Ngugi's Reader Response

What I will be talking about in this reader response is the story, “Wedding at the Cross.” I will discuss the problems of money and how it changes people’s personalities.

“Wedding at the Cross” agrees with my view of marriage and love because I notice there are many people in this world whose parents want them to marry someone just like them. Most celebrities marry other celebrities or rich people marry rich people. I however, don’t care about how rich or non rich someone is. If I love that person I’m going to marry them. I would want someone because of their true personality not how much money they have. When I read “Wedding at the Cross” I thought it was sweet how Miriamu decided to marry Wariuki regardless of how her parents felt about him.  

What I learned from this text is that according to Ngugi, when people become wealthy it changes who they are. Their character starts to change and their language also changes. I agree with this statement because, before Wariuki became wealthy he was an enthusiastic guy who didn’t care about what others think besides, Mariamu’s dad, and he just enjoyed his life. He didn’t have a care in the world. As soon as he became wealthy his personality change, and along with that personality his name changed to Livingstone. He wanted so bad to prove to Mariamu’s dad that he was now wealthy and good enough for his daughter. The backlash of people changing their personalities can affects those around them. Since Wariuki changed to Livingstone Miriamu didn’t want to marry him. She said, “I have been married before. I married to Wariuki and he is dead.” I’ve learned that some people once they become wealthy will change who they are altogether.  

This text addresses things I care about very well. I feel that people should be happy with who they are in the beginning. If they want to be successful there is nothing wrong with that, but don’t let the money change who they truly are. I will never let money control my life, and I know some people may be thinking “how can she say that now when she doesn’t know,” but I have learned to love myself. In the story Miriamu felled for Wariuki when she first saw him riding on his bicycle. The fact that he changed because of money just shows he didn’t have enough pride in himself but Miriamu did.  The fact that she didn’t end up with the man she felled in love with from the beginning was very sad. Change can be a good thing but in Waurika’s case a bad thing.

The thing that bugs me about this text was the fact that Douglas Jones and Mariamu’s mom had approved of him after he became wealthy, and in the end when Miriamu decided not to marry him they wept. I felt they didn’t respect their daughter’s decision because in the beginning they didn’t like Wariuki, and that was who their daughter felt in love with. After he became Livingstone then they decide he was good enough for their daughter but she wasn’t in love with this man. I think it is ironic because when her parents do finally approve of him he is not the man Miriamu wants. When they didn’t approve of him he was the man Miriamu did want. It’s terrible how irony works in this case but I love how Ngugi shows that part of irony.

           I love the text and I would read something like this again because it really shows the negativity of being wealthy. Some people think that if their wealthy they will live a positive life but being wealthy comes with problems, and they can end up losing the ones they love if they let it change them.

Nadine Gordimer Reader Response

Gordimer’s readings are to pull out the readers emotions. She wants her readers to sympathize with the characters, and at the same time she writes her stories from different characters point of views. So the readers can get inside their minds as well as, get an inside look at how each character views a certain situation. When I read these stories I must say it was very helpful to read how each character dealt with situations and how they felt about them.

In “Good Climates, Friendly Inhabitants, Gordimer highlights how woman feel they have to look a certain way.

The woman in the story bleaches her hair blonde in the story she mentions, “I’m forty-nine but I could pass for twenty-five except for my face and my legs.” She’s not smart and she’s racist referring to a black man as “old monkey face.” She watches movies with the men at her job, she hasn’t seen her grandchildren not once and she doesn’t get in a relationship because she feels she will be a burden to someone. When I read about her character I could sense she was lonely and I felt sympathy for her. She also doesn’t come off as independent. This text actually shows how some women don’t have enough confidence in themselves, and try to do what other woman are doing for example; when she say’s “perhaps I’ll get one of those wigs everyone’s wearing.” It’s those things that make people feel bad for others. The fact that she wants to do what other woman are doing. I can actually relate to her character because I have a sister who isn’t very confident with herself. She always wants to look like the woman on television. I actually saw my sister in this female’s character minus the whole racist thing but she lacks confidence. Gordimer really help me get an insight of how this lady is feeling. Even, though she was cruel at some points.

The next story, I read which happens to be one of my favorites out of all the three is “Amnesty.” I love this story because it gave me insight of what females go through when their men are locked up.

