In this debut collection of short stories, Petina Gappah dissects the lives of people caught up in situations over which they have no control
In this debut collection of short stories, Petina Gappah dissects the lives of people caught up in situations over which they have no control, harking to her day job as an international lawyer. They deal with spiralling inflation, power cuts and financial hardships, all under the Mugabe regime in modern day Zimbabwe.
A woman in a township in Zimbabwe is surrounded by throngs of dusty children but longs for a baby of her own; an old man finds that his job making coffins at No Matter Funeral Parlour brings unexpected riches; a politician's widow quietly stands by at her husband's funeral watching his colleagues bury an empty coffin. Petina Gappah's characters may have ordinary hopes and dreams, but they are living in a world where a loaf of bread costs half a million dollars; a country expected to have only four presidents in a hundred years; and a place where people know exactly what will be printed in the one and only daily newspaper because the news is always, always good.
In her spirited debut collection, Zimbabwean author Petina Gappah brings us the resilience and inventiveness of the people who struggle to live under Robert Mugabe's regime whilst also battling issues common to all people everywhere: failed promises, unfulfilled dreams and the yearning for something to anchor them to life.
While writing a review point out the interesting bits and mistakes of a story or a movie and give reasons. Write what you felt while reading or seeing it. Also mention your own thoughts on how to improve it. Put a word about your own version of the story.
First write about the theme and genre of the story.
Second write about how you felt while reading it. Express your appreciation about the style of writing. Write about the compelling narrative. Did you feel excited while reading it? How it influenced you? Did it make you think or did it take you to the world of fantasy? Did it take you to another world?
Third mention your favorite characters and noteworthy instances of the story.Give some glimpses of the incidences which made you react.
Fourth write about the positive and negative things about the story.
Conclude by writing the main features of the story. Did it have a good or bad influence on you?
Give a new ending to the story. Could the story have a better ending?
PS- Post them here if you can.
You can post your thoughts and stories here. You can also upload your on videos and pictures.
How did you feel? Would you feel sad if your friends turned against you?
What was your reaction?
Did you try to reunite again with your friend?
How friends cheat? Give examples?
What is your opinion about such friends?
Have you cheated a friend?
What would you be as a friend?
Enemies are better than cheating friends. At least they don’t stab behind your back! Do you agree?
Friend’s betray more than enemies. Do you agree?
It is friends who become enemies. Isn’t it?
Elements of the poem
Setting- pastoral
Forest of Arden
Tone- neutral
Literary devices
Personification is representation of a thing as if it were a person. In this poem the wind is addressed as if it is a person. So wind is personified as a living person which it is obviously not.
Lyric is a poem meant to be sung originally with a musical instrument called lyre.Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind is a lyrical poem.
Refrain is a line or a set of lines that are repeated in every stanza like a chorus. The last four lines of this lyrical poem form a refrain.
Brief Account of the Author
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon, in the country of Warwick. His father John
Shakespeare was a prosperous businessman. He got his education in a good grammar school.
His father’s business failed due to neglect so he couldn’t attend the university.
At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathway and had 3 children. He was said to arrive in London in 1592. He became an important member of a renowned theatre company called Lord Chamberlains men later changed to King’s men. From 1509 the group performed his plays at the globe theatre and later in 1608 took over the Black friar’s monastery. Shakespeare by his publications of Venus and Adonis and Rape of Lucrece had earned considerable fame in 1594. The theatre’s which were considered low class entertainment before 1595, began to be attended by them and the qualities of plays improved. After acquiring a lot of property in Stratford, he retired to his house in New Place.
The Tempest was his last play written around 1611.
On 23rd April, 1616, Shakespeare was buried in Stratford church the same church he was christened!
His tombstone is inscribed with the following epitaph;
Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare
To dig the dust enclosed heare
Blessed by y man y spares hes stones
And curst be he y moves my bones
This poem is taken from William Shakespeare’s As you like it act 2 scene 7
The lines are sung by Amiens (an attending lord and musician)when duke senior asks him to sing
Duke senior also known as Duke Ferdinand who loses his dukedom to his younger brother, Duke Fredrick by force. He retires along with his loyal courtiers to the forest of Arden during his exile. He is presented as Robin Hood, he doesn’t even grieve the loss of his dukedom.
