2011 Literature WAEC Past questions CBT

Hint

Mr. Oyimdze, a young English friend lawyer is the chief antagonist of the obsession with European manners. He does not forget his native tongue Fanti and insist on hearing native dress when he does not have the legal roles. He is a well-balanced “modernized” African who has not lost his identity in the civilizing mission. He strikes a balance between the Whiteman’s way of life and that of his own people. Even though he is exposed to western education, he shuns the usage of embrace European customs in every area of his life. He utilizer every opportunity to balance English and African culture. During the visit to Mrs. Botofesem and Miss Tsiba to his home, he provides both English and African beverages and snacks to entertain them.

            At the garden party not victoria park, when others are playing Tennis and croquets he introduces empe, and also strongly advice Mr. Okadu to observe the native custom of marriage instead of just observing the English wedding fashion. His strong stand against the obsession with foreign manner’s greatly portrayed in his appearance in court for Nana Katawerue in a bigamy suit brought by Mr. Okadu against Miss Tsiba for leaving him and going to marry another man and he wins the case which further him to the masses. He calls himself a social hybrid because he was born into one race and brought up to live like members of another race.

            Mr. Oyimdze embraces aspects of European modernizing such as formal education and law in order to defend the sacredness of Akan, traditional customs and the right of the extended family to negotiate marriage arrangement for young women such as Miss Tsiba

            His famous victory over the church marriage matters proves this point. Despite his exposure, education and achievement, he is generous, graceful and respectful. He bears a positive and peaceful disposition as portrayed in the occasion where brokered peace among the girls, and Nana Katawirwe and the person for giving evidence in court against her grandmother

Hint

She is the half-educated wife a merchant, Mr. Borotosem. She is the chief protagonist of English manners. To her life is everything that is European. She is a “beanto”; that is one who has been to England.

            Mr. Borotosem is a blind imitator of the English ways of life as she considers anything native or African as uncivilised. She contributes to the mad obsession with English manners in Fanti. She attempts to anglicise all of Fanti. Like a social virus she infacts virtually all facets of the society. As a blind imitator of the English ways of life, she insist that her husband smokes and spread cigar-ashes on the floor, and that he must call her “duckies” because Mrs. Gush’s husband in England called her Mrs. Gush always kissed her husband. She wants her husband to sing with European song, also he must not yawn when she is talking to him because Mrs. Gush said that if a man yawn when a lady is speaking, his manner are shocking. She also insist on having European “sweets”. But unconsciously displays her nostalgic for the African dishes she condemns. She says that Miss Tsiba must have more than one Christian name like all fashionable ladies in England. She arranges an engagement between Miss Tsiba and Mr. Okadu, without the knowledge of the girl’s parents because it is the English way and brings Mrs. Okadu to Mr. Tsiba after the engagement to give him the “good news” that his daughter is engaged to marry the young man and that he must kiss him his blessing the English way.

            Mr. Borotosem is a typical representative of these who imperfectly and uncritically copy European culture. Even though she behaves like a British lady and takes brides in speaking English. She does not have full understanding of the English culture and ridiculously speaks poor English. She makes a culture u-turn and embraces her native language and custom when some of her English ideals begins to crumble right in her face, the   triumph of traditional marriage rites over church wedding and her servant Nysmeke sexual assault on her

Hint

It is true that the people of Owu are the architect of their own destruction. This is evident in the history of Owu. After their founding and flourishing as a city, the Owu’s took to arrogance. According to Lawumi’s a goddess “An insufferable display/of arrogance towards men, towards Ile-Ife, where/we all come from (P18). Owu forget its history, forget is origin. They began to sell other Yorubas into slavery at the famous Apomu market (p19) contrary to the directive of sango, the Yoruba god of thunder, and dared to send their army against Ife. Lawumi accuses the Owu’s of arrogance and states clearly “that was their sin”.

            With the conquest of Ife, the superior Owu’s army recover the Apomu market and further attack the Ijebu traders at the market too, capturing Iyunloye the beautiful wife of Okunade the artist. Iyunloye is given to Prince Ededjumo who the priest had ordered to his birth to be immediate killed because he will bring evil upon the people of Owu. But his mother Erelu is disobedience hides him until he grows up to manhood. Thus he does fulfil his destiny in his decision to live with Iyunloye. Okunade angered by the fact that Iyunloye joined Prince Adejumo and forget him quits his profession as an artist and joins the army and through his ruthlessness quickly rises to the rank of Maye (General) and fights hard to conquer Owu and reclaim his wife and punish her.

            Maye Okunade and the Allied forces in their mission to avenge successfully enter then city and reduce it to complete rubble, Santiago fire to it and slaughter all the males adult and children and taking away the females into slavery.

