memory we lost essay

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Memories We Lost and Other Stories - Essays and Answers

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Memories We Lost and Other Stories Essays with answers

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. Explain the truth of the saying, ”He who desires all loses all.” Draw your illustrations from Leo Tolstoy’s ‘How much land does man need?

Introduction

Though ambition is good and motivates us to keep working, not being contented with what one has can lead to self destruction in the story, how much land does man need is a good example of this. NB show general understanding of the question and then tie to the text.

• Poham, a farmer owns 123 acres of land and pasture. He also had a big house in which five family members lived in as he kept farming the number of the cattle kept increasing. However he was not contented with this, he thought that his land was not big enough. He wanted wider and more fertile lands. He had a desire to farm widely and to keep more livestock. This made him leave his vast lands in search of more. He dies in his quest and loses what he owned.
• Pohom kept thinking about only one thing. How can I have more lands? He loses an opportunity to enjoy what he had remained restless." I have to go there and buy land
• Pohom kept walking under the hot sun in order to get the largest and best land above all people. He has to take off his coat and the shoes because of the heat. His desire to get more land above every one made him lose even the comfort he would have enjoyed. He was in a regular sweat and very thirsty.
• Even after he had walked enough and knew he was supposed to go back a desire to get the hallow made him not to tum. He kept going in order to get more land. He was never satisfied. He kept walking without thinking until it was too late. The only thing that made him stop and turn the hours he would have used to turn back because of his greed for more Even after he realized his body was drained of all energy he begun to run for fear of losing all. His month was perched his breast was working like a blacksmith's bellows, his heart beating like a hammer. Though afraid a death, he could not stop. He ran on and on. At this point he should have stopped but the thought of gaining more land made him push himself to the end losing the land his life.

From the above illustration, it is true to say that our desire to get more and more can make us lose even what we have.

2. Describe the devastating effects that conflicts have on the innocent children and women in Mariatu Kamara’s “The President” in “Memories we Lost and other stories”.

• Conflitcs in society arise as a result of hatred and tribal animosity. This hatred and animosity among citizens leads to unrest and violence. Such violence and conflicts have far reaching consequences and effects on the civilians, mostly children, women and the innocent. As brought out in the President many suffer a lot.
• Members of different families are separated from each other as a result of conflict Many people fear what is brought about by conflict and thus end up running away, and in the process they separate from each other. For instance, Adamsay is dragged away by rebels. Furthermore, Ibrahim and Mohamed are captured and tied and taken away. Kamara is also separated from Mare and Alle because of conflict
• There are a lot of atrocities which are meted on the people during conflict Women and girls end up being defiled, a case of Kamara where she is raped by Salieu at atender age. Many people lose their limbs, for instance rebels cut off people's hands as a way of sending to a message to the president to get out of power. Many people are forced to live in an amputees' camp in free town.
• Many lives are lost. Conflict and violence leads to the killing of many people. The narrator says that she later learnt that as many as hundred people were killed that day. Rebels have no regard for human life, they just kill people.
• In line with war, children are also recruited into war as soldiers. Mostly this is done against their will and they end up missing on their childhood. Kamarais tortured and eventually amputated by child soldiers who are her age mates. She pleads with one child soldier to have mercy on her as she is his age but the child soldier hears none of that. Victims of violence and conflicts are force to live in a camp for amputees in Freetown. This camp is full of filthy litter and full of dirty bodies. More so they are forced to beg on the streets to get what to eat.
• Children who undergo such violence like what Kamara goes through have psychological torture. Kamara mentions that she is enrolled in high school before she is swallowed by thoughts of her past and family.
• It is very clear that conflicts, which are mostly fuelled by hatred has detrimental effects on innocent children and women. They are the ones who suffer the greatest brunt of such. They suffer a lot, they are handicapped displaced from their homes, are forced to live in pathetic conditions and some even lose their lives

Any other relevant conclusion, award 2 marks Introduction 2 marks Content 12 marks Conclusion 2 marks Language: 4 marks

3. Painful experience need not lead one to hopelessness. With illustrations from the story “Mr. President’ by Mariatu Kamara show the validity of this statement.

Generally comment on the evils of political violence or instability of the country and devastating experiences of the citizens

Context based- Highlight the points to be discussed as topic sentences without Pre-emptying the details

Point of interpretation

• The girl was chopped of her hand by the political rebels but she still soldier on and went oversees Where he learnt how to operate a laptop
• The girl has lost her parents but was brought up by relatives and she managed to survive the Political turmoil of the time
• The girl was sexually misused at her tender age as the people took advantage of the girl's Helplessness Salien the old man had impregnated her. After giving birth with difficulties and Even losing her baby, she still forged on with life and finally going to Toronto where well wishers educated her English as a second language.
• The girl was subjected to untold suffering and living in deplorable and humiliating human Condition. Living in an overcrowded tent with other amputees and living from hand to mouth begging. At last she finds a save larch where her future brightens once more once in Toronto
• The girl finds herself in a difficult situation where communication with the foreigner and other refugees was impossible. She however struggled and can finally communicate in English thus ensuring her survival.

Give a general opinion of the devastating effect of war.

Write a recap of the point discussed above and illustrating briefly their appropriateness Introduction (2 marks) For well explained points 4x3 each - 12 marks Conclusion 2 marks Grammar - spelling - 1 mark - Punctuation 1 mark Correct sentence construction 1 mark - Fluency (1 mark) Total (20 marks)

4. In reference to Marintu Kamara’s story “The President”, demonstrate the adverse effects that conflicts bring to the innocent. (20 marks)

• Conflicts arise as a result of hatred and tribal animosity. The hatred and tribalism lead to violence that have adverse effect on innocent civilians.
• In this story, members of different families are separated from each other as a result of conflict. A lot of people escape from the hot spots thereby separating from their loved ones. Adam say is dragged away by rebels. Ibrahim and Mohamed are captured and tied then taken away. Kamara is separated from.
• Marie because of the conflict.
• A lot of atrocities are meted on the people during conflict. Women and girls end up being defiled, a case of Kamara where she is raped by Salieu at a tender age. Many people lose their limbs. Rebels cut off people’s hands as a way of sending a message to the president to get out of power. Many people are forced to live in an amplitees’ camp in free town. Many lives are lost. Conflict and violence lead to the killing of many people. The narrator says that she later learnt that as many as a hundred people were killed that day. Rebels have no regard for human life, they just kill people. In line with the war, children are also recruited into war as soldiers. Mostly this is done against their will and they end up missing on their childhood. Kamara is tortured and eventually amputated by child soldiers who are her age mates. She pleads with a child soldier to have mercy on her as she is his age but the child soldier hears none of that. Victims of violence and conflicts are forced to live under pathetic conditions, Kamara, her cousins and aunt have to live in a camp. This camp is full of filth. Moreso they are forced to beg on the streets to get food.
• Children who experience violence go through psychological torture. Kamara mentions that she is enrolled in high school before she is swallowed by thoughts of her past and family.
• Effects of conflicts are quite adverse on the innocent especially the children. They are the ones who are handicapped, displaced from this homes, forced to live in pathetic conditions and some even lose their lives. (20 marks)

5. With illustrations from Siddartha Gigoo's Story, Umbrella Man, discuss how symbolism has been developed.

Umbrella Man, set in an asylum basically employs the umbrella as symbol for rain and by extension a hope for freedom from the mental asylum for the inmate referred to as number 7. Moreover, the umbrella is also symbolic of protection and companionship.

Every time number 7 steps out of his ward, he rarely fails to carry the umbrella and keenly observes the clouds to see whether they will yield rain. Some how number 7 was hopeful of the rain that evening as well. (pg 46). The barber knows Number 7 is fascinated about the rain and asks him if it will rain soon Number 7 gives him hope that it going to rain soon. I thought you believed in Hope and Nature's miracles. Don't you believe that someday It will rain here and the earth will turn moist and smell of wild flowers. pg 49). In the end hope is fulfilled. It rains even though this happens at night.

The umbrella as a symbol of protection and companionship not only shields the inmate from the scorching sun, but also keep company from the solidarity confinement of the mental asylum. His umbrella is his playmate. He holds it aloft and walks with it leisurely on the compound. During the lonesome nights, he would imagine he is talking to a child. During such moments, he wakes up and watches the child disturbed by unpleasant dream. He comforts the child to go back to sleep and promises to be by the child's side

The umbrella does also act as hope for freedom Inmate Number 7 who carries this umbrella everywhere he goes is the only one allowed outside the compound. It takes doctors several months to grant Number 7 permission to go outside the compound This liberty is not an entitlement but a privilege. It is a freedom that can be measured it ends either at the one hundred and ninety-square metre compound of the asylum or the ninety-something yards in the narrow avenue outside the gates that ended at another wall. Finally, the committee members unanimously agree that umbrella man is now fit to go home

Indeed the hope of the umbrella man is fulfilled when it rains on the night that he gets released from the asylum Mark as follows Any three well developed points Mark 4.4.4 Award 2 marks for Introduction and 2 marks for Conclusion

6. Poverty creates deep social contrast in the way people live in the society. Write an essay in support of the above statement drawing illustrations from No Violet Bulawayo’s story, Hitting Budapest.

Paradise and Budapest contrast sharply in their manifestations of the economic duality where extreme poverty is paralleled with abundance and extreme wealth.

Paradise is prejudiced in food and hunger pangs which drive children into stealing guava fruits as Budapest chocks in plenty and waste. The children sneak out of their dwelling place and go to steal quavas because of hunger. The narrator says he would die for guavas or anything because his stomach feels like somebody just took a shovel and dug everything out ( 971. They have stolen from Chipo's uncle's trees, they have harvested all the fruits at SADC Street and now they are adventuring in the IMF Street where they are sure to find some. By the time they get back to paradise their stomachs are so full they will just drink water for the night listen to Mother of Bone's stories and go to sleep. Contrast this to the experience of Budapest where the woman comes out eating ice cream and can afford to throw the remains into the waste bin. The children wonder because they have never seen anybody throw food away. (pg 100)

• The two neighbourhoods are completely worlds apart in housing and shelter In paradise the narrator says they live in shanties and shacks. No wonder then that they are mesmerized by the Budapest's big houses with graveled vards and tall fences and walls and flowers and green trees, heavy with guava fruits to steal. (pg 98). They even argue about and adopt houses they can only dream about.pg 102, 103) Inequality is also very evident in the distribution of facilities of comfort (recreational facilities) in Budapest, along Hope Street there is a big stadium with the glimmering benches that the children in Paradise will never sit on (pg 97. Mello can afford to eat ice cream the remains of which she even throws into a dustbin. The children from Paradise look at the flying remains of the food flying in the air like a dead bird before hitting the ground. They have never seen anyone throw food away. They can afford to listen to good music not kwaito or dance hall like in Paradise (pg 100). Mello takes pictures for fun She has a nice pink camera which fascinate the children because it is not in their experience. No wonder, taking pictures does not appeal to the children at all (pg 101).
• Contrasted social distance disposition is manifested in relationships and levels of interactions in Budapest and Paradise There is certain level of effervescence in Paradise as opposed to Budapest Children interact easily and even plan to go and steal Guava fruits from the neighbourhood. Women and men can have time for each other ( 97 98 102). And the narrator tells us of Mother of Bones telling them stories in the evenings before they sleep Budapest on the other hand is deserted and forlorn. The narrator says, "Budapest is like a different country But not an ordinary country- It looks like everybody woke up one day and closed their caree, doors and windows picked their passports and left Even the air is empty no burning things, no smell of cooking food or something rotting: just plain air with nothing in its hands. pg 9B)
• Basics in life like clothing and water are so lacking in Paradise whereas there is plenty in Budapest. When Mello run her hands in her hair which looked matted and dirty the narrator wonders and wishes that he was in Budapest ""...If I lived in Budapest / would wash my whole body every day and comb my hair nicely to show was a real person iving in a real place (pg 101) even clothing is a problem in Paradise. Godknows shorts are tor at the back and the white fabric is dirty as Basta wears a wom out T-shirt that makes him look so ugly one cannot tell whether he is a man or a woman in Budapest, Mello is wearing a long neat dress. She is clean and pretty, like a baby. She adorng jewelry and her skin is smooth brown and does not have a scarpg 100, 101) There is no going to school in paradise. In fact the children believe that going to school is not important anymore. They imagine one can make money without going to school. The importance of school only occurs to them when they are taken to a correction home and they can now read and write (pg 103 104-105)

In conclusion the story treats the reader to a clear disparity that is so common in life when it comes to distribution of national resources, one part of the society has in excess what the other part may never live to experience, creating an absurd tilt in life.

7. When a teenage girl is brought up by an absentee mother, she is bound to face countless challenges. Justify this assertion basing your answer on Lesley Nneka’s story 'Light'

Introduction (2mks)

Any plausible introduction

Body(12mks)

• Getting physically lost Enebeli had separated for hours during chaos in market place. Unanswered questions may be demonstrated by the wrong people; Enebeli had to handle them though even when he wasn't the right person to do so.
• Biological developments are not clear thus could have humiliated episodes, the girls first monthly period seeped all through the mattress.
• It leads to family conflict and disintegrating: Enebeli is always at loggerheads with the wife because of the girl.
• Breakdown of communications eventually sets in between the mother and daughter making a bad situation worse. The girl stopped talking with the mother. Relationship with other family members is affected: The aunt to the girl

Conclusion (2mks) any valid conclusion Language (4mks)

8. ‘In the short story, How Much Land Does Man Need, the author shows human greed’. Write an essay to support the above statement.

Some people are not satisfied with what they have and want more all the time. Leo Toistay's short story "How much land does man need? Is a dear llustration of this.

• He 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 a thought that this land was not enough. He wanted wider and more fertile.. How can I have more land?
• He was easily convinced to go buy land from the Bashkis. A passing dealer tells him there is cheap land in land of the Bashkuris.. I have to go there and buy land he thinks. He enquired how to get to Bashkris and buys many presents in the market.. He started on the journey and took his servant with him.
• He could not sleep. thinking of the land he would acquire "If I walk the whole day what a large track I will mark off...... He lay awake all night.. When shown the land his eyes gistered; there was wide land in front of his eyes. "I will get the largest and the best land above all the people!"
• He bit more than he could chew. He tried to get more land than his body could sustain in walking,. He kept walking without thinking. He felt serious pain but pressed on. He threw away his coat, his shoes, his flask and his cap. . His legs gave away beneath him and he fell forward. He dies after straining to get more land.

It is out of greed and obsession to get more land that Palom strains to get and dies tragically,

NB: Expect 4 well illustrated points (3:3:3:3) Introduction - 2mks Body - 12 mks Conclusion - 2mks Language competence - (4mks)

9. Discuss the major issues highlighted by the writer in the story window seat by Benjamin Branoff.

Every writer sets out to pass a certain message or communicate a particular issue to the audience through their work Benjamin highlights a few concepts in the story Window Seat.

• Lawlessness our roads, vehicles should always follow traffic rules on the roads for Safety in this story law and order on roads is not followed as it should be public transport vehides are overloaded. The narrator says a min van meant for te passengers now carry twenty four of them. It is even worse in the rush hour.
• Bribery and corruption-drivers bribe policemen in order to get away with crime. Even when things seem to be okay with the vehicle the policemen solicit for bribes is an extent of removing the car keys from ignition. The bribe is a very powerful voice that the police use to silence the adamant drivers.
• Suffering a passengers. The narrator says that one learns not to commit to a long road because of discomfort. However they don't seem to care or they are used to it They even smack their lips loudly when the policemen take bribes but they don't take any step. It is even because of overloading that makes it easy for Kenga to rob the narrator.
• Poverty people at the bus stop are said to be in sandals and others are barefoot, this means they cannot afford better shoes. The passengers could be suffering in silence In the overloaded daladala because of poverty. This is because they pay less money for fare.The narrator describes Kenga that she has a trim figure probably caused by a lifetime of hardwork and deprivation of luxuries. It also possible that she stole from the narrator because she is poor.
• The word Mzungu means a white men. The Africans call them this to mean be is from the white race. The Africans see the narrator as more superior than them and use even a spectacle that he is using the public. When the guard greets him at the city Chui, everybody turns to see him Africans perceive the white men as rich and wealthy that's why Kanga robs him in the vehicle. The narrator chooses to date Monique a French girl because she is from their race. He says "I should be with the France girl la fille because French woman are absolutely like American men

Major issues that can be related to our day today life's are highlighted in the story. Such issues such as poverty, Lawlessness on our roads and poverty need to be dealt with for better life

10. The villagers are to blame for the death of Esteban. With clear illustrations from Gabriel Marquez’s story The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World write an essay showing how the villagers can be blamed for the death of Esteban.

At times people drives others to their deaths without consciously knowing what they are doing. This is the case with Esteban whose death can be blames on the villagers.

• Estaban had been uncomfortable getting into the village houses because the doors were small for him and he had to get in sideways and at times would hit his head on cross beams. The chairs in the village were weak for Estaban, something that made him feel out of place in his huge size. He had to stand most of the time as others seat.
• The women always talked negatively about him. They did not appreciate his presence in the homes and reffered to him as 'big boob or "handsome fool."
• The men seem remorseful also for making Esteban feel out of place, in the village even clothes would not fit him and the narrator says.......it was not his fault that he was so big or so heavy or so handsome" (Pg 141). Both the men and the women blame themselves for not making him fit in the village.

Knowingly or subconsciously the villagers made Estab feel out of place. They seem to admit this in the end and give him a good send off after owning him. They also do several things in his memory.

11. “Greed and Materialism can lead to grave consequences.” In reference to the story “How Much Land Does Man a Need by Leo Toistoy, write an essay to illustrate the truth of this statement

Introduction:

The introductory paragraph could either be general or contextualized. It must be an attempt at interpreting the question. Definitions or lifting the question will not score. Eg. They need to amass more and more in terms of money or property is a vice that many people have. However in the pursuit of such, one ends up losing in one way or

Pahom who had so many acres of land, and pasture still gets so interested in getting much more at a cheaper price but then had to walk to get as much land at roubles a day as possible. He exhaust himself and collapses dead in his attempt.

• Pahom's yearning to get more land yet he has 123 acres of land and pasture, a big house and five family members. He thinks the land was not big enough. Wanted wider and more fertile lands Had the desire to farm widely and keep more livestock. kept on thinking about only one thing, how he can get more land
• The news about 13,000 acres of land all for 1000 roubles Pahom gets strongly attracted due to his greed for land . Wonders whether it is true - He says he must go and buy that land. He embarked on the journey and took his servants with him. They walked for seven days to where the land was, got the people of the town and gave them presents. The people promise to do anything for him.
• The prospects of the Pahom owning a large piece of land. He is told that the price of the land is always the same: 1,000 rouble a day. One had to go round on his feet and that land covered would be his, at 1,000 roubles a day. One had to start at one spot, make a round and mark with a spade on the place passed. Once had to make as large a circuit as one pleased, but one had to return to the place one started, otherwise all would be lost. - Pahom could not sleep thinking about how much land he would cover.
• The walk. Armed with his spade, he waited for the sun to rise and started off. He at some point takes off his outer coat and shoes. He was sweating and very thirsty. He was becoming tired he ate quickly to save on time, so that he can walk a greater distance. it was hot, yet he must return to the place where he started. He started walking back in difficulty
• Regrets - Pahom realizes time to sunset was almost gone and he began running back to the hillock. He realizes he had tried too much. He felt serious pain but pressed on, yet he was still far from the hillock. He threw away his coat shoes and flask and cap. He kept only the spade which he used as support, his soaking shirt and trousers stuck to him, his heart beating like a hammer. He was seized with terror and he died of strain. He fell down and died. Because he lost his whole energy to get more land, when he got to the goal, he fell down and died.

Conclusion;

Must be a valid paragraph, related to the requirements of the quattion. In his relentless pursult for more wealth, pahom ended up dead. Unrelentless pursuit for materials wealth can lead to disastrous consequences.

12. ‘All that glitters is not gold’ with illustration from Leo Toltoy’s ‘How much land does man need?' Write an essay to justify this statement.

