Similes
A simile is a
comparison of people, places, events, ideas, actions etc. using the words “as”
or “like”.
Examples in the
novel
·
Later he would say wisely, with
something of a turnabout, that a home without daughters is like a spring without a source, for it was his right as a great
chief not only to lead but to utter wisdom as well, change of heart
notwithstanding. (p11)
·
Now as sure as the sun rises in the east because
this is the home of the great were the god of Ramogi, everything in this world
has a reason if only you search diligently for it. P12
·
She is as fleet as a gazelle and
her flying feet have been incorporated into the sayings of our village so that
mothers sending their daughters on errands tell them to run like Adoyo of the flying feet. P21
·
Should I spit in the eyes of
were like a snake and deny that he
has given me children. P35
·
Were could rescue such a man
from being blown away from among the people like
so much chaff. P39
·
Not of course that anybody
talked about it openly and definitely nobody referred to his wife about the
matter, for events were still fresh in the people’s memories and everyone knew
that there was no wrath like the
wrath of an even tempered man; but one can talk without talking, and the people
of Ramogi were masters of that wily tongued act. P46
·
Otieno treated his wives like sluts and they did not fail him, Owuor
treated his wife like a queen and she
did not fail him either. P47
·
Instead of walking they used
swift moving little metal houses which had eyes that shone like the moon at night. P48
·
And wonder of wonders, they
were building a long snaking metal line in which it was said that a contraption
which looked like a caterpillar
carrying many goods could move. P48
·
There were colourful
butterflies, light as feather, but so
awkward in their flight as if drunk
on kong’o. p64
·
She herself should die, for
what use was this life if one could be snuffed out like a poorly lit fire, never getting a chance to blaze into a
flame. P64-65
·
As it was, his grandmother
feared for his life and watched him like
a hawk. P67
·
She found her daughter thin to
the point of emaciation with her belly sticking out before her like an appendage. When she saw her
mother still unbent and unbowed by suffering, looking like a woman half her age, she just broke down and wept in her arms
as if she was a little girl again.
P75
·
It is for us men to wash away
our painful confusion with tears and then carry on, perhaps there might be some
meaning in it all that only glimmers like
a firefly in a dark night. P75
·
How can you trust one who is so
white like the clouds? P76
·
I would not trust your uncle Otieno
although he is as black as the bottom
of the pot I boil maize and beans in. p77
·
“In the beginning, were was alone in the world which was
beautiful. Were is a spirit and a
spirit is like a flame, you can
easily see it, but you cannot get hold of it. It is like air which you know is there but which you cannot touch. It is like the wind which can uproot a tree
and hurl it afar but has no substance. It is like lightning which is seen in many places at once bit is in none.
Yes, it is like the essence of man
which makes him all that he is yet departs from him quietly and suddenly
leaving only a dead image. P81
·
Very few rebelled and were
outcast, cut off from the people like
a branch from a tree. P87
·
It is a shame for an able
bodied person to feed off the sweat of others. It becomes like a sickness of the blood which transmits itself to generations
and becomes a curse forever. P93
·
Pain and sorrow all humans
feel; but bitterness drops on the spirit like
aloes – causing it to wither. P103
·
She suspected that her mother
would take on the new faith like
ngenge (fish) to water. P108
·
“Yes mother. It is true, I feel
like an uprooted tree which cannot
reach soil or water”. P111
·
Jonathan was the son of the king
and would have been king if God had not chosen David in his stead but he was
not bitter for he could see why, David had a soul as pure as spring water
and as brave as a lion.
·
Awiti excelled in reading and Owuor
took to numbers like a duck to water.
P116
·
He had something on his mind
for a long time and has been jumpy as
an ant with its tail in hot embers. P125
·
Now that her cousin and only
close male relative was in the seminary she was the only connection they had to
the continuity of the family, something that the Africans, like the Chinese, holds dear to his heart.
·
There was a vice like band
around her head and she thought she would faint. In her head one thought went
round and round, beating its wings like
a trapped bird. P131
·
You shake like a reed in the wind because you have never forgiven God for not
giving you as many children as other women whom you consider less worthy. P131
·
Don’t you know that from the
height of heaves and the vastness of his eternity he sees you as you shall be a
hundred seasons hence when no one on earth will have any memory of you and your
bloodline will have mingled and petered out like
a well in the dry season. P132
·
Maria eventually subsided and
her racing heart stilled within her but when she heard her daughter’s footsteps
on the threshold the band tightened around her again and she started breathing
fast – like a woman in labour. She
struggled to control herself. P132
·
He offered her his hand and
since she had been standing there like
a fool listening to him, she decided that the least she could do was to shake
it and then take off before having a fit or something. P139
·
Her ankles were constantly
swollen and every once in a while her heart would do a strange dance within her
rib cage – almost like the flutter of
a bird trying to break free. P142
·
Further along was the school –
the place of learning without which one was as
a blind man in a strange house. P145
·
The girl has grown up in Gem
because her mother being a widow and having converted to Christianity decided
to settle here which is a good thing because now she is like a light to the rest of us. P148
·
But that evening, he came home
smelling like a brewery. P160
·
Is this why they refused to
take a bride price for her? So that they could treat us like dirt?p167
·
“There is a baby inside there
waiting to be born”. Her eyes would then grow as big as saucers. P168
·
He felt like a man who had been hooked on drugs and was trying to throw off
the habit. P169
·
After two weeks, she had gained
a pound and a half and looked more like
human baby than a monkey. P194
·
He had never been much good at
hiding things behind a blank mask and Elizabeth could read him like a book. P200
·
Their shared room was therefore
like an island on the midst of the
tumultuous sea that was the “box”. P226
·
Sometimes they raced the van,
grabbed a rail and swung themselves in like
large monkeys and one momentarily closed one’s eyes in anticipation of the
sound of wheels crunching over a fallen body. P234
·
Vera could collect her wits
enough to listen to what the priest was reading and saying, but even before
then she felt the peaceful stillness of the place steal into her soul like a fragrance – something that just
came and against which one had no resistance. P236
·
I think one has to be tough as nails to survive this course. P248
·
Aoro walked out of the labour
room theatre feeling like a punch
drunk fighter. P249
·
Aoro was an intern and
internship is a period which is marked in every doctor’s mind like a splash of white paint on a dark
background. P250
·
A student nurse smiled at him –
a smile as warm as the afternoon sun.
p253
·
In spite of their hard start in
life, or maybe because of it, they had all done very well and the oldest
brother in fact owned a company and was very wealthy – a tycoon, though one
would never have guessed it by looking at his lean, brown, but friendly face –
as handsome as a male model. P266
·
Living with him would be like walking a tight rope. P267
·
Meanwhile in the kitchen
Elizabeth and Wandia were getting on like
a house on fire. P273
·
Vera and Wandia, who were as
different as east from west, yet so
similar in some ways, became fast friends.
·
Vera was delighted and treated
her like a priceless and breakable
porcelain object – which had amused her hugely. P278
·
“How terrible!” she was
beginning to sound like a broken
record. P280
·
“Where is your God?” A question
as old as man’s sojourn on this
earth. P289
·
He was now in class seven and
was best student, class monitor and games captain and before his voice started
breaking he, like his sister, sang like
an angel. P293
·
To Wandia, it was like a light at the end of a dark
tunnel. P294
·
To her, life was like a river, flowing from eternity to
eternity. P298
DIALECT
Dialect is the
use of a vernacular language that is unique to a group of people or a
community.
Examples of
dialects used in the novel
i.
Dholuo words and phrases
·
Jorochere – White people. P11
·
Were – God of Ramogi. P12
·
Chik – The way of the people.
P13
·
Jodongo – Elders. P13
·
Kong’o – Brew. P13
·
Wuon okumba – Bearer of the
shield. P14
·
Wuod lando – Son of the brown
woman. P14
·
Baba – Father. P15
·
Mama – Mother. P15
·
Dwaro mara – Want mine. P15
·
Migogo – Widow. P15
·
Dak – Neighbourliness. P16
·
Gueyo – Dirge. P14
·
Jomifwadhi – Disorganised
sluggards. P16
·
Nak – Initiation. P16
·
Juok – Witchcraft. P17
·
Duol – Chief’s personal hut.
P18
·
Nyadhi – Great style. P18
·
Mikai – First wife. P19
·
Samba – Hut. P19
·
Or – Son in law. P22
·
Maro – Mother in law. P22
·
Jawang’yo – Spy. P23
·
Ayie – I have accepted. P24
·
Amen – Wrestling duels. P27
·
Nyatiti – Traditional musical
instrument. P28
·
Chieno – Traditional skin. P28
·
Miaha – New wife. P28
·
Nyar yimbo – Daughter of the
people of yimbo. P35
·
Nyar asembo – Daughter of the
people of asembo. P36
·
Misumba - A bachelor. P38
·
Pesa – Money. P48
·
Chiew – Wake up. P53
·
Jo-ingreza – The English. P59
·
Jo-jerman – The Germans. P59
·
Tao – Fish dish. P59
·
Biuru une – Come and see. P59
·
Sirikal – Government. P60
·
Yap Obanda – Obanda’s dam. P66
·
Thuondi – The brave ones. P82
·
Diyo – Squeeze. P84
·
Askaris – Policemen. P85
·
Ja – mwa - foreigner
·
Apil – Appeal. P89
·
Bwana – Sir. P91
·
Baba-na – My father. P98
·
Tero – Wife inheritance. P99
·
Batiso – Baptism. P105
·
Yeso kristo – Jesus Christ.
P105
·
Ngege – Fish. P108
·
Misri – Egypt. P110
·
Ja-mwa – A foreigner. P146
·
Kambi – Company. P147
·
Kit mikai – Rock upon a rock.
P147
·
Kech ka-ya – I am hungry. P152
ii.
Swahili words and phrases
·
Kaptulas – Long shorts. P137
·
Uhuru – Independence. P171
·
Turudi mashambani – Let us
return to the land. P171
·
Chapatis. P179
·
Harambee. P209
·
Mzungu – White man. P224
·
Matatu – Van. P234
·
Sukuma wiki – Kales. P238
·
Shamba – Farm. P255
·
Mwalimu – Teacher. P264
·
Daktari – Doctor. P264
·
Ndio mama – Yes mum
iii.
Agikuyu words and phrases
·
Ruguru – The man from the west.
P256
·
Muthoni – Brother in law. P267
iv.
Latin words and phrases
·
Opus dei – God’s work. P239
·
Pater noster, qui es in coelis
– Our father who art in heaven. P111
·
Alleluias – Hallelujah. P111
Idiophones
An idiophone is a sound which mimics the
source of the sound.
Examples in the novel
·
The heavy air was split with
sounds of amazement and laughter.
“Wolololoyaye!”
“Mama
yoo!”
“Biuru
une! Come and see!” p59
·
A praying mantis sat on a blade
of elephant grass regarding all this unnecessary activity in prayerful
contemplation; and in the nearby tree a dove cooed to it mates. “Kech ka-aya!
Kech ka-aya!” which meant “I am hungry! I am hungry!” p52
Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison of people,
places, events, ideas, actions etc. without using the words “as” or “like.”
Examples in the novel
·
“Another rock for my sling,” by
which he meant another son. P11
·
Fish came in fresh from the
lake and wild fruits abounded; in fact malnutrition at the rates seen among
today’s urban and rural poor was unknown; indeed yimbo was a small corner of
paradise. P16
·
“Ayie, I have accepted your
suit. May the young girl be called so that people of Sakwa may see what jewel
we are giving the”. P24
·
“What a brazen lass,” thought Otieno,
“Thirty head indeed”.
·
Eventually the Sakwa men broke
away with their prize and with one last cry, disappeared into the bush. P27
·
However, a monogamous man was
an unknown animal and every man worth his salt tried to marry at least two
wives. P30-31
·
“He went to a friend’s funeral
the day before yesterday and is due back today. Meanwhile I will teach this
she-wolf a lesson”.
·
Do you not know that a man’s
mikai is the greatest jewel that adorns his compound? P38
·
Compared to his chatterbox
brother and sister, Owang sino was a welcome respite for his mother. P47
·
Two rocks were definitely an
improvement to one. P46
·
Maybe he had left early for the
fields; but he had the appetite of a starved lion and had never been known to
miss breakfast. P53
·
The family had been touched by
tragedy and tragedy can sometimes be a habitual drunk who keeps coming back for
more. P65
·
“Of course I trust you. I
thought of bringing him here, but I decided it was too near the nest of vipers
who now occupy the stool of maroko, the first chief”. P78
·
His voice was a loud trumpet –
almost as if shouting would make people understand him better. P91
·
Her mother arrived with the
speed of lightning to her daughter’s side. P98
·
You know my life is a painful
wound to me and much as I try my heart fills with bitterness – for me and also
for you. P102-103
·
In truth she just wanted to
know and understand better, for catechism is a bare skeleton and she wanted the
flesh – something she could sink her teeth into. P106
·
The two women became some sort
of a fixture on the green sloping countryside, and the locals, not as motivated
as they were, made endless jokes about their iron backs and caked feet. P117
·
It was inevitable that Owuor,
whose soul was a mixture of cool clear waters and burning embers, would at some
point feel a call to the priesthood. P120
·
The two rascals must be old men
now. P144
·
And Elizabeth thought to
herself, “What will I do without her when she is gone? She is the steady rock
of our lives”. P144
·
For this jewel there can be no
price. P148
·
The old woman was beside
herself with fury but mark had the determination of a mule, so she went. P161
·
The girl was pretty, very
pretty and what’s more, accommodating, but apart from that nothing more could
be said of her – except maybe that she had the personality of a leech and could
cling closer than a vine. P168
·
We will never take these two
useless puppies with us again. P179
·
It is all very well to be
dumbfounded before a microscope or a displayed nerve or muscle, but to make a
fool of oneself in front of a panel of examiners turned everybody’s insides
into heaving molten lava. P246
·
Time to oneself becomes a
coveted possession and sleep a jealously guarded mistress. P250
·
And what good have you done you
rascal. P263
·
They had had good loving
parents and all her brothers and her other sister were happy warm hearted
people with ordinary faults, but not with such bitterness- the bitterness of
gall – and that in someone so beautiful. P286
·
People tended to take him for
pure white, a thing he disliked and which he countered by speaking mostly
Swahili, eating mainly African food, and having friends who were practically
soot black. P303
·
The donors not particularly
impressed by the Capricorn turned guardian angel transformation of the rulers
were still withholding aid and the country was going to the dogs, slowly but
surely. P304
·
One rascal – her son opiyo’s
son mark, actually had his leg placed squarely on another child’s neck. P305
·
My mother is very kind hearted and
quite strong though she has always been in the shadow of her mother who is a
woman of iron. 141
Parenthesis
It is a literary device where sentences are
interrupted by brackets to add more information to the main sentence.
Example in the novel
·
Now these ancestral spirits
usually sent such vivid dreams that no one was ever left in doubt. In this case
the child’s great uncle, recently dead, a medicine man of great renown sent
dreams to both the father and the grandmother of the child (the mother was
probably too exhausted to dream). P12
·
For example, a child named
after a brave warrior may spend most of his life being called Wuon-okumba
(bearer of the shield); or another be called Wuod lando (son of the brown
woman). For little Adoyo Obanda (for her third name was rarely ever used except
by her grandmother) that extra name was Akoko (the noisy one) for she had an
extremely powerful set of lungs and she did not mind using them). P14
·
Now, to survive in a household
consisting of nine brothers (for it was not until four years later that another
girl was born) requires some skill, and Akoko perfected it. P15
·
In that place and in those
days, life went on at an interrupted, even keel. Inter clan warfare was rare,
for Dak (neighbourliness) and wat (a concept that encompassed a brotherhood so
far reaching that it was almost impossible to go anywhere and not find a
relative) were valued highly. P16
·
His Jawang’yo (the spy he had
sent to inspect the girl) had told him that she had a most beautiful neck, long
with lovely creases tracing their way around it. P23
·
Among the suitors was
controlled pandemonium; controlled because an or, a son in law, always had to
comport himself with great dignity (even if escaping from a house on fire) when
in the presence of his in laws, especially the Maro, mother in law, whom they
were sure was watching them from some chink in a wall. P22
·
Once she forgot herself to
declare that Nyar yimbo (Akoko) had bewitched her son. P34
·
I Akoko Obanda Nyar yimbo
(daughter of the people of yimbo) came to the homestead of Owuor kembo, chief,
as a pure girl nineteen seasons old. P35
·
Do I not always have enough to
eat and more left over to barter in exchange for cattle, goats and sheep?
(Indeed the size of her herds had become quite impressive). P35
·
Much has been said by the
daughter of the people of Asembo (Nyar asembo) and her son Otieno about the
thirty head of cattle that were paid to my father as bride price. P36
·
He also led them (not sent
them) to battle, or if he was too old, his eldest son. P57
·
And to this day if you go to Sakwa
near ndwara village and ask for yap Obanda (Obanda’s dam) it will be shown to
you. P66
·
May were, god of the rising sun (the interpreter translated that simply
as god) give his wisdom to you so that you can decide this matter fairly. P87
·
The baby was forthwith named Awiti
(feminine for owiti – the one who had been thrown away). P97
·
A husband had to be found from
close relatives of the dead man, but such a man had no real rights over the
woman, his job being that of siring children to maintain the dead man’s name
and to keep his widow from wandering from man to man (a scandal). P99
·
When you have fully understood
and you agree with those things which you have been taught you receive the Batiso
(baptism), during which you will become a child of God. P105
·
It offered such consolation for
one could identify oneself easily with the desolation of Mary (a sword shall
pierce your heart), with the joy of Elizabeth (whose barrenness was removed by
God), the warm love of weak Peter (lord you know everything, you know that I
love you!). p108
·
She wore a long white robe (on
loan) with a white scarf on her head. P109
·
Daniel and the lions, Elias,
the man who went to heaven on a bicycle of fire (translate chariot of fire); the
great friendship of Daudi and Jonathan. P113
·
The lights would be switched on
(powered by a generator) and the whole place would be thrown into brilliant
light. P119
·
Kong’o was brewed in two large
pots; a young bull was selected for slaughter and many cockerels were to meet a
sticky end on that day (though they went about the business of intimidating the
hens completely oblivious of the fact). P145
·
Now he is a clerk with a big Kambi
(company) in Nakuru, where he gets a good salary. P147
Slang
Slang is a word
that is used informally and is not part of the standard language.
Examples in the
novel
·
“Hey! Where’s my mother? I want my mother! I am hungry!” p31
·
“For a while there, it had
looked as if both mother and daughter were goners”.
P32
·
“What the heck is going on?” he asked the empty room. P180
·
“Yak! I’ve got to run honey. I have
gallonfulls of bloodletting yet to be done”. P257
·
“No! No! I mean – gosh – am I so obvious?” p296
·
“Yah, I guess. I had been suspended from
school for, well, infringement of a few rules and ruffling the head boy’s
feathers – they were rather sleek – I couldn’t resist them,” he smiled in
remembrance. P259
Repetition
Repetition is a
literary device whereby words, phrases, clauses and sentences are repeated in a
passage.
Examples in the
novel
·
Had some evil enemy cast a spell? Had she not been properly
named? P 12
·
Did I ever turn to the left or to the right of the way you taught me? Did
I not honour, love and serve the great chief gogni adinda, mu husband,
until the day I buried him in pomp and honour fulfilling all the requirements
of chik, the way of our people. P
·
“Brothers! Brothers! Let there be peace and understanding.” P44
·
“Obura! Obura! Chiew!” There was no answer. P53
·
“My chief! My chief! They
are both gone. They left last night before the first cockcrow. And
and…p54
·
She narrated his birth, the
inexpressible joy of being a mother, what a demanding baby he had been,
how clever he was, how delighted he had been when his sister was born,
how he had carried her out to play as soon as she could sit; how he
had taught her to walk with many tumbles, falls and tears; how fun-loving he
had been. P63
·
I am afraid mother, I am
so afraid! P77
·
The next few days passed
pleasantly enough, with mother and daughter chatting for hours about their
lives, their people, their past, their future, their
hopes and all manner of things. P78
·
It is like air which you know is there but which you cannot touch. It is
like the wind which can uproot a tree and hurl it afar but has no
substance. It is like lightning which is seen in many places at once but
is none. Yes, it is like the essence of man which makes him all that he
is yet departs from him quietly and suddenly leaving only a dead image. P81
·
“Are you behind all this
you stupid woman? Are you? Tell me, are you? I will kill you, I
will whip you and send you back to your village!” p90
·
“I must fight. I cannot
give up! I must! I must!” thought her mother. P99
·
“Yes, yes!” replied Pilipo
reaching eagerly for the pot. “But I can tell you it is hard. Very, very
hard. I failed several times to answer the questions they asked me but
eventually I got the hang of it.” P101
·
That God would design to be a man! That he should choose to be
born of a woman. A woman! One would think that he would have
chosen to be born of the unilateral efforts of a man; but no, a woman it
was. P105-106
·
Children were a consolation, laughter and security. Children were
everything. P108
·
“Maria! Maria! Tell us
about the angel and Maria!” piped her daughter Awiti, now eight years old and
her nephew Owuor aged ten.