The woman in this story is taking care of the land and her daughter while her man is locked up. She was very devoted to her man and caring as well. She was close to his parents and she was a hard worker. It is because of this story that I realized just how bad a man being locked up can affect the women. One thing that made me mad about this story was when she went to visit him in Cape Town. She brought him food and clothing to make sure he was taking care of. He wrote to her saying, “she should have known about the permit,” “her ignorance is the way she is kept down.” I felt he was being cruel and non grateful. Here she was trying to take care of him, their home along with raising their daughter on her own, and he wants to treat her like crap. From reading this text I learned that woman bust their tales working hard, and taking care of the home while the men are locked up, or away. I learned that the men would not have a home if it weren’t for the woman taking care of it. I also learn that woman feel it is a must to look good for their men. In the story she permed her hair when she was going to visit him.

The final story I read from Gordimer was “Six Feet of the Country.” I love how in this story the reader gets different points of views. It also shows what it means for someone to bury their on blood.

In this story a man has a dead body in his home and feels it is his brother. Since that happened him and the rest of the family try to get the body back because they had to pay for it to be buried. However, the Corner’s Office refuses to give it back. So the white man tries his best to get the body back because he feels will hey because of who I am they should give me the body back. He feels himself too much. What is sad about this is that he doesn’t even care about the body. He just thinks he runs the town so he can get the body back without a problem. He is doing it for his pride.

I love how in this story no one has any power. It shows how sometimes people in this world no matter who they are can’t always win. It makes this story very relatable because in reality the system made it so no one can win. Personally I think it’s messed up that the system is so cruel and careless. I really did enjoy the fact that I got to see how each character felt about the situation. The white man just wanted to prove he was powerful, the family wanted the body back because they really cared, and they felt it was their right, which in my opinion it was their right. The white woman was just trying to show she was the boss by forcing her husband to get the body back. In the story after the man was told he has to pay twenty pounds he say’s, “We must pay twenty pounds.” This specific action and quote addresses things that I personally care about and consider important to the world, because the fact that he will actually pay twenty pounds just to get the body back is exactly something me and my family would do. We care about one another, and feel it is very important to bury our on kind rather than someone else who isn’t a family member. It just wouldn’t be right to allow someone else to bury our own kind. It’s someone we love and to us they are somebody. It would be like we didn’t care if we allowed someone else to bury the body. That is not what we want.

I thought each of these stories were art because they helped to view the world in a different way for example; “Amnesty” helped me to understand the woman who have men locked up better. I now know what they go through. The fact that she took him some clothes and food to his visit, and worked so hard in the land shows how much she loves him. Even, thought he isn’t there with her. With “Six Feet of the Country,” I realized just how meaningful it is to bury your own kind. When they fought so hard to get the body back it shows how deep their love was for the young boy.

I would read work by Gordimer again because she really opened my eyes to things I didn’t really think anything of. I now have more knowledge of what it means to bury your own blood. I would recommend this author to my family. I think it’s important that they get some knowledge of all the things mentioned in this text that’s going on in the world.

Chinua Achebe Reader Response

            First I would just like to say Achebe’s writing was very intriguing. The use of irony in these writings was exquisite. What I love about all three of these stories is how good things happened to the wrong people and bad things happen to the good people. In other words bad things happen for good reasons and good things happen for a bad reason.

            In the story “Girls at War,” the reader gets three different Gladys. The first one was a hooker and she traded herself. The second one moderated herself. The third one was very generous and willing to put others first. However, Nwanko was a greedy man who didn’t want to share his food with anybody except his family. Now, the irony part of this story is the fact that Gladys died and Nwanko live. It was very backwards and messed up because Nwanko was the leader while Gladys was not. So as the leader one would think he would have made better effort to protect everyone. I just love how Achebe portrays the irony in this story. I’m not one to wish death upon anybody but I think it’s horrific how the good die young and the evil live on. It’s a shame that so many people who are very generous and caring or dying, while evil people get to live long. This world is full of irony. I guess I can say only in he movies does the good live on while the bad dies.

            In the story, “The Madman,” irony is used in a different way. In the story the Madman is crazy. He talks to himself and gets water for pavement. Nwike is actually the sane one but what’s funny is that he calls his wife “crazy.” After, he gets his cloth taking from the Madman he starts running around the street naked yelling “that’s my clothes.” The irony in this story is the Madman who is crazy had himself a pair of pants. The pants represent wealth.  However, Nwike was not really crazy but he was perceived that way. His craziness caused him to stop talking and he was deranged.