Introduction (2 marks)

- Should be relevant - No definition of terms of proverb

Body /content. (12 marks)

Should have atleast four well explained points. Each point should have - a topical sentence / introducing the main idea of the paragraph. • Support sentences. - inches / concluding sentences 3 marks x 4 points

• A passing dealer shares with Pahon how he had bought 13,000 acres of land all for 1,000 roubles. He thinks it a catch. In addition all the lands are very fertile. He say "I have to go there and buy land. He ends walking there for seven days
• The leader promises to give Pahom anything he could ask for as a reward for the presents he'd given to them. He asks him not to shy asking. He chooses the fertile wide land which he had to go round it in a day before owning it.
• Pahom fantasizes making a big pasture in his newly acquired land and build a good cottage. He promises himself to walk the whole day and mark off a large tract. He lays on his bed and could not sleep. He lays awake all night and only dozes off just before down.
• As Pahom resumes walking after a lunch break, he keeps thinking 'An hour to suffer, a life-time to live.' He walks on and just when he was about to turn to the left again, he perceives a damp hallow. He thinks it would be a pity leaving it out as flax would do well there. A desire to get this hollow makes him not totum
• Pahom develops a strong desire to amass even more land. He thus walks without thinking. He suddenly looks at the sun it was nearly half way to the horizon. He decides to walk back. His bare feet are cut and bruised. He longed to rest but it was impossible,
• Though afraid of death, upon hearing the Bashkirs velling and shouting him, he ran on and on as he was quite near his aim. He could see the people on the hillock waving their arms to hurry him up. He eventually reaches the beginning mark and collapses. Pahom dies and he's buried

Conclusion (2 marks)

Any relevant conclusion

Linguistic marks (4 marks)

13. Window seat is like a mirror in which we see our image. Discuss the image of African countries as seen from the view point of the story, Window seat by Benjamin Branof

Introduction Window seat actually exposes the shortfalls in most African countries like corruption, the bad state of roads and what happens in the matatu industry. (accept any other relevant introduction )2mks

• The story exposes the madness of the matatu industry. There is a lot of congestion but the traffick police takes bribes (pg 62-63)
• The state of the roads is bad and its too dusty and he has to learn the down town dance on the vehicle (pg64)
• There is poor garbage coolection and a lot of air pollution (pg 65-66)
• Corruption among the traffic police officers (pg 66-68)
• Pick pocketing by the passengers (pg69-70)
• Accept any other relevant point Mark 3:3:3:3 (12mks) Expect details
• It can be general
• It can be specific

14. Children are imprisoned by mental ailments because of superstitious beliefs of those around them. Write an essay in support of the above statement drawing illustrations from Lidudumalingani Mqombothi’s story Memories We Lost. (20 marks)     

Introduction In the story, Memories We Lost, those affected by mental diseases may continue suffering if the condition is considered demonic. This is demonstrated in the life of the girl who was suffering from schizophrenia. (Any other relevant introduction) Content 

• The first attack is said to come out of nowhere, as ghosts do. It is stated that every time the girl is attacked by the ‘thing’, she returned altered, unrecognizable as if two people were trapped inside her. p. 10-11
• The victim is subjected to ritualistic practices meant to cure her. She had been through many rituals and church sermons, and nothing had changed. p. 14-16
• The villagers shout insults to the thing because it remained mysterious to them. The elders even kept referring this thing as the devil’s work and demons. The mother was prompted to question God why he gave the thing to her daughter. p.15
• There is a plan to take the girl to Nkunzi who was known for ‘baking people’. He claimed to be baking the demons and the patient would recover from the burns a week later. p.17
• The girl is taken to sangomas who gave her bottles of medication. Unfortunately she did not recover. p.13

Conclusion  In conclusion, ignorance due to the belief in evil spirits may worsen an illness which can be easily managed through love, care and understanding.  (Any other relevant conclusion) Language   0-4 1mk 5-7 2mks 8-10 3mks 11-12 4mks 

15. Moran (Ed.), Memories We Lost and Other stories (20 marks) Lack of trust destroys relationships. Using illustrations from Dilman Dila’s Stones Bounce on Water, write an essay to illustrate the truth of this statement.

Introduction Any affair based on mistrust and lies is bound to fail. This is portrayed in the short story Stones Bounce on Water by Dilman Dila. Body

• There exists great mistrust in the marriage of Winnie and her husband Peter; a very uncomfortable marriage. Winnie suspects that Peter and Chelsea have an affair and goes ahead to expose her suspicion and the husband vehemently retrains her p145, 152. She argues that her death would give the two lovers free moments to live together, p160, 163.
• Winnie suspects that the Paulson’s are out to kill her so that they run the charity organization they share. When the firecracker goes off, Winnie believes it was deliberate and intended to harm her, p148. When she slumps onto Meg’s chair and unknowingly and slips the tea laced with Waragi, she becomes convinced that it was all planned against her until Joe corrects her, p 149. She apologizes but remains suspicious. The police also believed the Paulson’s sent their children away to spare them the trauma of witnessing murder, p147. Winnie at the end is murdered.
• The other cause of mistrust could be inheritance. Tim Collins is the only relative outside marriage that would want to inherit Winnie’s wealth. He visits the dreaded pond in company of Simon; gets to know its location and the fact that it was feared and abandoned. This makes Winnie suspect him, p152. Tim Collins is suspected to have hired a dart gun from a poacher in Kenya that could have been used to drug the watchman, Okello. The fact that he was the best man in Chelsea/Peter wedding makes him suspect number 1. After the wedding, they struggled over the wealth, making it easy for the court to decide, p163.
• Chelsea is a partner of Winnie in a chain of shopping malls. In case she died, Chelsea stood a chance of having all of them to herself. Winnie mistrusts her and believes she is nurturing a love affair with Peter, p152. After Winnie’s murder, Chelsea and Peter were reported to have married. The Paulson’s skipped the wedding.
• Meg’s secret of having secret bottles is revealed in Winnie sipping tea from her cup. This shakes their relationship since the truth is revealed.
• Marking points
• Introduction 2mks.
• Four well illustrated points 3:3:3:3.
• Valid conclusion 2mks.
• Language up to 4 marks.

16. "It is in life's confinement that positive thinking and hope creates comfort and ultimate success". Using Siddhartha Gigoo's story. "The Umbrella Man" show the truth of this statement.

It is evident that optimism is what needs to endure toughest of times and see through to success as demonstrated by the inmate, No.7

• No.7 is given to the priviledge of going out of the gates because of his obedience and calmness, a position that the other inmates do not enjoy
• He ensures that he is psychologically at peace with himself and when there is threat of loneliness in the night, he recreates amity with a child in his dreams. He keeps consoling the child until it becomes happy
• He turns a rejected umbrella and makes it his soul mate and gives him hope to surge on and live in permanent expectation or good tidings. It becomes his comparison and he psychologically thrives in its companionship the symbolic expectation of rains that eventually comes with positivity
• Rain signifies and with it abundance and constant hope. The conversation he has with the barber shows how deeply inclined he is to the hope of a brighter future and he urges the barber to see it his way. And as if to confirm his belief it rains the very day he is released
• The punny little fellow is sympomatic of the yearning for freedom
• Conclusion In coclusion, No7 keeps to the faith as he lives it and at the end, the hope is realized when he is released from both physical and psychological bondage

17. Chris Wanjala (Ed.), Memories We Lost and Other Stories. Discuss the challenges facing developing nations in Africa, with close reference to Window Seat by Benjamin Branoff.

• The developing nations in Africa experience many problems. Most times, these problems stem from ignorance, irresponsibility and lack of resources. Benjamin Branoff explores these problems in the short story, Window Seat.
• Developing nations experience garbage problems. The narrator sees dirt fly by as he sits by the window seat. There is grass and dirt throughout the journey. “The dirt and the grass are clumsy and foolish .. People are burning rubbish and dead foliage in piles by the roadside. A rancid smell is evident as they approach the town. It smells of garbage and human filth.
• Overloading
• The vehicle carries at most 28 passengers when it is made for 10. the narrator sits in a foetal position and jabs the man in front of him because they are congested inside the vehicle.  They all fuse their backs together and become one.
• Poor/ dusty roads
• The roads are full of potholes. The roads are dusty too. “I can read my location from the consistency of this dance. Pg 64. A few more stops down the dusty road.
• The police officer takes a bribe from the congested vehicle. He does not inspect it to check if it was roadworthy.pg 68.
• Human Traffic
• People are all over. “Through the sea of human traffic past the market; there anything can be bought. Congestion causes chaos. “I try to ignore the enticing shouts” pg 65. The feet are dangerously close to the now moving daladala.
• I reach into my right pocket for the money. Not there. Nope. Desperately, I search my back pockets

18. Traveling from one point to another can be a nightmare in many third world cities. Using illustrations from the short story Window Seat by Benjamin Branoff, show the validity of the assertion above. / Drawing illustrations from Window Seat by Benjamin Branoff, show the truthfulness in the observation that  “Travellers are sometimes subjected to pathetic travelling conditions on most of the Kenyan roads.”( 20mks)

Introduction Candidates should show the difficulties associated with public transport Accept: General Both general and contextual An outline/ summary (2 mks) Points of Interpretation

• It is uncomfortable to use public means of transport on Kenyan roads as one is exposed to uncouth conditions such as Air/noise pollution….endless dirt drifts through the window ….it finds crevices on my body… and sneaks into the stitching of my clothes pg63/65 Air pollution seen when he says …the rancid smell from the burning garbage oozing into the vehicle from nearby rots . pg 65 Noise pollution… when they reach the bus stop, they are exposed to the smelling bodies of the passengers.
• The roads are unworthy hence they are in pathetic conditions. The narrator says he is uncomfortable in the vehicle he is travelling in sitting at the window seat. This does not help as his head knocks on rusty ceiling many times.
• They are sometimes pickpocketed by pretty thieves. There are many people who engage in pretty stealing, pickpocketing like the kanga woman who pretends to be an innocent traveller but ends up stealing from the mzungu. He is left without money to pay for his fare.
• The roads are poorly maintained…while travelling the narrator says : The black asphalt is a slick and old and wise and grabs the dirty grass with confidence.
• The indifferent police officers that are bribed yet the vehicle is full. At chou, there is a sentry guard who although stops the overloaded vehicle does not make any effort to correct it…he was bribed but smiles instead. Accept any other relevant point. Expect any four areas. Mark 3:3:3:3= 12 mks

Conclusion Using public transport can be frustrating sometimes. Accept any other relevant conclusion. (2 mks)

19. Drawing illustrations from window seat by Benjamin Branoff, show the truthfulness in the observation that “travelers are sometimes subjected to pathetic travelling conditions on most of the Kenyan roads”. (20 mks)

• Candidates should show the difficulties associated with public transport Accept: General Both general and contextual An outline/ summary (2 mks)

Points of Interpretation

20. ‘Self-will is the key to surviving life threatening conditions’ Support this statement basing your illustrations on the story ‘No Need to Lie’ by Rolf Schmidt.

INTRODUCTION (2MKS) The candidate should show understanding of the question and the effort Rolf puts in to overcome the challenges of cancer (It can be general/contextual or both)

CONTENT (12MKS)

• Food- Rolf ensures he eats food by forcing it down his throat despite the pain (pg126-127)
• Radiotherapy- Despite the dreadfull and almost frightening radiation apparatus as well as the side effects of radio therapy,Rolf faces the treatment bravely . This decreases the swelling on his neck.
• Chemotherapy Rolf is ready to follow through with the doctor’s advice on chemotherapy ( pg 123,128,131,135)
• Friends- Rolf keeps in touch with his friends who assist him to endure the pain by being there for him and providing financial assistance. He vows not let them down.
• Sporting activities- Rolf continues with his Pollo game at the club as a way of occupying himself and fighting the effects of cancer.(pg 129,131)
• Right attitude – Rolf’s right mind set makes him convince himself that he is not going to die. He tells himself that those who give up end up losing to cancer.
• Family – Rolf’s strong desire to be there for his wife and children give him enough reason to be strong enough and defeat cancer. He pulls himself away from pity party and realizes he has a family that needs him to live.

CONCLUSION(2 MKS)

In conclusion we all need a strong will in life at one point or another in order to see another new day. AWARD 2:3:3:3:3:2 + 4mks language= 20mks

21. Secrecy and mistrust can damage relationships. Discuss with illustrations from Dilman Dila’s Stones Bounce on Water.

People who keep issues from one another are hound to have poor relations especially it the truth is uncovered. (Any relevant introduction)

• The secret affair between Peter and Chelsea creates a sense of mistrust in Winnie. Winnie almost drops her cup when Chelsea remarks that she would spend her next honey moon there, Pg 152. ‘You won’t shut me up! There is something between you and Chelsea! This assertion is true as in the end Peter and Chelsea get married after Winnie’s death.
• Simon secretly adds alcohol to Meg’s tea against Joe’s wishes. On pg 148. Joe had always suspected that Meg had secret bottles and on asking Simon he denies it, Joe looks at Simon with a sneer to show his disapproval. Meg is actually driven into alcoholism due to the mistrust that exists between her and the business partners. Simon says that he as sure Joe would reprimand Meg. p 149.
• Tim. Winnie’s Cousin, secretly plans Winnie’s murder so as to be a beneficiary of Winnie’s wealth. Pg 149, Winnie talks about the how Tim would inherit her money and when Winnie’s body is found and investigations are conducted, Okello the guard says that lie was drugged, even though the evidence is scanty it is later discovered that Tim had contacted a poacher in Kenya before he got to Uganda (dart gun).
• Even after conspiring to murder Winnie and become heirs of her wealth, Tim and Peter do not trust each other and they disagree on how they are to share what they had acquired. They testify against one another making it easy for the courts to make a judgement, pg 163.
• Winnie mistrusts everybody who is around her. She believes someone wants to kill benefit from her wealth. When fire cracker goes off. She believes it was asset up for them to run so as someone would add poison to her tea. She cannot even eat the food prepared by the cooks it is poisoned. She even asks whether they would deposit her body at the pond, pg 152.

Conclusion In conclusion, relationships shrouded in mistrust and secrets are bound to fail.

22. Mentally ill patients need love and care. Using illustrations from LidudumaLingahi Mqombothi’s short story, Memories we lost. Write an essay to justify this statement. (20 mks)

Character presented

• Narrator, mother, neighbours, school fraternity. The narrator supports the sister by being truant from school to take care of the sister who had dropped out. Prevents the sister from inflicting self injury (p 11-12) Helps the sister escape from home to prevent the mother from taking her to the Sangoma. She gets rid of the needless medication.
• Mother She fearlessly searches for the daughter after others had given up at night and comes carrying her. (p.11) She desperately tries to get help for the daughter as she takes her to the Sangomas.
• Neighbours Helps in searching for the sick girl when she runs away at night (p 10) men and boys emerged from their houses with machetes. The villagers ‘United with the mother in support of organising a ceremony which was expected to cure the sick girl. (p. 14). “The entire village gathered outside our house for another ritual meant to cure my sister” This showed the frantic effort by the neighbours to support the cure of the sick girl. The school fraternity was able to accommodate the sick girl until she became very violent. However the teacher informs the narrator that the sick girl was suffering from schizophrenia and the narrator felt that all the medicine being given by the sungomas would not help her sister. She finally helps the sick sister to get rid of the medicine. (p. 13)

23. Basing your answer on Leo Tolstoy’s How Much Land Does One Need? Show how lack of contentment with what one has leads to destruction.

Introduction Lack of contentment in life can lead to greed and even in some case death. Leo Tolsoy in the story, How Much Land Does One Need? reminds us that we do not need a lot in life and we should be content with what is enough. Pahom looks for more land yet he has more than what many people have. Accept any other introduction 2marks Points of interpretation

• Ci: Attraction Lack of contentment can lead one to destruction as seen with Pahom. He is a farmer who owns 123 acres of land and pasture but he still wants more. He keeps thinking of how he wants more land. When a man tells him of the land of the Bashkirs and how cheaply it is sold, he is strongly attracted.
• Cii: Sleep Pahom learns from the Bashkir leader that he was to walk the whole day and return before sunset and all the land he had marked would be his for 1000 rubles. He is unable to sleep as he thinks of the large tract of land he will get if he covers a large area.
• Ciii: Walking When Pahom starts to cover ground, he sees more fertile land farther and farther away and all he thinks about is how to get all the land for himself. He keeps moving towards more land and he loses track of time. He is willing to even throw away what he has to get what he can see and unfortunately never have.
• Civ: Running Pahom removes his shirt and throws away his water bottle. He suffers because he wants to walk to more of fertile land that he can see, the more he sees, the more he runs towards it. It is almost sunset and he runs fast as he wants to beat the sunset deadline and own all the land he has marked. He is tired and his heart beats very hard. Unfortunately, he falls to the ground dead because he had lost a lot of energy. His servant buries him and says that all Pahom needed was six feet from his head to his heels. 3:3:3:3=12 points

Conclusion Pahom dies because he is not satisfied with what he has. In his quest to acquire more fertile land, he missed out on time. In the end, it is greed that kills him, yet all he needed was some land. Accept any other valid conclusion 2marks

24. Cancer is a disease that can be conquered. Using illustrations from the short story, "No Need to Lie," justify the truth of the statement (20mks)

INTRODUCTION Thousands of people suffer from, and die of cancer; and thousands more, probably millions, suffer from it, defeat it and live to share their experiences. The story, "No need to lie," by Rolf Schmid bears this out.

• Determination and positive thinking are important as personal defence to an infected person. The narrator keeps positive thoughts coupled with strong will to live; he would summon the faces of his children one by one as a visual reminder of the reasons he had for living. Moreover, he kept telling himself, "you can't die, not now." Further more, as a theuparatic measure, he carry on with his everyday activities like playing polo with his friends in spite of his condition. His determination play a great role in his healing process.
• The narrator's trust in God, and his wife's constant prayers for him plays an important role too. Asmahan, his wife constantly says a prayer for him, "Bismillahi rahmani Rahim," as he drives himself to Nairobi Hospital. More over, on their way to the airport the wife reminds him, "God will be with you, and we shall all pray." His faith and trust enables him to have a settled mind which in turn contributes to his body responding to treatment well.
• Support from his spouse and friends helps him to accept his condition. Terminal illnesses become a challenge when people around you discriminate or stigmatize you. This is not the case in Rolf's situation. The wife encouraging him and friends like Gideon coming to visit and making contributions towards his medication help him to accept his condition, and move to various stages of treatment without a problem.
• Cooperating with the medical personnel is key to conquering the disease. From the moment Rolf goes to hospital thinking that he has tonsillitis, he begins a long medical journey which starts at Karen Surgery. His reference to Nairobi Hospital by Dr Mrs Van Enk to see a specialist, Dr Rupani, is accepted though it raises in him questions about his condition. More so, he goes through radiation processes and later chemotherapy at Nairobi Hospital without any objections. When he is later referred to Katharinen Hospital in Germany in the last stages of his treatment, which would involve operation, he cooperates. This cooperation enables treatment procedures to be completed on schedule.
• Food and food drinks are essential components in the fight against cancer as it helps the body gain from food nutrients that build body's strength against diseases. Though taking them can be a challenge because of open wounds on the throat, gums or lips, the narrator divices a method with the help of his medicare team to use a pipe inserted in his throat through which he would pour the fluid food and water right into his food pipe. This requires perseverance and endurance but it is advised in order to help the patient stay strong. The narrator's ability to persevere and endure all the pain is what finally brings him healing and full recovery.

CONCLUSION With early diagnosis, detection, and adherence to the doctors' advice, and self acceptance, and the will to live, cancer can be conquered.

25. In life, it is positive thinking and hope that creates comfort and ultimate success. Using illustrations from Umbrella Man by Siddhartha Gigoo, justify this statement.

Introduction In the story “umbrella Man” it is evident that optimism is what one needs to endure toughest of times and see one through to success as demonstrated by the inmate, Number 7.