·
She had looked so well, so chirpy, so like her old self; she had looked
worse at other times but had not died – how could she die now when it appeared
as if she had rallied out of the worst? P150
·
“Go away! Go away! I don’t want to see you ever again!” p153
·
“Father! I am very
sorry, please forgive me. I promise never to do any of those things again. I
will work hard. You know how hard I can work. I’ll never make you ashamed of me
again. Father! Father…” this last as mark made as if to turn away. P190
·
“A sword shall pierce thy
soul! A sword shall pierce thy soul!” and suddenly she realized she
had spoken loudly and everyone turned around to stare. P131
·
“You hate me! You
never liked me! You only came to my school to spy on me because you are
jealous of me you ugly witch, you pretender!” p196
·
They won’t kill you. They can’t tie you down. They may or
may not give their blessing, but at least they will know that you are
safe and happy. P222
·
Each time you have a
different problem, a different experience, a different level
of participation, of understanding. P237
·
He needed sleep. Sleep.
P254
·
We’ve known each other for six
years. Six years! P256
·
It was one hell of a
life and one hell of a courtship. P257
·
“Ok! Ok!” p262
·
If she had life – and being a doctor she was under no misapprehension as to how
fast one could lose it; if she had life – all else would be hers. P261
·
“Yes! Yes!” she answered
jumping to her feet with clarity. P271
·
“Auntie! Auntie! I
didn’t know you were here!” p277
·
“Agreed! Agreed!” answered
her eldest son waving a juicy looking drumstick in the air. P296
·
“No! No! I mean – gosh – am I so obvious?” p296
·
“What! What do you
mean…” still ringing in his ears. P307
Proverbs
A proverb is a statement that contains
wisdom or some general truth.
Examples in the novel
·
Later he would say wisely, with
something of a turnabout that a home without daughters is like a spring without
a source; for it was his right as a great chief not only to lead but to utter
wisdom as well, change of heart notwithstanding. P11
·
To lose one’s mikai is to lose
one’s right hand. P38
·
The medicine for stupidity is
marriage. P39
·
I have always been taught that
honor and pride in oneself and one’s people were of the utmost importance for
one’s sense of being, for as the wise men tell us. How can you know where you
are going if you do not know where you are coming from? P42
·
The second is unpleasant but
insults never break bones. P43
·
After all who knows the
goodness of a tree but he who sits under its shade and eats its fruits? P44
·
Yesterday is not today and
today is not tomorrow for each day rises fresh from the hands of were god of the eye of the sun, bringing
with it gladness and sorrow, sun and darkness, the two faces of were. For how can we appreciate light
unless we understand darkness? P75
·
Both evil and the good suffer.
How you come through suffering is what will make or break you. P77
·
But to have a child is one
thing, to bring it up to be a human fit to live with others is something else
altogether – and the way you are going, I doubt if you will be fit to be a
mother when the baby comes. P77
·
“Do not decide the wisdom of a
man by the brevity of his quiet or the multitude of his words. It is only a
wise man who can decide quickly that he doesn’t know and need to seek more knowledge.
A fool knows everything. It is only a wise man who does not hide his folly
behind many words. I think this Diyo will help me”. P88
·
If you want to cut a tree, take
time to sharpen an axe. P89
·
Laziness opens the door for
evil to rule one’s mind and body. P93
·
She wondered how long it would
be before his wives started making insinuations but she did not allow herself
to descend to bitterness; for yesterday is not today and today is not tomorrow.
Each day rises fresh from the hands of were
and brings with it whatsoever it will. P94
·
Bitterness is poison to the
spirit for it breeds nothing but vipers some of which might consume your very
self. P103
·
Life is a puzzle and a mystery
and the living human mind spends it in yearning, for what it knows not, but
search it must. P103
·
As time went by, Nyabera was
shown a place to put up a house, being a widow and away from home. It was a
very lonely place but then beggars cannot be choosers. P107
·
However, only a fool tries to
peer into the future; enough unto the day were the problems thereof and the
problem of that particular day was to give satisfaction in catechism and get
baptized. P
·
You must be brave for to be a
coward is an insult to God and man. P113
·
Eventually they trudged weary
and footsore into the little lonely hut; spread out their sleeping skins with
the light of the moon and fell into an exhausted slumber, secure in the
knowledge that what is good never comes easy and what is good is worth every
single struggle. P114
·
It is a fact of life that once
a mother always a mother until the day of death, even if the child is seventy.
P122
·
Time heals all wounds. P124
·
One wise man said that it was
better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. In the same
vein, it is better to have buoyed up by hope, the horizon limitless before one,
than to have lived in the grey world of timid fearfulness. P126
·
In this life there was one
thing one could always count on and that was death. P150
·
Short is the human memory. P206
·
He was beside himself with joy
and would have loved to practice some more surgery on a frog, but no amphibian
was forthcoming – once bitten twice shy. P210
·
“There are more ways than one
to skin a cat,” answered Becky ambiguously as she inserted a key into the lock.
P218
·
“Aoro is a very lucky boy – no
wonder the Luos say that it is better to be lucky than to be good”. P273
·
Everything that has a beginning
has an end. P109
Aposiopesis
It is a sudden
discontinuation of a word, a phrase, a clause or a sentence using ellipsis (…)
Examples in the
novel
·
Oh Akelo my sister, is it my
fault that you died without issue…? P13
·
“But mother…” started the
argumentative Obura. P37
·
“My chief! My chief! They are
both gone. They left last night before the first cockcrow. And, and…” here he
stammered and then stopped. P54
·
“The names of the three are
Obura kembo, Ambere k’ogoso and Nyaroche silwal. They went to fight the Jo –
jerman in a place called Tanganyika, a country of black people ruled by
Jo-jerman. Of the three only Nyaroche silwal survived and he is…” p60-61
·
“Er, er…” began Opiyo trying to
find his tongue. P80
·
“Oh!” I see, but we no longer
call the place Kisuma. The sirkal has changed that to Kisumu. Also the big
white chief is called a D.O he…” p83
·
He was a young chief and single
and his name was Owuor kembo… p154
·
“Father I am very sorry, please
forgive me. I promise never to do any of those things again. I will work hard.
You know how hard I can work. I’ll never make you ashamed of me again. Father!
Father…” this last as mark made as if to turn away. P190
·
“Please, honey…” p288
·
Would they please come
immediately? He hung up with his brothers. “What! What do you mean…still
ringing in his ears. P307
Chronicles
Chronicles is the
narration of historical accounts or events in a chronological order of time. In
the novel “The river and the source” the author has narrated several historical
events that takes place worldwide and also within the country of Kenya.
Example of events
in the novel and their time periods
i.
Building of the railway line
(1896-1901)
The building of
the Kenya-Uganda railway line began in 1896 in the port city of Mombasa and its
construction ended in 1901 in Kisumu. There are evidences and clues given by
the author of the novel about the early exploration of the white people. We
learn about their exploration through Ambere kongoso who disappeared mysteriously
and when he returned to Sakwa he told of stories of the white skinned people,
who were now ruling most of the land. Ambere also talks about a pipe which
could kill with a mere puff of smoke (gun), and instead of them walking they
used swift moving like metal houses which had eyes that shone like the moon at
night (motor vehicles). He also describes a long snaking metal line (railway
line) which was being built by the white people and which looked like a
caterpillar carrying many goods (train).
ii.
First world war (1918)
This has been
described as the number of years since the white men god had a son. It has also
been described as the year when the white men of Jo-ingreza, the English, had
been hard at war with the white tribe of Jo-jerman, the Germans, for the last
four years. This statement tells us that the author of the novel gave clues as
to when the First World War began i.e. 1914. Obura, Akoko and chief Owuor
kembo’s son, was also involved in that war when he together with Ambere kongoso
and Nyaroche silwal were taken by the English to go to Tanganyika to fight the
Germans. The author also tells us how the Germans started the war with
everybody in the world joining and taking their side or the side of the English
who eventually won the war.
iii.
Second world war (1939-1945)
The author of the
novel has revealed Mark sigu as a former soldier who fought in the second world
war which begun in 1939 and ended in 1945. Mark was discharged from the army
two months after the end of the war.
The Second World
War was a global war that started when Germany invaded Poland and the
subsequent declaration of war on Germany by France and England.
iv.
Height of civilization (1930s)
It is the year
that Akoko made that great journey to Kisumu to seek the white man’s help
against her case with Otieno who had taken the chief’s stool with arrogance and
had done away with the council of elders. On arrival to Kisumu, Akoko and the
twin boys (Opiyo and Odongo) noticed how greatly the dress code of the people
living in Kisumu had changed. Apart from the dress code the housing
developments had also changed and it was very much different from where they
had come from.
v.
Mau Mau uprising/emergency
period (1952-1959)
The Mau Mau
uprising begun in 1952 and ended in 1959. It began because the administration
of the white men was unjust and unheeding to the pleas and aspirations of their
black subjects which led to mass uprising against colonial rule. The mass
uprising also led to the death of many people especially the kikuyu who
suffered greatly.
vi.
Independence Kenya (1963)
The author of the
novel has described how the mood of the country changed when independence was
attained. During that period jomo Kenyatta was installed as the leader and JA
Ramogi as his assistant. The author also describes how during that period
people worked tirelessly and how Kenyatta made the need to work a clarion call.
After independence the white people who had remained in the country and who
were also the colonizers left in droves fearing for their lives.
vii.
Multipartyism (1992)
The year when the
first multiparty elections were held in Kenya and which was characterized by
confusion and cries of foul by the opposition and declarations of total
transparency by the winners. During these period Kenyans had come out shining
and the donors were not impressed and were withholding aid.
Epitaph
An epitaph is an
inscription or writing on a tombstone, monument of ornament in memory of
someone who is dead. The epitaph usually contains the date which a person died
and the name of the person. In the novel “The River and the source” chief Owuor
kembo is presented with an epitaph in the form of a bracelet bearing the name
of his son Obura and the year that he was killed. P65
OWUOR, OBURA KEMBO: KAR MIA 1918
Personification
Personification is a literary device where
human qualities are given to an animal, object, event or an idea.
Examples in the novel
·
Here he stopped to take a sip
of Kongo and you could have heard the ants talk, so great was the silence. P21
·
This went on for four days
after which a banana trunk was symbolically buried and the people dispersed to
their homes except for the close relatives. P61-62
·
She wept late into the night
and only dropped off, exhausted, at the hour when the crickets sing loudest and
the fireflies flit here and there flashing their glowing torches. P64
·
Were looked down at the world with one
fiery eye; the ancestral spirits stirred in the air, whipping into a playful
whirl that picked up sand and leaves and hurled them into people’s faces. P64
·
There were colourful
butterflies, light as feather, but so awkward in their flight as if drunk on
kong’o. p64
·
Were should stab the world with
lightning, the sun should hide its face, the very trees should moan in misery.
P64
·
The family had been touched by
tragedy and tragedy can sometimes be a habitual drunk who keeps coming back for
more. P65
·
The dewy grass slapped mostly
against their swiftly moving legs and trees and tree stumps rose suddenly out
of the darkness making grotesque shadows out of the great shadow of the night.
The trees whispered conspiratorially at each other and once in a while an owl
hooted, or some animal called its mate, or a hyena laughed hysterically at the
night. P80-81
·
It was that dark hour, just
before dawn when death, shrouded in darkness, mostly prefers to make his
rounds. P149
·
She had in fact been surrounded
by death in most of her adult life. It was there, just waiting, never
satisfied, a true glutton. P150
·
She watched a dragon fly doing
its acrobatics near the surface of water. P152
·
Time to oneself becomes a
coveted possession and sleeps a jealously guarded mistress. P250
Allusion
It is a literary
device where reference is made to people, places, events, myths, ideas and
other literary works.
There are
several types of allusions that have been used in the novel. These are:
I.
Biblical allusion
It is a
reference device where reference is made to biblical characters, events and
places.
Examples in the
novel:
·
Now in that village, a man had
once come dressed in a white robe and speaking of a new God who made meaning
out of sorrow and suffering and who particularly liked the poor, the orphan and
the widow. The man said that the latter two were poor in spirit, for having no
earthly support, they could better trust in God. Infect he said that this God
so loved people that he had sent his only son to live, suffer and die like man.
P100-101
In this extract reference
is made to Jesus Christ, who according to Christianity and Judaism was the son
of God sent to live, suffer and die for his followers so that he could save
them.
·
“Er…about a God-man called
kristo who was the son of God, his father. He came to die for our sins, to save
us. His mother was called Maria – and she was very pure. They said something
about God being three but only one but I didn’t understand that very well.”
P102
In this extract
the name “Kristo” refers to Christ who was the son of the Christian God. His
earthly mother was called Maria i.e. Mary who was a virgin when she gave birth
to Jesus. The reference made to God being three but only one is a reference to
the Christian doctrine of the trinity which defines God as being three in one –
God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit.
·
“Er – I don’t remember the rest
very well. There were laws which said not to kill, not to steal and to take
only one wife. The laws were too hard for me so I came home.” P102 However, it
is not for me to discourage you for God loves us and has called all of us to
listen to his son yeso kristo whom he sent to live with us as a man and to show
us the way to God. P104
In this extract Pilipo
makes reference to the Ten Commandments that are found in the book of Exodus.
The law which commands Christian and Jews not to kill is the sixth law of the Ten
Commandments while the law which commands not to steal is the eighth law of the
Ten Commandments. The last law which commands one to take only one wife is a
secondary law which is found in several verses of the bible.
·
There were bells in the steeple
of angelus – the prayer which the teacher said reminded men three times a day
that God had chosen to be born of a woman just like us and had dwelt among us.
P105
The Angelus is a
devotional prayer that is recited three times daily by catholic faithfuls and
which commemorates the incarnation the prayer is usually accompanied by the
ringing of the Angelus bell.
·
“Now this is the most important
part of the mass for we are all back on Calvary and the sacrifice is being made
again. See how he gathers himself to make bread and wine into the real body and
blood of kristo. He is us just as he was with peter and john so long ago – in
his actual body.” P107
·
It offered such consolation for
one could identify oneself easily with the desolation of Mary (a sword shall
pierce your heart), with the joy of Elizabeth (whose barrenness was removed by
God), the warm love of weak peter (lord you know everything, you know that I
love you). And that after he had just denied him to a little slave girl! What
ignominy. P108
·
“Tell us about the escape to Misri
(Egypt)” p110
·
“Tell us about the bad king
Herodes!” p110
·
Like the children of Israel,
they left the flesh pots of Egypt for uncertainties of Canaan. P112
·
To keep them distracted Akoko
told them stories of the heroes of old and the history of the tribe and Maria
told them the adventures of the baby Jesus or whatever stories she could
remember from the Old Testament. Daniel and the lions, Elias, the man who went
to heaven on a ‘bicycle of fire’, (translate chariot of fire); the great
friendship of Daudi and Jonathan. P113
·
What can I do except place
myself at the feet of the mother of God who lived with Josef in purity? P111
·
Daudi was a boy who was
handsome of face and brave of heart. Because he was the last born, his job was
to look after sheep. One day a lion came and grabbed a little lamb. Daudi ran
after the lion and hit him on the rump. The lion was so surprised that the lamb
dropped out of his mouth and ran bleating to its mother. The lion got so angry
that he turned on Daudi: Daudi gripped his beard and plunged his sword into the
lion’s heart so brave and good was he that God chose him to be king. You must
be brave for to be a coward is an insult to God and man. P113
·
Jonathan was the son of the
king and would have been king if God had not chosen Daudi had a soul as pure as
spring water and as brave as a lion. Jonathan loved him with all his heart. One
day the old king wanted to kill Daudi; but Jonathan warned him just in the nick
of time. P113
·
At Eastertime, the traditional
time for renewal and baptism, Akoko was baptized veronica after the woman who
had wiped kristo’s face. In commemoration, she wore a kerchief on her head. The
girl received the name Elizabeth and the boy became petro. P117-118
·
Naturally because his latin was
way ahead of English, his pupil reflected his language skills and shortcomings,
so he could chant ‘pater noster, qui es in coelis,’ in no time at all but could
hardly do the same for ‘Our father who art in heaven.’ P119
·
At the stroke of midnight the
candles would be lit in their dozens to celebrate the risen messiah. P119
·
His reading was by now
excellent and he read to her frequently especially from psalms. P124
·
This, coupled with the
brilliance of her performance, led to bitter taunts. She was variously referred
to as ‘the nun,’ ‘virgin Mary,’ and ‘church mouse,’ or other insulting names.
P136-137
·
“A sword shall pierce thy soul!
A sword shall pierce thy soul!” and suddenly she realized she had spoken loudly
and everyone turned around to stare. P131
·
Like Anna and Simeon of old she
could now die in peace for her eyes had also seen the promise. P149
·
He waited for his father in the
sitting room feeling a great affinity to the proverbial prodigal son, wondering
whether using that rogue’s flowery language might help in his case: “Father I
have sinned before you and God,” but he knew his father well enough to realize
that such language would cause his immediate banishment back to the pig pen.
P190
·
The children were growing up
and the going away movement was becoming an exodus. P199
·
Her knowledge of scripture was
sketchy – mainly the parables that she heard during mass, a sprinkling from
epistles, something about peter being the rock upon which the church was built,
and other disconnected facts of that nature. P233
·
“A chapel!” she thought,
looking around at the unusual decorations on the ceiling and on the altar. A
beautiful statue of the virgin, resplendent in a crowd stood in one corner.
P236
·
“So when I sit down to read and
I get the itch to jump up around to gossip a little, I remind myself that what
I am doing is all I have to offer my God and if I do it badly or halfway, I
will have botched up my sacrifice, rather like Cain who preferred to eat meat –
and give God the vegetables.” Vera laughed at that. P238
·
“Hey man read from the manual!”
he waved a scalpel at the four who appeared to have been turned into pillars of
salt of the Mrs Lot variety. P244
I.
Mythological allusion
It is a literary
device where reference is made to mythic characters and creatures.
Examples in the
novel
·
Now as sure as the sun rises in
the east because this is the home of Great were the god of Ramogi; everything
in this world has a reason if you only search diligently for it. P12
·
As they waited for the millet
gruel and sweet potatoes to be brought, they told the tale of their vanquishing
of yimbo men with such embellishment that one would have thought that the girl
had been grabbed from the jaws of a determined dragon.
·
On the fourteenth day of the
next moon as promised, the cattle were driven into the compound by young men
splashed with war paint, whistling and calling out at the top of their lungs
and chanting in turn, the names of great warriors of the past such as lwanda
magere and Gor mahia.
·
All spoke at once, but
eventually the consensus was that never since the days of Nyabera nyar nam had
such beauty graced the land. P28
·
Were a great spirit. He saw that the
world needed more than that spirit forms. So he created Ramogi and his brothers
who were men. Man has a form which is spiritual. Were sent the men he had created
to various parts of the world to settle in it. Ramogi he sent to the country
around the great lake which was a great favour for he had more spirit than his
brothers. The wife whom were gave him was called nyar nam who embodied the
spirit of the great lake. They had many children including rachuonyo, Sakwa,
asembo, yimbo, gem, uyoma, Nyakach, seme and ugenya among others who settled
around the lake, tilling land, taming animals and catching fish. There are the
children of Ramogi from whom we all arise. P81-82
·
“I hear you’ve been trying to
convince Becky to go home and break the news, eh? It might interest you to know
that I have been saying the same thing since we decided to get married; but Becky
thinks that her family will think that I am an ogre. Now am I that bad Vera?”
he really was a nice guy. P22
·
Of the children of Ramogi many
great brave men have arisen. They are called thuondi the brave ones. These men
of renown include lwanda magere, so strong and brave a warrior was he that it
is rumoured that the sharp spears of lang’o warriors could not pierce his skin.