            Owu’s destruction can therefore blamed on the people themselves who become drunk with prosperity and disobeyed the gods for their individual and collective interest. The people of owu incurred the wrath of the gods by selling other Yorubas into slavery. The people of Owu committed sacrilege by attacking Ife. According to Lawumi “it was only with the help an blessing of Ife” that Owu flourished. The addiction of Iyunloye for Prince Adejumo is Owu’s own doing and undoing, as Queen Erelu allows Prince Adejumo to live and fulfil his destiny.

            They pay a heavy price. Owu is overrun by the Allied forces headed by Maye Okunade, even at this period of “grave danger” which threatens the town, their chiefs, priest and divines do not head the gods (Anlugbus) instruction as he was leaving the world.

                        “I left an iron chain for you and I said/pull it whenever you need me” (p7).

            This instruction was not heeded.

Hint

The title of the play “Women of Owu” gives an insight of the play. It is about women in time of war. The play emphasis the plight of Owu women during and after the war-after the destruction of Owu kingdom. The women are the worst hit, they are subject to humiliation, grief and sorrow. They are the worst losers suffering loss of all things. They looses their husbands, sons and properties to the war. They are being shared out to the victors as wives and slaves sent to unknown destinations. This is evident as one of the women early in the play complains to Anlugbus (Owu ancestor god) “our women are seized/and share out to the blood-splattered troops/to spend the night (p.3). Having “rounded up all our husbands and/brothers and sons” and “slaughtered them” (p.3), only females are left. It is the women who mourn their sons and husbands. Queen Erelu in particular witnesses the death of her husband, son and daughter and also buries her grandson. She is to be sent to Balogun Derin to serve as maid to his wife. This fate also befall other women. They suffer torture, degradation and displacement in the hands of the Allied forces. It is they who individually and collectively face the aftermath of the war-looting, killing, famine, disease and death as well as dishonour of being shared out to officers of the Allied forces. The women are the living who suffer as widows, who suffer the pain of the humiliation of defeat, destruction and enslavement.

            With the extinction of the males, Erelu with her age is compelled to take the male task of performing the ritual meant to release the spirits of the dead so as to send them back safely home to the ancestor (p.62) as well as save them the future from eternal dominant. This leads to Erelu’s death as he is possessed by Anlugbwo in the courses of undertaking the masculine task of releasing the spirits of the dead as well as saving the future from eternal demnation. Even the gods are victims as their shrines are also destroyed and their worshipers killed or shared out. As for the goddess Lawumi, the Allied forces desecrate her shrine.

            Iyunloye the agent provocateur women is not spared by her husband as she pays for her infidelity. 

Hint

She is the beautiful daughter of Major Paul Petkoff and Catherine, engaged to be married to Major Sargius. Reina the heroine of the play is young, dignified, noble, hospitable and has romantic notions of love and war.

            She is in a romatic relationship with Sergius which she fears is only unreal and sometimes doubts his heroic qualities. She doubts whether the idealistic manners in anything but a dream, she is a dreamer who did not believe in her own estimation of herself and the world around her. Her mother had to always reassure her of her doubts about Sergius’s heroic qualities and soldership. “our patriotism, our heroism ideas, I sometimes use to doubts whether they were anything but dreams…..that perhaps we only had our heroic ideas but we are so found of reading Byron and Pushkin….”

            She is, however, not straight forward and her fie airs are deceitful. She did not always open up even to her parents….. “Reina, Reina will anything ever make you starlight forward” her mother asked her. She has the habit of ease dropping on people and appearing when discussion was about her. She is dishonest, she claimed she loved Sergius, yet she found space in her heart for Bluntshil, a stranger whom she sheltered, fed, clothed and gave her portrait with romantic inscription Reina! To her chocolate cream soldier.

            She is a visionary. She lived in the imagined world of nobility, grandeur and heroism. She carried on this false world with her noble attitude, twilling voice and self high estimation not until when she met the down-to-earth Bluntschil. She is smart enough to learn to discard her foolish ideals about live in exchange for real love.

Hint

The Petkoffs are Major Paul, Catherine the wife and Reina their daughter while their servants are Louka and Nicole. Paul Petkoff is a Major in the Bulgarian Army, a cheerful, amicable, excitable rich man who is naturally unambitious and not idealistic but overtly natural. The only item of class in him is his library.

            Contrary to Paul Petkoff is Cathrine the wife and Reina the daughter who are class conscious and idealistic. The Petkoffs and their servants constitutes a master-servant relationship. Their behaviour and comportment suggest the presumptuousness of their social standing. They regard their servants as unintelligent and hopeless. They undermine the sensibilities of their servant-Louka and Nicole.