• Number 7 is given the privilege of going out of the gates because of his obedience and calmness, a position that the other inmates do not enjoy. (46).
• He ensures that he is psychologically at peace with himself and when there is threat of loneliness in the night, he recreates amity with a child in his dreams. He keeps on consoling the child until it becomes happy. (pg48, 50)
• He turns a rejected umbrella and makes it his soul mate and it gives him hope to surge on and live in permanent expectation of good tidings. It becomes his his companion and he psychologically thrives in its companionship, the symbolic expectation of rains that eventually comes with positivity (pg 48)
• The rain is important to the umbrella man. Rain signifies life and with abundance and constant hope. The conversation he has with the barber shows how deeply inclined he is to the hope of a brighter future and he urges the barber to see it his way. And as if confirm his belief, it rains the very day he is released. (pg 46,48,50)
• The puny little fellow is symptomatic of the yearning for freedom. (49,50)

Conclusion In conclusion, Number 7 keeps to the faith as he lives it and at the end, the hope is realized when he is released from both physical and psychological bondage.

26. Using illustrations from Rolf Schmid’s short story, “No Need to Lie”, write a Composition on the agonizing effects of cancer. (20 marks)

Introduction: The cancer scourge continues to cause pain, suffering and loss of lives amongst Kenyan families. The greatest challenge has been that it’s difficult to detect the disease early and most patients cannot afford the medical care. Although Rolf Schmid in the story No need to Lie , discovers the cancer early, he goes through hell before he fully discovers.

Cancer makes   eating   nightmares   to   the   victims.   When   Rolf experienced the pain for the first time, it was unbearable and he could hardly swallo Pg. 122. He was also scared to eat. The thought of food passing through his mouth scared him. Dr. Rupani threatened to feed him intravenously. Rolf opted to feed himself through rubber pipe inserted in his throat. The experience was still painful and torturous. He had raw lips,  gums and sore throat and  when food touched any this, he could groan in pain.

• The pain associated with cancer is unbearable. After going through radiation, Rolf felt excruciating pain in the nec His moth was full of ulcers, skin covering the gums had peeled off. Furthermore, chemotherapy was so painful and led to loss of hair, nausea and vomiting. An eight-inch cut on his neck had to be cleaned and he often fainted during the procedure.
• Cancer causes deformation. In the patient room, Rolf saw patients who had lost hair. He lost weight significantly. The muscles were was Once he was 125kg but now was weighed 87.3kg. Chemotherapy also led to loss of hair and brought a lot of misery to the patients. In fact, Rolf lost his hair and a beard, his head was swollen such that one could not see the neck. A number of patients were paralyzed.
• Cancer leads to psychological torture. When Rolf was required to see the doctor, we are told fear gripped him. He didn’t know what he was suffering from. When he thought of cancer, he was scared to death. The family could not sleep that night when they waited for biopsy results. His wife Asmanham cried when news broke that he had cancer. Again Rolf was intimidated when he saw the radiation apparatus. He also felt ashamed when his friends paid him a visi They heard him scream and thought he was critically ill. When he was driving to town, he felt angry such that he almost caused an accident. We dreaded chemotherapy because those who went through it died one week later. They died out of despair. Pg. 133.
• Cancer leads to loss of friends making one feel lonely. Rolf lost several fiends because of his health; those who hanged around discouraged him.
• Cancer leads to financial strain. Rolf thought that his insurance company would pay all his medical expenses, however, the company paid only up to a certain amount forcing him to raise the remaining cash from friends and other well-wishers.
• I n conclusion, we can win war on cancer if the government declares it a national disaster. By doing this, all resources would be directed towards combating the scourge thus preventing loss of lives, pain and suffering.

For a candidate to score a full, the following demands of the question must be met:

• Episodes/background information
• Details of the agony – agony must come out
• Details of the effects of cancer

27. Our actions or inactions can lead to disastrous consequences. With clear illustrations from Gabriel Marquez’s “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” write an essay illustrating the villager’s role in the death of Esteban.   

Occasionally, we could lead others to disastrous situations if we do not pay keen attention to our actions or inactions.  Esteban death can be blamed on the villagers. Content

• The doors being too small, Estaban had always got in sideways. This made him uncomfortable getting into the village houses and at times he would hit his head on crossbeams.
• The chairs in the village being weak and too small for Estaban, always made him feel out of place and made him to always remain standing while others sat.  
• On their part, the women constantly spoke negatively about him. They did not Appreciate his presence in the homes and referred to him as “big boob” or” handsome fool.”
• The men are equally remorseful for making Esteban feel out of place, in the village. Even clothes would not fit him and the narrator says, “…….it was not his fault that he was so big or so heavy or so handsome” (Pg141). Both the men and the women blame themselves for not making him fit in the village. Conclusion The quest to belong is almost an innate desire for every human and being denied this subjects one to psychological anguish whose net effect could be fatal. The villages treatment of Estaban consigned him to his early death. 

28. “Economic duality is evident in our contemporary society” substantiate the validity of this assertion drawing your illustrations from the short story Hitting Budapest by Noviolet Bulawayo. (20mks)

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTRASTS BETWEEN BUDAPEST AND PARADISE.

• Paradise and Budapest contrast sharply in their manifestations in the economic duality where extreme poverty is paralleled with abundance and extreme wealthParadise is prejudiced in food and hunger pangs which drive children into stealing guava fruits as Budapest chocks in plenty and waste. The children sneak out of their dwelling place and go to steal guavas because of hunger. The narrator says he would die for gulyas or anything because his stomach feels like somebody just took a shovel and dug everything out (pg 97). They have stolen from Chipo's uncle's trees, they have harvested all the fruits at SADC Street and now they are adventuring in the IMF Street where they are sure to find some. By the time they get back to paradise their stomachs are so full they will just drink water for the night, listen to Mother of Bone's stories and go to sleep. Contrast this to the experience of Budapest where the woman comes out eating ice cream and can afford to throw the remains into the waste bin. The children wonder because they have never seen anybody throw food away. (pg 100)
• The two neighbourhoods are completely worlds apart in housing and shelter. In paradise the narrator says they live in shanties and shacks. No wonder then that they are mesmerized by the Budapest's big houses with graveled yards and tall fences and walls and flowers and green trees, heavy with guava fruits to steal (pg 98). They even argue about and adopt houses they can only dream about.(pg 102, 103)
• Inequality is also very evident in the distribution of facilities of comfort. In Budapest, along Hope Screet there is a big stadium with the glimmering benches that the children in Paradise will never sit on (pg 97). Mello can afford to eat ice cream the remains of which she even throws into a dustbin. The children from Paradise look at the flying remains of the food flying in the air like a dend bird before hitting the ground. They have never seen anyone throw food away. They can afford to listen to good music, not kwaito or dance hall like in Paradise (pg 100). Mello takes pictures for fun. She has a nice pink camera which fascinate the children because it is not in their experience. No wonder taking pictures does not appeal to the children at all (pe 101).
• Contrasted social distance is manifested in relationships and levels of interactions in Budapest and Paradise. There is certain level of effervescence in Paradise as opposed to Budapest. Children interact easily and even plan to go and steal Guava fruits from the neighbourhood. Women and men can have time for each other (pg 97, 98, 102). And the narrator tells us of Mother of Bones telling them stories in the evenings before they sleep. Budapest on the other hand is deserted and forlorn. The narrator says, "Budapest is like a different country. But not an ordinary country it looks like everybody woke up one day and closed their gates, doors and windows picked their passports and left...Even the air is empty no burning things, no smell of cooking food or something rotting: just plain air with nothing in its hands. pg 98)
• Basics in life like clothing and water are so lacking in Paradise whereas there is plenty in Budapest When Mello run her hands in her hair which looked matted and dirty the narrator wonders and wishes that he was in Budapest, I lived in Budapest I would wash my whole body every day and comb my hair nicely to show I was a real person living in a real place."pg 101) even clothing is a problem in Paradise. Godknows shorts are tom at the back and the white fabric is dirty as Basta wears a wom out T-shirt that makes him look so ugly one cannot tell whether he is a man or a woman. In Budapest, Mello is wearing a long neat dress. She is clean and pretty, like a baby. She adorns jewelry and her skin is smooth brown and does not have a scar. (pg 100, 101)
• There is no going to school in paradise. In fact the children believe that going to school is not important anymore. They imagine one can make money without going to school. The importance of school only occurs to them when they are taken to a correction home and they can now read and write. (pg 103, 104-105)

29. Even in the midst of gloom and despair, one can find inspiration that keeps them going. Using illustrations from Siddhartha Gigoo’s ‘The Umbrella Man’, write an essay to justify this assertion.

• The inspiration of the umbrella- it was the most beautiful thing in the asylum, it brought a smile on his lips (pg 48)  and gave him the hope for the rain (pg 46)
• The conversations with the imaginary child- he would comfort the child, pray for grace upon the child. This talk helps him express his thoughts. Pg 48
• Interactions with the barber- he narrated humorous anecdotes to the inmates (pg 48) and engages Number 7 in a conversation. 
• Interactions with the puny little fellow- the friendly chats (pg 49) keep him going
• The doctors- grant him permission to saunter out of the gates due to his obedience and calm disposition pg  (46) and the good news about his freedom (pg 50) provide hope to him. 
• The doctors also find inspiration in treating Number 7- It is encouraging to see the progress Number 7 makes and this makes the doctors give him freedom to go out of the asylum gate after many months of treating him (pg 46) as well as the good news of is ultimate freedom (pg 50). Their efforts have yielded fruit....

30. Chronic illness affect the victim and their families in equal measure. Drawing the illustration from the story, “Memories we lost” by Ludumalingani, write an essay in support on the statement

Introduction When a person falls ill, the family members too become sick in a way. The family members have to alter their engagements in order for them to adequately take care of the sick person. The story Memories we Lost has clearly proven this.

• Both the patient and the sister’s education is disrupted due to mental illness. She has to drop out of school. When she is attacked by a bout of schizophrenia, she swings a desk across the room and smashes a window. She smashes a chair against a wall and screams words which are incomprehensible. When her sister sees her reaction, she also goes truant and fakes illness so that she can stay at home with her sister. The sister says, “I want to be in the same class with you”. They stay together doing sketches. Over the years, they miss so much education that the younger sister goes two grades higher than the sick girl.
• The sickness causes the patient to not only injure herself but also her sister. She bleeds after smashing herself on the wall. When her sister grabs her trying to protect her, she becomes quite strong and overpowers her sister. She even cracks the wall open with her hand. The sick girl throws hot porridge on her sister scalding her chest. The sister, however, protects the sick girl by saying that she accidentally poured hot water on herself yet she had to run for safety when her sister had flung the pot with hot porridge across the room. The sick girl does it unconsciously and does not mean to hurt her sister. When she gains consciousness, she is shocked and devastated by her actions. Had she known what she had done, she would never have forgiven herself. Both the sick girl and her sister suffer because of the schizophrenia.
• The patient runs away from home in the middle of the night. The mother and the entire village are abducted from their sleep. Men and boys organize a disoriented search party in small uncoordinated groups. Even the children are frightened. As they search for her, the village is risking plunging down a cliff. They would search and search for the whole night. When the mother finally finds her, she carries her on her back and ‘she would scream at interval as to taunt’’ the mother (p11). The mother would take her risk daughter to moreThe sisters are forced to run away. When the narrator finds out that the mother is planning to take her to Nkunzi, a traditional healer, they opt to run away. The healer lives in a remote village miles away from their home. He is famous for “baking” mentally ill people claiming to cure them. He would make a fire from cow dung and weeds then tie the sick person on a zinc roofing and place it on fire. This resulted to death of the ‘demon-possessed’ since the narrator does not know anyone who survived Nkunzi’s ‘baking. They therefore flee home at sunset. They wander to a village, Philani where she takes her sister to hospital. When the narrator and the sister are playing in the rail, the mother is so fearful that she “thought that this was going to come again” and organizes for another ritual meant to cure….She loses faith in God “….Was torn and defeated and questioned why God gave this thing to my sister and my father”. Pg 15

Conclusion Sick people and those around them experience a lot of challenges due to illnesses. It is good if we can stretch a helping hand to them.

31. Drawing examples from Mqombothi’s story, Memories We Lost, write a composition to show that when we live with the sick we need to show them love and compassion.

Introduction Those who are sick in our midst require compassion for them to recover. This is the case in the story Memories We Lost. (Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• The narrator’s sister is attacked while playing near hot porridge. She hurls the pot which misses the narrator’s face but lands on the chest. She is pain and strips off her clothes. When the sister comes to she sympathizes with what happened to her sister. The narrator lies to her that she had poured hot water on herself. This is to save her the agony she would have felt if she learned she had caused the sister that much pain.
• The narrator’s sister is attacked in the classroom. She throws desks and breaks windows and everybody runs away scared of her. But the narrator stands in front of her and looks at her straight in the face. She scans the environment, recognizes her sister and “returns’. Whereas everybody flees from her, the narrator remains.
• After the classroom incident, the narrator drops out of school so as to be with her sick sister. The sister begs her to return to school but she declines. She argues that she wants to be in the same class with her sister. When they remain at home they spend time together talking their own language. She discovers that her sick sister is good at drawing sketches.
• When the narrator returns to school, she listens to the teacher talking about Schizophrenia as a disease without cure. But she feels her sister deserves to feel something. At home they throw away the drugs and when they did so the sister began to recognize herself. The two girls begin to communicate without words.
• After the bizarre ritual that was conducted to appease the ancestors and with it cure the girl, the two girls sleep together lying in the same position. Her sister sunk her teeth deep into the pillow so as not to cry.
• On the night when the narrator’s sister was attacked by this ‘thing’, the villagers are all up. They form themselves into two groups each with a self-appointed leader and head into the darkness in search of one of them who had disappeared. They dared the terrain and darkness. Even though they return without the sick one, they are relived when the mother comes with her the following day.
• The narrator overhears Mother and Smelly Foot talking conspiratorially to take the sick sister to a Nkunzi, the man who baked people with cow dung and those he baked never survived. The narrator feels that her sick sister should not go through that. In the night they leave with sister. She lies that they are going to visit an aunt. She holds her sister’s hands tightly as they walk in the dark.
• On their way to hospital the narrator keeps the Nkunzi story away from her sister. She hopes that she would get to tell her that she has a mental disorder of sorts that make her not differentiate fiction from reality. She heaves a sigh of relief when she sees a hospital in the morning. They tighten their grip on each other’s hands.
• the narrator’s sister is seized by the attack making her hit her head on the wall severally leaving bloodstains on the wall that lasts for a long time. The sister holds her tightly to try and restrain her.

Conclusion Whenever we show love and care to the sick around us they feel relieved and recover quickly. (Accept any other valid conclusion) 2marks

32. 'A great man has the power to inspire others to greatness.' Using illustrations from The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by G.G. Marquez, discuss this statement.

Introduction Sometimes the greatness that a person inspires can be felt after they are dead. In G.G. Marquez story The Handsomest Man in the World, Esteban inspires the villagers to be positive and to better themselves after he is dead. They do not even know him but they claim him as one of them.

Illustrations

• The children in the village stumble on a body of a drowned man and they play with him, burying him and digging him up. A villager sees them and informs the village about the dead man. The men go out to other villages to find out if any of the villages has lost a man. The women are left to care for the dead man. They admire him even in his death. They think that he had borne his death with pride, as he did not have the look of drowned men who came out haggard and needy. The women decide to sew him a pant from a piece of sail and a shirt from bridal Brabant linen. They want the man to continue his death with dignity.
• They imagine that the sea is restless and the wind steady because of the dead man. They imagine the authority of the man to have been so great that he would have called the fishes out of the sea by their names. The women imagine that if the man had lived in their village, his wife would have been the happiest, his house the one with the widest roof and highest ceiling.
• They compare the dead man to their husbands and they dismiss them in their hearts. They name him Esteban. When the men return to say that no village has lost a man, the village claims the dead man. They hold the most splendid funeral they could conceive for the abandoned drowned man. the women go to the neighboring village to get flowers for his burial. A family is chosen for him from the best people in the village so that the inhabitants of the village can become kinsmen. From then on, the people know things will be different since the dead man has inspired them. a-heir houses will have wider doors, higher ceilings and stronger doors, and Esteban's memory will live on. They will paint their houses gay colors and plant flowers on cliffs. They want their village to be Esteban's village.

Conclusion Esteban inspires the people to be different. They begin to aspire to live in a better environment because they imagine the life Esteban had lived. He thus has the power to inspire them to greatness even though he had drowned.

33. Write a composition in support of the statement: “One who holds onto hope in the face of affliction will pull through.” Use Siddhartha Gogoo’s “The Umbrella man”

Introduction Many people are faced with serious challenges that tend to dampen their spirits and dim their hope. However, those who believe that things will get better always overcome. Such a case is seen in the character of Umbrella man.

• Limited liberty The umbrella man’s obedience and calm disposition makes the doctors to grant him limited liberty unlike the other confined inmates. This particular inmate is the only one permitted to go out of the gate and spend some time in the streets nearby. Before he was granted this, it had taken him many months. We are told that the compound is fortified and therefore no inmate could get out of the large brick and stone perimeter wall. The umbrella gives him hope which is later realized when he is released pg 46. (Without calm disposition, it is a thin)
• Umbrella The umbrella man is optimistic that it will rain he has a long and lacerating wait for the clouds and the rain. Every evening with clouds forming, number 7 unfurls his umbrella and leave his wave hope in his heart, thinking of the rain, expecting it to come down. The umbrella becomes inseparable companion of the number 7. This help lessen the loneliness of the inmate in such a desolate confinement. It is noted that the umbrella was the most beautiful thing in the entire asylum – more than bed of wild flowers along the wall of the compound. The narrator says the very sight of it in the mornings brought a smile on his lips. Pg 46, 48 (Hope for the rain, unfurling umbrella, beauty of the umbrella in the entire asylum is the basis)
• Imaginary child During the most lonesome nights, the umbrella man, summons an imaginary child to keep him company in his sell. In nervy sleep, he would wake up to watch and comfort the imaginary child who is disturbed by a dream. This helps him overcome the oppressive loneliness of the cell. He would even pray in silence with conviction that some powers would heed to his prayers. He grows old but the child never grows. He had greyed with little strength in his bones but always keeping hope. It is hope that sustains him through his lonely life in the cells of the asylum. (the presence of imaginary child, vulnerability – must come out – and how the umbrella man helps it must come out to score a fair)
• Company The umbrella man engages the barber once every month during his sharing. This chat helps him lessen the mental agony and it helps him in his recovery journey. The barber uses humorous ancedots about the rain. This brightens up the umbrella man, raising his hopes. He would also sit in his favorite bench near the asylum gates and the wall where the lane ended. This is where the puny little fellow gave him company. He tells the puny men to stop being a pessimist, to look around at the bountiful nature. Bees, the flowers, the beehive, the leaves. He asks the puny fellow to belief in Hope and Nature’s miracles. He has hopes that it will rain and the earth will turn moist and smell of wild flowers. These conversations give hope to the umbrella man making the asylum conditions bearable. (Barber’s humorous comment about the umbrella and possibility of rain must be brought out to score a fair)
• The release Number 7 is soon released. A team of two doctors come to his cell, smiled at him and breaks the good news to the inmate. He is told his papers are ready and that the committee is convinced he has recovered. He goes to his sleep, and wakes up in the morning to a strange fragrance. It had rained! When the orderly brings him extra-clothes, a small tin case and some money his gait remains confident. Even as he leaves, umbrella in his hand, he avoids the mud and pool of stagnant water. He is accompanied to the gate, to his freedom. There he sees an opening in the bush that lead to a road he had never seen. He holds his umbrella and walks towards the road on the other side…… He has recovered. (The two doctors, the orderly and the rain must come out clearly. The road he had never seen should come out to score above - thin) Pg 50-51

Conclusion There is no permanent condition. It is the hope that sees one through the seemingly insurmountable challenge to the final conquest.

34. Though now independent, African countries still face many challenges. Using illustrations from Benjamin Branoff’s Window seat, write a composition in support of this statement.

Introduction Most African countries still face many challenges even after attaining self rule as depicted in window seat by Benjamin Brannoff.

