african literature

Trent HughesEng 109Paper #2African Literature The two short stories
"In the Cutting of a Drink" and "The Return" bring different responses
from me. "In the Cutting of a Drink" makes me think about what it would
be like to go into a new culture. It also makes me think about the decline
in moral values now days. "The Return" reminds me to be more thankful
for the many things I take for granted. It also makes me think about how
hard it can be to cope with change. In the poem "Those Rainy Mornings"
I am reminded of my grandma and what a kind, loving, wonderful person
she is. In Frank Chipasula's poem "Those Rainy Mornings" the
speaker is talking about his aunt Gwalanthi. The speaker tells us what a
wonderful loving person his aunt is. In the first section the speaker tells
us how his aunt would wake up at the crack of dawn and build a fire.
Then she would begin cooking porridge. In the second section of the
poem the speaker talks about waking up "out of the nagging nightmare."
Then the speaker describes his aunt a little bit more, "her soft but husky
call." In the last section the speaker talks about how kind his aunt is to
take care of his brothers and sisters while his parents "strayed to the
copper mines." This poem makes me think about my grandma and all
the wonderful things she has done for me. The speakers aunt is an old
fragile woman, "hoe-broken palms" and "scrawny ribs." But she is also a
very hard worker and loving person. Both these things remind me of my
grandma. My grandma may be old and fragile but she is still a very hard
working and loving person. My grandma is always up at first light doing
household chores or working in her garden. Many times we have to force
her to go inside, so she won't be exposed to the hot sun for to long. I
can't count the number of times my grandma has made my bed, folded
our clothes, washed our dishes, or done various other household chores
for me and my family. I could never fully repay my grandma for all the
wonderful things she has done. My grandma, like aunt Gwalanthi, is a
very kind, hard working person. Ama Ata Aidoo's "In the Cutting of a
Drink" is about a person relating his story of looking for his lost sister in a

big city called Mamprobi. The narrator, Mansa's brother, is talking to his
uncles in the story. He is telling them about the things he experienced in
the city while looking for Mansa. The narrator is from the country, so a lot
of the city life is new or shocking to him. The narrator and Duayaw, the
person helping him find his sister, go to a nightclub while looking for
Mansa. This is a very new experience for the narrator. Some new things
he experiences are dancing and watching women buy beer. But the most
shocking thing is when he finds out his sister Mansa works there. "Young
woman, is this the work you do?" he asked her. In the end Mansa's reply
was, "any kind of work is work." This story made me think of a couple
of things, differences in cultures or places and a decline in moral values.
When the narrator goes to the city he is in a totally new culture. Many of
the things he sees done are shocking to him. "I sat with my mouth open
and watched the daughter of a woman cut beer like a man." "I cannot
describe how they danced." Going into a new culture would have to be a
shocking experience for anyone. The comment "any for of work is work"
made by Mansa makes me think about the decline in moral values. Now
days many people seem to go by this saying. People seem to not care
about what form of work they are doing as long as they make money.
Some factors to consider when doing a job are, is what you are doing
morally right or ethical, and is what you are doing legal or illegal. Would
you want your husband or wife to go to work as a prostitute? Or would
you want them to go to work as a female or male stripper? I would hope
not in both cases, the first simply because it is illegal. The second
because it is pornography and I think you should have enough respect for
your spouse to not want them to do that kind of work. So the comment
"any form of work is work" is not a way to go about finding a job. "The
Return" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o is about a man named Kamau who returns
home after being in a detention camp for five years. He hopes to see his
old village exactly the same. Instead he finds it now ruled by the British.

The British have changed the village and its culture. Worst of all,
Kamau's wife Muthoni left with another man named Karanja. Muthoni did
this because Karanja lied and told the village that Kamau had died. At
the end of the story Kamau lets a small bundle, filled with things that
reminded him of Muthoni, roll down a bank and float down the river. Then
he talks about the relief he felt after this happened. "Why should she
have waited for me? Why should all the changes have waited for my
return?" These comments make me think about change and how hard
it can be to cope with change. It also made me be more thankful for
some of the things I take for granted. When Kamau returned home he
basically returned home to a completely new village. His family had
aged, many people didn't recognize him, and his wife was gone. This
was very hard for Kamau to cope with, "the old village had not even
waited for him." Kamau felt resentful and angry. I know I would have the
same resentful feelings as Kamau if I were put in the same situation. I
would feel cheated if I came home one day only to find it completely
changed. Many time I find myself taking my friends, family, home, or
security for granted. Sometimes I don't realize how important these
things are in my life. I know if they were taken away or completely
changed, I would be devastated. I would not be able to get over it as fast
as Kamau. After reading this story I am more thankful for the many
things I take for granted. All three of these readings bring out different
responses from me. My grandma is the person I think about in the poem
"Those Rainy Mornings." I am reminded of all the wonderful things she
does for me and my family. In the story "In the Cutting of a Drink" I think
about the decline in moral values these days. I also think about the what
it would be like to go into a whole new culture. After reading the story
"The Return" I am more thankful for the things that I take for granted.
The story also makes me think about change and how hard it can be to
cope with change.