Then there was Gor mahia, the wily one who could change his form into anything
at all, thus confounding the enemy.
·
The tale took a mythical
proportion in the telling, with their aunt assuming the greatness of the
foundress, nyar nam, and they themselves joining the great braves of the tribe,
at least in their own imagination. P89
II.
Historical allusion
It is a literary
device where reference is made to historical events.
Examples in the
novel
·
The man in the know laughed
mysteriously and went away. What a strange place the world was becoming with
white people and their dying God! The man in the know did not tell his ignorant
friend that the white men of the tribe of jo-ingreza – the English had been
hard at war with the white tribe of Jo – jerman – the Germans for the last four
seasons. P59
·
“Yes that is so. Now over the
last few years, a clan of white people called jo-jerman started a war with
everybody joining in and taking their side or the side of our white people the
jo-ingreza who have eventually won this war. Now to help them, many young men
from all over this country were taken. Three of them came from your village and
we have brought tidings to them.” P60
·
One day she was out on exeat by
herself, for now no one bothered her at all, when she met a soldier just
discharged from the army which was now being disbanded after the Second World
War. P137
·
Their joy was however tampered
by the fact that owing to the state of emergency, the country was becoming more
and more dangerous even for ordinary people. Between the white johnnies on one
side and the Mau Mau fighters on the other, death could arrive without warning.
P166-167
·
They arrived a little late, for
the matatu kept stopping to solicit even disinterested bystanders to get into
their van named Apollo ii – the rocket which took the first man to the moon.
P235
·
“Oh! They are a mixed group of
people – just about anyone who is interested can come. The organisers are
members of opus dei – which is latin for God’s work. It is an institution
within the catholic church whose founder put forward the idea that the quest
for perfection was possible even for ordinary lay people engaged in ordinary
occupation.”
III.
Literary allusion
Literary
allusion is a literary device where reference is made to other well-known
literary works.
Examples in the
novel
·
It was still dark. She checked
her watch; it was only four o’clock, so she switched on her bedside lamp and
pulled out John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. P230
·
“You will follow the
instructions in your Cunningham’s manual of anatomy; and of course I will be
here to help out any time you are stuck. Please begin. P244
·
People slept with their
Cunningham’s manuals and their Gray’s text book of anatomy. P246
·
The university players were
staging the play Our husband has gone mad again. P233
·
Back in their room Maryanne
gave Vera a battered copy of The faith explained and a little book called The
way.
Paradox
A paradox is a statement that contains two
contradictory ideas that seem impossible but it is actually true or false.
Examples in the novel
·
Not of course that anybody
talked about it openly and definitely nobody refereed to his wife about the
matter, for events were still fresh in the people’s memories and everyone knew
that there was no wrath like the wrath of an even tempered man; but one can
talk without talking, and the people of Ramogi were masters of that wily
tongued act. P46
·
She herself had lived long
enough to accept that there was nothing permanent in this world, that even
the strongest were so fragile as to be blown by the merest puff of wind.
P63
·
Yesterday is not today and
today is not tomorrow for each day rises from the hands of were , god of the eye of the sun, bringing with it gladness and
sorrow, sun and darkness, the two faces of were;
for how can we appreciate light unless we understand darkness. P75
·
Were is a spirit and a spirit is like a
flame, you can only see it, but you cannot get hold of it. It is like air which
you know is there but which you cannot touch. It is like the wind which can
uproot a tree and hull it afar but has no substance. It is like lightning which
is seen in many places but is in none. P81
·
“Er…about a God-man called
kristo who was the son of God, his father. He came to die for our sins, to save
us. They said something about God being three but only one but I didn’t
understand that very well”. P102
·
It was inevitable that Owuor,
whose soul was a mixture of cool clear waters and burning embers, would
at some point feel a call to priesthood. P120
·
“How sweet of you. Whatever I say, you’ll
never believe I love him. Of course I like money and all it can buy, but there
have been richer men – who are not only black but have offered me even more
than he can. Why am I defending myself to you anyway? I am not that bad and
you are not that good”. P223
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a
figure of speech where a combination of words contradicts each other e.g.
bittersweet.
Examples in the
novel
·
He had felt instinctively that
she was one to go at her own pace and never to be pushed, and so he had hastened
slowly. P213
·
Here he stopped to take a sip
ok Kongo and you could have heard the ants talk, so great was the silence.
P21
·
Among the suitors was controlled
pandemonium; controlled because an or, a son in law, always had to comport
himself with great dignity (even if escaping from a house on fire) when in the
presence of his in laws, especially the maro, mother in law, whom they were
sure was watching them from some chink in a wall. P22
Hyperbole
Hyperbole or overstatement is the extreme
exaggeration of claims or statements which are not meant to be taken literally.
Examples in the novel
·
The suitors came tumbling over
each other, all of them men or sons of men of ability, from good families
without a shadow of juok or witchcraft, madness, habitual thievery, laziness or
any other undesirable trait against them. P17
·
She is as fleet as a gazelle
and his flying feet have been incorporated into the sayings of our village so
that mothers sending their daughters on errands tell them to run like Adoyo of
the flying feet. P21
·
As for her legs, were must have
carved them out personally rather than one of his apprentices. P28
·
How easy. Obura was not afraid
to work – his mother had seen to that. His questions flew thick and fast until
Nyaroche said to him, p48-49
·
He had married off his eldest
daughter at barely sixteen but the bride’s wealth paid for her simply
evaporated in that greedy household. P66
·
The sight which met her made
her blood run cold with pure horror. P70
·
Weep my child and do not hold
pain within yourself for it will turn into a snake that devours you from the
inside. P75
·
Her eyes were blazing fit to
send sparks to set the thatched roof ablaze. P77
·
Mother and daughter made their
preparations in haste as if now that the decision had been made no grass should
be allowed to grow underfoot. P112
·
Maria eventually subsided and
her racing heart stilled within her but when she heard her daughter’s footsteps
on the threshold the band tightened around her again and she started breathing
fast – like a woman in labour. P132
·
She was twenty and completely
out of her depth, but was she not the granddaughter of Akoko whose straight
back had never been known to bend under any pressure? P134
·
“What do you mean you are
pregnant?” he asked shaking his head to try and clear the cobwebs. P169
·
On the bank stood Opiyo –
perfectly still except for his mouth which continued to emit yells fit to wake
the dead. P177
·
His guardian angel must have
been working overtime, otherwise he would have died. P177
·
Back at home Aoro was climbing
walls with fear and worry. P181
·
“Since when did you see
breakfast walking here by itself? Go out and earn yours.” P189
·
Boys like tommy simply don’t
grow on trees you know. P227
·
“Don’t you think we should
introduce ourselves? If you say ‘hey woman’ to me I might just stick that sharp
knife you are holding into your belly” p245
·
You could have cut the tension
with a knife after everyone took his place in front of some displayed bit of
human tissue or slide under a microscope. P246
·
He might be in theatre or in a
ward round with his consultant breathing fire and brimstone down his neck, or
he may be held up doing a procedure on a patient. P251
·
But he had to sleep a little
bit or burst. P254
·
Don’t count on my being
elephant for much longer. The way I am coughing I may just send a baby flying
out unceremoniously at any moment. P279
·
The babies seemed to alternate
between playing football and handball with her internal organs and they were
getting heavier by the minute. P279
·
“That’s because you married the
church – you dummy!” p299
Premonition
Premonition is a literary device where a
character has a strong and unpleasant feeling that something bad is about to
happen.
Examples in the novel
·
Two weeks after the birth of
Akoko, chief Odero gogni was gripped in fear because her new born daughter had
developed a prolonged bout of colic and screaming that went on all night. P12
·
Because Akoko was one of those
women who found it hard to conceive regularly, her mother in law Nyar asembo was
reduced to wails, lamentations and dire predictions because both Akoko and
chief Owuor kembo were slow in reproducing. Nyar asembo fears came to pass when
both chief Owuor kembo and his two sons died and the chief’s stool for the
first time in seven generations descended on the shoulders of Otieno kembo.
·
When Obura was seventeen years
old, his parents were uneasy because he was not himself. His uneasiness was
brought about by the need to tour the world and his parents were against it.
His mother prayed fervently to were
to make the evil spell pass and to give her the happy boy she had known before.
After his disappearance from Sakwa, the search parties that had been sent by
chief Owuor to track him returned with the news that he and his two friends,
Nyaroche and Ambere, had been taken by the white men to work for them and that
they do not know where they might have gone. When Akoko heard about the news
from the search parties she felt as if his son had died. P55. A year after the
disappearance of Obura, Akoko’s fears became a reality when two strangers who
had been sent by the white men government arrived in Sakwa with a message to
chief Owuor kembo about the death of his son Obura.
·
After the death of Owang sino,
it became clear to Akoko that Otieno would not relinquish the chief’s stool
once Owuor came of age. Because of this situation Akoko feared for the life of
Owuor and watched him like a hawk. After pondering over her predicament she
made a decision to contact the Sirikal and seek their intervention. When her daughter
Nyabera learnt about her mother’s decision to seek justice from the white men
government, she showed opposition because she feared of what might happen to her
mother and also to Owuor whom she thought that Akoko had left behind in Sakwa.
P77
·
After successfully finishing
her primary education, Awiti was invited to a newly opened teachers training
college and the people of Aluor prophesied darkly that no man would marry her.
Her mother was also gripped in fear because she thought that her daughter was
being taken away from her which would have led to her death because she was the
only child who had defied all odds and lived to adulthood. P130-131
·
The telegram that arrived from
Aluor with the message that Maria was very ill, her daughter Elizabeth had the
most oppressive premonition of something bad was about to happen to her mother.
Her fears came true when together with her husband travelled to Aluor to check
on her condition and on reaching there she found that her mother had been taken
to a hospital in Maseno. When Awiti went to Maseno to check on her mother who
had suffered a massive stroke and was in coma, the clinical officer on duty
confirmed to her that there was no hope for Maria cementing Awiti’s fears. P200
·
In the conversation between Vera
and Wandia, Wandia tells Vera that there was cause for worry because Becky had
lost a significant amount of her weight. Wandia suspected that Becky might be
having AIDS since she was promiscuous and her weight had decreased
significantly. Wandia’s observation brought fear to Vera and her fears were
later confirmed when Becky developed full blown AIDS that led to her death.
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is a
literary device that is used to show weakness of someone by mocking or
ridiculing them in order to be unpleasant or to make fun of them.
Examples in the
novel
·
“Let them show us that my
daughter is not going to starve in that wasteland they call home.” They trooped
back into the hut and the negotiations began in earnest. P21
·
“What? Are you crazy? Not even
a bargain?” p23
·
“He went to a friend’s funeral
the day before yesterday and is due back today. Meanwhile I will teach this
she-wolf a lesson.” This from Otieno her brother in law. Pp37
·
“Our chief we are all saddened
by this unfortunate state of affairs, but you must admit that your mother has a
point or two. Long have we pleaded with you to take another wife for yourself
and you have adamantly refused. Now she has left you, you are like a misumba, a
bachelor which would have not been the case if you had another wife. We beg you
to take another wife for yourself.” P38
·
“Then I advise you to marry a
girl from Chumbu kombit. I understand you have to walk for almost five days
before you reach there,” said his mother in jest. P49
·
“Oh mother you know very well I
don’t mean that. I won’t marry until I am at least twenty four seasons old.
There is no hurry. Besides, I won’t marry until I meet a girl exactly like you.
Girls can be so empty headed.” P49
·
“I keep my ears open, my friend;
I am not like you who sleep on both your ears. I keep one open and sleep on the
other one!” The man in the know laughed mysteriously and went away. P59
·
“And what, may I ask are the
two of you doing this far from home? Have you turned into vagabonds or
something?” she asked. P80
·
“What! Are you crazy or is he?
I will have none of it. Go back this instant before I throw something heavy at
you!” p80
·
“Apart from the fact that we
would like to come with you, we cannot go home because your brother has made it
quite clear that our lives would be in danger. So throw whatever it is you want
to throw and then we’ll get on with it,” replied the unflappable Odongo smiling
even more broadly. P80
·
“Go away you fool,” answered
she, quite calmly. “Are you the village chief or the village fool? All the same
if you want to fight I am willing to oblige. You may be twice my size, but I
have three times your courage.” p90
·
“What brings Owuor here at this
hour? It can’t be for love of weeding. He has had something on his mind for a
long time and has been as jumpy as an ant with its tail in hot embers. Speak up
young man.” P125
·
She was variously referred to
as ‘the nun,’ ‘virgin Mary’ and ‘church mouse’ or other insulting names.
P136-137
·
“Yes. She is my wife, but you
will soon be a stranger if you don’t leave us alone. I’ll put you on the bus
this evening. You should go back and look after your husband.” The old woman
was beside herself with fury but Mark had the determination of a mule, so she
went. P161
·
“It looks as if you two have
become thieves as well.” The boys froze. P178
·
“What is it, you ugly boy?”
asked Becky sweetly. P181
·
“You think! You know something
– you were always weird. If you want to break off with a man, make it clean.
There is no point leaving one dangling around – they just annoy you. Ask me a
few tricks on how to say no in such a way that even the dumbest man will
understand and still think you are an angel. Why did you break up with Tommy? I
thought he was exactly your type – good, hardworking, clean living – that sort
of thing. You have someone else in mind? P217
·
“Listen you dummy. You don’t
drop a man unless you have a good reason to and the only two good reasons I
know are either he is two timing you, or you have found someone else.” P218
·
“Hey, I believe you actually
loved the creep!” p218
·
“I know he is an angel, but do
you believe he will hang around waiting for you? If so, then he must be as
weird as you are.” P218
·
“Miss you! In this town full of
pretty girls?” then he saw the look on Vera’s face, laughed and hastened to
add: of course I missed you. I even miss you when you go down town to do some
shopping. Who’s your friend?” p220
·
“Don’t you think we should
introduce ourselves? If you say ‘hey woman’ to me I might just stick that sharp
knife you are holding into your belly.” P245
·
“It’s good to see I have not
been completely forgotten,” she said. “I’ve not heard from you for a whole
month. I thought I’d find a female firmly installed in my place.” P254
·
“You are really a comedian, you
know. What are you still doing here – an underpaid intern? You should be out there
earning your millions with Bill Cosby and the rest.” P257
·
“Last time I checked there
wasn’t so much as an onion in that house,” said Wandia laughing. “I wonder what
he cooks. Even the cockroaches looked thin.” P270
·
“Ok. I’ll tell all my patients
to postpone their illnesses for one year – till you get back. How about that?”
p294
·
“A year is not very long you
know, honey. We will survive. I know you don’t trust me – but do you have to
show it so blatantly?” p293
·
“It is not every day my
grandchildren – all of them, come to see me; and I am a farmer; I have plenty
of food – fresh from the garden, not like that frozen tasteless stuff you
people eat in the city.” P296
·
“That’s because you married the
church – you dummy!” Her brother laughed with him. They regarded each other
with affection then started running towards the house – for all the world as if
they were boys again. P299
Asyndeton
It is the absence
of conjunctions in a sentence or paragraph where they are needed instead commas
are used.
Examples in the
novel
·
“My father, my brothers, I think you are greatly mistaken. Not all women are the same. This
woman is going to be my mikai not just any wife. Besides, I have set my heart
on marrying her. We shall do as they say”. P23
·
In fact he was reprimanded more
than any other child, and to hear his mother, one would have thought her son a
good for nothing, slow witted, lazy bones. P29
·
She narrated his birth, the
inexpressible joy of being a mother, what a demanding baby he had been, how
clever he was, how delighted he had been when his sister was born, how he had
carried her out to play as soon as she could sit, how he had taught her to walk
with many tumbles, falls and tears, how fun-loving he had been. P63
·
Were should stab the world with
lightning, the sun should hide its face, the very trees should moan in misery.
P64
·
Daniel had Down syndrome and
five years later Wandia still remembered the shock, the pain, the sheer
disbelief she had experienced when she held her infant son in her arms for the
first time. P283
·
Like her daughter before her,
she was beyond tears, beyond action. She stood in that hut for two hours, not
moving, not talking, as people milled around her, trying to comprehend the
magnitude of her loss. P71
·
Further, that he should dwell
among us, just exactly like one of us! Eating, breathing, touching, loving,
sorrowing, weeping! A man like other men! P106
·
It offered such consolation for
one could identify oneself easily with the desolation of Mary (a sword shall
pierce your heart), the joy of Elizabeth (whose barrenness was removed by God),
the warm love of weak peter (lord you know everything, you know that I love
you!). p108
·
She had meant to resist, to say
nothing, as she had said nothing when going but before she knew what was
happening, sob upon agonizing sob broke
from her throat and the story, the longing, the backtracking, the failure came
pouring from her mouth. P122-123
·
Their daughter was a prize, a
beacon, a source of pride for the entire clan. P146
·
“Don’t big heart me, Vera. I am
still the same – I love the good things of life – comfort, expensive clothes,
good looking men – the works. And talking of men, the reason I haven’t gone
home to see the old folks is my current boyfriend. You’ll see when we get home.
Do you have a boyfriend? Still seeing tommy?” p217
·
“Why did you break up with Tommy?
I though he was exactly your type – good, hardworking, clean living – that sort
of thing. You have someone else in mind”. P217-218
·
It was there, just waiting,
never satisfied, a true glutton. P150
·
“Well I have my lectures, my
assignments, my work,”she replied beginning to vaguely see. P238
Vivid Description
Vivid
description is the description of an event, action, idea, place, person or
thing to create a mental picture of what is being described.
Examples in the
novel
·
When chief Owuor kembo went to
Yimbo to ask for Akoko’s hand in marriage, his appearance when he arrived in
chief Odero gogni’s compound has been vividly described. P18
·
Akoko’s marriage to chief Owuor
kembo has been vividly described. After chief Odero gogni asked for thirty head
of cattle as bride price for her daughter the mood that developed among the
suitors has been vividly described. P22
·
Fourteen days after the marriage
negotiation between chief Owuor kembo and chief Odero gogni, the author has
vividly described the way in which Akoko was removed from her grandmother’s
hut. P27
·
Akoko’s physical beauty has
been vividly described by the author of the novel. P28
·
The events leading to the birth
and after the birth of Nyabera has been vividly described. P32
·
Chief Owuor kembo’s physical
appearance has been vividly described by the author of the novel. P46
·
Ambere kongoso vividly
described the appearance of the white people and the things that they
possessed. P48
·
The two strangers who arrived
in Sakwa with a message to chief Owuor kembo’s house have been vividly
described. P59
·
The death of Owang sino has
been vividly described by the author of the novel. P70-71
·
Nyabera vividly described the
dream that she had to her mother Akoko.
·
Akoko vividly described their
god were to Opiyo and Odongo when
they were travelling to Kisumu. P81
·
The twins (Opiyo and Odongo),
Akoko and Otuoma’s dress code have been vividly described by the author of the
novel while they were in Kisumu.
·
The mock burial of Obura has
been vividly described by the author of the novel.