• Corruption and inefficiency is quite rampant in the country the sentry who guards the gate at chuo is inefficient. We see him inspecting the van but he never seems to be trying hard and even if something were amiss he could not even notice it. He is however given a bribe and the van moves on.
• The traffic police are seen to be corrupt. The only language they understand is money. This is seem as they extort money from the buses. The police officers do not come about the condition of the bus or passengers.
• There is so much pollution as described by the narrator. Mwenge town points a picture of noise pollution. In the town there is incessant shouting by the conductors for passengers board their buses and vans. There is also so much smell that they have to contend with along the way, “ a rancid smell fills my nostrils. It smells of the garbage and human forth and decomposition.
• The public transport is a menace and has a myriad of challenges. There’s overloading in the daladalas. The van that the narrator uses is meant for 10 individuals, however it is carrying about twenty-five people. The public transport has a lot of discomfort. The passenger’s are so squeezed in the van that the narrator says he had to sit in a foetal position with his knees wedged between his abdomen and the seat in front of him.
• There is also lack of courteousness among the public. The conductors shout tor much, when the noise is unnecessary. The conductors also hurl insults and obscenities with impunity. There is also theft in the public transport system. The narrator’s wallet is stolen by a lady she was fantasizing on. He only gets to notice at the end of the journey when payment is demanded from him and he can’t find his money. Mark 3:3:3:3.

In conclusion it’s true that an African countries still face challenges as illustrated above. (2mks) Accept any other valid conclusion.

35. Write an essay to show the validity of the statement that those who live under containment experience many challenges. Use Gigoo’s story The Umbrella Man for illustrations.

Introduction Living under restrictions, be it in a cell, ward or due to a pandemic can pose a lot of challenges to an individual. (Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

• Those in containment have to content with restricted movement. For example the inmates are contained in their wards or cells and are only allowed out of the wards in the evenings. Number 7 is the only person allowed out the gates to a nearby street but this was a privilege not a liberty. Even so Number 7’s movement also ends in a limited ninety yard. For the other inmates their world ended at the wall they were enclosed in. No wonder Number 7 admires the freedom that the ant (puny fellow) has yet he is restricted.
• Contained people experience loneliness. The inmates were allowed no visitor. Because of lack of company Number 7 decides to cling on the umbrella as his ‘inseparable companion’. The other inmates who are lonely envy him for having a company. As a result they admire the umbrella making it be the most admirable thing in the entire cell and they would long to hold it.
• Those who are confined live a life of delusion. Number 7 imagines that he is not alone in his cell. He sees the image of a child and mumbles words to the child in an alien language. He comforts the imaginary child from an unpleasant dream. This happens night after night. He even prays for grace upon the child. He feels that he has become both father and mother to the child.
• Confinement makes people develop a fascination with some things. Number 7 is obsessed with the thought of rain. He walks around with his umbrella unfurled in the hope it would rain and this would give his umbrella its purpose. When he visits the barber he enjoys him about his obsession.
• Containment can make one develop a bizarre behaviour. Number 7 meets an ant- the puny fellow and starts a conversation with it. He regular visits the bench so as to have a chat with the ant. The ant too teases him about his obsession with the rain. The ant reminds him that his yearning for the rains portends danger for him because a deluge would destroy his habitat.
• Those in confinement are deprived of possessions. No one was allowed to possess anything. It surprises them how Number7 came to own an umbrella. All they are allowed to have are two sets of clothes; one made of cotton and the other of wool. They are said to be ‘bereft of worldly possessions.”
• If you stay in confinement for long you may find it challenging to adjust to the world outside upon release. When Number 7 is released, he finds it hard to make a decision as to which path to take. To him the path on right is blocked and the left one was just bush. He tries waiting for the puny fellow to appear in vain. After some waiting goes on his own. (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 4;4;4;4. Total 12marks) Grammar and Presentation 4marks

Containment disorients and can make one suffer. (Accept any valid conclusion) 2marks.

36. “In the face of adversity one requires strong-will power to succeed.” Justify this statement referring to the story: “No need to lie”. by Rolf Schmid

Introduction: In the face of adversity, the most important thing is to fact it bravely, remain positive with unwavering determination. This was the case of Rolf Schmid that led to his healing. (Accept any other relevant introduction).

• Acceptance: Mr. Schmid was so scared when he was told they would take the biopsy. He was scared at the thought of having cancer or Aids. But later he pulled himself from self-pity because he realized that his children needed him and he needed to see them grow up. He had children, a wife, a business and a future. He repeated this over and over again in his mind as though he had to send this message to every cell in his body. His will power was strong and determined.
• Feeding: He was determined to eat in order to survive. After a wave of pain was over, he rushed to the kitchen, took some minced meat, vegetables, carrots, leeks and celery and 3 litres of water and cooked. It was so painful to let the fluid pass through the mouth, and yet he had to eat. He used a rubber pipe to pass the food through his throat to the stomach. It was necessary to eat, and he did it as a weapon to fight cancer. An after finishing his meal, he would congratulate himself.
• Meditation: After eating, Rolf knelt in the bed put his head down and closed his eyes. In his imagination, he summoned his Japanese Judo senses in front of him. His mind was concentrated on defeating the enemy. This time he knew it was not about winning cups, medals, glory or fame. It was about winning the victory of his life, fighting cancer. This is a show of determination to fight cancer.
• Chemotherapy: Rolf was informed by the doctor that he needed 4 sessions of chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells. He dreaded the word chemotherapy and all it stood for, including the loss of hair and becoming sick. He sought encouragement from his friend Alberto, who informed him he had to be very brave. This is when he decided that he was going to confirm to the nay-Sayers that cancer is just a process that requires a strong will power, food and optimism. The first day after chemotherapy, he went to play a game with is friends at the polo club and really surprised his mates. The nurse was delighted with his progress.
• Operation Rolf had to take a trip to Stuttgart, Germany where professor Terrahe and his team waited for him for surgery. He worried about whether he would survive the operation. But he confirmed to himself again that he was not ready to die. At this point, he had lost about 40Kgs, his face was hollow and he had lost half the amount of his hair to chemotherapy. When anaesthesia was administered, he felt no fear and no anxiety; just a wonderful carefree feeling of surrender to he deep anaesthetic – induced unconsciousness. After the operation, the doctors said they achieved the best possible results. He quickly lifted his left arm to confirm that he was not paralyzed on the left side and the right to make sure he was able to play polo. He thanked God he was alive. (Accept any other relevant point)

Conclusion From the above discussion, it is quite clear that Rolf went against all odds in pursuit for his health. He defeated cancer through his strong will to live.

37. “Pahom's downfall is as a result of his insatiable fixation.” Write an essay to support this proposition drawing close reference to Leo Tolstoy’s ‘How Much Land Does Man Need?’

Pahom's mind is completely filled with an abnormal desire to acquire land. This excessive preoccupation with acquiring a larger piece of land leads to his downfall when he loses everything and ends up dead. (Accept any other relevant introduction).

• Pahom has a large piece of land, but he keeps thinking of how he can have more land. He owns 123 acres of land and pasture. He also owns a big house where he lives with his family members. He is, however, not contented with this possession. He desires wider and more fertile land to farm and keeps his livestock. He keeps on asking himself how he can get more land. Par. 1. He is strongly attracted when a passing dealer tells him about how he acquired 13 000 acres of land from the Bashkirs. In his pursuit for more land, he dies of exhaustion and loses all his property.Pahom is so obsessed with the land that he hopes to get the largest and best land above all the people.
• He started to walk towards the meadows as soon as the sun appeared above the rim. He does not even take breakfast. He even has to take off his outer coat and shoes. He walks for as long that the hillock is scarcely visible, and the people look like black ants. He feels he is in sweat and is thirsty. He only turns when it's noon. The heat from the sun does not make him stop. He takes his lunch, bread, and water while standing to save time. After walking for a long time, it was terribly hot and he feels sleepy. The heat makes the air hazy that the people on the hillock can barely be seen. He says it is better to suffer for an hour and live for a lifetime. He equates the acquisition of land to eternal life. Pahom feels serious pain, but he pressures on. He walks with difficulty. His bare feet are cut and bruised. His legs begin to fail but due to his obsession, he does not rest. He is so exhausted that he throws away his outer coat, shoes, flask and cap. He only keeps his spade to use as a support. His mouth is parched. His breast works like a blacksmith’s bellows and his heart beats like a hammer. Even after he feels like he could die of strain, he does not stop. Eventually, he dies of exhaustion and loses everything. Six feet under is all he needed.
• Pahom is preoccupied with the land issue so much that he is forced to entice the dealers and the Bashkirs with gifts so as to pave way for his acquisition of more land. This fixation with acquiring more land makes him buy many presents for the Bashkirs and take a seven-day journey to the land of the Bashkirs, with a view of acquiring a bigger piece of land. The gifts work wonders because the Bashkirs are so amused and encourages him to cover as large a piece of land as he could manage. He instead loses everything when he walks for the whole day, hoping to get the land for 1000 roubles a day. Lastly, Pahom is so obsessed with acquiring land that he can barely sleep. He lies on his bed  but cannot sleep. He thinks about walking the whole day to mark off a large tract. He lays awake all night and dozes off only before dawn. The next morning his eyes glisten when the chief shows him the land. He could see that it is all virgin soil at a glance. He is told that all he has to do is circumnavigate before the sunsets. Due to his fixation, Pahom walks the whole day, thus becoming totally exhausted and eventually dying due to exhaustion. He loses all the land he had gained and is buried in a six feet piece of land.
• In conclusion, preoccupation of any kind is dangerous. Pahom’s downfall is surely due to his lack of contentment and preoccupation with acquiring a lot of land.

38. Determination and resilience are key ingredients in overcoming any challenges in life. Drawing illustration from Rolf Schmid’s ‘No Need to Lie’, justify the truth of the above statement.

Introduction In No Need to Lie, Rolf Schmid demonstrates the ability to cope emotionally and mentally as he fights cancer. Content

• Rolf Struggles with weight loss. He loses three hundred grams in one day. Where bulging muscles once covered his strong, wide frame, his skin now sagged making him look like an old malnourished man. He is devastated and the thought of death kept creeping up. However, his ardent personality kept reminding him not to give up. When he was at his lowest, he summoned the faces of his children as a visual reminder of the reasons he had for living.
• Rolf biggest problem was eating. His mouth is full of ulcers and the skin covering his gums peel off. To reduce the intensity of pain, he used a pipe. Dr. Rupani had warned him of contentment P 126, 127. He encourages himself and distracts himself.
• After a chemo session Rolf goes to a polo match. He had endured four chemo sessions and during this Saturday he fell sick. When it happened he waved at the ampure who briefly stopped the match so he could vomit. He then realizes that it becomes his turning point. If he could do that, death could not be waiting round the corner.
• Rolf is trapped in worries, he worries about whether he was going to survive the operation. Dr. Meltsa had been diagnosed with the same tumour, on the same side of the neck. He died a weak after his operation he summons a positive outlook. (Any other relevant point)

Conclusion Indeed, Rolf’s refusal to be defeated by cancer and mind over matter attitude makes him a good example to many people grappling with terminal illnesses.

39. Using Leila Aboulela’s story ‘missing out’ write an essay on how Majoly’s stay in London alienates him from his people.

INTRODUCTION (UP TO 2MKS) Majoly is at first unhappy when he gets to London. He pleads to come home, but his mother pleads with him to stay on and read. Eventually, Majoly becomes distant from his people. He drops their practices and sets his mind on staying in London.

• Majoly abandous his people prayer habit while in London.
• When Samra asks him for a prayer mat, he confesses he does not have one. He does not even know the direction of the Ka’ba or where the Qibla is. He does not even observe the mandatory Friday prayers.
• Majoly considers London civilized, and Khartoum backward. He does not want to come back home. He even enrolls for a PHD. He is unable to appreciate the more relaxed, simple and rich family life back home.
• Majdy is so indifferent to his people that he is not able to sympathize with his mother. Samra informs Majoly of her struggle when she went to call him at central post office. She could not get transport due to petrol shortage. Samra accuses him of disloyalty of indifference.
• Majoly is eventually so distant, from his people that he does not desire to go back home. When he is almost done with his PHD, he is invited to a conference in Bath.

CONCLUSION ( UP TO 2 MARKS) Majoly feels a childish sense of exclusion, of being left out of life at home, however he has no desire to go back home. NB; Any four point x 3 =(12marks) Language = 4 (marks)

40. “War and violence has a dehumanizing effect on people.” Using Mariatu Kamara’s story ‘The president’ for illustration, write an essay justifying the above statement.

Introduction.

• During wars people go through untold suffering especially women and children. In Mariatu Kamara’s story “The President’ the Narrator, and her people suffer from devastating effects of war.
• To begin with the Narrator and her people are displaced from their home. They have to move to Marmar village because they have been informed that the village would be Safe from rebel’s attack.
• Unfortunately’ The village is attacked by Libels who capture her. She waits for the libels to kill her but instead they chop off her hands, as a warning to the president and those who vote for him.
• During the attack on the village, her cousin Ibrahim and Mohamed are captured by the libels. Her last daughter Marie is dragged away by her hair many people are killed and others ampulated.
• The Narrator also realizes that she is pregnant out of a rape ordeal. The rapist Salieu orders her not to tell anybody about it. The narrator is too young to know what happened to her.
• The narrator and her child had to live in a camp which is full of faith. She at one tie has to go begging in the streets.
• Her baby dies from malnutrition. This is because proper meals would not be provided in the camp for amputees
• Basing on the life of the narrator and her people it is true to say that war and violence affect peoples life negatively and dehumanizes them.

41. "Even when it seems impossible we should not despair trying to help those suffering from strange illness." Write an essay in support of the above statement drawing your illustrations from the story "Memories We Lost' by Lidudumalingani Mboqothi.

• Instance of hope
• Background detail
• Details about the optimism Outcome (success)

In the story, Memories We Lost by Lidudumalingani Mqombothi, characters should not give up hope in helping their loved especially the ones who are mentally ill. For instance, mother keeps on getting more medicine from the Sangomas in hope that the girl will get better.

Point of discussion

• Mother looks for the narrator's sister the whole night till she find her without giving hope (pg 10-11)
• The narrator devises a way of disposing the arsenal of drugs in hope of getting her sister back (13-14)
• The narrator plays truant so as for the sister to catch up with her in school (12-13)
• The narrator walks with the sister for a long time to escape from the Nkunzi so as to get her help (17-18)
• The narrator lies to the sister about the hot porridge instance. (12)
• She devises a language to communicate with the sister (14)

In conclusion, we ought to care and love our loved ones who are unwell.

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KCSE SET BOOKS ESSAY QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Enjoy free KCSE revision materials on imaginative compositions, essay questions and answers and comprehensive analysis (episodic approach) of the set books including Fathers of Nations by Paul B. Vitta, The Samaritan by John Lara, A Silent Song, An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro and Parliament of Owls by Adipo Sidang'. This blog is useful to Kenyan students preparing for KCSE; and their teachers.

Tuesday 4 February 2020

[pdf] memories we lost analysis for kcse candidates, memories we lost guide pdf download, lidudumalingani mqombothi .

·        Challenges faced by the sick (mentally ill) and their families. ·        Caring/Showing compassion and love for the sick in our midst.

·        Running out to the fields in the middle of the night (P 10) ·        The head injury (P 11) ·        The hot porridge (P 12) ·        The incident in class (P 13) ·        Games in the rain (P 14) ·        The ritual (P 14) ·        Father’s departure (P 15) ·        Milking the goat (P 15) ·        The escape (P 17)

The twelve year old narrator gives us insights of living with a patient struggling with schizophrenia-a mental disorder without cure. We should accept challenges and offer compassion and care for the patient

The story is set in South Africa where the villagers wallow in ignorance. They refer to the illness as “the thing”. It appears and disappears like ghosts. The narrator prays to God and ancestors to help her sister.

Schizophrenia impairs the speech and memory of the patient.

One day the patient runs away from home. All the villagers wake up in the middle of the night to help look for her. They organize disoriented search parties that comb the murky village in search for her. After a long unfruitful search, they return feeling defeated. The narrator’s mother does not return until she finds her daughter.

“She would scream at intervals as is to taunt me” (pg 11)

At other times, she would inflict injury on herself. She bangs her head against a wall until she bleeds. The narrator wishes she would inflict injury on herself. The narrator wishes she would stop this thing with horns, spikes and oversized head. She imagines the pain of knowing a monster is coming for you but you can’t run. The patient bangs her head until she cracks the old mud wall and leaves blood on it. A ‘sangoma’ (traditional healer) is called to cleanse the spot.

In November it was worse. It causes the patient to drop out of school and disrupts the narrator’s education. One day at school the patient smashes a window using a desk and breaks a chair against a wall. She also screams bringing learning activities to a standstill. The sight of her sister calms her down.

She is forced to drop out of school. Her sister feigns illness in order to skip school and be with her. She stays at home until her sick sister begs her to go to school.

Since people are ignorant about schizophrenia. The patient is given tons of needless medication, taken to sangomas and churches for impotent healing and prayers.

The patient stays away from school for very long time that her sister who is three years younger than her catches up with her and goes two classes above.

Luckily her sister learns some facts about her condition- schizophrenia; a mental illness that has no cure. Since she cares for her sister, she insists that she deserves to feel something. The first step she takes is dumping the medicine and asking her sister to only pretend to take it.

The medication and other ignorant ‘remedies’ combined with the illness and has resulted to loss of speech. The patient is forced to use gestures and insert a few words while trying to communicate with her sister. She realizes that her sister needs love and compassion.

“I need no words”

Without the needless medication the patient could feel again. They even play in the rain; they began forming new childhood memories, filling the void left by the ones that had been wiped out. They laugh and jump but this worries their guileless mother.

The patient is subjected to many rituals that bear no fruit. Church sermons sangomas promise healing in a matter of time but these miracles have proven elusive. They even offer the ancestors sacrifice in terms of tobacco meat and matches which are only stolen by thieves. They stab a goat for blood and meat the villagers curse “the thing” and refer to it as the devils work and demons. They don’t ,however, care about the sick girl.

The girl’s father also had schizophrenia. He disappeared from home on a horse. His condition was kept a secret. The mystery surrounding this condition has made it difficult to control.

One morning, the narrator eavesdrops and overhears her mother telling her uncle that she (together with Smellyfoot) were making plans to take her sister to a Sangoma called Nkunzi who uses callous means to “cure" demon possessed people like her sister. He would make fire from cow dung and wood and ties a patient section of zinc roofing then would potentially kill the patient. The caring girl couldn’t allow this to happen to her sister.

That evening they run away from home. She tells her they are going to see a sick aunt. They go past a village (maybe philoni) and walk all night until they come to a hospital.

Surely such a patient only needs love, compassion and professional care by a doctor. 