            Nicole demonstrates his belief in class division as he goes about his duties with dignity and a high sense of responsibility, and advises Louka to accept her position in life. This she rejects and replies with contempt that Nicole “has the soul of a servant”. Nicole holds some fanly secrets but exercises a lots of discretion in dealing with the Petkoff and their guest. This is portrayed when he covers for Reina and Catherine intrigues concerning Bluntschil and Petkoff’s coat.

            Louka unlike Nicole is proud and spiteful and believes she can break rules and misbehave as she has some family secrets of the Petkoffs. With this she tries to breakup Reina’s relationship with Sergius. Louka refuses to surrender to the social restriction carried by the Petkoffs and resolves to be lifted from her lower class into the higher class, with determination Louka plans artfully and contest for the love of Sergius, the fiancé of her employer and move ahead to claim equality between her and Reina.

Hint

Algerian is one of the Major characters in the play. He is a bachelor and eventual younger brother of Jack. He is also a nephew to Lady Bracknell. He is a youngman who takes delight in deception, fun and pleasure. In his own words, he is budburst which refers  to his invention of a permanent invalid friend called Bunbury who is often in some crisis, which provides him with excuses to go to the country as often as he wants under the pretext of going to meet the friend in moments of crisis. He lives as a double life and avoids his responsibilities at home.

            He is a care free, dishonest, neck-deep-indebt, youngman. He is dishonest with Aunty Augusta (Lady Bracknell) in the matter of cucumber sandwiches that he promises her, but he easts them up and pretends that there are no cucumbers in the market dragging his servant lane into the lie. He also deceived his friend Jack by telling him that the cucumber sandwiches are all reserved for Lady Bracknell.

            He dishonestly obtains Jack’s country home address in order to meet Cecily, pretending to be Jack’s younger brother Ernest. He also displays his deception when he falsely informs Miss Prism that the priest is waiting for her in the garden. He does this to send her away so that he can talk to Cecily in private. He leads the way in deception and instructs Cecily on how to deceive people in order to achieve her desires.

            From the various episodes, one can say that Algeria takes delights in deception, however he does without the desires to harm

Hint

Miss Prism is a major  character who nevertheless plays an important role in the play. She is careless an pair who misplaced baby Ernest in a handbag instead of a baby carriage during what she described as “a moment of mental abstraction”. This happened some twenty-eight years ago between the present when she is now an employer of the same boy how is now a twenty-nine years old man. She is currently employed as governess of Miss Cecily Cardew, Jack’s ward and granddaughter of his benefactor. Inspite of her lowly status, she holds the key to the mystery about Jack’s mistaken identity in the play, after twenty-nine years of anonymity. According to her account, she as Jack’s nanny much earlier, in a moment of metal distraction, mistakenly According to her account, she, as Jack nanny much earlier, in a moment, if mental distraction, mistakenly deposit the manuscript of a novel she is writing in the bassinette and places Jack, the a baby, in the handbag instead. Then she deposits the handbag in a cloak room in a railway station in London. Jack is later found and nature by the late Mr. Thomas Cardew. At this point darkness engulfs the play as to the identity of Jack. Miss Prism is also unaware of the implication of what she has done. Before her confession, no one knows that Jack is actually an adopted child except that he is a child who has come into Mr. Cardew’s home through a mistake. Jack is himself unaware of his real identity and grows up not knowing that he is Algernon’s brother. This leads to much of the confusion in the play. Miss Prism later recognizes her mistake and confession. Her confession brings light to the darkness which has engulfed the play. The mystery is resolved and Jack is able to claim his inheritance. This Miss Prism unravels the mystery surrounding Jack’s fate in the play. Miss Prism also serves to expose the stupidity of class distinction in the play.  Lady Bracknell does not include Jack as her “list of eligible suitors” because he is not supposedly rich and he is of a low social class. Miss Prism confession shows how wrong lady Bracknell has been as well as the aristocratic and upper class tendencies in the play.

Hint

The poem “Ambassador of poverty” focuses principally on Nigeria leaders who are portrayed as symbols of corrupts leadership in African as well as discuses how Miss-management of Nigerian by its leaders has resulted in the pauperization of the masses. The poem specifically states how the “patriots” and the “elite” contribute to the poverty of the masses. This is portrayed in stanzes 1-4.

            These first categories of those who bring squalor, poverty and sickness upon the masses are the corrupt masters of the economy, that is those who sit over our political affairs and the economy of the country. The image of “head abroad” and “anus at home” shows how they siphon our resources overseas and leaving thrash at home. They are described as “patriots in reverse world” because they have abandoned what is right while they pursue the opposite. The poet also describes them as determined merchants of loots/who boost the economy of the colonial order/ to impoverish brothers and sisters at home. The short sightedness and foolishness of the so called patriots is that they send our scare resources abroad and these foreign countries use them to develop their home countries while are left ripped off and impoverished.’