·
The buildings and streets of
Kisumu where Akoko went to seek justice have been vividly described by the
author of the novel. P84
·
The clerk who filed Akoko’s
case at the tribunal has been vividly described. The author has described his
dress code and physical appearance. P85
·
The D.O in Kisumu who presided
over the tribunal that sat to listen to Akoko’s appeal has been vividly
described. The author has described his physical appearance. P86
·
Odongo, one of the twins who
escorted Akoko to Kisumu, vividly describes their journey to Kisumu to one of
his grandson years later. P89
·
The D.C who listened to Akoko’s
complaints against Otieno has been vividly described. P91
·
The Catechist that Nyabera met
first met in Aluor has been vividly described. P104
·
Elizabeth physical attributes
have been vividly described by the author of the novel. P135
·
Mark sigu’s physical attributes
and dress code has been vividly described by the author of the novel. P137
·
The hut that Akoko, Nyabera,
Awiti and Owuor lived in while in Aluor has been vividly described. P144
·
The author has vividly
described Mark’s physical appearance when he and his entourage went for marriage
negotiation to ask for Awiti’s hand in marriage. P146
·
The author has vividly
described Owuor’s physical appearance when he went back to Aluor to bury his
grandmother. P153
·
Awiti’s dressing during her
wedding to mark has been vividly described. P157
·
Vera and Becky physical
appearance have been vividly described by the author of the novel. P173
·
The drowning of Odongo in a
river has been vividly described. P177
·
Wandia’s physical attributes
have been vividly described by the author of the novel. P247-248
·
Michael, Esther’s husband,
physical appearance has been vividly described. P264
·
Wandia’s physical beauty has
been vividly described. P273
·
Alicia physical attributes has
been vividly described by the author of the novel. P277
·
The author has vividly
described Becky’s physical appearance when she had full blown AIDS. P284
Flashback
It is the narration of past events in a
literary work.
Examples in the novel
·
The wizened old man who
accompanied chief Owuor kembo to Yimbo to ask for Akoko’s hand in marriage,
narrates to chief Odero gogni the passing of chief Kembo k’agina who had died a
month ago. P18-19
·
The author flashes back and
narrates the birth of Akoko comparing it to that of Nyabera. P32
·
Aloo k’olima narrated to chief
Owuor kembo and his entourage who had come to negotiate the return of Akoko to
her matrimonial home how Akoko arrived in Yimbo fourteen days ago and made her
complaint to her brother Okumu who was the new chief. P42
·
Chief Owuor kembo narrated to
the elders of Sakwa of his whereabouts when Akoko got into conflict with his
mother and Otieno. He also narrated how the last several seasons he has lived
with Akoko. P43-44
·
Chief Owuor kembo narrated to
his son Obura how after the death of his father he went by himself to Yimbo to
negotiate his marriage to his mother Akoko. P50
·
After the death of Obura, Akoko
narrated the life of Obura to Nyabera in an effort to console her. She narrated to him about his birth and the
life that he led when he was a little child. P63
·
Akoko flashes back and
remembers how the messengers sent by the government tried to make contacts with
her father but because he was bitter after the death of Obura he sent them
away. P73
·
Akoko narrated to the D.O the
events that happened before she decided to seek justice from the
government. She told the D.O about the
death of his first son who died in war fighting the Germans, the accidental
death of his second son Owang sino, the taking over of the chief’s stool by Otieno
and the grabbing of her late husband’s wealth as well as hers by Otieno. P86
·
Odongo narrated to his grandson
how they had journeyed with their aunt Akoko to make an appeal to the white
chief. P89
·
The author flashes back and narrate
about the day in which Owuor kembo went to pay suit to the great chief Odero
gogni of Yimbo for the hand of his daughter Akoko Obanda. P145
·
Awiti flashes back and
remembers the journey to Aluor they took together with her grandmother Akoko,
her mother Nyabera and her cousin Owuor. P152
·
After the death of Akoko, Nyabera
narrates certain events that took place in Akoko’s life to her daughter Awiti.
P154
·
The author flashes back and
narrates how Vera attacked a playmate who had crossed Becky’s path. P166
·
Becky flashes back and remembers
the conflict that her father Mark had with her brother Aoro. P199
·
Mark sigu flashes back and
remembers how he had nearly broken of his engagement to Elizabeth after the
death of Akoko. P201
·
Wandia flashes back and
remembers her childhood years when she visited her family in Muranga. P255
·
Aoro flashes back and remembers
his suspension from school and his father’s reaction and action when he learnt
that he had been suspended. P267
·
On the last chapter of the
novel, Elizabeth remembers how her past life and been. P305-306
Epistolary
It is the use of letters in a literary
work.
Examples in the novel
·
Mark sigu wrote a letter to
Elizabeth Awiti while she was still in the teachers training college. In one of
her letters he tells her how his day had been, the work that he was doing and
he flashes back and tells her about his time as a soldier. P140
·
Elizabeth wrote a letter to Mark
sigu telling him about her family that consisted of her grandmother, mother and
cousin who was studying to be a priest. In the letter she also informs him
about the passing of his grandfather and father and how she had been brought up
by her grandmother and mother. She also tells her the medical condition of her
mother which worried her so much. P140-141
·
Becky wrote a letter to her
sister Vera when she was going to seek employment as an airhostess in
Nairobi. In her letter she tells Vera
that she was leaving home to go and stay with some of her friends in Nairobi
who were also going to give her connections so that she could become an air
hostess. She also requests her sister to tell their parents not to worry and
that she has always felt like an outsider. P211
·
Aoro wrote a letter to his
parents informing them that he had completed his internship and that he was
bringing a girl home who he intended to marry. P268
Monologue
A monologue is a
conversation in a literary work where only one character speaks.
Examples in the novel
·
Grandmother Nyar alego’s speech
when she was called to find a solution to Akoko’s prolonged sickness. P12-13
·
Chief Owuor kembo’s uncle
speech in yimbo when they went to ask for Akoko’s hand in marriage.p18-19
·
Nyar asembo monologue when it
became clear that chief Owuor kembo’s rate of reproducing was too slow. P34
·
Akoko’s narration to Nyabera
about Obura’s past. P63-64
·
Akoko’s speech when she was
advising her daughter not to be lazy. P66
·
Odongo’s speech when he was
telling his grandson about their journey to Kisumu to seek justice against Otieno.
P89
·
The old woman speech when she
found Awiti had been thrown on the foot path. P97
·
The catechist’s speech when he
was telling the mass the meaning of the rituals that were being performed in
the church by the priest. P107
·
The priest’s speech when he was
baptizing Maria. P109
·
Nyabera’s confession to the
catholic priest. P123
·
Awiti’s speech after the death
of Akoko. P153
·
Peter Owuor’s speech when he
was with Mark after the burial of Akoko. P153
·
Nyabera’s talk with Awiti to console
her after the death of Akoko. P154
·
Mark sigu vows during his
wedding to Elizabeth. P158
·
Elizabeth’s consolation to Mark
after she lost her pregnancy. P160
·
Mark sigu’s speech when tony
was sick and he was left alone in his sons’ room. P180
·
Elizabeth’s consolation to her
children after Tony’s operation. P182
A song is a composition of words that are
meant to be sung.
Examples of songs in the novel
a)
Praise songs – These are songs
sung to praise or worship gods, men, animals, places, ideas, objects or
actions. In the novel the young men who had been sent to Yimbo to take Akoko’s
dowry sung songs in praise of themselves. P26
b)
Elegy – An elegy is a poem or a
funeral song sung for the dead to express sorrow or praise the life that they
had lived. After the death of chief Owuor kembo, Akoko sang a song to express
sorrow and to praise her dead husband. P69-70
c)
Gospel songs – A gospel song is
a song sung during religious events and in praise of a religious figure or god.
When Vera and Maryanne were going to the recollection in Kangemi, the matatu
that they were travelling in had a sticker stuck on the windscreen and on the
sticker was a speed song.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is
a literary device in which the author or characters in a literary work give
clues or hints about what is going to happen in a literary work.
Examples in the
novel
·
In the opening of the novel,
the author has foreshadowed the coming of the white men and the construction of
the railway line. The author’s predictions come true when later in the novel
Ambere kongoso brings stories of the white people who had become rulers of most
of the land and who were building a railway line that carried their goods. P11
·
The naming of Akoko as Obanda
is a foreshadowing that Akoko would once become as great as her uncle Obanda.
When she grew up and was seventeen years of age, her fame spread through the
land and many Nyatiti singers sung songs praising her. It is because of her
fame and beauty that if someone goes to Sakwa near Ndwara village he or she
will get a dam named after her.
·
The people of Yimbo
foreshadowed that Akoko would be a determined person. P14. The people of Yimbo
predictions come to fruition because we see later that Akoko shows a lot of
determination to fight for her rights and to empower other people to fight also
for their rights. She also shows determination through her hard work which
enables her to build wealth for herself, her daughter and her grandchildren.
·
The marriage negotiation
between chief Odero gogni and chief Owuor kembo and his entourage is a
foreshadowing that Akoko was to become chief Owuor kembo’s wife. These predictions
come true after chief Owuor kembo agrees to pay the bride price set by Akoko’s
father and two weeks later Akoko is married off by chief Owuor kembo and she
starts a new life in Sakwa with her new husband.
·
Nyabera’s painful birth is a
foreshadowing of how painful her life would be when she grows up. When she was
fourteen years of age, she loses her brother obura and nine years later her
father dies. After she got married a string of bad luck follows her and during
that period she loses her husband and six children.
·
Nyar asembo predicted the death
of obura when she realized that his son was opposed to the idea of marrying
another wife because the rate at which his son and Akoko were reproducing was
too slow. P24
·
When Akoko left her matrimonial
home after getting into conflict with her mother in law and Otieno, the author
foreshadows the arrival of elders from Sakwa to Yimbo to negotiate the return
of Akoko to Sakwa.
·
Aloo k’olima foreshadows that Akoko
would return to her matrimonial home after he successfully presided over
conflict that Akoko had with her mother in law and brother in law. Later in
chapter six of the novel we learn that Akoko had returned to her husband’s home
and she conceived just after her return.
·
Aloo k’olima also foreshadows
that one day Akoko would be a mother in law. His predictions come true when her
son Owang sino marries Alando nyar uyoma and the two have a son who they call Owuor.
·
After the death of Obura, the
author foreshadows that Akoko and Nyabera’s life was going to change
drastically. P65. Later on the two women lives change as predicted by the
author as both of them suffer when one tragedy after another follows them.
·
After the death of her two
sons, Nyabera tells her mother that she has been having dreams about Obura.
When she tells her mother about the dream, her mother tells her that the dream
is a message of hope from the spirit world and it intimately concern the unborn
baby. Nyabera’s dream was a foreshadowing that her unborn baby would survive.
Nyabera also foreshadows that if her pregnancy comes safely she would name the
baby Obura. After Nyabera safely delivers
her baby she names her Obura after her brother who died while fighting the Germans
in Tanganyika.
·
In her conversation with her
daughter, Akoko foreshadows her upcoming journey to Kisumu to seek justice from
the white men government. Later in the text, Akoko together with her two twin
nephews journey to Kisumu where they present their case to the D.O.
·
The D.O who was presiding over
Akoko’s case foreshadows the dispatchment of a team to investigate whether Akoko’s
complaints against Otieno were true and if indeed it was true Akoko may bring
her appeal in three months to the D.C. The D.Os predictions came true because
twelve days later his messengers arrived in Sakwa to investigate Akoko’s claims
which they found was true and before the three months were over Akoko found
herself in Kisumu again but in front of the D.C where she repeated the
injustice that had been done to her by his brother in law.
·
The author of the novel
foreshadows that Nyabera would seek another way of life because her current
life was full of bitterness and anger. P100. The author’s predictions come to
pass when Nyabera travels to Aluor and converts to the new religion which
according to her offered hope to the widows and orphans.
·
The author foreshadows that one
day Nyabera would be baptized and she would formally become a member of the
Catholic Church. The author predictions about Nyabera comes true when one fine
easter time morning, Nyabera gets baptized and she is given the name Maria.
·
Akoko’s nephews, Opiyo and
Odongo, foreshadowed that Akoko’s wealth would grow again because they knew she
was hardworking.
·
Owuor’s call to priesthood is a
foreshadowing that one day he would become a catholic priest. This prediction
comes true when his grandmother gives him the green light to join the
priesthood. After his grandmother agreed to his call, Owuor joins the seminary
and his journey to join the priesthood begins. Later on the author foreshadows
that Owuor would advance and become a father and maybe one day a bishop. In one
of the conversations between Vera and Maryanne we learn from Vera that Owuor
had become a Catholic bishop.
·
After finishing her primary
school and passing her exams, Awiti received a letter inviting her to join the
newly opened teachers training college. The letter hinted that later in her
life Awiti would become a teacher. After she finished her college and getting
her teacher’s training certificate, she becomes a teacher and gets posted back
to her old school.
·
After the death of Akoko, Peter
Owuor foreshadows that in a year or two he would be ordained to the priesthood.
P154
·
When she got pregnant again
after losing her first pregnancy, Awiti foreshadows that she would give birth
again and she would call her baby Veronica after her grandmother. P161. Awiti’s
predictions come true two years later when she gives birth to twins and she
names one of them Veronica after her grandmother.
·
Aoro’s surgery on a frog is a
foreshadowing of the career path that he was about to take. After successfully
operating on an amphibian, the author says that his love affair with medicine had
begun. On the other hand his younger brother Tony interests and curiosity with
religion was a prediction of the path that he will choose once he comes of age.
Becky too gives hints about what career choice she was interested with. She
tells her father that she would like to become an air hostess and years later
she joins Kenya airways and becomes an air hostess.
·
Vera’s foreshadows that one day
he would cut any emotional attachment with her sister Becky because of her
selfishness. Later on in the novel we see that the emotional attachment between
the two sisters is strained and Becky claims that she had not really felt being
part of their family. The author also confirms that the relationship between
the two sisters never recovered after Becky accused Vera of going to her school
to spy on her and that she was jealous of her.
·
During one of her conversations
with Maryanne, Vera tells her that his brother Aoro would be joining medical
school in September. This is a foreshadowing of Aoro joining university later
where he goes and do medicine.
·
Aoro’s letter to his parents is
a foreshadowing of events that would take place during that month. In his
letter he tells his parents that on Thursday 28th he would bring the
girl that he intends to marry to their home in Njoro. In his letter he also
foreshadows his marriage to Wandia which takes place later in the novel.
·
Vera foreshadows that one day Wandia’s
agnostic stance on God would change. Her predictions do not take long to
materialize and Wandia finds herself seeking God’s assistance after her son is
diagnosed with leukaemia.
Cacophony
It is the use of
harsh words in a phrase or sentence.
Examples in the
novel
·
However, at the first cockcrow,
a piercing whistle was heard followed by a blood curdling whoop. P27
·
This was answered by a whoop
from the young men and a bitter wail from Akoko. P27-28
·
The poor thing buzzed madly
trying to escape and you laughed so much that you got hiccups! P63
·
The trees whispered
conspiratorially at each other and once in a while an owl hooted or some animal
called its mate, or a hyena laughed hysterically at the night. P81
·
The baby yelled so lustily on
its first gulp of acrid air, that the chief strolling around unconcernedly as
befitted his station and manhood, thought with satisfaction, ‘another rock for
my sling,’ by which he meant another son, p11
·
When she was two weeks old the
baby developed a prolonged bout of colic and screaming that went on all night.
P12
·
This was answered by a whoop
from the young men and a bitter wail from Akoko. P27
·
“Careful!” hissed the
ubiquitous aunts. P23
·
“The first time must have been
a lucky shot,” grumbled Nyar asembo. P34
·
The crowd hissed; such a thing
was unheard of. P36
·
She looked at him straight in
the eye and hissed “just you dare!” he retreated at the pure venom in her eyes.
P37
·
The magic was incomprehensible
for they could kill with a mere puff of smoke and a bang from something that
resembled a pipe. P48
·
Above and between the sounds of
wailers an eerie sound was heard once again. P61
·
A strange strangled sound- a
cross between a moan and a gurgling laugh rose from the corner where the young
girl had been sitting mutely for the last hour. P64
·
She herself should die, for of
what use was this life if one could be snuffed out like a poorly lit fire,
never getting a chance to blaze into a flame? P64-65
·
Maria on the other hand felt
her heart thumping away in her chest, her mouth tasted bitter and she felt
nauseated. P131
·
He would move house as soon as
possible in case the neighbours started blabbing. P170
·
Vera sniffed angrily, madder
now at the uncontrollable dams that were in her eyes. P196
·
One moment he would be a calm
adult and the next a squirming baby. P205
Flash Forward
It is the interruption of a literary work
by narrating a future event that would take place in the literary work.
Examples in the novel
·
In the opening of the novel,
the author narrates the coming of the white people and the construction of the
railway line.
It was about thirty seasons before that
great snaking metal road of jorochere, the white people, reached the bartering
market of Kisuma. P11
·
The author narrates the action
that Oloo took when Akoko left her matrimonial home after the death of her
husband and two sons.
Her brother Oloo, in fact, loved her so
much that decades later, he did an unheard of thing by taking her, a widow,
beaten and bruised by life back into his house. P15
·
The author narrates that later
in her life Akoko would be a famous singer of the dirge.
Later she would be a famous singer of the
dirge, gueyo in its complete range; but for now she was just a temperamental
baby. P14
·
The author narrates how years
later Akoko’s nephews would narrate their journey to Kisumu to their peers,
their own children and grandchildren.
So at dawn the following day Akoko left for
Sakwa with her nephews who later would relate their adventures to their less
lucky peers, later still to their own children and grandchildren. The tale took
on mythical proportions in the telling, with their aunt assuming the greatness
of the foundress, Nyar nam, and they themselves joining the great braves of the
tribe, at least in their own imagination.
“When my brother and I took my aunt to make
an apil (appeal) to the big white chief whose name was diyo,” would begin Odongo
to some round eyed grandson many years later, “we found and overcame many
dangers on the way for our courage was boundless. Our aunt walked with her head
high for she was the daughter of a chief and the spirit of her ancestors rested
fully on her. She faced the white chief unflinchingly, and told him her story,
the greed and arrogance of her brother in law Otieno, chief by default”. P89
·
The author narrates how in
later years politicians would incite Kenyans to violence.
Finally each Kenyan loved his own skin
dearly and though politicians would try to incite them to violence in later
years, the basic love of self would see the people through such difficult times
as would have set the peoples of other African nations at each other’s threats
without compunction. P172
·
The author narrates the death of
Mark one year after his wife’s death.
Mark himself sat
next to the coffin, rigid and mute, trying to grapple with the enormity of his
loss and the magnitude of his loneliness. He himself would follow his wife
within the year. She after all had been his life. P307
Onomatopoeia
It is the use of
words that imitate sounds.
Examples in the
novel
·
“Hey! Where’s my mother? I want
my mother! I am hungry!” p31
·
“Ahem!” said he. P43
·
“Uuwi! Uuwi! I have found a
baby! Someone has thrown away a baby! Owite! Owite!” she picked the baby up and
came with it into the compound. P97
·
“Yes!” choke choke! P98
·
“Ah, child, I thought you would
never ask! Of course I will come with you.” P112
·
“Huff!” snorted his mother.
Mark was almost sorry he had stopped by to see his mother on his way back to Nakuru.
P167
·
“Uh – uh, don’t know. Ask her.”
P168
·
“Huh?” Mark couldn’t believe
his ears; but then now at least it made some sense/ p175
·
“Um” mumbled Aoro sleepily then
rolled over and fell promptly asleep again. P180
·
“Yak! I’ve got to run, honey. I
have gallon full of bloodletting yet to be done” p257
·
“Ugh! I could never be a
doctor. Though teaching has its miseries – especially the pay” p263
Dream Vision
A dream vision is a literary device where
the dream or vision of a character reveals a truth that is not available to the
dreamer while he/she is awake.
Examples in the novel
·
The ancestral spirit of Akoko’s
great uncle sent vivid dreams to chief Odero gogni and grandmother Nyar alego
leading to the first born daughter of the chief to be named Obanda. P12
·
The second night after the
birth of Obura, chief Owuor kembo dreamt that his late father, chief Kembo
k’agina, was handing him a baby boy from his right hand – a sign that the old
chief’s spirit was well pleased with his son and grandson. P29
·
When Nyabera was pregnant with
Awiti she dreamt of his late brother Obura. According to Akoko the dream was a
message of hope from the spirit world and when Nyabera gave birth, the baby was
named obura though she was a girl. P75-76. Nyabera’s dream was symbolic because
it revealed the many descendants of Akoko that were to be born through her
granddaughter Awiti.
Idiomatic Expressions
An idiomatic expression is a group of words
whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words but
describe the same thing. It is also a group of words containing idioms.