Main issues in Memories we Lost

·         Problems/trials/obstacles of schizophrenia (mental illness) ·         Love, hope and care for the patient make life more bearable

Challenges experienced by schizophrenic patients

a)     Loss of speech

·         The first thing this thing took from us was speech; unfamiliar language, trembling words, relaying unthinkable revelations from the gods (p10) ·         Screaming words I did not understand, talking our own language, she only nodded and shook her head (p13) ·         She & I began to communicate again, we invented our own language, she had stopped talking, simply gestured to each other, inserted a few words here and there, connected by laughing, crying, holding hands (p14)

b)     Loss of memory, consciousness, reality

·         And then it took our memories; the memories faded one after the other until our past was a blur (p10) ·         she had transformed into someone else, she was not here, when she gained consciousness she was shocked and devastated,  she began to recognise herself (p12)

c)      Running away from home

·           Screaming and running away from home, waking my mother and me, abducting the entire village, men, women and children (p10) ·         searched for hours, mother searched all night, returned the next day (p11) ·         The medications and rituals did not work, my mother said, my sister needed to go see Nkuzi, Nkuzi was a sangoma, baked people like my sister, tie demon-possessed person and placed them on a fire (p17) ·         I could not allow this to happen to my sister, after sunrise we left together, we were going to see a sick aunt (p17) ·         We had no idea where we were going to sleep, eat live; won’t return home, until mother dies, we were running away from home, the real story would destroy her, she had a mental disorder, walked all night – morning was close, could see modern buildings – hospital 

d)     Injury

·           My sister banged her head against the wall until she bled (p11)

·         always hoped that I could stop it (desperation), hitting the back of her head against the wall, tried to grab her, to make her stop, cracked the wall open with her head, left blood on the wall (p12)

·         She threw hot porridge on me; abducted her, she flung the pot across the room, my chest was not that fortunate, the pain was unbearable, she was shocked & devastated when she regained consciousness, told her I had poured hot water on myself by mistake, she would never forgive herself (p12)

e)      Education is interrupted

·         It followed her to school & she had to drop out (p12);

·         she was so strong, out of control, flung a desk, smashed a window, broke a chair against a wall, screaming words I did not understand, eyes turned red, entire body was shaking, I could see this thing leave, could see my sister returning, missed so much school over the years, I caught up with her, went two grades above her (p13)

·         I went truant from school; every morning I threw up, convinced my mother I was sick, she asked a schoolmate to tell the class teacher I was sick, I want to be in the same class as you; mother, the teachers, the principal will never allow it, yes they will, spent a week doing sketches; she could sketch me, another me, more happy, less torn, existing elsewhere, she begged & begged me to go to school, my week of absence had gone unreported, this bothered neither my class teacher or me (p13)

f)       The treatment

·         My mother took my sister to more sangomas , more churches, gave her more bottles of medication, became unresponsive, only nodded & shook her head, the teacher told us about schizophrenia, this is what my sister had, medication she had been taking would never help her, it was destroying her (p13) ·         there was no cure, my sister deserved to feel something, got rid of her arsenal of medication, this is going to be our secret, we dug holes and buried the roots (p13) ·         Get rid of the medication drink, take an empty sip, throw it out the back window, poured her medication, took an empty sip, it was our game (p14) ·          she began to recognise herself, we began to communicate again, we invented our own language, she had stopped talking, we began to love each other again, we connected again;  staring into the landscape, mountains, horizons, laughing, crying, holding hands (p14) ·         We jumped in the rain, my sister returned, she jumped, she laughed, we began to form new childhood memories, we lay on the wet ground, felt free (p14) ·         The medications and rituals did not work, my mother said (p17)

g)      The rituals

·         Village gathered outside our house, yet another ritual meant to cure my sister, been through many rituals & church sermons, nothing changed, sangomas and pastors promised that she would be healed within days, sangomas healing worked, tobacco, matches, meat left out for ancestors wasn’t there in the morning, they believed ancestors had healed her, this came again, the sacrifices had been stolen by thieves, women chatter and sing, men come in silence, children run around playing, everyone moved in a chaotic choreography (p14) ·         women gossiping about my sister, emotionless, tears rolled down our cheeks, goat stabbed in the stomach to summon ancestors, we came out of the house, hugged tightly, wiped tears, holding hands, fingers intertwined (p15) ·          villagers shouted insults at the thing, elders called it the devil's work & demons, none of them knew my sister, non of them cared (pg 15) ·          The medications and rituals did not work, my mother said (p17)  

h)     Ignorance

·         Led to more suffering ·         There was never a forewarning that this thing was coming, came out of nowhere as ghosts, mumbled 2 short prayers; to God and ancestors, every time this thing took her she returned altered, unrecognisable,  two people were trapped inside her (p10) ·         with horns, spikes, an oversized head – how I imagined it looked, a monster, a sangoma came and cleansed the spot (p12) ·         My mother took my sister to more sangomas , more churches, gave her more bottles of medication, became unresponsive, only nodded & shook her head, the teacher told us about schizophrenia, this is what my sister had, medication she had been taking would never help her, it was destroying her, there was no cure (p13) ·         She had been through all rituals, church sermons, sangomas , pastors, nothing changed (p14) ·         villagers shouted insults at the 'thing’, it remained unknown to them, elders called it the devil's work & demons, none of them knew my sister, none of them cared (pg 15) ·         The medications and rituals did not work, my mother said, my sister needed to go see Nkuzi, Nkuzi was a sangoma, baked people like my sister, tie demon-possessed person and placed them on a fire (p17)  

i)        Father disappeared, family separation

·         Mother torn defeated, why God gave this thing to my sister and my father, father disappeared, it was a buried secret, left one day on a horse, never came back, it has been 20 years (p15)

·          mother replaced our father and us with Smellyfoot (p17)

j)        Nkuzi-sangoma

·         “baking” people like my sister, Fire from cow dung and firewood, Tie down demon-possessed person to zinc roofing, placed on fire, no one lived after that, I couldn’t let this happen to my sister, ran away from home

Ignorance results is suffering

The sick girl suffers more because of the people’s lack of knowledge rather than her condition. The incomprehension about schizophrenia makes the patient suffer since the perceived remedies only compound her situation.

“ This thing” ·        The patient's sister calls the disease “this thing” ·        It came out of nowhere like ghosts do ·        Her primitive solution is mumbling two short prayers to God and the ancestors (Pg10) ·        She hopes she could see the thing, with a view of stopping it ·        She deems it a monster with horns, spikes and an oversized head (Pg12) ·        Villagers shout insults at the “thing” – it remains   unknown to them ·        Elders erroneously refer to it as the devil’s work and demons   Sangomas and Pastors ·        The people put too much faith in sangomas and pastors ·        A sangoma comes to cleanse the blood-stained spot where the patient had bludgeoned her head (Pg12) ·        The girl is taken to more sangomas and more churches (Pg13) ·        Sangomas and pastors promise she would be healed within days (Pg14)   Medication ·        Apart from the visits to the sangomas and pastors, the patient is given many bottles of medication ·        This impuissant remedy makes her unresponsive ·        Her sister learns that she has schizophrenia – a condition without a cure ·        The medication would never help her – it is destroying her ·        Gets rid of the medication (Pg13) ·        She begins to recognise herself. The girls begin to communicate again (Pg14) ·        The medication does not work (Pg 17)   Rituals ·        Conduct rituals supposedly to cure the girl ·        She has been through all rituals and church sermons but nothing had changes ·        Sangomas and pastors promise she would be healed within days ·        The elders once triumphantly hail sangoma's healing – the meat, tobacco and matches left out for the ancestors was not there in the morning. We later learn they were stolen by thieves when the thing returns ·        The rituals involve men, women and children (Pg14) ·        Women stand gossiping about the girl ·        The patient’s face becomes emotionless ·        The girl's mother tells a visiting uncle that the medication and rituals do not work (Pg17)   Nkunzi ·        Mother plans to take the patient to Nkunzi, a sangoma from remote village, famous for “baking” people like the sick girl – claiming to cure them ·        He tied the demon-possessed person to a zinc roofing and placed it on a fire made from cow dung and wood ·        Claimed to be baking demons the demons – the patient would recover from the burns after a week ·        This callous procedure is potentially fatal (Pg17) ·        “I could not allow this to happen to my sister” ·        They run away from home

27 comments:

Thanks for the feedback.

Thank you for your great work

Welcome. Thanks for the feedback.

Very elaborate, it shows all the features of a good written work

Thanks for the feedback mwalimu.

I'm always looking forward to your analysis of these stories. They're quite helpful in teaching

Thanks for the feedback

Excellent work brother. Always looking forward to your works on literature

Thanks for the kind words brother.

I really appreciate and love your work Thank you so much God bless you mwalimu

Thanks for the warm message

I just love your works ..be it literature ,oral literature ...its amazing..it's really helping in my revision for KCSE.

Thanks for your feedback.

can you give an update on this question? "people with mental issues need love and support"

I will post a similiar question and answers soon.

Thank you so much Wekati for this guides I have benefited so much

Thanks for your comment

It is very clear...thanks for the good work

Excellent piece

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Memories We Lost and Other Stories Summary Notes

Memories We Lost and Other Stories is an anthology of short stories compiled by Chris Wanjala. It is an optional English Set Book in Kenya. The book features many literary works done by different Authors from different Countries across the World hence a wider setting.

The most featured work is ‘Memories We Lost’ by a South African Author, Lidudumalingani. The short story was nominated for and won The Caine Prize for African Fiction 2016. It is about challenges brought by mental illness to the victim and those around them. The mental illness is schizophrenia. Other issues it addresses superstition, ignorance, love, a few but to mention.

‘Memories We Lost’ is a biography. The life of a sister seen by a younger sister who acts as protector of her sister, whose serious mental health problems cause consternation in a South African village. The illnesses is first described as this thing that takes the narrator’s younger sister. Over time it robs the sister of the ability to speak and remember hence the title Memories We lost. The title is a reflection of loss and regret.

The narrator shows sisterly love and cares for the sick sister really well. They always played and worked together in all circumstances. Their mother too demonstrated love and she did whatever she can to have her daughter healed of “the thing”. Like any good mother, she had made many attempts to have the girl cured.. She had used herbs, modern medication, prayers and even consulted local medicine men – witchdoctors. An example is Nkunzi, a local man who employed traditional techniques to rid people of their demons. But the sick sister situation deteriorated as her care is entrusted to Nkunzi.The narrator opposed the practices of Nkunzi and for that sake the two decided to escape from their home village in the middle of the of one night.

The work is inspired by the writers real life experience. ‘Of Memories We Lost ’ he says, ‘I am fascinated by mental illnesses, and having seen my own extended relatives deal with it – a sort of ongoing journey – I was trying to find ways or invent ways that could help me write about how one family is dealing with it.’

Other works are:

1. ‘How Much Land Does Man Need’ By Leo Tolstoy. 2. ‘Light ’ By Lesley Nneka Arimah. 3. ‘My Father’s Head’ By Okwiri Oduor 4. ‘The umbrella Man’ By Sipphar Thagigoo

For a comprehensive discussion on all the stories in the book, click ORDER ONLINE . We charge KES 100/- only for our administrative functions. Thank you for being associated with Schools Net Kenya!

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Bookforum talks with Lidudumalingani Mqombothi

When Lidudumalingani Mqombothi (he coolly goes by his first name) sat down to write " Memories We Lost ," the short story that won him the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing , he’d finished film school having felt frustrated at the lack of creative freedom on which film schools tend to pride themselves. The story, which he previously sought to turn into a film, concerns two teenage sisters, the younger of whom battles an unnamed mental illness in a community that seeks to cure her through traditional means. The older sister attempts to protect her sister from her illness and her community while assuming the role of the narrator. Bookforum spoke to the South African writer, photographer, and filmmaker over Skype about the idea behind "Memories," the role of film and photography in his writing, and the relationship between the Caine Prize and African literature.

Firstly, congratulations on your Caine Prize win. Not only was it well-deserved, but it also stood in good company among the other shortlisted stories this year. In "Memories We Lost," you center the story around mental illness and how it is spoken about and dealt with within a specific South African context. I’m interested to know what brought you to that idea?

The subject of mental illness was always there for me years before I even wrote the story. When I was in film school, I had wanted to make a movie on schizophrenia but I didn’t. Two years before I wrote the story, a friend of mine was trying to write a play about her own father who has Alzheimer’s. I think the play was centered around the idea of the family and the different ideas they had about taking him to a home. So all of those things that happened contributed to mental illness being an obsession of mine, something I wanted to make either a movie out of or write a short story about.

The relationship between the two sisters in the story is an intimate and complex one. You do a really great job of showing a close sisterly bond without resorting to cliches of sentimentality, competition, or jealousy, which tend to dominate literature that deals with relationships between teenage girls. Was gender something you thought about when you came up with the main characters for "Memories We Lost" ?

I sat down to write a story and the characters were girls. That’s how it worked out. I didn’t think about the gender. For me, what was important was to have three characters in the story: the mother who represents a different generation, the girl with schizophrenia at the center of the story, and the sibling who then has opposite ideas to the mother. The story is also about the different thinking between an older generation and a younger generation.

You give readers a slice of rural South African life through short, evocative scenes. I think of when the sisters are chasing each other around the rondavel (hut) and the younger sister bangs her head against the wall and bleeds. That moment gives a sense of how this disease manifests itself within such an environment. Has this world which you capture so well influenced you as a writer?

I think to an extent, but I’m quite reluctant to commit myself to being that writer who writes about the villages because I’ve lived in the city as long. My idea of writing about a place is to always write with respect. The idea of it would be to know the village, not to make it up. There’s a scene where they are looking out into the field and the landscape. That would be the same thing I would’ve seen when I was growing up. For that reason, I think it was important for me, and I think generally in my writing, for my characters to be aware of what’s around them. My idea is always to make the characters aware of that setting. They need to know what's around in that setting.

I was struck by the fact that you chose to leave the two main characters nameless. You also chose not to diagnose the mental illness immediately.

Yeah, so I’m interested in names but also I’m so interested in what it means when someone doesn’t have a name. Does it mean they’re not fully human? People want to know other people’s names, right? But I wanted people to feel for these girls even though they don’t know their names. They know their story, they know their pain, and they can connect with them on that level without knowing their names. There was never a point where I felt that the girls needed to have names, so I decided they were not going to have names. In writing about this one community in the story, what their relationship is with mental illness, it was important to present a sense of not knowing. I felt it was important for readers to experience it from the community's point of view.

I’m curious about your relationship is with memory because the name of your short story is "Memories We Lost." Then in the " The Art of Suspense ," which is a short nonfiction piece about growing up listening to soccer matches on the radio in your native village of Zikhovane, you write, “Only a handful of things in life are an exact science, memory is not one of them.” Are you fascinated by memory?

Well, one thing: I have a very bad memory. So I think memory is fascinating for me because a lot of it is about how we live. We’re always remembering things. And I can't imagine a life where people don’t remember things. And when we don't remember, what then do you fill in those places? If you grew up in a house that you no longer remember, what do you then picture as the house that you grew up in? And for the people who can remember, which details do they remember? That said though, sometimes it’s convenient to forget. If you’ve had a terrible experience, perhaps sometimes the best thing to do is to forget. So I’m interested in those kind of things. What do we have to forget? What are we encouraged to forget? What won’t we want to forget?

At times, the prose read like an extended monologue because of its lyricism and use of verse. The Nigerian critic, Ikhide Ikheloa, expressed that some of the stories from the Caine Prize finalists read “as mere reportage with hints of creative nonfiction.” What’s your take on that?

Usually when I read, I’m just a reader. Ikhide [Ikheloa] read those stories as a critic. I think like any reader, I have my own preferences when it comes to literature. My personal one would be poetry in the writing. That’s all I’m interested in when I’m reading. So I suppose I cannot write any other way, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stand it. I’m also open to the idea that people are not like me. My story, at some point, people accused of not being sentimental enough. And I’m completely fine with that idea because that’s what that reader likes. But I don’t like that and I’ll never write that kind of story. I like to think of myself as one of those writers who cares about every single sentence and who cares about the poetry of the story. The way that I think about writing is in terms of movies. So you get a movie that will have a sex scene or a love scene and that’s enough. Then you get movies that have a love scene that’s in slow motion and there’s romantic music and there’s flowers in the air—that’s a bit too much.

It’s interesting you mention film because you’re also a filmmaker and a photographer. I get the impression that film and photography could help with imagery and narrative, because you’re so used to thinking about the mechanics of a story and how it moves from scene to scene. Do these mediums play a role in how you write?

I’ve been asked this question so many times and my answer has been different each time! I’m beginning to tell lies, actually. I think to an extent they do. For me, a photograph is a perfect sentence. I then think of my writing like a movie because the story has to go forward, it has to move. A photograph is the poetry and a movie is how it goes forward. That’s how I think about it, or least in this interview! I admire writers who try their hand at understanding art and composition and the way artists think, because it can be beneficial to writing. All these things come together when I have to write anything because my brain is already wired in that way. I’m already thinking in those terms about how the story has to be visual.

The Caine Prize is considered one of the most prestigious awards for African writers writing in English, but there’s been some debate about whether it deserves the prominence it’s bestowed. I recall the Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina once stating in an interview that he felt the Caine Prize was held in too high esteem in some literary circles. Do you think it affords African writers a larger platform for their work to be read?

I think it certainly does. The way I think about the Caine Prize is that it’s the very last step in the story. I wrote my story way before the Caine Prize was involved. My story got published. The book came out. People read the story and the Caine Prize picked up on that story. So I don’t know if it’s fair to blame the Caine Prize for the stories that African writers produce. The Caine Prize is simply there to pick up on stories that have already been published. I don’t even like the argument of how the Caine Prize is destroying or not doing justice to African literature. There’s no way that it’s not doing things for African writers. You look at all the past winners who’ve gone on to produce novels. So I think the Caine Prize is good for African writers but I also think that African writers should not be concerned about the Caine Prize when they write their short stories.

When we discuss African literature, it can feel like a comparative exercise. A lot of emphasis is placed on the West and whether some writers are perpetuating age-old stereotypes of the continent, or disregarding the realities of many in favor of stories that document the lives of traveling African elites. Either way, a menacing presence of the West is always assumed and elevated in these conversations, which is not always helpful or entirely true. Sometimes I fear that the imagination and creativity of young African writers is at stake because they have to be painstakingly aware of all these considerations.

I think we have to be careful of these ideas because what tends to happen is African writers end up not writing about things that matter to them. There are rituals in the West that I look at and go, "These people are fucking crazy. Why would they even do that?" But some will say, "This is what we do." And that’s how I think we should do it. There are the conversations that we, as Africans, are having and they're not strange to us because we know about them. I have no interest in people who read my stories and get shocked. "Oh, did that really happen?" I’m like, "Yeah it happens, but really, don’t be shocked because I’m not even interested in your shock." People are people, and people get up to different things around the world. So it’s quite a delicate thing to balance.

Do you have any projects in the pipeline?

I’m working towards a novel and I have been even before the Caine Prize. I’m also going to be on the eighth draft of a script I’ve been writing for the past two years which I hope will be my first feature film. It’s just a lot to think about and I’m trying to make a movie that I’m going to watch.

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‘Memories We Lost’ Wins 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing

July 16, 2016 MahoganyBooks Book News

South African Lidudumalingani has won the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story ‘ Memories We Lost’ .

Lidudumalingani was presented with the £10,000 prize by chair of judges, Delia Jarret-Macauley, at a ceremony at the Bodleian Library in Oxford yesterday (4th July).

‘Memories We Lost’ tells the “emotionally charged” story of a girl who acts as protector of her sister, whose serious mental health problems cause consternation in a South African village. Her situation deteriorates as her care is entrusted to Nkunzi, a local man who employs traditional techniques to rid people of their demons.

Jarrett-Macauley said: “The winning story explores a difficult subject – how traditional beliefs in a rural community are used to tackle schizophrenia. This is a troubling piece, depicting the great love between two young siblings in a beautifully drawn Eastern Cape. Multi-layered, and gracefully narrated, this short story leaves the reader full of sympathy and wonder at the plight of its protagonists”.

Lidudumalingani is a writer, filmmaker and photographer. He was born in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in a village called Zikhovane. Lidudumalingani has published short stories, non-fiction and criticism in various publications.

He was joined on the 2016 shortlist by Lesley Nneka Arimah from Nigeria for ‘What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky’ published in Catapult (Catapult); Tope Folarin from Nigeria for ‘Genesis’ published in Callaloo (Johns Hopkins University Press), Bongani Kona from Zimbabwe for ‘At Your Requiem’ published in Incredible Journey: Stories That Move You (Burnet Media) and Abdul Adan from Somalia/Kenya for ‘The Lifebloom Gift’ published in The Gonjon Pin and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2014 (New Internationalist). Each shortlisted writer will receive £500.

Joining Jarrett-Macauley on the judging panel were actor Adjoa Andoh; writer and founder of Storymoja Festival, Muthoni Garland; associate professor and director of African American Studies at Georgetown Univeristy, Dr Robert J Patterson; and South African writer and 2006 Caine Prize winner, Mary Watson.

‘Memories We Lost’ is available to read  here .

Repost from  www.thebookseller.com

• Caine Prize for African Writing
• Lidudumalingani
• Literary Awards
• Memories We Lost
• Short Stories

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KCSE REVISION: ENGLISH PAPER 101/3_Memories We Lost and Other Stories

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”Desperation and hard times have created a harvest ground for fake preachers.” Drawing illustrations from Segun Afolabi’sAfolabi’s Folded Leaf show the truth of this statement.

Our religious institutions have been hacked by fake and materialistic pastors who take advantage of their congregations’ foolhardiness. They manipulate and exploit their poor, desperate, and ignorant congregation with a promise to salvation and healing. In Afolabi’sAfolabi’s Folded Leaf , Pastor Fayemi is rich and exploitative. He lies to his congregation that God does not like the poor to make them pay for his services. He also receives donations from Reverend Abbe’sAbbe’s followers, who have followed him to the city for redemption, miracles, and healing.