As You Like It follows its heroine (Duke senior’s daughter)Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, to find safety and eventually love in the Forest of Arden.
Direct Instruction
Vocab checkpoint
Unkind -Cruel
Tooth- biting cold of winter
Rude- rough, coarse
High-ho- An expression of joy
The green holly- An evergreen bush or tree which is a symbol of the everlasting friendliness of nature.
Feigning- Pretending, deceiving
Bite so nigh- Bite sharply or deeply (to the bone)
Nigh- near
Waters warp- Referring to the wind curling and ruffling the sea. Water turns to ice.
As benefits forgot- as the attitude of those who, after receiving favours, prove thankless.
As friend remember’d not- as is a man’s ungrateful behaviour in forgetting a friend.
Blow, blow, winter wind.
You aren’t as harsh
As men’s ingratitude.Your teeth aren’t as sharp,
As you are invisible,
Even though your breath is an assault.
Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Sing to the green holly.
Most friendship is false, most love simply foolishness.
Then heigh-ho, to the holly.
This life is really jolly.
Freeze, freeze, you bitter sky,
Your bite isn’t as painful
As when good deeds are forgotten.
Even though you can freeze water
Your sting is not as sharp
As the friend who is forgotten.
Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Sing to the green holly.
Most friendship is false, most love simply foolishness.
Then heigh-ho, to the holly.
This life is really jolly.
Synopsis
The poem entitled ‘Blow! Blow! Thou Winter Wind’ is a song sung by the character named Amiens in the drama written by William Shakespeare. Amiens is one of the lords who have by their own choice come with Duke Senior, who had been banished by his brother. Amiens sings this song commenting upon the ways of the world, and human ingratitude which is more biting than the piercing cold winter wind.
The poet in the very beginning addresses the winter wind and says that it can blow as much hard as it likes because it is not so harsh and rude like man’s nature of being ungrateful. The attack of the winter wind is not so sharp because it is not visible although it is bitingly cold.
The poet asks the frosty sky to freeze because it won’t cause him deep pain as caused by his friends who forget his favours instead of being thankful. The poet says that although the waters are frozen they don’t cause sharp pain like one caused by his friend, who doesn’t even bother to remember him. Thus, the frozen faces of the world are more painful than the frozen waters.
We should always be singing throughout the year like ‘holly’ (an evergreen plant). The poet here says that the friendship is only a pretence and loving is nothing but absurdity and foolery. He again tells that life is very wonderful and should be fully enjoyed. It is like a song and should be sung.
The poet here projects a harsh reality through his song. The celebrated poet Shakespeare is known for his wise words. He is his same self here. His statements are weighty, pithy and precisely correct.
Themes
Man’s inhumanity to man.
Man is so ungrateful and selfish that he does not care for those who were his close friends. He doesn’t remember them once his purpose is served.
Harsh winter
The harshness of the winter’s wind is not as bitter as man’s ingratitude to man.
Closure
The main idea of the poem is that man’s ingratitude to man is more painful than the harshness of the winter. Pain caused by a friend is more pitiful than the biting of the winter’s wind. The men of the world are so insane that even brothers don’t recognize each other in their hate. Friends steep so low to reach high. People use each other for their own advantage and when their purpose is over they act like strangers to one another. Mankind is so intoxicated with anger that there is no humanity left.
Guided practice
Checks for understanding
Questions
1.Who is the speaker is addressing to?
2.Why is friendship false?
3.Why is love foolish?
4.Why does the speaker ask the sky to freeze?
5.Why is the winter’s wind tooth not so sharp?
6.Which is more unkind- the winter wind or man’s ingratitude?
Independent practice
Assessment and follow up
Writing exercises
1.Enemies are better than cheating friends. At least they don’t stab behind your back! Do you agree?
2.Friend’s betray more than enemies. Write an essay.
3.Friends turn foes. Elaborate.
4.Write about your own experience with an unfaithful friend.
5.What is your idea of friendship? What would you be as a friend? Would you feel sad if your friends turned against you?
Other interesting activities
Read the unabridged play As you like it. Enact it.
Write your own review of the play and poem
Compare cheating friends to some elements of nature or anything you can imagine. Write a short note or a poem about it.
PS- 8th standard students this poem is in your text book, first lesson.