Examples in the novel
·
The baby yelled so lustily on
its first gulp of acrid air, that the chief strolling around unconcernedly as befitted his station and
manhood thought with satisfaction, ‘Another rock for my sling,’ by which he
meant another son. P11
·
However, a monogamous man was
an unknown animal and every man worth his salt tried to marry at least two
wives. P31. The idiom ‘worth his salt’ means someone who deserves respect.
·
She met one and all with such a
sunny smile that she soon earned herself the name Nyabera, the good one.
P32-33. A sunny smile is an idiom meaning a happy and friendly smile.
·
Her daughter in law, a
relentless worker, had been out in the field all day, so it was not until
evening that she got wind of the matter. P34. To get wind of the matter is an
idiom meaning to hear about something.
·
The only saving grace would be
the high esteem in which they held their son in law Owuor kembo – the chief.
P37. Saving grace is an idiomatic expression meaning a good quality that
someone has.
·
His questions flew thick and
fast until Nyaroche said to him, “why don’t you come with us next time?” p49.
Thick and fast is an idiomatic expression meaning happening quickly.
·
There are two ways to deal with
pain – either bear it until time heals, for time is a master healer of even the
deepest wounds; or commit suicide. Time heals is an idiomatic expression
meaning that pain will grow less as time passes.
·
Besides the death of her son,
the apple of her eye was still raw on her heart. P67. The apple of her eye is
an idiomatic expression meaning the person someone like most and is proud of.
·
He tried the best of his
ability to step into his dead brother’s shoes and to heal the sorrow in his parents’
hearts. P68. To step into his brother’s shoes is an idiomatic expression
meaning to try and replace someone.
·
It was disquieting to have all
one’s eggs in this one tiny frail basket. P74. To have one’s eggs in one basket
is an idiomatic expression meaning to have a dependency on only one thing.
·
This is a very deep and serious
matter which cannot be decided in one sitting. P87. One sitting is an idiomatic
expression meaning a short period of time.
·
They came so unobtrusively that
even Akoko did not get wind of their presence until two days later and the
careless chief four days later for most people did not bother to keep him
informed due to his extreme arrogance. P90. To get wind is an idiomatic
expression meaning to hear or learn about something.
·
The DO was lost in thoughts for
a few minutes. P80. Lost in thoughts is an idiomatic expression meaning not to
be aware of something.
·
I know you won’t believe it but
I was stone sober, anyway I tripped and fell into this pool and awakened a
family of frogs and you couldn’t believe the noise they made. P140. Stone sober
is an idiomatic expression meaning not drunk.
·
Her heart did a flip flop and
her knees felt quite weak. P143. Flip flop is an idiomatic expression meaning
to change in intensity.
·
So your son will be bringing a
light to your home – an educated woman. P139. Bringing a light is an idiomatic
expression meaning to bring enlightenment.
·
Elizabeth was a different
kettle of fish altogether. P151. Different kettle of fish is an idiomatic
expression meaning completely different from someone else.
·
She was the most beautiful girl
in the whole village and the eldest daughter of the great chief Odero gogni and
the apple of his eye. P154. Apple of his eye is an idiomatic expression meaning
the person someone like the most and is proud of.
·
It was just in the nick of time
for Elizabeth was pregnant again and sleeping arrangements were become tricky.
P166. In the nick of time is an idiomatic expression meaning just in time.
·
Her school work was
satisfactory, for poor work was very likely to bring down the ceiling around
one’s head at home. P174. Bring down the ceiling is an idiomatic expression
meaning to bring trouble.
·
He burst into their room
throwing his manners, completely to the wind. P180. Throwing his manners
completely to the wind is an idiomatic expression meaning without caution.
·
Back at home Aoro was climbing
walls with fear and worry. P181. Climbing walls is an idiomatic expression
meaning to be extremely nervous or upset.
·
The bay now five was no longer
a baby but an active little girl – a bit spoilt by having so many older sisters
and brothers at her beck and call, not to mention a doting father. P185. Beck
and call is an idiomatic expression meaning ready to obey.
·
He walked on air for days and
felt like crowing especially when he remembered his mother’s scathing remarks
about his character in general and his laziness in particular. P186. Walked on
air is an idiomatic expression meaning to be very happy.
·
Becky who was now well aware of
the importance of doing well at school, not for her parents sake, but for her
own, was a close to a nervous breakdown and she drove herself to work at a pace
she was unaccustomed to; again, Vera had ceased to take her side automatically
and now tended to bite her head off at the slightest provocation. P196 bite her
head off is an idiomatic expression meaning to get angry at someone.
·
“Well my friend, that describes
me to a T.” Vera’s face clouded again. P238. To a T is an idiomatic expression
meaning rightly.
·
That’s all he wanted and he
would work his boots off if need be to provide for them. P161. To work boots
off is to work tirelessly.
·
“An air hostess?” Mark could
not believe his ears. “Over my dead body.” P199. Over my dead body is an
idiomatic expression meaning under no circumstances.
·
It must have been eight
o’clock, but she simply turned on her heels and went out to the car again
despite the protests of the villagers. P202. Turned on her heels is an
idiomatic expression meaning to leave.
·
He would have loved to steal a
quick look at Elizabeth – for guidance and inspiration – but obviously could
not. P206. To steal a quick look is an idiomatic expression meaning to peek or
glance.
·
“Who is this Tommy?” he asked
to buy time. P207. To buy time is an idiomatic expression meaning to increase
time available for a specific purpose.
·
Although Lisa left the house
looking spick and span with hair in a ponytail, well pressed tunic and clean
white blouse, by the end of the day she would be in total disarray; clothes
hanging anyhow, with hair in spikes, but her books will somehow survive – neat
and clean enough to eat on. P293. Spick and span is an idiomatic expression
meaning clean and neat.
·
To Wandia, it was like light at
the end of a dark tunnel. P294. Light at the end of a dark tunnel is an idiomatic
expression meaning the end of a difficult situation.
·
Mugo already had a reputation
of being a tough cookie. P291. Tough cookie is an idiomatic expression meaning
someone strong.
Interior Monologue
Interior monologue is a literary device
where the thoughts of a character are reported by the author or narrator.
Examples in the novel
·
The baby yelled so lustily on
its first gulp of acrid air, that the chief strolling around unconcernedly as
befitted his station and manhood, thought with satisfaction, ‘another rock for
my sling,’ by which he meant another son. P11
·
They moved some distance away
and Akoko watching from her mother’s kitchen thought amusedly to herself, “I
should ask father to give me a piece of land to settle on because at this rate
I shall never leave this house”. P22
·
“Giving us” thought Otieno in
annoyance.” “At this rate there will be no cattle left for me to pay bride
price with”. P24
·
“What a brazen lass”, thought Otieno,
“Thirty head indeed!” p24
·
She noticed these things and
wondered. How could such common place things continue to happen when the
chief’s heir lay dead and unfulfilled in some strange land? Were should stab the world with
lightning, the sun should hide its face, the very trees should moan in misery.
She herself should die, for what use was this life if one could be snuffed out
like a poorly lit fire, never getting a chance to blaze into a flame? P64-65
·
“Oh the bottomless pit of
ignorance”, thought the man to himself. P84
·
“I must fight. I cannot give
up! I must! I must!” thought her mother. P99
·
“Elizabeth Awiti”. She
answered, then wondered at herself in amazement. ‘What could be wrong with me?
Maybe I have cerebral malaria!” she surreptitiously felt her forehead. It was
cool. P138
·
And Elizabeth thought to
herself, “What will I do without her when she is gone? She is the steady rock
of our lives”. P144
·
Others looking at him thought
‘what sacrifice, what courage!’ he felt only fortunate that God should call
even one such as him. P156
·
She tried to keep up her anger.
After all she had been the wronged one, but when he had not come by late that
night and on the following day, her anger turned to alarm and raw fear. Where
could he be? Had he left her? If he had she had only herself to blame. P160
·
Vera wondered whether that
could be said of her. “I am sure if I died only mum and dad would really miss
me or even know that I had ever existed. I am only existing, not really
living”. P230
·
“A chapel!” she thought,
working around at the unusual decorations in the ceiling and on the altar. P236
·
“It makes me very sad to see a
catholic, a child of God, called by the baptism to be another Christ – calming
his conscience with a purely formal piety, with a religiosity that leads him to
pray now and again, and only if he thinks worthwhile”, said the priest and Vera
thought to herself, “What! Is the guy reading my mind or something?” p236
·
A little fear is not a bad
thing, she thought to herself; especially for one such as you. P267
·
“As if I have read enough to
last me two lifetimes!” she thought irreverently as the applause rose to a
crescendo. P300
Poetic Justice
It is a literary
device whereby the antagonist or villain is punished by an ironic twist of fate
or destiny and the protagonist or the good characters are rewarded. In the
novel “THE RIVER AND THE SOURCE” the antagonists, Otieno and Becky, are
punished because of their bad qualities and the way they treat other
characters. Otieno who becomes an instant enemy of Akoko after her marriage to
chief Owuor kembo takes away part of Akoko’s wealth and appropriates the wealth
of his brother chief Owuor kembo after his death. Because of his oppression
towards Akoko, Akoko decides to take matters in her own hands and travels to
Kisumu to seek justice from the white people. On her return from Kisumu she finds
that the plunder of her cattle had reached major proportions, Otieno having
taken advantage of her heaven sent absence. Unknown to Otieno, Akoko had
travelled to Kisumu and got the help of the white people who send a contingent
of askaris to forcibly remove him from the chief’s stool. To Akoko the removal
of Otieno from power was a victory for her and her infant grandson who was the
rightful heir of the chief’s stool. Otieno’s downfall can be attributed to her
arrogance, selfishness, greed and oppression.
Becky who was
also an antagonist is punished by fate because of the way she treated other
people and of the bad qualities that she possessed. Compared to her sister Vera,
Becky developed a lot of jealousy and selfishness which affected her children.
She was also egocentric and had developed a promiscuous way of life after her
divorce from John Courtney. Her promiscuous lifestyle led her to contract AIDS
which eventually killed her.
Catastrophe
A catastrophe is
a literary device where one of the main or several characters die at the end of
a literary work.
In the novel “THE
RIVER AND THE SOURCE,” the story ends in tragedy with the death of three major
characters. The first person to die was Becky who had developed full blown AIDS
before her death. Since her family knew of her impending death, they met and
after deliberations they decided that it would be least disruptive for Becky’s
children if they went and lived with Aoro and Wandia. The second death occurs a
day after Wandia graduated with a doctorate in medicine. The death was that of
Elizabeth Awiti who had fallen sick on the outskirts of Nakuru. She had
developed problems with her breathing before she was rushed to the hospital
where she died. Within that year her husband Mark sigu also died.
Propaganda
It is the
spreading of false information through rumours or campaigns in order to gain
sympathy or to show weakness of an individual, community or institution.
Examples in the
novel
·
Nyar asembo spread falsehoods
when she declared that Akoko had bewitched chief Owuor kembo not to marry
another wife. P34
·
When Obura was speaking to his
mother he spread falsehoods when he said that girls were empty headed. P49
·
When Akoko was planning to go
to Kisumu, her daughter Nyabera tried to prevent her from going by giving her
false information about the white people. She told her not to trust people who
were white like the clouds and that maybe they were not even human. P76
·
Elizabeth spread falsehoods
when she accused Mark of having deliberately given her chloroquin to make her
sterile. Because of her false accusations Mark nearly struck her.
·
When Odongo nearly drowned in a
river, together with his twin brother Opiyo they spread falsehoods that Aoro
and Tony had forced them to get into the water. They did this to get sympathy
from their parents so that they could not face their wrath.
·
When Aoro was suspended from
school, he spread falsehoods to his parents that the head prefect and the house
captain were always picking on him which indeed was false because he was the
one lacking discipline. P188
·
Becky spread falsehoods to John
Courtney to prevent him from going to see her parents because she thought her
parents would be against their union since they were both from different
cultures and races.
Jargon
It is the use of
language that is either professional or occupational in a literary work which
is often meaningless to an outsider. In the novel “THE RIVER AND THE SOURCE”
the author has used medical and agricultural terms and phrases which the reader
might find difficult to understand.
Examples in the
novel
·
Anyone who has induction of
labour will tell you that natural labour is much easier. P194. Labour is a
medical term meaning the period of time before giving birth to a baby.
·
“You must remember always that
the cadaver before you was once a human being with feelings and who deserved a
decent burial but is here for your sakes so that you may learn the science of
anatomy which is the cornerstone of medicine. The cadaver must therefore be
treated with utmost respect and any part not under dissection must be properly
covered. I repeat, expose only the part under dissection. Any question?”
p224 . Cadaver and anatomy are medical
terms which mean a dead body and the human structure respectively.
·
“No, it will not rot. The body
has been preserved with formalin – a powerful chemical – notice the smell in
air. It will last more than one year you will take to dissect it from head to
toe,” answered Gitonga. P244. Formalin is a chemical liquid with a strong
irritating smell that is used for the preservation of animal tissue.
·
Little did they know that the
cadaver would become so much part of their existence that they would barely
remember to wash their hands before lunch after a morning of delving deep into
the human tissue. P245. A tissue is a combination of cells that makes the
various parts of the human body.
·
To carry in one’s head the
names, distribution and function of hundreds of muscles, nerves, blood vessel,
parts of the brain, the skeleton, and all the internal organs require a no mean
feat of memorization.
·
“Besides you showed me dust in
physiology and biochemistry”.
·
There was a case of severe
fetal distress with poor progress of labour. Would he join the resident in
theatre at once to assist with the case? P249
·
On his way out he passed the
paediatric resident who had also been called in readiness to resuscitate the
endangered baby. P249
·
The obstetric resident was in
his final year of training and was therefore quite fast. He had the abdomen
open and the baby out in exactly ten minutes. The baby was covered in its own
waste showing just how severely distressed it had been. He gave it to the nurse
who rushed the limp form to the waiting paediatric resident for resuscitation.
P249
·
It was his job to present his
case, take most of the blame and do all the donkey work – like collection of
specimen, administration of intravenous drugs and collection of reports from
different laboratories. P252
·
“This is Helena kituku, twenty
nine year old female who has had a bad obstetric history. She has one living
child and has lost four pregnancies at about six months. She is now twenty
eight weeks pregnant and was admitted with lower abdominal pains of four hours
duration. A diagnosis of premature labour was made and we have started her on
treatment and put her on bed rest to try and reverse the labour”.p252
·
“Have you done a blood slide
for malaria parasites?” p253
·
“A blood slide?” the case was
so cut and dried that Aoro had not thought to investigate the patient for other
causes of miscarriage.
·
Sickness and death never far
from her since the death of her father from liver failure two years before.
P255
·
“She has not been very well you
know. She is diabetic and I hear her blood sugar’s out of control and she has
an ulcer on her foot that won’t heal.” P255
·
She had aged beyond her years
due to worry and overwork and lately from the ravages of diabetes; but around
her was a calm serene air – a spirit at peace with itself and the world. P258
·
She was now busy trying out all
kinds of things in her little farm – she was especially delighted with zero
grazing and her herd of Friesians. P260
·
Anyway you doctors can do
miracles these days. A mere VD cannot elude a cure for too long. P262
·
Daniel had Down syndrome and
five years later Wandia still remembered the shock, the pain, the sheer
disbelief she had experienced when she held her infant son in her arms for the
first time. P283
Diatribe
It is the act of criticizing someone to
show their weakness or something bad that they have done.
Examples in the novel
·
Nyar asembo bitterly criticized
her son chief Owuor kembo because his rate of reproducing was too slow and
because he was refusing to marry another wife. P34
·
After Nyar asembo falsely
accused Akoko of witchcraft, Akoko woke the entire village the day after being
accused by wailing and screaming. After a sizeable crowd had gathered outside
her house, she used the opportunity to directly criticize both Nyar asembo and
Otieno for falsely accusing her. P36
·
Nyar asembo criticized his son
chief Owuor kembo when he almost struck her and throttled his brother half to
death. P37
·
After Akoko left her matrimonial
home and went back to Yimbo, the council of elders of Sakwa bitterly criticized
chief Owuor kembo because of his monogamous state. P38
·
During the negotiation between
the elders of Sakwa and those of Yimbo to sort out the conflict that had arisen
after Akoko was accused by Nyar asembo for bewitching chief Owuor kembo, Aloo
k’olima criticized Akoko for being temperamental and impatient. P44-45
·
Akoko criticized her son Obura
for thinking that girls were empty headed. P49
·
In chapter 8, the stranger who
told his friend about the white people and their son god, criticized his friend
for being behind with the current events. P59
·
Akoko bitterly criticized her
daughter Nyabera when she told her not to trust the white people since they may
not be humans. She also criticized her for thinking that she did not trust her
with Owuor and for thinking that their family was cursed. P77
·
Akoko criticized his brother Oloo
for sending his two sons to accompany her to Kisuma. P80
·
When Akoko went to Kisumu to
get justice against his brother in law, she bitterly criticized him in front of
the D.O who was listening to her case. P86-87
·
The catechist in the mission in
Aluor bitterly criticized Nyabera for thinking that she was questioning God
since she asked so many questions. P107
·
Akoko criticized her daughter Nyabera
for being selfish after they both learnt that Awiti has been called to a
teachers’ training college. P131-132
·
Nyabera criticized Awiti when
she told her and Akoko about her intentions to get married to Mark whose roots
and antecedents they didn’t know. P143
·
Marks sigu bitterly criticized
the pretty girl when she declared that she was pregnant. P169
·
Aoro was criticized by his
father when his father learnt that he had been suspended from school for being undisciplined.
P188-189
·
Awiti criticized her daughter Becky
for getting into conflict with their little sister Mary. P196
·
Becky criticized her sister Vera
for being jealous of her. P196
·
Elizabeth criticized her
husband Mark for not being reasonable when Vera asked permission from them to
go to the movies with Tommy muhambe. P207
·
Vera criticized her sister Becky
for not considering the opinions of Mark and Elizabeth when she wanted to get
married to John Courtney. P221
·
Vera criticized her sister Becky
for always being pre-occupied with herself. P221
·
Wandia bitterly criticized Aoro
for calling her ‘woman ‘during their first initiation into the medical school.
·
Mark sigu criticized his son Aoro
for getting too quick into marriage and for getting onto marriage with a girl
not from their tribe.
·
Aoro criticized his father for
thinking that since Wandia was a Kikuyu she was not fit to be Aoro’s wife.
P271-272
·
Vera criticized Becky when she
realized that her influence on her children were not good. P277
Metonymy
It is a literary
device where a concept or thing is given a name that closely associates with
it.
Examples in the
novel
·
That a man and a chief at that
should even take notice of a girl child was unusual; after all a son meant
continuity and a girl would only depart to go and cook for some other clan, but
chief Odero found the child irresistible. P15
·
“Our daughter, Adoyo Obanda is
a great beauty whose assets have been praised and sung by many Nyatiti singers
from here to Chumbu kombit from Sakwa to Loka nam”. P21
·
That way he felt that he could
at least have a foothold on all those beautiful herds. P100
·
I know you won’t believe it but
I was stone sober, anyway, I tripped and fell into this pool and awakened a
family of frogs and you couldn’t believe the noise they made. P140
·
At sixteen she was a breath
taking beauty and had a horde of admirers and aspiring boyfriends none of whom
she had yet shown an interest in. p181
·
The six month old bundle of
energy took to her aunt at once and was bouncing away and blowing bubbles to
her heart’s content when her mother walked in, at which point she
defected-letting it be known at the top of her lungs just whom she preferred.
P262
Situational Irony
It is a literary
device whereby a situation or event which is not expected to happen takes
place.
Examples in the
novel
·
Chief Odero gogni did not
expect that his second wife Aketch was going to give birth to a baby girl. He
thought that the baby who had been born was a boy.
·
It was ironical that after Akoko
resigned to the fact that were had forgotten to create a man good enough for
her, a man by the name of Owuor kembo who was the chief of Sakwa appears later
and asks for her hand in marriage.
·
It was ironical that with all
the wealth that chief Owuor kembo had, he still did not want to marry another
wife yet he helped his brother and poor cousins to pay off their dowry.
·
It was ironical that chief Odero
gogni expected a spirited fight from chief Owuor kembo and his entourage to
reduce the number of cattle to be paid as bride price but chief Owuor kembo
accepted his offer.