Pastor Fayemi lies to his congregation that God does not like the poor to convince and pester his followers to give money before healing. He tells his congregation that everyone is rich, for God gave them wealth more than they can imagine. He compares his congregation to a fool who wallows with pigs in the pen. The writer says that Fayemi sounded angry as if his followers had done anything to displease him. The pastor further advises his listeners that to give is to please the Lord, urging them to donate if they are to be blessed by God generously. All these lies and sweet-talking make people give by believing that salvation and healing do not come for free. A voice from the stage next to Pastor Fayemi directs people to give all they can, warning them not to cheat for the pastor can see through their hearts. This has blinded most people who even have to travel long distances to seek salvation, having sold whatever little they own as a token of appreciation for the servant of God’sGod’s efforts. God’sGod’s love is eternal, for it knows neither the poor nor the rich in terms of material and riches for happy are the poor in heart for thy Kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Papa and his family believe that Fayemi will heal them and not God, and they decide to take a long trip to Lagos to meet him during one of his crusades. When they leave their seats for the stage to receive healing, Fayemi’sFayemi’s security stops them in their tracks. Papa tells them that they don’t understand his situation, for they have been traveling the whole day just to come to meet the pastor, showing them his daughter and son. When the men insist that they should go back to their seats, Papa thinks they have made an error that they ought to correct for his family is yet to receive healing. Bunmi is afraid that the pastor may see her sins, doubt, and disbelief, but she is hopeful. A woman behind her shouts that they should follow the others towards the stage. The communion and flock of kindred souls give Bunmi hope even though she is stumbling like a drunkard among the crowd, and she believes that the love on the stage will make her whole again. Disappointed, they all head back to their seats, with Bunmi wishing Bola had not come saying he should have left his chance to Lola, who had had diabetes all her life. She later understands that Bola, too, had come to be healed. Salvation and healing all come from God and not human beings; therefore, if we believe and pray in the highest, our problems shall be lifted from our shoulders.

Followers of Reverend Abbe are poor but still donate money to Pastor Fayemi for healing. They have been made to believe that one cannot see the hand of God without giving. Fayemi is best known on account of his helicopter and Gulf-stream jet, his homes in Florida, Switzerland, and the Caribbean; therefore, his exploitative, materialistic, and opulence nature is revealed. Mr. and Mrs. Ejiofoh are rich but still travel in the minibus with the others because they believe that one can never have too much for as you give, you receive in abundance. The family is also famous for its church donations, which are done to seek favor from the pastor. When police stop them, Mrs. Kekere challenges the officers to leave them alone, for they are going to Lagos to praise God. She further tells them to leave the sick children alone, for God is watching them as Mr. Ejiofoh bribes them without dignity. As Papa and his family prepare for the healing, he distributes funds to each of them. They have been raising funds for months, and their donations are sealed in envelopes to present to the pastor. In the end, they walk home disappointed, Bunmi sure that her salvation will only come from God and not Fayemi. God does not make it a necessity that for you to receive healing, you must pay; therefore, donate willingly.

Pastor Fayemi’sFayemi’s ushers are insensitive and opportunistic. They lie to the crowd of different miracles performed by Fayemi, and this convinces people to give more without question. While Ejiofoh and his wife are ushered to the VIP area, the rest are moved to the arena’sarena’s back. Fayemi calls to his congregation, telling the disabled to stand from their wheelchairs, for they shall receive healing, and this prompts Sam to try to stand up, but Papa asks him to sit. Bunmi is curious whether they have shown anybody stands from their wheelchair or if it is mere fabrication. Another voice booms from the stage, probably Fayemi’sFayemi’s ushers asking people to give all they can for God can see into their hearts. Another voice from the stage shouts, saying a girl has been healed from cancer, and people gasp as they call names of their loved ones, their names, Jehovah, Jesus, and even Lord. Bunmi burns with anxiety, for she is ready to see the healed girl. As Papa and his family make way for the stage, the ushers order them to sit down, for there should be no obstruction or wheelchair. He tells them that Fayemi can reach them where they are. Sam tries to stand up again, but Kekere comforts him that they will all receive healing in their lifetime, and he shouldn’tshouldn’t worry. Another voice calls out again saying that someone had been healed of arthritis prompting applaud from the audience. God’sGod’s healing hand needs not to be announced and advertised, but instead, we should believe in what we pray for and not expect much from human beings.

It is indeed true that desperation shown by Papa, Bunmi, Sam, Mr. and Mrs. Ejiofoh, Mrs. Kekere, and Fayemi’sFayemi’s congregation amidst hard times where they have to travel for long distances despite being poor and ignorant has given Fayemi the chance to exploit and manipulate them for they provide donations with a promise of salvation.

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Memory Loss

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

For most people, it would be hard to imagine a life in which the mind did not routinely discard once-remembered details—from temporarily memorized facts and figures to the characteristics of people and places one hasn’t thought of in years. A normal degree of forgetting is a core element of memory, allowing people to dispense with information for which they no longer have much use.

Of course, forgetting causes problems, too. Minor failures to remember can be inconvenient at any age, and they may become more frequent and troublesome later in life. Scientists have shown that declines in certain types of memory ability are a typical part of aging and do not necessarily reflect the development of a medical condition such as Alzheimer’s disease. Experts have proposed a variety of tactics for staving off memory decline and managing typical levels of memory loss.

On This Page

• Why We Forget
• Aging and Memory Decline
• Preserving Memory Ability

Forgetting can be frustrating when one notices it, but much of what people forget escapes memory quietly. Experts say it's a feature, not a bug , of the way memory works.

Many details and experiences are more relevant to our future than others, and remembering everything would be likely inefficient. Forgetting may actually be helpful for remembering in the sense that less-useful details that are forgotten (such as an old password or outdated set of directions) won’t interfere with the retrieval of useful ones. And forgetting unpleasant or painful memories , when one is able to do so, can make one feel better about past experiences and reduce the burden of negative ones. 

Information may be forgotten because one wasn’t paying close enough attention initially or has not reinforced the memory of the information by retrieving it. A more recently acquired memory may interfere with the retrieval of an earlier one, such as when one learns the names of more than one person in succession. Stress, lack of sleep, and certain behaviors, such as excessive alcohol consumption, can also temporarily impair memory (causing a “blackout,” in the case of drinking.)  

Yes. While chronic forgetfulness can be a sign of a medical condition, simply forgetting the name of someone you’ve just met or small memory failures related to tasks you probably weren’t paying much attention to (“Did I lock the car?”) are not necessarily cause for concern. They may be still inconvenient—and precautions such as paying deliberate attention in the moment to what you tend to forget and repeating aloud the thing to be remembered could be helpful.

Warning signs of a potential memory problem include problems remembering well-known and often-used information (such as the way to and from a regular destination), difficulty handling important tasks due to memory, or increased forgetfulness that is noticeable to others. In such cases it is worth talking about memory-related concerns with a health-care provider (and it may ultimately be helpful to see a memory expert.)

It’s that experience when someone cannot immediately recall a word or phrase (such as someone’s name) but feels as if they are very close to recalling it (“It’s on the tip of my tongue!”). When in a tip-of-the-tongue state , a person might sense—correctly or not—that they remember certain characteristics of a word, such as its first letter, without being able to bring the information into full awareness. This experience may become more frequent with age. The feeling of the tip-of-the-tongue state may serve to motivate someone to keep searching their memory.

It is well known that some forms of memory ability tend to become less sharp as the decades of one’s life pass by. Just like other parts of the body, the brain changes with age, with accompanying differences in the ability to recall information. But not everyone experiences such declines to the same degree as they get older, and some forms of memory—such as the memory for familiar physical tasks—seem largely unhindered by age.

To an extent, yes. Changes in the ability to remember are normal, even in the absence of dementia or another condition, and memory loss is a common concern among older adults. Declines in certain types of memory (such as working memory and episodic memory ) mean that a person might occasionally forget the word they had intended to say or where they left a frequently used object. Other forms of memory, including semantic memory (knowledge about the world) and procedural memory , seem to be less affected by normal aging. 

Memory ability, at least for some kinds of memory (such as working memory ), can begin to gradually decline as early as one’s twenties or thirties, with downward trends extending into later life. Research indicates that episodic memory ability (memory for experiences) tends to decrease after age 60. Yet these are averages; for some individuals, memory is preserved to a greater extent and for longer.

Over time, degradation in the brain regions that support memory contributes to memory difficulties. Among the changes that occur in memory-related areas such as parts of the medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex are decreases in grey matter volume and in the quality of white matter, which is essential for communication between neurons. Scientists have also observed relevant differences in physiology (such as in the dopamine system) and in regional activation during memory tasks.

Can memory be protected as people grow older? While a person may not be able to prevent decreases in memory ability entirely, experts have studied various steps one can take to increase one’s odds of maintaining a sharp memory into older age. There are also techniques for working around common memory issues if they arise.

Adopting aspects of a generally health-promoting lifestyle—such as a healthy diet, routine physical activity, and plenty of sleep—may help maintain memory as you age. So might playing cognitively challenging games, such as chess, cards, and crossword puzzles, or exercising your mind in other ways.

Reducing stress and getting enough sleep could be helpful. Other ways to compensate for forgetfulness include organizing objects (such as car keys) so that their locations are always the same, making an extra effort to concentrate when taking in information to be remembered, minimizing distractions, and using simple memory aids such as planners, calendars, written lists, and reminder notes. In some cases, it may be worth considering medications to enhance memory.

Without thinking, we often punish fear in small ways—by scolding, humiliating, or trivializing. Instead, teach fear management gradually and methodically in people and animals.

A new study reveals the importance of idle periods for long-term memory formation.

Research shows that even our closest primate relatives struggle to learn sequences. Could sequential memory differentiate us from the rest of the animal world?

Having a good memory is definitely an asset in life, particularly as people get older. New research on emotions and forgetting shows how a good mood can build that asset.

Would you like to improve recall, emotional control, and productivity? Learn how to think about working memory differently and apply four key strategies for improving it.

Eyewitness testimony is known to be unreliable. New research suggests that it's even worse when a witness is also the victim.

For those burdened by their past, relief can be found not in the science of memory but in the recognition of our ability to shape the very nature of our personal histories.

Working memory, the gateway to all learning, is vulnerable and under assault like never before—but we can protect it.

The saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” At a minimum, it breeds malaise. Fight the tendency to become unresponsive to the familiar so you can fully experience emotion.

As our understanding of animal intelligence deepens, society faces ethical dilemmas regarding the treatment and rights of even the simplest non-human animals.

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The Emotional Drive Behind “I Drive your Truck”: Loss and Memory

This essay about “I Drive Your Truck” by Lee Brice examines the song’s exploration of grief and healing through the act of driving a deceased brother’s truck. Highlighting the song’s vivid imagery and raw honesty, the essay discusses how the narrative provides a deeply personal yet universally relatable portrayal of mourning. It emphasizes the significance of everyday actions in the grieving process and the therapeutic role of music in expressing and coping with loss. By focusing on the emotional resonance and storytelling aspect, the essay underscores the song’s ability to offer comfort to those experiencing similar pain, fostering a sense of companionship and understanding in the face of loss.

How it works

In the realm of country music, storytelling is an art form that often conveys the depths of human emotions, from the highest peaks of joy to the deepest valleys of sorrow. “I Drive Your Truck,” performed by Lee Brice, stands out as a poignant narrative that explores the complexities of grief and memory. This song transcends the boundaries of simple musical composition to become a vessel for healing and understanding for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

At its core, “I Drive Your Truck” is more than a song; it is an intimate glimpse into the process of mourning. The lyrics tell the story of a person grappling with the death of a brother, finding solace in the act of driving his truck. This physical connection to the brother’s most personal belongings serves as a bridge to the past, a tangible link to memories and moments shared. The truck, an emblem of the brother’s life, becomes a sanctuary where grief can unfold in the privacy of solitude and the open road.

The emotional resonance of the song is amplified by its vivid imagery and the raw honesty of the narrative voice. The lyrics do not shy away from the pain of loss but instead embrace it, painting a picture of grief that is deeply personal yet universally relatable. The act of driving the truck, with all its sensory details—the feel of the steering wheel, the sound of the brother’s favorite songs on the radio, the sight of the empty passenger seat—becomes a ritual of remembrance and a testament to the enduring impact of love.

What sets “I Drive Your Truck” apart is its nuanced exploration of how individuals cope with loss. The song acknowledges that grief is not a linear journey but a complex mix of emotions that can encompass anger, sadness, and, at times, a sense of peace. By focusing on a specific, everyday action—driving a truck—the song encapsulates the profound truth that memory and mourning are woven into the fabric of daily life. This narrative choice underscores the message that healing is found not in grand gestures but in the quiet moments that connect us to those we have lost.

Moreover, “I Drive Your Truck” serves as a powerful reminder of the therapeutic role of music in the grieving process. For listeners who have experienced similar losses, the song offers comfort and companionship in the knowledge that they are not alone in their feelings. It provides a voice to the often indescribable pain of absence and serves as a catalyst for conversations about loss, memory, and healing. In this way, the song extends beyond its melodies and lyrics to become a shared space of emotional support and understanding.

In conclusion, “I Drive Your Truck” is a testament to the power of music to capture the complexity of the human heart. Through its poignant narrative and emotional depth, the song offers a window into the soul’s journey through grief toward healing. It reminds us that in the face of loss, the objects and actions that connect us to those we have lost can offer a path to peace. As a piece of storytelling, “I Drive Your Truck” enriches the country music tradition, proving once again that the most profound stories are those that speak directly to the heart, inviting us to find solace in shared experiences and the enduring bonds of love.

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The Emotional Drive Behind "I Drive Your Truck": Loss and Memory. (2024, Mar 25). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-emotional-drive-behind-i-drive-your-truck-loss-and-memory/

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Emotional Drive Behind "I Drive Your Truck": Loss and Memory . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-emotional-drive-behind-i-drive-your-truck-loss-and-memory/ [Accessed: 11 Apr. 2024]

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"The Emotional Drive Behind "I Drive Your Truck": Loss and Memory," PapersOwl.com , 25-Mar-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-emotional-drive-behind-i-drive-your-truck-loss-and-memory/. [Accessed: 11-Apr-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Emotional Drive Behind "I Drive Your Truck": Loss and Memory . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-emotional-drive-behind-i-drive-your-truck-loss-and-memory/ [Accessed: 11-Apr-2024]

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Life Experiences — Memories

Essays on Memories

Exploring the depths of memory through essays.

Writing about memories offers a unique opportunity to delve into the personal and the universal, connecting individual experiences with broader themes. Whether reflecting on moments of joy, lessons learned through struggle, or the intricate dance of relationships, memories essays allow writers to explore the fabric of their lives. An important aspect of crafting these essays is not just recounting events but weaving these recollections into narratives that resonate with insight, emotion, and universality.

Choosing the right topic is just the beginning. To truly bring your memories essay to life, consider drawing from a diverse range of experiences and emotions. For those seeking inspiration or examples of how to craft a compelling narrative, we've gathered a collection of memoir examples crafted for college students : these examples can provide valuable insights into structuring your essay, developing your voice, and connecting with your audience.

Top 10 Memories Essay Topics in 2024

• The Moment That Changed Everything: A Reflection on Transformation
• Lessons from the Dinner Table: Family Dynamics and Personal Growth
• Lost and Found: The Journey of Rediscovering Self
• Between the Lines: What My Favorite Book Taught Me About Life
• The Art of Resilience: Overcoming Personal Adversity
• Crossroads of Culture: How My Heritage Shapes My Identity
• The Language of Music: How Melodies Define Moments
• Friendship in the Digital Age: Navigating Bonds and Boundaries
• Unearthing Passions: The Quest for Personal Fulfillment
• The Echoes of Laughter: Finding Joy in Simplicity

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The Role of Memorable Memories in Our Lives

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My Happiest Childhood Memories: Playing Golf with My Father

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The creation of our memories, effect of good and bad memories on attitude and emotion, worst thing i have ever done, my trip to miami shores, florida, how a driving accident affected on my life, necessity and importance of memories for growth, the most memorable moments of fifa world cup 2018, making memories count: kids photography, post-memory and layered memories of vietnamese americans, art and memory, a theme of memories in eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, the process of recollection of memories in nabokov's speak, memory, a hometown acceptance at different periods of life, the effects of the memories of the civil war and the reconstruction on americans, discussion if there any worth of possibility to erase bad memories, the use of own memories in the poems of sylvia plath and ted hughes, the possible ways to strengthen lost memories, a long way gone: uncovering the true fiction behind ishmael beah’s recount of his life story, my emotions from my third first day of school, relevant topics.

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My dying wife hoped to inspire people with her essay. They ended up inspiring her.

Not everyone has moments of clarity when they find out they are dying. My wife did.

The letters began arriving months ago at our house and in our inboxes. By my count there are more than 500 of them, and that’s just from strangers.

People were writing to my wife, Amy Ettinger, who died last month at age 49. You might know Amy from her words in these pages about the end of her life .

Her aggressive cancer had winnowed her body, and her strength was so limited that she dictated the essay to me in a sunlit glass-lined reading room at the University of California at Santa Cruz rather than typing it out herself.

As we overlooked a redwood forest, Amy had no way of predicting that the lines she composed on the spot would be calls to action for readers from all over the United States, as well as Canada, Poland, France and Greece.

She was flooded with responses to her essay, which essentially asked: What would your life look like if you cared much less about what other people think of you?

Could life be “a series of moments,” and not the endless pursuit of stability over bliss, or working for some long-delayed dream of post-retirement fulfillment?

Amy had a history of embracing creative risk and adventure, and wrote how putting friends and family first allowed her to face her terminal cancer diagnosis with a deep gratitude for the life she loved.

“Lasting love is about finding someone who will show up for you,” Amy wrote.

And also: “I’ve always tried to say ‘yes’ to the voice that tells me I should go out and do something now, even when that decision seems wildly impractical.”

Her essay touched people near and very far, and for reasons that surprised us, strangers wanted to connect with her before she died. They wanted to share their own stories and gratitude with her.

It offered her a comfort she did not know she needed.

Here are some of the ones that moved her the most.

“I live in a small town in Idaho that is full of hate, and after reading your story, I need to sell and move!” one message read.

Another reader wrote that he felt trapped on a corporate career ladder and was feeling anxious, which was stressing his mental health and close relationships.

“I have 10 chapters of a weird and wonderful novel and haven’t done anything with that in months even though it would probably only take a few solid weeks to finish writing it,” he wrote. “I will carry a tiny piece of your intrepid creative spirit with me as I rearrange my priorities in honor of remembering what’s truly important in life (which … isn’t corporate America).”

For one Los Angeles-based reader, Amy’s column was the tipping point that made him go ahead and book an endlessly postponed trip and reunion with loved ones.

“You helped me to realize I have said NO to too many life-affirming memories, even as our family has experienced a lot of loss over the years,” the reader said. “I am going to let my wife, daughter and son know that I will take that trip to Kastoria, Greece, home of their paternal ancestors, most of whom were taken to the camps during World War II. We will spend wonderful family time in a beautiful place and thank our family who came before us for their sacrifices. And I will think of you and say a prayer and send my eternal gratitude.”

Other readers spoke of lives crammed with tedious complications, from high-maintenance people to useless possessions.

One such reader thanked Amy for “really driving home [the] message to stop faffing around with crap that doesn’t matter and make the most of whatever time I have left. During the past few years of loss, dislocation, and general global craziness, I’ve forgotten this and come pretty close to giving up—on writing, yes, but more than that, on living. Sure, I drag through the motions for the sake of the people I love, but in a way that thumbs a nose at the monumental gift that life truly is. Your story and, again, your utmost humanity in sharing it have flipped a switch in me, and for that, I sincerely and ardently thank you.”

Some readers said the essay helped them realize that moments of joy and repose can lead to resilience in the midst of suffering. If Amy was dealing with Stage 4 cancer and could find so much light in her life, what was their excuse, anyway?

