal of Women
• Dressed to Impress: The Role of the Dress in Cinderella and A Doll's House
• A Doll's House: Revolution From Within

Lesson Plan for A Doll’s House

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to A Doll's House
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• A Doll's House Bibliography

E-Text of A Doll’s House

A Doll's House e-text contains the full text of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.

• DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Wikipedia Entries for A Doll’s House

• Introduction
• List of characters
• Composition and publication
• Production history

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Guest Essay

What Sentencing Could Look Like if Trump Is Found Guilty

By Norman L. Eisen

Mr. Eisen is the author of “Trying Trump: A Guide to His First Election Interference Criminal Trial.”

For all the attention to and debate over the unfolding trial of Donald Trump in Manhattan, there has been surprisingly little of it paid to a key element: its possible outcome and, specifically, the prospect that a former and potentially future president could be sentenced to prison time.

The case — brought by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, against Mr. Trump — represents the first time in our nation’s history that a former president is a defendant in a criminal trial. As such, it has generated lots of debate about the case’s legal strength and integrity, as well as its potential impact on Mr. Trump’s efforts to win back the White House.

A review of thousands of cases in New York that charged the same felony suggests something striking: If Mr. Trump is found guilty, incarceration is an actual possibility. It’s not certain, of course, but it is plausible.

Jury selection has begun, and it’s not too soon to talk about what the possibility of a sentence, including a prison sentence, would look like for Mr. Trump, for the election and for the country — including what would happen if he is re-elected.

The case focuses on alleged interference in the 2016 election, which consisted of a hush-money payment Michael Cohen, the former president’s fixer at the time, made in 2016 to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Bragg is arguing that the cover-up cheated voters of the chance to fully assess Mr. Trump’s candidacy.

This may be the first criminal trial of a former president in American history, but if convicted, Mr. Trump’s fate is likely to be determined by the same core factors that guide the sentencing of every criminal defendant in New York State Court.

Comparable cases. The first factor is the base line against which judges measure all sentences: how other defendants have been treated for similar offenses. My research encompassed almost 10,000 cases of felony falsifying business records that have been prosecuted across the state of New York since 2015. Over a similar period, the Manhattan D.A. has charged over 400 of these cases . In roughly the first year of Mr. Bragg’s tenure, his team alone filed 166 felony counts for falsifying business records against 34 people or companies.

Contrary to claims that there will be no sentence of incarceration for falsifying business records, when a felony conviction involves serious misconduct, defendants can be sentenced to some prison time. My analysis of the most recent data indicates that approximately one in 10 cases in which the most serious charge at arraignment is falsifying business records in the first degree and in which the court ultimately imposes a sentence, results in a term of imprisonment.

To be clear, these cases generally differ from Mr. Trump’s case in one important respect: They typically involve additional charges besides just falsifying records. That clearly complicates what we might expect if Mr. Trump is convicted.

Nevertheless, there are many previous cases involving falsifying business records along with other charges where the conduct was less serious than is alleged against Mr. Trump and prison time was imposed. For instance, Richard Luthmann was accused of attempting to deceive voters — in his case, impersonating New York political figures on social media in an attempt to influence campaigns. He pleaded guilty to three counts of falsifying business records in the first degree (as well as to other charges). He received a sentence of incarceration on the felony falsification counts (although the sentence was not solely attributable to the plea).

A defendant in another case was accused of stealing in excess of $50,000 from her employer and, like in this case, falsifying one or more invoices as part of the scheme. She was indicted on a single grand larceny charge and ultimately pleaded guilty to one felony count of business record falsification for a false invoice of just under $10,000. She received 364 days in prison.

To be sure, for a typical first-time offender charged only with run-of-the-mill business record falsification, a prison sentence would be unlikely. On the other hand, Mr. Trump is being prosecuted for 34 counts of conduct that might have changed the course of American history.

Seriousness of the crime. Mr. Bragg alleges that Mr. Trump concealed critical information from voters (paying hush money to suppress an extramarital relationship) that could have harmed his campaign, particularly if it came to light after the revelation of another scandal — the “Access Hollywood” tape . If proved, that could be seen not just as unfortunate personal judgment but also, as Justice Juan Merchan has described it, an attempt “to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election.”

History and character. To date, Mr. Trump has been unrepentant about the events alleged in this case. There is every reason to believe that will not change even if he is convicted, and lack of remorse is a negative at sentencing. Justice Merchan’s evaluation of Mr. Trump’s history and character may also be informed by the other judgments against him, including Justice Arthur Engoron’s ruling that Mr. Trump engaged in repeated and persistent business fraud, a jury finding that he sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll and a related defamation verdict by a second jury.

Justice Merchan may also weigh the fact that Mr. Trump has been repeatedly held in contempt , warned , fined and gagged by state and federal judges. That includes for statements he made that exposed witnesses, individuals in the judicial system and their families to danger. More recently, Mr. Trump made personal attacks on Justice Merchan’s daughter, resulting in an extension of the gag order in the case. He now stands accused of violating it again by commenting on witnesses.

What this all suggests is that a term of imprisonment for Mr. Trump, while far from certain for a former president, is not off the table. If he receives a sentence of incarceration, perhaps the likeliest term is six months, although he could face up to four years, particularly if Mr. Trump chooses to testify, as he said he intends to do , and the judge believes he lied on the stand . Probation is also available, as are more flexible approaches like a sentence of spending every weekend in jail for a year.

We will probably know what the judge will do within 30 to 60 days of the end of the trial, which could run into mid-June. If there is a conviction, that would mean a late summer or early fall sentencing.

Justice Merchan would have to wrestle in the middle of an election year with the potential impact of sentencing a former president and current candidate.

If Mr. Trump is sentenced to a period of incarceration, the reaction of the American public will probably be as polarized as our divided electorate itself. Yet as some polls suggest — with the caveat that we should always be cautious of polls early in the race posing hypothetical questions — many key swing state voters said they would not vote for a felon.

If Mr. Trump is convicted and then loses the presidential election, he will probably be granted bail, pending an appeal, which will take about a year. That means if any appeals are unsuccessful, he will most likely have to serve any sentence starting sometime next year. He will be sequestered with his Secret Service protection; if it is less than a year, probably in Rikers Island. His protective detail will probably be his main company, since Mr. Trump will surely be isolated from other inmates for his safety.

If Mr. Trump wins the presidential election, he can’t pardon himself because it is a state case. He will be likely to order the Justice Department to challenge his sentence, and department opinions have concluded that a sitting president could not be imprisoned, since that would prevent the president from fulfilling the constitutional duties of the office. The courts have never had to address the question, but they could well agree with the Justice Department.

So if Mr. Trump is convicted and sentenced to a period of incarceration, its ultimate significance is probably this: When the American people go to the polls in November, they will be voting on whether Mr. Trump should be held accountable for his original election interference.

What questions do you have about Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial so far?

Please submit them below. Our trial experts will respond to a selection of readers in a future piece.

Norman L. Eisen investigated the 2016 voter deception allegations as counsel for the first impeachment and trial of Donald Trump and is the author of “Trying Trump: A Guide to His First Election Interference Criminal Trial.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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