·
It was ironical that though Obura’s
parents were proud of him because of his amazing characters, he was reprimanded
more than any other child, and to hear his mother one would have thought that Obura
was a good for nothing boy.
·
It was ironical that Obura
disobeyed his parents and disappeared with Nyaroche and Ambere yet in the whole
village he was the only seventeen year old who obeyed his mother without a
question.
·
It was ironical that for the
first time chief Owuor kembo who was never known to raise his voice in anger
screamed at the hapless herdsman who he had sent to know about the whereabouts
of Nyaroche and Ambere.
·
It was ironical that Akoko sought
the help of the white people to help her remove Otieno from the chief’s stool
yet it was the white man’s government that caused the death of her son Obura.
·
It was ironical that after
having misfortunes in her life, Nyabera sought the religion of the white man
yet she discriminated them because of their skin colour.
·
It was ironical that Otieno was
delighted after hearing the death of Obura yet as a close family relative he
should have been in a sombre mood about the loss of his nephew.
·
It was ironical that Owuor
decided to join the priesthood yet he knew that his grandmother Akoko wanted
him to reclaim back the chief’s stool from the council of elders who had been
the guardian of power in the village of Sakwa.
·
It was ironical that Nyabera
did not want her mother to go to Kisumu to seek justice from the white men government
yet she chose to go to Aluor and converted to the white man’s religion.
·
It was ironical that when Akoko
and her two nephews travelled to Kisumu to seek justice against Otieno, the
first person that they met in Kisumu worked at the Dos office.
·
It was ironical that after Otieno
was forcibly removed as the chief of Sakwa, it was only a matter of time before
the hereditary chiefdoms were done away with totally.
·
It was ironical that both Akoko
and Nyabera who had earlier been steeped in their traditions converted to
Christianity and devoted their lives serving the Christian God instead of were.
·
It was ironical that Nyabera
thought that her mother would not want to accompany her to Aluor and when she
asked her about it she readily accepted to go.
·
It was ironical that after
being baptized in the Christian faith and having accepted Christian teachings,
Nyabera went back to Sakwa to start a union with Ogoma kwach. This was contrary
to the teachings of the Christian faith which Nyabera found hard to embrace
because of her desire to have another child.
·
It was ironical that Owuor who
had never really known his father or the joys of a father – son relationship,
dreamt of being the spiritual father of many.
·
It was ironical that the locals
of Aluor prophesied darkly that no man would marry Elizabeth because of her
brilliance yet she got married to a former soldier who was called Mark sigu.
·
It was ironical that Elizabeth
found that Mark was a former military man and was literate yet she had always
thought that military men were a bunch of illiterates.
·
It was ironical that Mark sigu
did not send a spy to find out about the background of Awiti though traditions
demanded it.
·
It was ironical that Becky
confessed to Vera that she had always been jealous of her because of her
brilliance in school.
·
It was ironical that Wandia
suspected Becky of having HIV because her weight had decreased at a fast rate. Wandia
suspicions come true when Becky develops full blown AIDS.
·
It was ironical that Aoro
married Wandia who was a Kikuyu and Becky got married to John Courtney who was
a Canadian and white yet their father expected them to marry from their own
tribe.
·
It was ironical that Vera
remained single while Maryanne who had introduced her to opus dei got married
to Mathew saisi.
·
It was ironical that Vera who
had wanted to be near her sister Becky made a promise to herself to go very far
away from her as soon as she could because Becky had become extremely selfish.
·
It was ironical that Mark sigu
who was opposed to his son joining the priesthood was full of pride during Tony’s
ordination.
Oral Traditions
Oral tradition is a literary device where
culture, traditions and beliefs of a community are transmitted through the word
of mouth from one generation to another. The messages are transmitted through
folktales, sayings, songs and speech.
Examples in the
novel
·
In the opening of the novel Nyar
alego gives a brief oral narration of the creator of the luo people whom they
called were. P12. She also gives a
brief speech on some of the cultural practices that the luo people practiced
and their beliefs.
·
During the marriage negotiation
between chief Owuor kembo and Akoko, chief Odero gogni reveals the cultural
practice of paying dowry. His spokesman, Aloo k’olima, reveals how marriage was
carried out and what was to be avoided (taboo) before marriage took place.
P20-21
·
During the discussion between
chief Owuor kembo and the elders from Sakwa on how Akoko would return back to
her matrimonial home, they discussed several issues that touched on the
traditions and beliefs of the luo people.
Oyier reveals one of the practices that the luo people practiced which
was polygamy. Chief Owuor kembo also reveals how important a man’s first wife
was according to the traditions of the luo people. Still in their discussions,
one of the elders narrates how important the first born son was. P38-39
·
Aloo k’olima, chief Odero
gogni’s spokesman reveals orally the tradition which involved the appeasement
of the mother in law as was in the case of Akoko and chief Owuor kembo. P45
·
Obura reveals to Nyaroche and Ambere
that as the first born son he was the next in line to become the chief of Sakwa.
P49. His father also reveals to him how courtship and marriage was carried out
by their community. P50
·
In the conversation between
Akoko and Nyabera it was clear that the luo community believed in the
importance of dreams and the interpretation of such dreams was highly valued.
P76
·
The messengers who were sent by
the D.O to investigate Otieno narrate to the D.O some of the cultural practices
of the luo community. The messengers also narrate the tradition of wife
inheritance and how a bad chief was to be removed and how the succession of the
chieftainship was carried out. Akoko p92
·
Oyange silwal reveals to mark
and his entourage the requirements of chik when paying a bride price. He also
reveals who takes the bride price in the case when a girl’s father is deceased.
P148
Apostrophe
It is a literary device whereby a character
or a speaker in a literary work addresses someone who is dead or absent or
addresses a nonhuman entity as if it were human.
Examples in the novel
·
When grandmother Nyar alego was
called to help unravel what was causing Akoko to scream all night, she addresses
were and several of her dead relatives as if they were alive.
Symbolism
Symbolism is a
literary device whereby an object, a person, a situation, an action, a word, a
place or an idea has some hidden meanings in a literary work or represents an
idea.
Examples in the
novel
i.
Symbolism of characters
·
Akoko – She is a symbol of
sacrifice, determination, feminism, change, beauty, love, wealth, womanhood,
courage, motherhood, wisdom, selflessness and inspiration.
·
Nyabera – she is a symbol of
pain and suffering, bitterness, determination, change, obsession and
desperation.
·
Chief Odero gogni – He is a
symbol of leadership and authority.
·
Chief Owuor kembo – He is a
symbol of leadership and authority.
·
Otieno – He is a symbol of
greed, oppression, envy and arrogance.
·
Owuor – He is a symbol of
purity, succession and continuity.
·
Obura – He is a symbol of
continuity and rebellion.
·
John Courtney – He is a symbol
of cultural diversity.
·
Wandia – she is a symbol of
determination, cultural diversity and hope.
·
Wangechi – She is a symbol of
determination.
·
Tommy muhambe – He is a symbol
of cultural diversity.
·
DO – He is a symbol of change,
authority and government.
·
DC – He is a symbol of change,
authority and government.
·
Becky – She is a symbol of
materialism, rebellion, beauty and determination.
·
Elizabeth – She is a symbol of
determination, motherhood, feminism, wisdom and love.
·
Mark sigu – He is a symbol of
fatherhood.
·
Vera – She is a symbol of
determination and sacrifice.
·
Aoro – He is a symbol of
determination.
·
Alicia – She is a symbol of
cultural diversity.
ii.
Symbolism of events
·
Akoko’s birth – It symbolizes
continuity and change.
·
Akoko’s death – It symbolizes
the end of an era.
·
Nak – It symbolizes adulthood.
·
Owang sino’s death – It
symbolizes change and discontinuity.
·
Akoko’s journey to Kisumu – It
symbolizes victory, courage and change.
·
The coming of jorochere – It
symbolizes change and colonialism.
·
Chief Owuor kembo’s dream – It
symbolizes the birth of a son.
·
Nyabera’s birth – It symbolizes
pain and suffering.
·
Nyabera’s journey to Aluor – It
symbolizes hope and new beginning.
·
Vera’s nightmare – It
symbolizes the death of Becky.
·
Death of Awiti – It symbolized
the end of an era.
·
Nyabera’s dream – It symbolizes
hope for the future.
·
iii.
Symbolism of places
·
Sakwa – It symbolized
oppression and injustice.
·
Aluor – It symbolized
Christianity and hope.
·
Kisumu – It symbolized change.
·
Nairobi – it symbolized
westernization and civilization.
·
Yimbo – It symbolized safety.
·
Tanganyika – It symbolized
death.
·
Central province – It
symbolized rebellion.
·
Westlands – It symbolized
wealth.
·
Eastlands – It symbolized
economic hardships.
·
University of Nairobi – It
symbolized knowledge.
iv.
Symbolism of objects
·
Kong’o – It is a symbol of
sacredness and friendship.
·
Samba – It is a symbol of
stability.
·
Bracelet – It is a symbol of
remembrance.
·
Chief’s stool – It is a symbol
of leadership and authority.
·
River – it is a symbol of life.
·
Matatu – It is a symbol of
recklessness.
·
Railway – It symbolized change
and civilization.
·
Pesa – it symbolized change in
trade.
v.
Other symbols
·
HIV/AIDS – It symbolizes moral
corruption.
·
Awiti’s miscarriage – It
symbolizes threat to continuity.
·
Priesthood – It is a symbol of
sacredness.
·
Were – It symbolizes the
supernatural.
·
Dowry – It symbolizes good
faith and thankfulness.
Soliloquy
It is a literary device where a character
speaks his or her thoughts aloud.
Examples in the novel
·
Akoko spoke her thoughts out aloud
on learning that his son Obura had disappeared without informing them.
“Great were, please spare my son. Protect
him. Remember all the sacrifices I have offered you on his behalf and be
merciful”. She prayed fervently to herself fearing to raise her voice in case
the very air grabbed her words and made her fears a terrible reality. P54
·
After the death of Owang sino,
Nyabera was angry at were for making
her mother go through pain and suffering. Her speeches to express her
disappointment towards were were a
soliloquy.
Nyabera was summoned immediately, dark
as it was, to keep her mother company. She
in her turn was not tongue tied this time round and she kept up a bemused, if
angry soliloquy.
What has she ever
done to deserve this? Does were really exist? Why does he permit such terrible
things to happen? She, who has never looked at anyone with an evil eye, never
denied food to anyone; has she not been generous in sacrifice and libation?
Does it not pay to lead an upright life? Why does were give children only to strike them dead at the threshold of
life? What has mother ever done to deserve this? P71
Nyabera was
summoned immediately, dark as it was, to keep her mother company. She in her
turn was not tongue tied this time round
·
When Nyabera converted to
Christianity, she spoke her mind out when she wanted to know more about the new
religion.
Why for example did an all-powerful God
chose such an ignominious death? Could he not have just willed our salvation
thus bringing it about? Why so much suffering? If God was good and all
powerful, why allow so much suffering? P106
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
A self-fulfilling
prophecy is a statement by a character in a literary work that directly or
indirectly causes it to become true in the future.
Examples in the
novel
·
Aoro’s letter to his parents
informing them that he was bringing a girl home so that they could get to know
her is prophetic. Aoro’s letter to his parents was prophetic because he goes
ahead and takes Wandia to Molo where she meets his parents.
·
Nyar asembo prophesied the
death of Obura when she realized that his son was opposed to the idea of
marrying another wife and because the rate at which chief Owuor kembo and Akoko
were reproducing was too slow. P34. Nyar asembo prophetic utterances came true
years later when Obura went to work for the white men and he got killed in
Tanganyika while fighting the Germans.
·
Aloo k’olima prophesied that
one day Akoko would be a mother in law. His prophecy comes true when Owang sino
marries Alando nyar uyoma and her daughter Nyabera gets married by Okumu ang’olo.
·
After the death of her two
sons, Nyabera tells her mother that she has been having dreams about Obura.
When she tells her mother about the dream, her mother tells her that the dream
is a message of hope from the spirit world and intimately concerned the unborn
baby. Nyabera soon prophesy that if her pregnancy goes through safely she would
name the baby Obura. Nyabera prophecy comes true as she safely delivers a baby
girl and she promptly names her Obura. During the conversation between mother
and daughter, Akoko also prophecy that were will one day give her daughter Nyabera
a child who will survive. Akoko’s prophecies come true because of all of
Nyabera’s children only Obura survives to adulthood.
·
Akoko prophesy her upcoming
journey to Kisuma to seek justice against Otieno from the white man’s
government. Later in the text we see that Akoko together with her two twin nephews’
journey to Kisumu where they present their case to the D.O.
·
When she got pregnant again
after her first miscarriage, Awiti prophesy that she will give birth to a girl
and she would call her Veronica after her grandmother. Awiti’s prophecy comes
true when she gives birth to twins and she names one of them Veronica after her
grandmother.
·
During one of her conversation
with Maryanne, Vera tells Maryanne that her brother Aoro would be joining
medical school in September. Vera’s utterances were prophetic because Aoro
joined university where he studies medicine.
·
Vera’s prophecy that one day Wandia’s
agnostic stance on God will change. Her prophesy does not take long to become
true as Wandia finds herself seeking God’s assistance after her son is
diagnosed with leukaemia.
Juxtaposition
It is the
placing of objects, characters, ideas, events, actions and places side by side
in a literary work to show similarity or difference between them.
Examples in the
novel
·
Grandmother Nyar alego has
juxtaposed how she was raised by her mother and how she raised her son chief Odero
gogni.
Daughter of the
rocky county of seme, my dearest mother, did you not teach me how to conduct
myself as a good wife?
Did not my
upright son, Odero, rule in his father’s stead and have I not always guided him
to listen to the counsel of Jodongo, our elders? P13
·
The author has compared the
country of Seme and Sakwa. Grandmother Nyar alego says that seme was a rocky
country and chief Odero gogni asks chief Owuor kembo and his entourage how the savannah
country of Sakwa was.
·
The author has juxtaposed the
role of the girl child and that of the boy child.
That a man and a
chief at that should even take notice of a girl child was unusual; after all a
son meant continuity and a girl would only depart to go and cook for some other
clan, but chief Odero gogni found the child irresistible. P18
·
The author has juxtaposed the
appearance of chief Owuor kembo, his uncle and Otieno when they arrived in
Yimbo to ask for Akoko’s hand in marriage.
His face was
ritually tattooed, his head sat proudly on his shoulders and he wore only a
tiny piece of leopard skin which barely reached his mid-thigh, from under which
two powerful legs protruded. On his right was a wizened old man and on his left
a young man who closely resembled him, as well as six other men. P18
·
The author has juxtaposed how a
girl would traditionally approach her husband to be with how Akoko approached
chief Owuor kembo after the marriage negotiation.
Traditionally
the girl at this point should have been the picture of demure shyness, her eyes
fixed firmly on the floor, her hands held together in front of her mouth. Not Akoko.
She walked in; steps measured, head held high, hands at her sides. P24
·
The author has made a comparison
between the children of Otieno with that of Obura.
Besides, Otieno,
Owuor’s younger brother had wasted no time in marrying two wives one after the
other and already had two children and was expecting two others. The fact that
his children were completely lacklustre and unlike obura was completely beside
the point. P30
·
Nyabera has been compared to
her father chief Owuor kembo.
The baby was not
only pretty but had her father’s even temper. P32
·
Owang sino has been compared to
his brother obura and sister Nyabera.
Compared to his
chatterbox brother and sister, owing was a welcome respite for his mother. His
demands were few and he was easy to please as his father. P46-47
·
Chief Owuor kembo’s family has
been compared to that of his brother Otieno.
Even by the
standards of the time, it was a close knit family, with the father standing
resolutely between the world and his little band that everyone so longed to
enlarge. In fact he was well pleased for his father before him with many wives
also had what he had achieved with one wife – two sons. His brother on the
other hand made up for Owuor’s reserve. He had four wives and eighteen
children. P47
·
The way Otieno treated his
wives has been compared to the way chief Owuor kembo treated Akoko.
Otieno treated
his wives like sluts and they did not fail him. Owuor treated his wife like a
queen and she did not fail him either. P47
·
The author of the novel has
juxtaposed ways in which human beings dealt with pain.
There are two
ways to deal with pain – either bear it until time heals, for time is a master
healer of even the deepest wounds; or commit suicide. P62
·
Owang sino and his late brother
have been compared by the author of the novel.
Though lacking
in the abundant charisma that his brother had had, owing sino was a good steady
lad with a level head and a lot of personal strength. P68
·
The author has compared chief Owuor
kembo’s treatment of the messengers who had been sent by the government with
Owang sino’s overtures to the messengers’ government.
Once or twice
since then, tentative messengers had been sent to try and make contact with
chief Owuor kembo, but being full of bitterness because of his dead son obura,
he had sent them away without a word – young chief owing sino had started to
make overture on his part towards the outside world, but had died before his
efforts could bear fruits. P73
·
Akoko made a comparison between
Nyabera and her sister in law when she was reprimanding her when Nyabera
thought that her mother did not trust her and that’s why she never brought Owuor
to stay with her.
But to have a
child is one thing, to bring it up to be a human fit to live with others is
something else altogether – and the way you are going, I doubt if you will be
fit to be a mother when the baby comes. You may be just like Alando your sister
in law. P77
·
The author has juxtaposed the
physical qualities of the D.O and the D.C.
He was actually
white – not cloud white, but an indefinable translucent colour with spots of
red on the cheeks, the ears and the tip of his long nose. His hair was an
amazing yellow and wonder of wonders his eyes were blue. Nevertheless he was
human and spoke with a human if strange voice – rather resonant with an unusual
timbre, somewhat harsh to the ear. P86
The D.C was a
white man alright but was as different from the first one as east is from west.
His hair was reddish brown and his eyes were very pale grey. His skin was
tanned so deeply that it had almost taken on the hue of some light skinned
people. His voice was a loud trumpet – almost as if shouting would make people
understand him better. P91
·
The author has juxtaposed the
god of the luo people to the Christian God.
Were had been
benevolent; but this God was a loving father. It was the only explanation. P106
·
The author has juxtaposed Awiti
and Owuor’s determination in learning the new religion.
Like his father before
him, Owuor was a steady slugger – a non-quitter. His cousin Awiti was a fast
but unsteady leaner. She could mesmerize the class with her powers of recall,
then sit through another class and learn absolutely nothing for she could open
a window in her mind and escape, to go and play in the warm inviting sun, her
feet sinking in the soft green grass and her eyes following the multi-coloured
butterfly, that warbling bird or that variegated leaf. She had a powerful
imagination which was at once her strength and her weakness. P115
Awiti was very
good at memorizing prayers both in Latin and vernacular while Owuor was
formidable in catechism. P116
The only other
subject taught was numbers. Here again, Awiti excelled in reading and Owuor
took to numbers like a duck to water. P116
·
The author has compared the
life that Akoko and her family experienced in Aluor with that of their home in
Sakwa.
They went in the
middle of the day to a frugal meal of ugali and herbs. Later as their elders
became more settled there would be occasional chicken and very rarely, fish for
this was far from the great lake. Meat was unheard of for an animal was only
slaughtered ceremoniously during a funeral or a betrothal. Back home, meat had
been plentiful for there had been enough animals to slaughter just for food and
no other reason, but here they were only poor orphans and widows. P116
·
Mark has juxtaposed the courage
he had while fighting the Germans and the courage to talk to a girl.
“Please don’t
run away. I won’t harm you. I have waited to meet you for the last six weeks.
During the last exeat, courage deserted me. It is easier to fight the Germans
and their allies than to get the courage to talk to a girl. I was supposed to
report to a civilian job two weeks ago but I couldn’t go without speaking to
you. So you see, you should not run away.” P138
·
In one of her letters to Mark,
Awiti makes a comparison between her grandmother and her mother.
My grandmother
is a real character, but she has been sickly of late. I am very worried about her.
I owe her so much. My mother is very kind-hearted and quite strong though she
has always been in the shadow of her mother who is a woman of iron. P141
·
The burial of Akoko has been
compared to the traditional burial of the people of the luo community.