“Oh, how I cried and cried,” one reader said about reading Amy’s essay. “I then printed it out and placed it in my Bible. It’ll stay there so when I’m ready to give up on life again, I’ll read it and keep going.”

But the message that touched Amy beyond the others came from someone she knew, journalist Dania Akkad , who remembered an intervention Amy made on her behalf while working as a reporter for a California newspaper in the early 2000s. Akkad was an intern at the paper .

“We had a writing coach visit that summer,” Akkad recalled. “Long story short, you overheard me in the bathroom saying he’d made a pass at me when I had a meeting to discuss my reporting career (well at least that’s what I thought it was!). You came out of the bathroom stall and you said if I didn’t report this to management, you would.”

“It all felt so embarrassing and awkward and, well, my fault!” Akkad wrote. “Anyway, I did go to management largely because you put the pressure on. However many years later, I am so glad to have done that - and so grateful you interceded in that moment. It’s a fork-in-the-road event that has informed how I respond to this kind of crap. A real teaching moment. So thank you so very much. And thank you too for writing so lucidly about your experience now.”

Not all the notes were that lovely. Inevitably, a few were unwelcome, including missives from ultrareligious people wanting my proudly Jewish wife to get saved to spare herself from hellfire. And she smiled at the messages promoting quack remedies.

The many grateful responses prove that even now, in this era of online trolls and fake feedback generated by bots, engaged and thoughtful people really can make a difference by reaching out, human to human.

She carried this with her in her final weeks as she’d sit with me watching a great blue heron circling the sky over Santa Cruz Harbor. Or pulling up her favorite chair and watching the skateboarders, dog walkers and street basketball players on the other side of her picture window.

In this way, she embodied the spirit of her words. “I have never had a bucket list,” she wrote. “Instead, I said ‘yes’ to life.”

Dan White is the author of “ Under The Stars: How America Fell In Love With Camping ” and “ The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind And Almost Found Myself On The Pacific Crest Trail .” His website is www.danwhitebooks.com .

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Welcome to the United Nations

Lessons post the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda: we must speak out against discrimination and prejudice

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On 7 April, it will be 30 years since the start of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. To commemorate this anniversary,  Amb.  Ernest Rwamucyo , the Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations in New York, shares insights with  Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor  on lessons learned, Rwanda's remarkable economic growth and advancements in women's empowerment, among other topics. The following are excerpts from the interview:

The United Nations designated 7th April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Can you share with us the significance of this date?

The date is significant because it marked the beginning of a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. When the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi started, within 100 days over 1 million Tutsis were massacred. 

It is now 30 years, but the memory is deep; the horrors that the victims and the survivors faced are still fresh. By remembering, we dignify those massacred and the survivors. 

It is also important for the survivors to reflect on the tragedy that befell them and their families. 

As Rwandans, it is a time when we call on our collective conscience to reflect on this tragedy and how we can rebuild our country. 

Over the last decade, in remembering we have focused on the theme,  Remember, Unite and Renew . 

We focus on how we rebuild afresh so that genocide never happens again. In renewing, we look into the future with hope. 

How do commemorative events here at the UN headquarters, back home in Rwanda and around the world, promote reconciliation? 

First, over a million Tutsis were massacred. By remembering them, we give them the dignity and the humanity that their killers denied them. 

We do that as a Rwandan society and as part of the international community. We share the lessons of that tragedy with the rest of the world in the hope that we can work to prevent future genocide. 

We do it with members of the international community to reawaken the world to the real dangers of genocide. 

Are the lessons from Rwanda on detecting the early stages of conflict reaching other countries?

We hope they do because the dangers are real. Any form of discrimination, prejudice, hatred, or bigotry can happen in any society, which is the beginning of genocide. 

We cannot be bystanders when there is discrimination or antisemitism, or when there is prejudice or hatred. 

How do you raise awareness internationally and among young people in particular? 

It is through commemorative and remembrance events. 

We also proactively engage our youth. For example, in collaboration with the UN, we host an event called  Youth Connekt , where we bring young people from different parts of the world to Rwanda to witness the country’s rebuilding efforts and how we are empowering the youth to contribute to the process. The aim is to promote peace and tolerance and to demonstrate that after tragedy, rebuilding a nation is possible through hard work. 

We emphasize that tolerance and peaceful co-existence is very important. We have also worked to empower our women to participate in rebuilding efforts. 

How does Youth Connekt impact young people in Rwanda and other parts of Africa? 

President Paul Kagame spearheads the initiative, and we partner with the UN. It started as a Rwandan initiative, but because of its potential to make young people creative and entrepreneurial, we have extended it to the rest of Africa and by extension the rest of the world. 

Young people come together to share innovative ideas; they come up with projects they can implement, and we give them access to opportunities and resources. 

They create technology-driven startups that uplift the welfare of societies. Some of these startups create significant jobs. 

What challenges have you faced in the rebuilding process and how have you addressed them? 

First, our society was traumatized by the genocide. So, we had to rebuild hope for our people. 

Second, genocide denial is a significant danger as it not only seeks to evade accountability but is also a process of continuation of the genocide. 

We have many genocide fugitives in different parts of the world, including in Europe and different parts of Africa, who have yet to face justice. We hope to work with the rest of the international community to hold them accountable so that the victims and survivors of the genocide can see justice served within their lifetime. 

Third, we face the challenge of hate speech. Sometimes, people fail to recognize the dangers posed by hate speech and discrimination. 

We are a developing country. We have worked to rebuild our country, including its infrastructure, but we still have a long way to go. A new Rwanda built out of the ashes of the 1994 genocide is a beacon of prosperity and hope for our people. 

When you say genocide deniers, are there people who believe genocide did not happen? 

There are people, especially perpetrators of genocide, who trivialize what happened or want to rewrite history. That is dangerous. 

Are you getting the support of the international community as you try to bring perpetrators to justice?

For sure, we get the support of the international community. Internally, we established a tribunal to try genocide perpetrators. 

We also had our restorative justice system, which is called Gacaca, aimed at using homegrown solutions to try perpetrators in a way that enables society to heal, while building a foundation of unity and reconciliation. 

Many individuals are being tried in other jurisdictions. Still, more needs to be done because thousands more are evading accountability. 

How is Rwanda achieving impressive economic growth despite the genocide? 

After the tragedy, Rwanda took ownership of its development strategy. We realized that Rwandans killed Rwandans. Of course, there is a long history before that: colonialism, bad leadership and bad governance. We could not allow our society to remain in the abyss of despair after the tragedy. 

Rwandans spearheaded the rebuilding of our nation based on unity, reconciliation, forgiveness, and the resilience that enabled us to pick up the pieces. 

We rebuilt our infrastructure and provided social protections to uplift the welfare of citizens. Today, Rwanda’s growing economy is creating wealth and prosperity for its people. 

We are building a new democratic society with functioning institutions.

How does Rwanda address the challenge of high youth unemployment, often leading to impatience with the government, especially in post-conflict situations?

We are creating opportunities for young people. The Rwandan economy has been growing above 8 per cent over the last decade or so. We ensure that economic growth leads to poverty reduction and creates jobs and opportunities for young people. 

We have invested heavily in education, to ensure that our youth are skilled. We've also created a market economy that allows entrepreneurs to be innovative and creative. 

Rwanda has the world’s highest percentage of female parliamentarians, along with significant women representation in the cabinet. How do these factors impact economic development? 

Women's empowerment is at the forefront of Rwanda's post-genocide reconciliation and development. That our girls, mothers, and sisters feel included is something we are proud of. 

As President Kagame often says, no nation can develop if 50 per cent of its population is not included in the development process. It's for that reason that Rwandan women have been empowered and given opportunities to play a role in rebuilding the country. 

Women are well represented across our institutions—parliament, cabinet, local government, entrepreneurship, and other areas of decision-making in our society. 

The quality of women’s contributions and their level of engagement have been excellent. 

Rwanda is also a champion for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). If fully implemented, how do you think the AfCFTA can catalyze the African economy to benefit particularly young people and women? 

Africa has not optimized its full potential due to fragmented markets. We have some 54 countries with significant barriers to cross-border. 

The AfCFTA creates a market of over 1.3 billion people, with reduced barriers and free movement of people, goods and services. 

This will foster the growth of the continent, making it competitive in global trade. So, AfCFTA’s implementation is vital. We are already beginning to see some of the benefits. 

As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide against Tutsis, what final message do you have for Africans and the rest of the world? 

One, don't be a bystander when you see any form of discrimination, bigotry, or prejudice. Because that could build into a genocide. You must speak out. 

Second, you have to address the root causes of conflict that might grow into a tragedy. For example, hate speech. 

Third, we have to build institutions that provide a voice for the people, accountability and justice. 

Lastly, we must build free and fair societies. 

The lessons of Rwanda should be taken very seriously. The tragedy that befell Rwanda could befall any country.

Also in this issue

We must do more to prevent genocide

Football saved me from genocide; now I promote peace with it

Kwibuka30: Learning from the past, safeguarding the future against genocide

REMEMBER.UNITE.RENEW.

Claver Irakoze: Bridging Generations Through the Memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

We must confront the legacy of slavery, tackle systemic racism

Reflecting on the brutal Transatlantic Slave Trade

More from africa renewal.

Imprinted by Belief

Does It Seem Like the End Times Are Here? These Novels Know Better.

What can fiction tell us about the apocalypse? Ayana Mathis finds unexpected hope in novels of crisis by Ling Ma, Jenny Offill and Jesmyn Ward.

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By Ayana Mathis

Ayana Mathis’s most recent novel, “The Unsettled,” was published in September.

• April 11, 2024

On the day my mother died, I sat by her bedside and read the Psalms. The room was quiet — the need for machines had passed — save for the sound of my voice and my mother’s labored breathing. Outside her room, the hospital went about its business: Lunch trays were delivered, nurses conferred, a television played too loudly down the corridor. Out there, time passed in its usual, unremarkable way. In her room, my mother and I had stepped off time’s familiar track.

Everything inessential vanished in her final hours. I read the Psalms because they comforted her. I told her I loved her. She squeezed my hand, which, in that afternoon when she was no longer able to speak, was as profound an expression of love as any words had ever been. When she died hours later, I knew that on the other side of her hospital room door there awaited, at least for me, an altered world.

The subject of this essay is apocalypse, and so I have begun with an ending. If you have lost a deeply beloved, then you have experienced the obliterating finality of death, that catastrophe in the small universe of an individual life. The loss also brings a realization: The “worst thing” that could happen is no longer a future projection; it has exploded into the present.

Apocalypse is generally understood as a future event: widespread suffering, extinctions, various iterations of end-time destruction gunning for us from some tomorrow. Out there, in the vast, unknowable not-yet, apocalypse roars. It paralyzes us with fear, deadens us into numbness or provokes us to hysteria. We are powerless in its face.

But what if we could change our relationship with the end by shifting our perspective on it? The first step might be dwelling more profoundly in the here and now where our crises amass, rather than focusing on the boogeyman future. We already know something about how to do this: We are creatures of loss; we have confronted, or will confront, the “worst things” in the real time of our lives. There is a precedent, then, for how, in this moment, we might collectively approach the apocalyptic worst things. While our beloved still lives, there is possibility: We can give her our attention; we can hold her hand.

I won’t downplay the current horrors — tens of thousands dead in Gaza, conflict in Ukraine, the high-stakes presidential election on the horizon — or imply that all will turn out right. The novels in this essay don’t do that either. Instead, they suggest new ways of seeing: a shift to deeper present-time awareness, even wonder, as the times grow ever more dire. The theologian Catherine Keller calls this “apocalyptic mindfulness.” “A cloud of roiling possibility seems to reveal itself,” she writes in “Facing Apocalypse” (2021). “It guarantees no happy ending. It may, however, enhance the uncertain chance of better outcomes.”

Many of our end-time notions are inflected by the biblical Book of Revelation. Its phantasmagoric visions and lurid scenes of destruction have thoroughly infiltrated Western talk of the end: the Four Horsemen, the beast we call the Antichrist (though Revelation doesn’t use the term), fires, plagues and raging pestilence. It may come as a surprise, then, that apokalypsis, the Greek word for “revelation,” means not “ending” but “unveiling.” As Keller writes, “It means not closure but dis-closure — that is, opening. A chance to open our eyes?” But, to what?

In Ling Ma’s novel “ Severance ” (2018), newly pregnant Candace Chen wanders a near-deserted New York City in the midst of a pandemic caused by a disease called Shen Fever. The majority of the city’s residents have fled or become “fevered,” a zombielike state that leaves victims stuck on repeat: a family endlessly setting the table and saying grace; a saleswoman, her jaw half eaten by decay, folding and refolding polo shirts at an abandoned Juicy Couture store on Fifth Avenue. The fevered are the least threatening zombies imaginable: so busy with their mindless performance of mundane tasks that they don’t notice the living. Ma has a knack for nuanced satire.

Candace sticks around because she’s got nowhere else to go; she’s the orphaned child of Chinese immigrants who died years before. Inexplicably, and perhaps somewhat to her dismay, she remains virus-free. As the pandemic shuts down the city, she doggedly persists with her job in the Bibles department at Spectra, a book production company: “I clicked Send, knowing it was fruitless,” she says. When public transportation stops entirely, she moves into her office on the 32nd floor, overlooking an empty Times Square.

It doesn’t take long to understand that a vast grief underlies Candace’s workaholic paralysis. So intense is her mourning for her parents that for a while the pandemic hardly registers. She needs to hold on to something, even pointless work at Spectra. The office setting is no coincidence: In some sense, Candace, too, is fevered, and her job’s rote repetition is a kind of anesthetic.

The dull but familiar grind of late-capitalist working life acts as a numbing agent, or perhaps a blindfold. When work dries up because the rest of the world is no longer at its desk, Candace rambles around the city utterly alone, taking pictures of derelict buildings that she posts on a blog she calls “NY Ghost.” One afternoon she enters a flooded subway station. “You couldn’t even see the water beneath all the garbage,” Ma writes. “The deeper you tunneled down, the bigger the sound, echoed and magnified by the enclosed space, until this primordial slurp was all that existed.” Grieving Candace is adrift, her internal landscape aligned with the desolation of the external world.

Published two years before the Covid pandemic, “Severance” offers an eerily prescient description of a nation shocked and exhausted. For so many, 2020 was a kind of apocalyptic unveiling. The pandemic revealed the fault lines in our health care and our schools, as well as the fact that so many of us were living in perpetual economic precarity. Then there were the deaths, which as a country we have hardly begun to mourn. Painfully and all at once, we understood the fragility of the systems we relied on, and the instability of our own lives.

Yet alongside the devastation there was transient beauty: In many places, air and water quality improved during lockdown and wildlife resurged. Health-care and essential workers were acknowledged and more respected; we realized the extent of our dependence on one another. If only for a little while, we were thrown into Keller’s “apocalyptic mindfulness.” But the eye snapped shut. We “recovered,” and, like Candace, we find ourselves once again in a collective disquiet, punctuated by bouts of terror as we contemplate the future.

On the final afternoon of her wandering, Candace ventures into the same Juicy Couture store she’d photographed weeks before. Ominously, the fevered saleswoman has been bludgeoned to death. Candace’s unborn child seems frightened too: “The baby moved inside of me, fluttering frantically.” Candace leaves Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel in a yellow taxi she’s commandeered from a fevered driver. She joins a band of survivors led by a creepy zealot named Bob, a former I.T. guy who wears a brace for carpal tunnel syndrome, that most banal of white-collar work maladies. They journey to the Chicago suburbs to homestead in a deserted mall. (I told you Ma has a knack for satire.)

In this semi-cult, Candace’s grief intensifies. She begins to have visions of her mother, who warns her that she and her unborn baby aren’t safe with Bob. Candace’s mother is right. Bob has a penchant for shooting the fevered in the head if he encounters them when he and the others go “stalking” for food and supplies. We squirm at these killings, even if the victims are not quite alive, at least not in the usual sense. Bob’s violent demagoguery opens Candace’s eyes to her metaphorically fevered state, and as we look into the mirror the novel holds up to us, we begin to wonder about our relationship to our own beleaguered world.

At last, Candace’s fever breaks and, fully alive, she escapes Bob and the others in a Nissan stolen from the group’s mini-fleet. She drives into once grand Chicago, swerving to avoid abandoned cars clogging Milwaukee Avenue. Finally, she runs out of gas. “Up ahead there’s a massive littered river, planked by an elaborate, wrought-iron red bridge,” she recounts. “Beyond the bridge is more skyline, more city. I get out and start walking.”

The “end” for Candace and her baby is not, in fact, an ending, but rather, an awakening that follows revelation.

If “Severance” chronicles its protagonist’s end-time stirrings from the stupor of grief, Jenny Offill’s novel “ Weather ” (2020) is its manic cousin, a diaristic account of climate anxiety. Narrated in the first person, aggressively present tense and composed of short chapters that leap from association to observation, the book is like a panicked brain in overdrive.

“Weather”’s protagonist, Lizzie, works as a university librarian in New York City. Her former professor, Sylvia, a climate change expert, finagled the gig for her though Lizzie isn’t really qualified. “Years ago, I was her grad student,” Lizzie explains, “but then I gave up on it. She used to check in on me sometimes to see if I was still squandering my promise. The answer was always yes.”

Lizzie is all wry self-deprecation. As the book progresses, we understand that she is less an underachiever than an empath, so often overwhelmed that her focus scrambles. Or perhaps it’s that she is deeply attentive to things we try to ignore. Her experience of the world is the opposite of Candace’s near-impenetrable grief. Lizzie is porous. Too much gets in: grave news about the environment, the plights of relative strangers — like kindly Mr. Jimmy, a car-service owner being run out of business by Uber. Lizzie “helps” by taking Mr. Jimmy’s car to various appointments, though she can’t afford it and the traffic makes her late.

The novel doesn’t so much unfold as tumble out over the course of a turbulent year that encompasses Donald Trump’s election in 2016. After Trump’s win, tensions rise in Lizzie’s Brooklyn neighborhood. Even Mr. Jimmy is spewing casual vitriol about Middle Eastern people and car bombs. Lizzie’s husband, Ben, retreats to the couch, to read a “giant history of war.” And I haven’t even mentioned Henry, Lizzie’s depressive, recovering-addict brother, who meets a woman, marries and has a baby, all at whiplash speed. When the marriage implodes, Henry winds up on Lizzie and Ben’s couch, using again and barely able to parent his daughter.

For Lizzie, as for most of us, personal and collective catastrophes run parallel. Her vision of the future grows ever darker. She talks to Sylvia about buying land somewhere cooler, where Eli, her young son, and Iris, her newborn niece, might fare better in 30 years or so. “Do you really think you can protect them? In 2047?” Sylvia asks.

“I look at her,” Lizzie thinks. “Because until this moment, I did, I did somehow think this.” The realization of her helplessness is unbearable, but Lizzie knows she must bear it: This bleak state of affairs is her son’s inheritance.

Lizzie is gripped by grief and despair — she spends far too much time on doomsday prepper websites — both complicated responses to a planet in the midst of radical, damaging change. “In a world of mortal beings,” Keller writes in “Facing Apocalypse,” “it would seem that without some work of mourning, responsibility for that world cannot develop.” Lizzie’s sense of loss and futility is wrenching, but her response attaches her that much more deeply to this world. Her anxiety is acute because the time in which to act is limited and shot through with urgency.

Lizzie experiences her moment as unprecedented; her end-time sensibility suggests an analogy, albeit to a starkly different context. The Apostle Paul also understood himself to be living through an extraordinary rupture in time. Paul's zeal to spread the Gospel through the ancient world was fueled by his conviction that ordinary time, and life, had been profoundly derailed by Christ’s crucifixion, and was soon to end with his imminent Second Coming. Paul believed he was living in an in-between time that the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben has aptly called “ the time that remains ,” a phrase borrowed from Paul’s letter to the fledgling church at Corinth. “The time is short,” Paul wrote. “From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not.”

The old world and its rules had not yet passed away but the prospect of Christ’s return cast an altering light on the present, highlighting the impermanence of all things. Everything was revealed to be in flux and therefore subject to reversals and change.