            The “Madman” did communicate with me I can understand the message Achebe was trying to get across, and how if the world perceives you a certain way they start to believe it. This reminds of when I took World Literature: Latin America last quarter. Marquez had the same views as Achebe. The only difference is that Achebe’s views deal with irony and Marquez was Magical Realism. One part of the story, I felt was relatable was when the Madman was getting water for the pavement, and when Nwike was running in the street naked. I feel that the world does not really open their eyes to their surroundings. The fact that the Madman didn’t see a Doctor but Nwike did is very similar to reality. My situation is very similar for example; my niece and nephew are very bad. They have to be told more than three times to sit down and stop running around. When I and my family go to the store or anywhere else people come up to them, and treat them as if their Angels. They are being perceived as Angels. The whole time I’m thinking “if only they knew how bad they really are.” It’s quite funny actually.  My whole point in relation to these stories is that irony is a messed up and stressful thing.

In “Girls at War,” I can relate to this story as far as irony because my sister’s friend passed away.  It’s sad because she was a caring person who was loved by many, but there are many people on this earth who are selfish and mean that are still roaming the earth. It’s sad that many people who are good are passing away everyday. So the whole irony with Gladys dying was very relatable.

            To be honest I never really thought about irony that much until I read Achebe’s stories and, when I discussed them in class with Ruth Benander, as well as my classmates. Now I look at the world in a different light and realize that there are more bad things happening for good reasons, than bad things happening for bad reasons. I guess now I realized that there is a reason for all of the people who die so young. Maybe God has a plan for them or he was just simply ready for them.

           

Stranglehold of English Lit Reader Response

I will just like to start off by saying that poetry is very foreign to me. I have difficulty sometimes understanding it. So after Professor Benander read “Stranglehold of English Lit” and after reading it again and again I now understand the message Felix Mnthali was trying to get across. His anger through this poem shows how he feels about how the English language can’t be taught to Africans and vice versa. He feels that Africans should be taught with the African language. Felix Mnthali feels that Africans can’t relate to Jane Austen’s work. Her language doesn’t speak to them.

I have never read Jane Austen’s work and while I feel that learning different languages can be a beautiful thing. I learned in Ruth Benander class that when speaking a different language your personality changes. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing because I can’t even speak a different language, but I feel that many people including Felix Mnthali must feel that if they speak a different language it will take away who they truly are. However, if speaking a different language can bring together different cultures and countries, then I am all for it. I don’t think there is anything wrong with different countries coming together, and I also don’t think speaking a bad language is a bad thing, but if someone tries to make a mockery out of the different language they are speaking then I can understand Felix Mnthali’s anger.

In the line where Felix Mnthali mentions, “While history went on mocking the victims of branding irons and sugar plantations that made Jane Austen’s people wealthy beyond compare.” Anyone who read this poem can tell he was talking about slavery. Felix Mnthali definitely makes a good point. What happened to African Americans back then was very tragic, and if looking at it in Felix Mnthali’s point of view it’s understandable why he wouldn’t want to be taught by an English woman. Being taught by an English person takes away what Africa is all about. I will say that my views have changed on and off after reading this poem. I was taking English Comp 1 and 2. Both the Professors had Russia and Indian accents. It was making it hard for me to understand what they were saying. It makes it hard sometimes to do an assignment when the Professors are speaking with different accents, trying to teach an English class. It was just so confusing. I agree with Felix Mnthali that English people should teach English and Africans should teach the African language because it makes everything so confusing. The English language does not sound like English when a Russian person is teaching it. It sounds very foreign. Like I said before I don’t think there is anything wrong with learning different languages just as long as they are being taught by the right people. If a French person teaches French it might not be so intimidating. It makes it easier and understandable.

After reading Ngugi’s piece I learned that when reading the newspaper or watching the news different countries are learning about other countries. However, sometimes the news only shows the negative side of countries. So that’s why I feel it is good to learn about different languages and countries, but if I was going to be taught the African language or learn about Africa. I want to learn it from an African professor because only they can teach me the true identity and language of Africa. They live there and have actually witnessed it.

 I did enjoy the poem very well Felix Mnthali made some good points about the African language being taught by an English Professor. It takes away from the country and their pride.