They buried her
in the ‘limbo’ the hallowed burial ground which the church had prepared. This
was a break with the requirements of chik, which had demanded that a married
woman be buried in her husband’s ancestral home to the left of the entrance to
her house; but then Akoko had left that home never to return, over fifteen
years before. P151-152
·
The author has made a
comparison of the qualities of Becky and Vera.
Veronica and her
sister Rebecca arrived within minutes of each other at the general hospital. Veronica
was smaller than Rebecca but was more vociferous. Apart from the difference in
size, their personalities were completely different from the first day. Rebecca
was plump, pretty and contented. She smiled at everyone including the flies on
the wall. Her sister was skinny and avid. P165
At five months, Vera
sat up on her own while her sister remained content to lie on her back for
another two months – by which time Vera was crawling all over the house. Becky
decided that this was too much and tried to imitate her sister. P165
Becky seemed to
draw love from one and all from a very early age. She was soft, cuddly and
pretty, and just plain irresistible. People wanted to touch her, to hold her
and she was quite accommodating. Vera did not want to be held, and the big
flashing eyes on her skinny face were restless and tempestuous. Even adults
were a little afraid of her. P166
If it were not
for the fact that she was open and friendly and never put anyone down, it would
have been quite easy to dislike her, but Vera was ever ready to help and assist
and so was quite popular in spite of her brilliance and force of personality.
When she was fourteen and in the top of class of her primary school, they made
her the school captain – a position which had only been held by boys before.
Her father was quite beside himself.
Becky was a
different kettle of fish altogether. There was no denying the fact that she was
a beauty and would always be one. She had large limpid eyes, a perfect face and
a soft fine skin. It was not that Becky was lazy, or even stupid; she just did
not know the meaning of exerting herself. She got whatever she wanted without
creating any waves or getting into any unpleasant situation for she was very
fastidious and utterly selfish. Her school work was satisfactory, for poor work
was very likely to bring down the ceiling around one’s head at home. P173-174
When they sat
for their primary school examination, Vera as was expected had an almost
perfect score and with it she won a place at a top national school for girls.
Becky only did well enough to get a place in the district school. P176
·
The author has made a
comparison of Aoro to his great uncle Obura.
Aoro sigu was a
throwback to his great uncle obura – he was swift and bright; confident and
curious. P176
·
The author has made a
comparison of Aoro’s qualities to that of his brother Tony.
Aoro was the
leader and tony his determined and fearless shadow. Aoro’s temerity was well
balanced by Tony’s calm courage. The younger boy had no sense of physical fear and
did not know the meaning of giving up. His brother was endowed with brains and
physical agility. Tony was short and squat and while lacking Aoro’s almost mad
genius, he was no fool and he had determination. Aoro maintained a brilliant
record at school without trying. Tony maintained a brilliant record without
appearing to try. P179
·
Vera compared how people would
view her sister Becky because of her marriage to John Courtney.
Other people
won’t understand at all; and some will think that you only married him for his
money; others will hold their breadth to see how soon he discards you for
another pretty face. P222
·
The author has made a
comparison between Becky’s children and Wandia’s children.
The Courtney
children had become so much a part of the family that Wandia never dreamed of
excluding them from her calculations. Johnny now a strapping lad of thirteen
was particularly close to her – not surprising for he had never had much of a
mother or a father for that matter – john had disappeared without a trace.
Daniel in his happy way would survive. Little Mugo already had a reputation for
being a tough cookie. All Alicia wanted was to be like Vera – whose very feet
she worshipped. Lisa was a highly strong, sensitive and extremely intelligent
child. Lisa and Johnny were devoted to Wandia and did everything to make her
happy. P291
Direct Address
It is a literary
device whereby a character addresses another character by using his or her
name.
Examples in the
novel
·
Chief Odero gogni directly
addressed his spokesman during the meeting to negotiate Akoko’s bride price.
“My fathers,” he
began, “This is my eldest daughter and as you may know I have dispatched twelve
suitors, but I like this group of people as the young man is obviously of good
stock and his uncle a good spokesman. However, I would like to trim their
arrogance a bit. You Aloo k’olima have been my spokesman all along and you will
remain so. Set the price at thirty head.” P20-21
·
Otieno directly addressed his
brother when they were negotiating the bride price for Akoko.
“This is enough
to marry three wives. Women are all the same Owuor – let’s get out of here”.
P22
·
Chief Owuor kembo spokesman
addressed him using his name when they were negotiating Akoko’s marriage to Owuor.
“Please be
careful how you address the chief,” reprimanded the old man. “Owuor, my son, I
see what you mean. An or’s honour is
a great thing and if your in-laws despise you, it is something that is very
difficult to live down. Let us shock them by accepting their offer without
bargaining. That way your name will be repeated from mouth to mouth for years
to come. You will be Owuor kembo, a man of style, the famous or who paid up
without demur. Let’s go in”. p23
·
Chief Owuor kembo’s spokesman
directly addressed chief Odero gogni using his name when he accepted the bride
price to be paid for Akoko.
“Brothers,
people of yimbo; Odero great chief, son of gogni, we are aware of the honour
you have accorded us, having listened to our suit with patience. May were shower you with many blessings. My
nephew and I have consulted and we have decided that on the fourteenth day of
the next moon, thirty head of cattle will be driven by our young men into your
homestead so that the marriage may take place”. P23-24
·
Aloo k’olima directly addressed
Akoko during the meeting that took place to decide whether she should go back
to her matrimonial home.
As for Akoko, I
have known you since childhood. I know your virtues, but your weakest point is
your temper and impatience.p44
·
Akoko directly addressed her
son when he approached her to get her permission to travel the world.
“Obura,”
remonstrated his mother, ‘It seems I don’t give you enough work. Only an idle
mind can think up such nonsense. You are the chief’s son. It your duty to marry
as soon as you can and provide grandchildren for me. Besides, only were knows
where this world begins or ends, for he made it, you could work for the rest of
your life and not reach its end. Now go and help the herdsmen with their task.
You have become such a lay about”. P49
·
The strangers, who arrived in Sakwa
to relay the government’s message, addressed chief Owuor kembo using his name.
“We greet you. O
chief Owuor, we are people sent by sirkal, the government, with a message for
you,” the white garbed one who was obviously the spokesman declared. P60
·
Akoko directly addressed her
daughter when they were discussing about her journey to Kisumu to see the white
people.
“Now Nyabera, I
don’t believe a daughter of mine could sound so foolish. Of course they are
human, that is why they are called white people, not white animals. And trust
is something to give people who have earned it and therefore you have to give
them a chance to do so. I would not trust your uncle Otieno although he is as
black as the bottom of the pot I boil my maize and beans in. finally you’d
better know that I aim to get some help from them against Otieno. The future of
your nephew Owuor is in their hands so start praying”.p77
·
Akoko directly addressed her
daughter for being selfish.
“Nyabera, you
are not the woman I brought you up to be. I know you have suffered, but
suffering is the lot of many.” P78
·
Oloo directly addressed his
sons when he wanted them to accompany Akoko to Kisumu.
“You Opiyo and
you Odongo, you will accompany your aunt Akoko on her journey. If anything
happens to her please don’t come back for I’ll hold you responsible. You will
go a day before she leaves your cousin Nyabera’s house, join up with her there
and travel with her to and from Kisuma. You understand?” p79
·
Nyabera directly addressed Pilipo
when she wanted to get more information about the mission in Aluor.
“Pilipo,” began
Nyabera, “I know you are a much travelled man. You have learned the new
religion of the white man and in gratitude they have given you a new name.”
p101
·
Awiti and Owuor directly
addresses Nyabera when they wanted to listen to the story about the bad king Herodes
and the escape to Misri.
“Maria! Maria!
Tell us about the angel and Maria!” piped her daughter Awiti, now eight years
old and her nephew Owuor aged ten. P110
·
Owuor directly addressed Nyabera
when he was telling him about his call to join the priesthood.
“Maria, I think
God is calling me to priesthood,” he said quietly. P124
·
Akoko directly addressed Owuor
when he found her weeding at her farm.
“What brings Owuor
here at this hour – it can’t be for love of weeding. He has had something on
his mind for a long time and has been as jumpy as an ant with its tail in hot
embers. Speak up young man”. P125
·
Akoko directly addressed her
granddaughter when she wanted her to read what the letter from the teachers’
college said.
“Come in, Awiti,
and read for us the letter the teacher gave you.” P132
·
Mark directly addressed
Elizabeth during their first meeting and after introducing themselves.
“I am very
pleased to meet you, Elizabeth.” P139
·
Mark directly addressed his son
Aoro when he learnt that he had been suspended from school for being undisciplined.
“Aoro, school is
not necessary for a bright, strong fellow like you. School is only for those
fools who still want to learn. Today I will give you food. Tomorrow you go out
and earn it. I will also allow you to stay in this house for one month after
which I expect you to move out and look for a place of your own” p189
·
Elizabeth directly addresses
her last born daughter after giving birth to her.
“I baptize you, Mary,
in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit” p194
·
Elizabeth directly addressed
Vera when Vera got into conflict with Becky.
“Leave your
sister alone! I expected better of you Vera, I really did” Vera sniffed angrily,
madder now at the uncontrollable dams that were in her eyes. P196-197
·
Elizabeth directly addressed
her husband when they were discussing about the friendship between Vera and
tommy.
“Mark sigu; have
you ever heard of the word friendship? It is possible for two people to be
friends without it leading to anything else. I know that sometimes an
apparently intelligent person can make mistakes, but again one can only hope.
Accept the fact that you have daughters and that men are going to show
interest” p208
·
Becky directly addressed Vera
when they first met after Becky left Nakuru to work in Nairobi.
“Don’t big heart
me, Vera. I am still the same – I love the good things of life – comfort,
expensive clothes, good looking men – the works. And talking of men, the reason
I haven’t gone home to see the old folks is my current boyfriend. You’ll see
when we got home. Do you have a boyfriend? Still seeing Tommy?” p217
·
Becky directly addressed her
husband when she arrived with her sister in her house.
“Ok john. Did
you miss me?” p220
·
Becky directly addressed Vera when
she was introducing her to John.
“Not my friend.
This is my sister Vera. Vera, this is john Courtney – he is a pilot and my
fiancée, we intend to get married next month.” P220
·
John directly addressed Vera when
he was introduced to her by Becky.
“Hi Vera. I’ve
heard a lot about you” p220
·
John directly addressed Becky
when she wanted to leave the two sisters to talk.
“I must leave
you girls to catch up on news about each other. Becky I’ll be in the bedroom”
p221
·
Vera directly addresses Becky
when Becky suspected that Vera was angry with her because of the way she
treated their parents.
“Look Becky. You
are an adult. Surely you can face your own father and mother and tell them that
this is the man you have chosen” p222
·
When Maryanne and Vera returned
to their university room from their recollection that took place in Kangemi, Vera
directly addressed Maryanne so that she could more information about the people
that they had met at the recollection.
“Tell me Mary, who
are those people anyway?” p239
·
Wandia directly addressed mark
when Aoro took her to see his parents.
“It was touch
and go between you and me, Sigu; it could have gone either way,” offered the
young lady. P247
·
Elizabeth directly addressed Wandia
when she asked her to help her in the kitchen when Wandia was visited them in Nakuru.
“Why don’t you
help me get some tea, Wandia?”p271
·
When they were discussing about
Aoro, Wandia directly addressed Elizabeth.
“But you hardly
know me Mrs Sigu,” protested Wandia. P273
·
When Wandia and Aoro took their
son Daniel to hospital for a medical check-up, the sister in charge who was at
the hospital directly addressed Wandia when she told her to return later to
check on her son.
“I think you
should return later Dr Sigu,” suggested the sister in charge. P289
·
Wandia directly addressed Jonny
when Jonny suggested to her that he wanted to change his name.
“Jonny, you are
the most lovable person I know. I couldn’t love you more if you were my own
son, but never blame the colour of your skin for anything – that is just a
crutch that some people use to cover up their weaknesses and short comings”
p303
Climax
The climax of a
story is the point in a story where tension is high. A story can have more than
one climax where both the readers and the characters experience high tension.
In the novel “THE RIVER AND THE SOURCE”, the climax of the story is reached in
several instances. These are:
i.
Conflict between Akoko and Nyar
asembo
The climax of the
conflict between Akoko and Nyar asembo reached its climax when Nyar asembo
declared that Akoko had bewitched her son chief Owuor kembo so that she could
not marry another wife. When Akoko learnt about the accusations coming from
grandmother Nyar asembo, she calls out a crowd the following morning and she
addresses the crowd by telling them of how Nyar asembo had wrongly accused her
of casting spells on chief Owuor kembo to prevent him from marrying another
woman. She also tells the crowd of how Nyar asembo and her son Otieno were
bitter because the bride price paid to chief Odero gogni did not translate to
children as the two had expected.
ii.
Conflict between Otieno and
chief Owuor kembo
The climax of the
conflict between Otieno and chief Owuor kembo is reached when chief Owuor kembo
returns from a friend’s funeral and finds out that his wife had left and went
back to her father’s home. When he learns the truth about what had happened
that made her to go he goes berserk and throttles his brother because he was
the cause of her leaving.
iii.
Conflict between chief Owuor
kembo and Nyar asembo
The climax of the
conflict between chief Owuor kembo and his mother is reached when chief Owuor
kembo learns that because of her accusations towards Akoko, Akoko had decided
to return back to his father’s home. When chief Owuor kembo learnt from his
children and villagers of what had caused Akoko to return to Yimbo he nearly
struck his mother.
iv.
Conflict between Akoko and Otieno
The climax of the
conflict between Akoko and Otieno is reached after Akoko returns from her first
journey from Kisumu. During that period messengers sent by the DO arrived in
Sakwa to investigate if Akoko’s claims against her brother in law were indeed
true. When Otieno learnt that there were strangers in Sakwa nosing around his
affairs he was furious and he summoned Akoko who refused to go. Because Akoko
had refused to accept his summons, Otieno went in search of her and when she
found her he threatened to kill her and send her back to Yimbo.
v.
Conflict between Vera and Becky
The climax of the
conflict between Vera and Becky is reached after the birth of Mary. When Mary
was born she became so much attached to his father and Becky started to dislike
Mary because she wanted to be the centre of attention and Mary was a threat to
her. When the two twins were about to sit their ordinary level examinations, Becky
who was close to a nervous breakdown because she was studying at a pace that
she was not accustomed to took her frustrations on Mary and this made Vera to
become more and more scathing towards Becky until one night when the conflict
between the two blew up and the two nearly fought before being separated by
their mother.
Story within a Story
A story within a
story is a literary device where a story is told within another by one of the
characters in the main story.
Examples in the
novel
·
While they were on their way to
Kisumu from Sakwa, Akoko told her nephews, Opiyo and Odongo, stories about the
history of their tribe that included their god were, their ancestor Ramogi and his descendants and the brave men
and women of the tribe. P81-82
·
When Nyabera returned back to Sakwa
after her baptism into Christianity while she was in Aluor, on her way back to
Aluor after staying in Yimbo for six months, tells her daughter Awiti, her
nephew Owuor and her mother Akoko the biblical story of David and Jonathan.
P113-114
·
After the death of Akoko, Nyabera
tries to comfort her daughter Awiti by telling her stories about her
grandmother’s life. P154
Nostalgia
It is a literary device where a character
in a literary work remembers or narrates memories from the past which makes
him/her happy or sad.
Examples in the novel
·
After learning about the death
of Obura, Nyabera who was fourteen at that time took the news of her brother’s
death with shock. Her mother Akoko realized that her daughter was undergoing a
difficult part in her life since she was pubescent. To try and console her she
narrates to her daughter the memories of the past about Obura so that she could
be consoled. In her narration she tells Nyabera about the early life of obura.
She tells her about his birth, how demanding he was as a baby, how clever he
was and how he interacted with her little sister. P63
·
Years after journeying to
Kisumu with her aunt Akoko and twin brother Opiyo to make an appeal to the
white chief, Odongo narrates to his grandchildren about the happy memories and
the victory that they achieved while seeking justice against Otieno. In his
narration he tells them of how their journey from Sakwa to Kisumu was dangerous
but due to the courage of their aunt they reached Kisumu and faced the white
chief unflinchingly to tell him of the greed and arrogance of Otieno. P89
·
When Wandia was travelling from
Machakos to Muranga she passed through Nairobi to see her boyfriend Aoro who
was doing his medical internship in Nairobi. When Wandia met Aoro she started
having sweet memories of her past life while she was still young. In her thoughts she remembers the interaction
she had with her mother and the conversation the two had regarding the career
path that she wanted to take. P225
·
When Aoro was taking Wandia to
see his parents, he narrates to her sad memories about his past which had
changed his relationship with his father. He tells Wandia how his father once
tried to starve him for being suspended from school for being undisciplined.
Though the memories were from a sad experience Aoro was grateful that because
of his father’s strictness and toughness he made him the man that he was. P267
·
Before her death, Elizabeth Awiti
remembers some of the sweet and sad memories from her past. This happens during
the party to celebrate Wandia’s graduation. P305-306
Narrative Hook
It is a literary
device where the opening of a literary work hooks the attention of the audience
or reader so that they keep listening or reading.
In the novel “THE
RIVER AND THE SOURCE,” the birth of Akoko in the opening of the novel acts as a
narrative hook. The reader is first meant to believe that the baby about to be
born is a boy and the quote by chief Odero gogni, “Another rock for my sling”
meant that he too was anticipating a baby boy. After the birth of the baby who
turns out to be a girl, the reader of the novel is again hooked to know what
name will be given to her. The baby is given several names including Adoyo and
Obanda but her third name Akelo is given to her by her grandmother following
her grandmother’s lamentations. Grandmother Nyar alego lamentations also hook
the readers firmly to the story since there is anticipation by the readers to
know why the baby was crying.
Fatal Flaw
It is the
weakness of a major character, either the antagonist or the protagonist or any
other main character which leads to tragedy. In the novel “THE RIVER AND THE
SOURCE”, Otieno’s greed and arrogance was one of the major causes of his downfall.
His treatment towards Akoko makes her to seek the help of the white people who
after confirming that indeed Otieno had committed an injustice towards Akoko
forcibly remove him as the chief of Sakwa. Becky also suffers a tragedy which
leads to her death. Tragedy befalls her after she gets married to John Courtney
who later divorces her because of her infidelity. After her divorce, Becky
throws caution to the wind and becomes promiscuous which leads to her
contracting AIDS. Her condition deteriorates which causes a lot of concern to
her immediate family members. As a result of contracting AIDS she loses her
life leaving her children without their biological parents.
Archaism
It is the use of
an old world or phrase that is no longer common in speech or writing.
Examples in the
novel
Out of the depths I have cried
Unto thee o Lord
Lord hear my voice, be attentive
To my supplication
If thou, Lord, Should mark
iniquities
Who shall stand? P124
“A sword shall
pierce thy soul! A sword shall pierce thy soul!” and suddenly she realized she
had spoken loudly and everyone turned around to stare. P131
80 K.P.H – Guide me Oh Thou Great Jehovah
100 K.P.H – God will take care of you
120 K.P.H – Nearer my God to Thee
140 K.P.H – This world is not my home
160 K.P.H – Lord I am coming home
Over 180 K.P.H – Sweet memories.
Cliché
A cliché is a
phrase or sentence that has become overused to the point of losing its
originality.
A cliché may be a
proverb, a simile, a metaphor, an idiomatic expression, an oxymoron, a
synecdoche, a symbol or a slang that has been overused in a literary work.
Examples in the
novel
·
First and foremost, puny she
might be, she was physically fearless and would take tumbles and tosses with a
determined smile. P15
·
However, a monogamous man was
an unknown animal and every man worth his salt tried to marry at least two
wives. P30-31
·
The only saving grace would be
the high esteem in which they held their son in law, Owuor kembo – the chief.