In “Weather,” Lizzie’s frazzled report from the event horizon of impending disaster, the time that remains means that moments are more precious, less bound by previous rules of engagement and more open to radically new ones. Near the end of the novel, Henry reclaims his sobriety, and Lizzie finds renewed, if melancholic, love for this imperiled world. She wants to find a new way to engage, even as she is uncertain what that might be. “There’s the idea in the different traditions. Of the veil,” Lizzie says. “What if we were to tear through it?” The image recalls Keller’s apokalypsis — a revelatory “ dis-closure .”

Jesmyn Ward’s “ Salvage the Bones ” (2011) takes a very different approach to apocalypse. The novel is set over 12 days, before and just after Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast. The 15-year-old narrator, Esch, her father and three brothers live in the Mississippi Delta, outside a coastal town Ward calls Bois Sauvage. Unlike other characters we have encountered, Ward’s need no awakening; and time is far too short for existential anxiety or long-term planning.

The novel opens as China, a pit bull belonging to Esch’s brother Skeetah, is giving birth. Moody, commanding China is the love of Skeetah’s young life and as vivid as any human character in the book. “What China is doing is fighting, like she was born to do,” Ward writes. “Fight our shoes, fight other dogs, fight these puppies that are reaching for the outside, blind and wet.” Skeetah hopes to sell China’s puppies for big money. Enough to send his older brother, Randall, to basketball camp, where, the family hopes, he’ll be noticed by college scouts. Enough, perhaps, to help Esch take care of her baby. Esch is pregnant, though not far enough along to show, and she is in love with the baby’s father, her brother Randall’s friend Manny, who keeps her a secret and won’t kiss her on the mouth.

The novel is full of mothers: mothers to be, absent mothers (Esch’s mother died in childbirth years before), animal mothers, even mythical mothers (Esch is fixated on the avenging Medea, whom she’s read about in school). And, of course, Mother Nature is flying across the gulf, heading straight for Bois Sauvage. Mothers in this novel are makers and destroyers. In some cases, they are also unprepared to occupy the role; they are in jeopardy or else the circumstances of their motherhood run afoul of certain proprieties.

Esch’s pregnancy isn’t easy. It may also be hard for readers to accept: Esch is in dire financial straits and young enough to scandalize some of us. Does the prospect of her motherhood elicit the same empathy as Lizzie’s or Candace’s? Whose children do we think of as the hope for the future when the end is nigh? Which mothers are most valued in the collective perception? Not, generally speaking, an impoverished Black girl barely into her teens.

Ward’s concerns are with those who will bear the brunt of the coming storms, both natural and metaphoric, on the page and in the world. Esch and her family face Katrina with nothing besides a few canned goods they’ve scared up, and some plywood nailed over the doors and windows. Esch herself is the sort of vulnerable person Scripture might refer to as “the least of these.” Each time I read the novel, my mind leaps to the biblical Mary, mother of Jesus, a poor, brown, teenage girl who gave birth in a barn because no safer provision was made for her. In that story, the life least protected turns out to be the most essential.

So it is in “Salvage the Bones”: Esch and her unborn child, along with fighting China and her puppies, are the beating heart of this universe. Here, Esch considers which animals flee before a coming storm: “Maybe the bigger animals do,” she reflects. “Maybe the small don’t run. Maybe the small pause on their branches, the pine-lined earth, nose up, catch that coming storm air that would smell like salt to them, like salt and clean burning fire, and they prepare like us.”

With “the small,” or those treated as such, as focal points, Ward’s novel is also an indictment. It’s true that Katrina was a natural disaster, but its effects were preventable, or might have been mitigated. Most of us remember the levees breaking. The disaster’s aftermath — thousands, mostly poor, stranded without food or water; critically ill patients dying in storm-ravaged hospitals ; desperate, unarmed civilians shot by police officers — was entirely the fault of humans.

We might extend Ward’s insight to end-time crises in general, in which other Esches are similarly left with the greater share of suffering. We may not be able to reverse the crises themselves, but we can intervene in the devastation they cause, and to whom.

We have been down a harrowing road; there isn’t much comfort here. But perhaps at this critical juncture in our human story, it is not comfort that will aid us most. Perhaps what will aid us most is to enter more fully into dis comfort. To awaken to our grief, like Candace. To try to tear through the veil, like Lizzie. In this way we might begin to believe that the future is not foreclosed upon, whatever it might look like.

I leave us with Esch’s declaration of hope at the end of Ward’s novel. Esch’s family has survived, but Skeetah is searching for China, who disappeared in the storm: “He will look into the future and see her emerge into the circle of his fire, beaten dirty by the hurricane so she doesn’t gleam anymore … dull but alive, alive, alive.”

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• Solar Eclipse 2024

What the World Has Learned From Past Eclipses

C louds scudded over the small volcanic island of Principe, off the western coast of Africa, on the afternoon of May 29, 1919. Arthur Eddington, director of the Cambridge Observatory in the U.K., waited for the Sun to emerge. The remains of a morning thunderstorm could ruin everything.

The island was about to experience the rare and overwhelming sight of a total solar eclipse. For six minutes, the longest eclipse since 1416, the Moon would completely block the face of the Sun, pulling a curtain of darkness over a thin stripe of Earth. Eddington traveled into the eclipse path to try and prove one of the most consequential ideas of his age: Albert Einstein’s new theory of general relativity.

Eddington, a physicist, was one of the few people at the time who understood the theory, which Einstein proposed in 1915. But many other scientists were stymied by the bizarre idea that gravity is not a mutual attraction, but a warping of spacetime. Light itself would be subject to this warping, too. So an eclipse would be the best way to prove whether the theory was true, because with the Sun’s light blocked by the Moon, astronomers would be able to see whether the Sun’s gravity bent the light of distant stars behind it.

Two teams of astronomers boarded ships steaming from Liverpool, England, in March 1919 to watch the eclipse and take the measure of the stars. Eddington and his team went to Principe, and another team led by Frank Dyson of the Greenwich Observatory went to Sobral, Brazil.

Totality, the complete obscuration of the Sun, would be at 2:13 local time in Principe. Moments before the Moon slid in front of the Sun, the clouds finally began breaking up. For a moment, it was totally clear. Eddington and his group hastily captured images of a star cluster found near the Sun that day, called the Hyades, found in the constellation of Taurus. The astronomers were using the best astronomical technology of the time, photographic plates, which are large exposures taken on glass instead of film. Stars appeared on seven of the plates, and solar “prominences,” filaments of gas streaming from the Sun, appeared on others.

Eddington wanted to stay in Principe to measure the Hyades when there was no eclipse, but a ship workers’ strike made him leave early. Later, Eddington and Dyson both compared the glass plates taken during the eclipse to other glass plates captured of the Hyades in a different part of the sky, when there was no eclipse. On the images from Eddington’s and Dyson’s expeditions, the stars were not aligned. The 40-year-old Einstein was right.

“Lights All Askew In the Heavens,” the New York Times proclaimed when the scientific papers were published. The eclipse was the key to the discovery—as so many solar eclipses before and since have illuminated new findings about our universe.

To understand why Eddington and Dyson traveled such distances to watch the eclipse, we need to talk about gravity.

Since at least the days of Isaac Newton, who wrote in 1687, scientists thought gravity was a simple force of mutual attraction. Newton proposed that every object in the universe attracts every other object in the universe, and that the strength of this attraction is related to the size of the objects and the distances among them. This is mostly true, actually, but it’s a little more nuanced than that.

On much larger scales, like among black holes or galaxy clusters, Newtonian gravity falls short. It also can’t accurately account for the movement of large objects that are close together, such as how the orbit of Mercury is affected by its proximity the Sun.

Albert Einstein’s most consequential breakthrough solved these problems. General relativity holds that gravity is not really an invisible force of mutual attraction, but a distortion. Rather than some kind of mutual tug-of-war, large objects like the Sun and other stars respond relative to each other because the space they are in has been altered. Their mass is so great that they bend the fabric of space and time around themselves.

Read More: 10 Surprising Facts About the 2024 Solar Eclipse

This was a weird concept, and many scientists thought Einstein’s ideas and equations were ridiculous. But others thought it sounded reasonable. Einstein and others knew that if the theory was correct, and the fabric of reality is bending around large objects, then light itself would have to follow that bend. The light of a star in the great distance, for instance, would seem to curve around a large object in front of it, nearer to us—like our Sun. But normally, it’s impossible to study stars behind the Sun to measure this effect. Enter an eclipse.

Einstein’s theory gives an equation for how much the Sun’s gravity would displace the images of background stars. Newton’s theory predicts only half that amount of displacement.

Eddington and Dyson measured the Hyades cluster because it contains many stars; the more stars to distort, the better the comparison. Both teams of scientists encountered strange political and natural obstacles in making the discovery, which are chronicled beautifully in the book No Shadow of a Doubt: The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity , by the physicist Daniel Kennefick. But the confirmation of Einstein’s ideas was worth it. Eddington said as much in a letter to his mother: “The one good plate that I measured gave a result agreeing with Einstein,” he wrote , “and I think I have got a little confirmation from a second plate.”

The Eddington-Dyson experiments were hardly the first time scientists used eclipses to make profound new discoveries. The idea dates to the beginnings of human civilization.

Careful records of lunar and solar eclipses are one of the greatest legacies of ancient Babylon. Astronomers—or astrologers, really, but the goal was the same—were able to predict both lunar and solar eclipses with impressive accuracy. They worked out what we now call the Saros Cycle, a repeating period of 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours in which eclipses appear to repeat. One Saros cycle is equal to 223 synodic months, which is the time it takes the Moon to return to the same phase as seen from Earth. They also figured out, though may not have understood it completely, the geometry that enables eclipses to happen.

The path we trace around the Sun is called the ecliptic. Our planet’s axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane, which is why we have seasons, and why the other celestial bodies seem to cross the same general path in our sky.

As the Moon goes around Earth, it, too, crosses the plane of the ecliptic twice in a year. The ascending node is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic. The descending node is where the Moon enters the southern ecliptic. When the Moon crosses a node, a total solar eclipse can happen. Ancient astronomers were aware of these points in the sky, and by the apex of Babylonian civilization, they were very good at predicting when eclipses would occur.

Two and a half millennia later, in 2016, astronomers used these same ancient records to measure the change in the rate at which Earth’s rotation is slowing—which is to say, the amount by which are days are lengthening, over thousands of years.

By the middle of the 19 th century, scientific discoveries came at a frenetic pace, and eclipses powered many of them. In October 1868, two astronomers, Pierre Jules César Janssen and Joseph Norman Lockyer, separately measured the colors of sunlight during a total eclipse. Each found evidence of an unknown element, indicating a new discovery: Helium, named for the Greek god of the Sun. In another eclipse in 1869, astronomers found convincing evidence of another new element, which they nicknamed coronium—before learning a few decades later that it was not a new element, but highly ionized iron, indicating that the Sun’s atmosphere is exceptionally, bizarrely hot. This oddity led to the prediction, in the 1950s, of a continual outflow that we now call the solar wind.

And during solar eclipses between 1878 and 1908, astronomers searched in vain for a proposed extra planet within the orbit of Mercury. Provisionally named Vulcan, this planet was thought to exist because Newtonian gravity could not fully describe Mercury’s strange orbit. The matter of the innermost planet’s path was settled, finally, in 1915, when Einstein used general relativity equations to explain it.

Many eclipse expeditions were intended to learn something new, or to prove an idea right—or wrong. But many of these discoveries have major practical effects on us. Understanding the Sun, and why its atmosphere gets so hot, can help us predict solar outbursts that could disrupt the power grid and communications satellites. Understanding gravity, at all scales, allows us to know and to navigate the cosmos.

GPS satellites, for instance, provide accurate measurements down to inches on Earth. Relativity equations account for the effects of the Earth’s gravity and the distances between the satellites and their receivers on the ground. Special relativity holds that the clocks on satellites, which experience weaker gravity, seem to run slower than clocks under the stronger force of gravity on Earth. From the point of view of the satellite, Earth clocks seem to run faster. We can use different satellites in different positions, and different ground stations, to accurately triangulate our positions on Earth down to inches. Without those calculations, GPS satellites would be far less precise.

This year, scientists fanned out across North America and in the skies above it will continue the legacy of eclipse science. Scientists from NASA and several universities and other research institutions will study Earth’s atmosphere; the Sun’s atmosphere; the Sun’s magnetic fields; and the Sun’s atmospheric outbursts, called coronal mass ejections.

When you look up at the Sun and Moon on the eclipse , the Moon’s day — or just observe its shadow darkening the ground beneath the clouds, which seems more likely — think about all the discoveries still yet waiting to happen, just behind the shadow of the Moon.

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NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust

David Folkenflik

NPR is defending its journalism and integrity after a senior editor wrote an essay accusing it of losing the public's trust. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

NPR is defending its journalism and integrity after a senior editor wrote an essay accusing it of losing the public's trust.

NPR's top news executive defended its journalism and its commitment to reflecting a diverse array of views on Tuesday after a senior NPR editor wrote a broad critique of how the network has covered some of the most important stories of the age.

"An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don't have an audience that reflects America," writes Uri Berliner.

A strategic emphasis on diversity and inclusion on the basis of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, promoted by NPR's former CEO, John Lansing, has fed "the absence of viewpoint diversity," Berliner writes.

NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff Tuesday afternoon that she and the news leadership team strongly reject Berliner's assessment.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories," she wrote. "We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world."

NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era

She added, "None of our work is above scrutiny or critique. We must have vigorous discussions in the newsroom about how we serve the public as a whole."

A spokesperson for NPR said Chapin, who also serves as the network's chief content officer, would have no further comment.

Praised by NPR's critics

Berliner is a senior editor on NPR's Business Desk. (Disclosure: I, too, am part of the Business Desk, and Berliner has edited many of my past stories. He did not see any version of this article or participate in its preparation before it was posted publicly.)

Berliner's essay , titled "I've Been at NPR for 25 years. Here's How We Lost America's Trust," was published by The Free Press, a website that has welcomed journalists who have concluded that mainstream news outlets have become reflexively liberal.

Berliner writes that as a Subaru-driving, Sarah Lawrence College graduate who "was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother ," he fits the mold of a loyal NPR fan.

Yet Berliner says NPR's news coverage has fallen short on some of the most controversial stories of recent years, from the question of whether former President Donald Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 election, to the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19, to the significance and provenance of emails leaked from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden weeks before the 2020 election. In addition, he blasted NPR's coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On each of these stories, Berliner asserts, NPR has suffered from groupthink due to too little diversity of viewpoints in the newsroom.

The essay ricocheted Tuesday around conservative media , with some labeling Berliner a whistleblower . Others picked it up on social media, including Elon Musk, who has lambasted NPR for leaving his social media site, X. (Musk emailed another NPR reporter a link to Berliner's article with a gibe that the reporter was a "quisling" — a World War II reference to someone who collaborates with the enemy.)

When asked for further comment late Tuesday, Berliner declined, saying the essay spoke for itself.

The arguments he raises — and counters — have percolated across U.S. newsrooms in recent years. The #MeToo sexual harassment scandals of 2016 and 2017 forced newsrooms to listen to and heed more junior colleagues. The social justice movement prompted by the killing of George Floyd in 2020 inspired a reckoning in many places. Newsroom leaders often appeared to stand on shaky ground.

Leaders at many newsrooms, including top editors at The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times , lost their jobs. Legendary Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron wrote in his memoir that he feared his bonds with the staff were "frayed beyond repair," especially over the degree of self-expression his journalists expected to exert on social media, before he decided to step down in early 2021.

Since then, Baron and others — including leaders of some of these newsrooms — have suggested that the pendulum has swung too far.

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Legendary editor marty baron describes his 'collision of power' with trump and bezos.

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger warned last year against journalists embracing a stance of what he calls "one-side-ism": "where journalists are demonstrating that they're on the side of the righteous."

"I really think that that can create blind spots and echo chambers," he said.

Internal arguments at The Times over the strength of its reporting on accusations that Hamas engaged in sexual assaults as part of a strategy for its Oct. 7 attack on Israel erupted publicly . The paper conducted an investigation to determine the source of a leak over a planned episode of the paper's podcast The Daily on the subject, which months later has not been released. The newsroom guild accused the paper of "targeted interrogation" of journalists of Middle Eastern descent.

Heated pushback in NPR's newsroom

Given Berliner's account of private conversations, several NPR journalists question whether they can now trust him with unguarded assessments about stories in real time. Others express frustration that he had not sought out comment in advance of publication. Berliner acknowledged to me that for this story, he did not seek NPR's approval to publish the piece, nor did he give the network advance notice.

Some of Berliner's NPR colleagues are responding heatedly. Fernando Alfonso, a senior supervising editor for digital news, wrote that he wholeheartedly rejected Berliner's critique of the coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, for which NPR's journalists, like their peers, periodically put themselves at risk.

Alfonso also took issue with Berliner's concern over the focus on diversity at NPR.

"As a person of color who has often worked in newsrooms with little to no people who look like me, the efforts NPR has made to diversify its workforce and its sources are unique and appropriate given the news industry's long-standing lack of diversity," Alfonso says. "These efforts should be celebrated and not denigrated as Uri has done."

After this story was first published, Berliner contested Alfonso's characterization, saying his criticism of NPR is about the lack of diversity of viewpoints, not its diversity itself.

"I never criticized NPR's priority of achieving a more diverse workforce in terms of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. I have not 'denigrated' NPR's newsroom diversity goals," Berliner said. "That's wrong."

Questions of diversity

Under former CEO John Lansing, NPR made increasing diversity, both of its staff and its audience, its "North Star" mission. Berliner says in the essay that NPR failed to consider broader diversity of viewpoint, noting, "In D.C., where NPR is headquartered and many of us live, I found 87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans."

Berliner cited audience estimates that suggested a concurrent falloff in listening by Republicans. (The number of people listening to NPR broadcasts and terrestrial radio broadly has declined since the start of the pandemic.)

Former NPR vice president for news and ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin tweeted , "I know Uri. He's not wrong."

Others questioned Berliner's logic. "This probably gets causality somewhat backward," tweeted Semafor Washington editor Jordan Weissmann . "I'd guess that a lot of NPR listeners who voted for [Mitt] Romney have changed how they identify politically."

Similarly, Nieman Lab founder Joshua Benton suggested the rise of Trump alienated many NPR-appreciating Republicans from the GOP.

In recent years, NPR has greatly enhanced the percentage of people of color in its workforce and its executive ranks. Four out of 10 staffers are people of color; nearly half of NPR's leadership team identifies as Black, Asian or Latino.

"The philosophy is: Do you want to serve all of America and make sure it sounds like all of America, or not?" Lansing, who stepped down last month, says in response to Berliner's piece. "I'd welcome the argument against that."

"On radio, we were really lagging in our representation of an audience that makes us look like what America looks like today," Lansing says. The U.S. looks and sounds a lot different than it did in 1971, when NPR's first show was broadcast, Lansing says.

A network spokesperson says new NPR CEO Katherine Maher supports Chapin and her response to Berliner's critique.

The spokesperson says that Maher "believes that it's a healthy thing for a public service newsroom to engage in rigorous consideration of the needs of our audiences, including where we serve our mission well and where we can serve it better."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste

Despite the critical role aquatic food systems play in nutrition and food security worldwide, these value chains encounter significant loss and waste challenges. In 2021, approximately 23.8 million tonnes of aquatic foods were lost or wasted, representing 14.8% of global production.

This insight underpins the Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste white paper, which delivers updated estimates and thorough analysis across the value chain. The paper is a collaborative effort by the World Economic Forum’s Ocean Action Agenda, the World Resources Institute and MarFishEco, supported by the UK Government’s Blue Planet Fund. It highlights the urgent need for interventions across supply chain actors, identifying hotspots of loss and waste in terms of region, species group and product type.

The paper calls on policy-makers, industry and civil society for collective, targeted actions, offering strategies to significantly reduce aquatic food loss and waste, thereby enhancing the sustainability and resilience of global food systems.

World Economic Forum reports may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License , and in accordance with our Terms of Use .

Further reading All related content

Nearly 15% of the seafood we produce each year is wasted. Here’s what needs to happen

Improvements in processing, storage and new technologies can help to reduce the amount of aquatic food lost, according to a new World Economic Forum report.