P37
·
There were colourful
butterflies, light as feather, but so awkward in their flight as if drunk on
kong’o. p64
·
Jonathan was the son of the
king and would have king if God had not chosen David in his stead but he was
not bitter for he could see why, Daudi had a soul as pure as spring water and
as brave as a lion. P113
·
Is this why they refused to
take a bride price for her? So that they could treat us like dirt? P167
·
Living with him would be like
walking a tight rope. P267
·
To Wandia, it was like light at
the end of the tunnel. P294
·
The second is unpleasant but
insults never break bones. P43
·
It was a very lonely place but
then beggars cannot be choosers. P107
·
Time heals all wounds. P124
·
He was beside himself with joy
and would have loved to practice some more surgery on a frog, but no amphibian
was forthcoming – once bitten twice shy. P210
·
“There are more ways than one
to skin a cat”, answered Becky ambiguously as she inserted a key into the lock.
P273
·
Besides the death of her son,
the apple of her eye was still raw on her heart. P67
·
He tried the best of his
ability to step into his dead brother’s shoes and to heal the sorrows in his
parents’ heart. P68
·
It was disquieting to have all
one’s eggs in this one tiny frail basket. P74
·
Elizabeth was a different
kettle of fish altogether. P151
·
She was the most beautiful girl
in the whole village and the eldest daughter of the great chief Odero gogni and
the apple of his eye. P154
·
Aoro, a bouncing boy and apple
of his father’s eye was born in the middle of a along dry season-thus his name.
p167
·
Becky was a different kettle of
fish altogether. P173
·
The baby now five was no longer
a baby but an active little girl-a bit spoilt by having so many older sisters
and brothers at her beck and call not to mention a doting father. P185
·
“An air hostess?” Mark could
not believe his ears. “Over my dead body”. P199
·
“Who is this Tommy?” he asked
to buy time. P207
·
Intelligent because according
to her, stupidity in a woman was a sin only greater that stupidity in a man,
for a man can always find an astute wife to cover for his folly, but there is
no man born who can cover a gaping hole left by a foolish woman, fast because
were in his wisdom gave only so many hours in which to get one’s work done and
time never waited for anyone.
·
When she got back home, Akoko
found that the plunder of her cattle had reached major proportions, the chief
having taken advantage of her heaven sent absence. P89
·
The sky was the limit for them
mainly because the people they would lead had a few unusual characteristics
though no one realized it then. p171
·
It was his job to present each
case, take most of the blame and do all the donkey work-like collection of
specimen, administration of intravenous drugs and collection of reports from
different laboratories. P252
Charactonym
It is a literary device whereby the name of
a character is a reflection of a character’s personality.
Examples in the novel
·
Akoko – She was given that name
because she was noisy. P14
·
Ong’ong jaber – His second name
“Jaber” meant someone who is handsome. P26
·
Obura – He was given the name
because he was wise. P29
·
Nyabera – She was given the
name Nyabera because she was good and generous to everyone. P32-33
·
Alando nyar uyoma – she was
given the name Alando because of her light skin. P83
·
Maria – Nyabera was baptized
and given the name Maria because of her wisdom, courage and purity of heart.
P109
·
Vera – She was named after her
great grandmother because her personality reflected that of Akoko.
Historic Recurrence
A historic
recurrence is the repetition of similar events that happened in the past to
events that happen in the present.
Examples in the
novel
·
After the birth of Akoko she
was given the name Obanda after her great uncle who had recently died. Nyabera
was also given the name Odero after her grandfather who had also died a few
years before her birth.
·
Akoko’s beauty has been
replicated by her great granddaughter Becky who the author says that she was a
beauty and would always be one.
·
The arrival of chief Owuor
kembo in Yimbo to ask for Akoko’s hand in marriage is a bit similar to that of
Mark when he arrived in gem to ask for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. Chief Owuor
kembo arrived in Yimbo in traditional regalia and with his entourage which included
his uncle. Years later Mark sigu also arrived in Gem wearing traditional
regalia and an entourage which included his uncle.
·
Aloo k’olima who was the
spokesman of chief Odero gogni during the marriage negotiations between Akoko
and chief Owuor kembo also acted as a spokesman to bring together Akoko and
chief Owuor kembo when they had separated.
·
Chief Odero gogni dispatched
several suitors who had come to ask for Akoko’s hand in marriage and years
later Akoko also dispatched several suitors who had come to ask for Nyabera’s
hand in marriage.
·
Peter Owuor’s decision to join
the priesthood is repeated again years later by his nephew Odongo who joins the
seminary to become a priest.
·
One of Elizabeth and Mark’s
daughter was given the name Veronica after Akoko their great grandmother.
·
Akoko’s brother Oloo had twins
who were called Odongo and Opiyo and years later Elizabeth also gave birth to a
set of twins whom she named Odong’o and Opiyo.
·
Two major world events took
place in the novel which involved bloodshed. The first event was the First
World War which was fought between the Germans and the English and which Obura
took part in. The second similar event
was the Second World War which Mark sigu took part in.
·
The disasters that Nyabera
faced during her lifetime were just the same as her mother’s. Nyabera had lost
all of her family members only remaining with one daughter just exactly the way
that Akoko remained with her.
·
The decision by Becky to run
away from home and go to look for work in Nairobi is similar to the decision
that Obura made several years before when he run away from Sakwa to go to
Tanganyika to work for the white man.
·
The deaths of Akoko, Nyabera
and Elizabeth are similar in that they died peacefully in their sleep.
·
Aoro who had done medicine in university
was similar to the decision that Jonny took years later when he decided to also
do medicine in university.
·
Several months after Akoko
joined Christianity she was baptized and given the name Veronica just like her
daughter who had earlier been baptized and given the name Maria.
Suspense
It is a situation
whereby an author of a literary work leaves out certain information from the
work leaving the reader in anticipation and wanting to know more.
Examples in the
novel
·
The author does not give the
exact number of chief Odero gogni’s wives and daughters.
·
The author does not give the
names of all of Akoko’s brothers and sisters except Oloo and Okumu.
·
The author does not give
detailed information about the fate of Tommy muhambe after Vera refused his marriage
proposal.
·
The author does not give the
names of all the children born by Nyabera except Awiti and sidande.
·
The author does not give the
exact time period that Akoko was born.
·
The author does not say how the
conflict between Akoko and Nyar asembo was resolved.
·
The author does not disclose
how Becky got employed as an airhostess.
·
The author does not reveal the
name of the catechist who welcomed Akoko and her family to Aluor.
·
The author has failed to give
the name of chief Owuor kembo spokesman during the marriage negotiation between
chief Owuor kembo and Akoko.
·
The author does not give the
names of the messengers who brought the news about Obura’s death.
·
The names of the DO and DC have
not been revealed.
·
The author has not disclosed
the names of Otieno’s wives nor his children.
·
The author has not revealed the
cause of death of chief Odero gogni, Akoko, Nyabera, Awiti and Mark.
·
The author has not revealed
whether Wandia finally travelled to America
to study haematology.
·
The author has not revealed
whether Mary agreed to mark’s proposal of helping in the household chores when
Wandia wanted to travel to America to study.
·
The author has not mentioned
the name of the village that Nyabera lived after she was married.
·
The author has not fully
disclosed how Aoro and Wandia got into a relationship.
Epiphany
An epiphany is a literary device where a
character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge.
Examples in the novel
·
When Akoko reached nineteen
years of age, she came to the realization that were had forgotten to create a man good enough for her. P17
·
When chief Odero gogni learnt
that her second wife had given birth to a baby girl, he comes to the
realization that a home cannot prosper without the girl child. P11
·
When chief Owuor kembo first
laid his eyes on Akoko, he realizes that he had fallen deeply in love with her
and he became determined to make her his wife.
·
After listening to stories from
Ambere and Nyaroche about the other parts of the world, Obura came to the
realization that his destiny was to travel the world. After one year had passed
after Obura broached the subject of travelling the world with his parents, he
reached a decision that his plans to travel the world were tenable. P52
·
The death of Nyabera’s children
and her husband Okumu ang’olo, made her to come to the realization that she
needed to change her way of life and embrace the new religion that promised
hope to the widows and orphans. P102-103
·
After the death of Owang sino,
Akoko came to the realization that she was at crossroads since the
chieftainship had descended on the shoulders of Otieno. She also came to the
realization of the weight of injustice that women have felt since time
immemorial. P73-74
·
After the death of Obura, Nyabera
came to the realization that life continued as if nothing had happened. P64
·
Akoko had an epiphany that the
only people who could help her get justice against her brother in law were the
white people. P73
·
When Akoko and her nephews
reached Kisumu they came to the sudden realization that change had started
taking place in some parts of the country. P83
·
When Nyabera travelled to Aluor
and started to learn about the new religion, she came to the realization that
she did the right thing by joining the new religion. P105
·
After being baptized in the new
religion, Owuor realized that his purpose was to serve the church and God as a
catholic priest. P120
·
Nyabera undergoes an epiphany
when she realizes that in her search for a son, she had completely forgotten Owuor
who loved her like a mother. P124
·
When Elizabeth first met Mark
while she was still in college, she realizes that the feelings she had for Mark
was completely different from that of the other men who had tried to win her
heart. P138
·
When Awiti told her mother and
grandmother about mark, Akoko’s eyes gleamed because she realized that her
river was yet to dry up. P143
·
When Tony was taken ill, her
sister Vera had an epiphany when she noticed that Becky showed no concern for
their sick brother. P181
·
When Aoro performed a surgical
operation on a frog and the frog survived he came to the realization that he
loved medicine. P183
·
Aoro had an epiphany when his
father disciplined him for being suspended from school for lack of discipline.
P189
·
When Becky was going to sit for
her ordinary level examinations she realizes that education was important not
for her parents sake but also for her own sake. P196
·
When the relationship between Vera
and Tommy muhambe came to an end, Vera had an epiphany that a new page of her
life was just beginning. P216
·
When Wandia discovers that her
son Daniel was sick she realized the importance of prayer and she started to
believe in the existence of God.
Zoomorphism
It is a literary device where animal
qualities are given to human beings or other inanimate objects.
Examples in the novel
·
She is as fleet as a gazelle
and her flying feet have been incorporated into the sayings of our village so
that mothers sending their daughter tell them to run like Adoyo of the flying
feet. P21. Here gazelles are meant to be animals that have speed and agility
and has been used as a simile to show how fast and agile Akoko was.
·
Should I spit in the eyes of
were like a snake and deny that he has given me children? P35. Here snake is
meant to be an animal that is vindictive and poisonous and has been used as a
simile to show how ungrateful and vindictive someone can be.
·
As it was, his grandmother
feared for his life and watched him like a hawk. P67. A hawk is meant to be an
animal that is observant and has been used as a simile to show how observant grandmother
Akoko was towards Owuor.
·
She suspected that her mother
would take on the new faith like ngege (fish) to water. P108. Ngege is a
delicacy among the luo people living on the shores of Lake Victoria and the
author has used it to show how quickly Akoko would accept the new religion.
·
Daudi had a soul as pure as
spring water and as brave as a lion. P113. A lion is meant to be an animal that
is brave and courageous and has been used as a simile to show how courageous
and brave Daudi was.
·
Awiti excelled in reading and Owuor
took numbers like a duck to water. P116. A duck is an animal that likes
swimming and has been used to show how easy it was for Owuor to learn numbers.
·
Her ankles were constantly
swollen and every once in a while her heart would do a strange dance within her
rib cage – almost like the flutter of a bird trying to break free. P142. A bird
is an animal which hovers by flapping its wings and the simile has been used to
show how weak Akoko’s heart was.
·
Sometimes they raced the van,
grabbed a rail and swung themselves in like large monkeys and one momentarily
closed one’s eyes in anticipation of the sound of wheels crunching over a
fallen body. P234. Monkeys have been used to show movement and as a simile to
show how the touts behaved when Vera and Maryanne were travelling to Kangemi.
·
He was not even the most gifted
– that honor went to Alicia out of whose hands beautiful things and beautiful
music were already being created apparently quite effortlessly and who sang
like a bird. P . A bird has been used to show how musical Alicia was.
·
Maybe he had left early for the
fields; but he had the appetite of a starved lion and has never been known to
miss breakfast. P53
·
“Of course I trust you. I
thought of bringing him here but I decided it was too near the nest of vipers
who now occupy the stool of Maroko, the first chief”. P78
·
The old woman was beside
herself with fury but mark had the determination of a mule, so she went. P161
Analogy
It is a literary
device whereby one situation is compared to another either by the author of a
literary work or by one of the characters in the literary work.
Examples in the
novel
The elders of Sakwa
drew an analogy between chief Owuor kembo’s monogamous state with that of an
attacked man who only had a single arrow in his quiver and when an animal
attacks him he shoots and misses. This analogy was used by the elders of Sakwa
to persuade chief Owuor kembo to marry another wife. (p39)
Plot Twist
A plot twist is a
literary device where there is unexpected change in the direction of the plot
which alters the storyline.
Examples in the
novel
·
The birth of Akoko which chief
Odero gogni thought that she would be a boy.
·
The marriage of Akoko to chief
Owuor kembo after Akoko had resigned herself to the fact that were had failed
to create a man good enough for her.
·
The death of Obura who was to
take over as the chief of Sakwa after the passing of his father.
·
Owuor’s conversion to
Christianity and joining the priesthood though he was to take over as the chief
of Sakwa when he reached of age.
·
The conflict between Akoko and
her in laws which forced her to go back to Yimbo.
·
The death of chief Owuor kembo.
·
The death of Owang sino which
led for the first time in seven generations, the chiefdom to descend to another
family.
·
The taking over of the chief’s
stool by Otieno which brought suffering to Akoko.
·
Akoko’s journey to Kisumu to
seek justice against Otieno.
·
The removal of Otieno as the
chief of Sakwa.
·
Conversion of Akoko and Nyabera
to Christianity which freed them from the harsh culture and traditions of the
luo society.
·
Akoko’s acceptance to peter Owuor’s
call to priesthood.
·
Awiti’s invitation to the newly
opened teachers college which defined her career path.
·
Awiti’s first encounter with Mark
sigu which led to the marriage between the two.
·
Mark’s involvement with a
pretty girl which made him realize how he loved his family.
·
The death of Akoko which signalled
the end of an era.
·
The conflict between Vera and Becky
which defined the relationship between the two sisters.
·
The birth of Mary which was a
source of conflict.
·
Aoro’s punishment by his father
which helped to shape the decisions that he made in life.
·
The death of Becky which led to
the adoption of Jonny and Alicia by Aoro and Wandia.
·
The conflict between the
colonialists and the locals which brought independence in Kenya.
·
Tony’s sickness and subsequent
operation which defined Aoro’s career path.
·
Vera joining the opus dei which
defined her outlook on life.
·
Vera’s encounter with Becky at
the airport which resulted in the closure of conflict between the two sisters.
·
The diagnosis of Daniel with leukaemia
which defined Wandia’s relationship with Aoro and God.
·
The marriage between Aoro and Wandia
who were both from different tribes.
·
The death of Mark and Elizabeth
which brings closure to the novel’s plot.
Humour
It is the writing
of the author or the speech of a character in a literary work that amuses and
entertains the audience or the reader or other characters in the work.
Examples in the
novel
·
Obura amuses the readers when
he tells his mother that girls can be so empty headed. He was saying this when
his mother suggested to him to get married. (p49)
·
Opiyo amused Akoko when he told
her that he will keep Odongo quiet so that he doesn’t annoy her. (p80)
·
Mark sigu’s first letter to Awiti
while she was in college was full of humour. In the letter she tells Awiti how
he went for a walk during the dark and in his walk he tripped and fell into a
pool awakening a family of frogs which made a lot of noise with the bull frog
outdoing itself thinking that he was a rival. (p140)
·
John Courtney humours the
readers when Becky asked him if he has missed her. John Courtney reply was a bit humorous though
he composed himself when he noticed that Vera was present in the room. (p220)
·
Maryanne amused Vera when the
two were talking about the recollection that they had attended in Kangemi. In
her speech Maryanne made a comparison of her sacrifice to the vegetables that Cain
gave to God. Vera also amuses the readers when she refers to Cain’s vegetables
as carrots and sukuma wiki. (p238)
·
When Wandia first went to Njoro
where Mark and Awiti lived, she amused everyone in Mark’s house when she said
that even the cockroaches in Aoro’s house looked thin. (p270)
·
Wandia amused Vera when she was
explaining to her how she felt while she was pregnant. In her own words she
told Vera that her unborn relatives were giving her insides a thorough beating
making her feel as if Gor mahia versus Afc football clubs were vying for some
trophy at city stadium. (p279)
Adage
An adage is a
phrase or sentence that expresses a general truth about a person, a situation
or the world as a whole.
Examples in the
novel
·
Later he would say wisely, with
something of a turnabout, that a home without daughters is like a spring without
a source; for it was his right to utter wisdom as well, change of heart
notwithstanding. P11
·
Show us, O were and ye departed
spirits of our ancestors, where we have gone wrong so that we may rectify
ourselves and save this little one, for a home without daughters can never
prosper but is faced with eventual poverty and lack of friendships forged in
marriage. P13
·
Children are a gift from were
both to the deserving and the undeserving. P35
·
Indeed the people of Ramogi had
a saying which declared that the medicine for stupidity is marriage. P39
·
I have always been taught that
honor and pride in oneself and one’s people were of the utmost importance for
one’s sense of being, for as the wise men tell us, how can you know where you
are going if you do not know where you come from? P42
·
The next day, the sun rose and
hung warm and red in the sky, but obura had lived under his mother’s adage that
the sun should never rise and find a man still asleep and was therefore an
habitual early riser, did not make his appearance. P52
·
“I greet you, young men,” he
also answered formally. “What news do you bring?” he asked as if it was not
self-evident; but good manners is the fabric that holds the community together.
P55
·
There are two ways to deal with
pain – either bear it until time heals, for time is a master healer of even the
deepest wounds, or commit suicide. P62
·
Her therapy was simple for
there is no greater psychologist than the one who graduates from the hard
school of life. P63
·
Yesterday is not today and
today is not tomorrow for each day rises from the hands of were god of the eye
of the sun, bringing with it gladness and sorrow, sun and darkness, the two
faces of were, for how can we appreciate light unless we understand darkness?
P75
·
To suffer is not a curse unless
you have earned it and I have never done anything to earn a curse. Both the
evil and the good suffer. How you come through suffering is what will make or
break you. P77
·
This was not just a past time
but a bounden duty – for the history of the tribe could only be transmitted by
mouth from generation to generation, else how can you know where you are going
unless you know where you are coming from? P81
·
“You know my child, human
beings are all the same world over, with good ones and bad ones. The bad ones
serve to highlight the goodness of the good ones”. P93
·
Eventually they trudged weary
and footsore into the lonely hut; spread out their sleeping skins with the
light of the moon and fell into an exhausted slumber, secure in the knowledge
that what is good never comes easy and what is good is worth every single
struggle. P114
·
It is a fact of life that once
a mother always a mother until the day of death, even if the child is seventy.
P122
·
One wise man once said that it
was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. In the same
vein, it is better to have been buoyed up by hope, the horizon limitless before
one, than to have lived in the grey world of timid fearfulness. P126
·
But to each, an allotted
lifespan is given and against this, there is no appeal. P143
·
“God has no time for the lazy,
but the devil has,” was a favourite saying of hers. P145
·
“My son,” said Akoko. “Do not
decide the wisdom of a man by the brevity of his quiet or the multitude of his
words. It is only a wise man who can decide quickly that he doesn’t know and
needs to seek more knowledge. A fool knows everything. It is only a wise man
who does not hide his folly behind many words. I think this diyo will help me”.
·
The dead have no use for the
living who have eventually to tear themselves away so that the business of life
might somehow continue. P204
·
Innocence has a tendency to
disappear when one discovers in oneself the power to really hurt – good
intentions notwithstanding. P215
·
Nothing breeds generosity like
the need to share equally when you know that by thus doing you will go hungry.
P264
·
“There is this saying that you
don’t have to be good, all you have to be is lucky. Aoro is one such lucky man.
I suppose it is the law of fair distribution”. P281
Thanks for this great and valuable research
ReplyDeleteThanks alot
ReplyDeletethanks a lot. this is a very useful piece
ReplyDeleteThanks alot
ReplyDeleteThis is great ,though I couldn't find allegory
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot
ReplyDeleteSustainable
ReplyDeleteGreat work
ReplyDeleteKazi safi 0740447894
ReplyDeleteGreat work 👍
ReplyDelete