            The poet also talks about the incumbency syndrome in Nigeria and particular and Africa as whole which portrays the greed of past colonial rules in African who often hold on to power at all cost at the expenses of the masses who are denied just, credible and responsible leadership. The poet refers to them as ‘sit-tight patriots” they don’t want to vacate offices and would like to die in it, and possibly state resources to be deployed to buy them.

            In stanza 4 the poet refers to these “Ambassadors of poverty” as the “political elite” in “air-conditioned chambers” with ‘exotic cars” and stash their loot in overseas countries, with the intention of sustaining their generation unborn with public property, they embezzle their constituency allowance which is what they poet meant by “tucked away from/their impoverished consistencies”. The danger is that the masses are played with death because of unfixed roads, dirty water supply and “candles” instead of electricity supply. Even schools are in danger that is why the trees provides helpless alternative. The masses are helpless that they eat rat as their only source of protein. Because there is no food the masses embark on fasting and as usual the leaders keep giving excuses. The poem successfully and elites of society have become parasite turning their countrymen into destitute in the name of governing them. 

Hint

The poem reflects on the challenges irresolution which is often the problem of most people when it comes to doing what is good. In this regard, it focuses on two points. First it focuses on choosing between doing what is good or the right thing. Secondly it focuses on knowing what is right and doing it. Finally, it captures the mental and moral struggle between these divides.

            The poet deploys appropriate diction to drive home his point. He uses epithets that connote the uncertainty of thing and a network of opposites that emphasize his indecision as he finds helpless where “the  past and the future” are both ‘dim” and the hopes and the inspiration” they raise are equally “nebulous”.

            He is also confounded at that point where time ceaselessly moves ‘forward and throwing away the old and embracing the new. With a skilful use of an effective network if contrasting words, the poet shows how he finds himself unable to take sides as he watches ‘truth and untruth” locked in an “endless and bloody combat”.

            It is also with the effective use of the appropriate diction that the poet portrays his dilemma, confession and indecision at the cross-roads of the “need for good” and the need for doing good”. There again he line unable to take any decision.

            With the use of the right diction the poet also reveals how his dilemma, confusion and indecision seemingly peak, hallucinating as he feels the “buoyant wakes” tending to stagger even-though he has not been drinking.

            The poet also uses the expression “there I lie” as a refrain in the poem to give some lyricism to the poem. Apart from this, the placement of this refrain in the poem is also significant. It is placed at the centre where it constitutes the last lines of five of the stanza’s. by this placement, the person’s choice of sitting on the fence is emphasized. Similarly, the poet uses some other expressions repeatedly in the poem, “therefore” is used six times with each use beginning a new stanza apart from the sixth one. This expression “there where” is meant to emphases the self-imposed immobility of the persons from the fence on which he sits. The other case of repetition employed in the poem by the poet is found in line 17 where the poet talks of his head going “round and round”. This repeated description of his head movement demonstrates the severity of the dizziness he experience and by implication, the physical and mental agony he goes through.

            The poets choice of diction throughout the poem portrays his passive disposition as he continues to sit on the fence in mottess of utmost importance and urgency in addition to their emphatic significance.

Hint

The poem opens with the poet’s declaration that he is lonely “I wondered lonely as a cloud”. The poet gives their impression here that he is floating in the sky like a “cloud” before he is confronted by the sight of beautiful flowers called daffodils. The poet is in solitude and is in need of a relieving event, sight or affection, when the speakers’ eye confronts “a cloud/a host of golden daffodils”, the sight of the daffodils makes a strong impression on the poet. This impression for a long time remains buried in his consciousness, such that whenever he is in “pensive mood”, in deep thought these flowers “flash upon that inward eye/which is the bliss of solitude”. Thereafter his heart with pleasure “fills” and dances with the daffodils.    

Hint

The poem is all about the soul on a mission for the poet. The mission is to go and tell the world that their actions do not represent the intention of the creator, as a result, they must change their ways of doing things. The poet urges the soul to go out and tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to such authorities as the ‘court, the potentates and the church as means of calling them to order.

            In lines 7-12 the soul is asked to inform “the court’ that is ‘glows’ and ‘shines’ like ‘rotten woods’. The poet mocks the court because rotten wood can hardly shine. The soul is also to inform the church that “it shows’ what is good but does not practice it, should these two institutions responds, the soul is urged to expose them. The poet believes that the ‘court’ and the ‘church’ are supposed to be shinning examples of truth and justice and also vital in the process of purification, unfortunately the court is both corrupt and unjust. While the church as an institution of God almighty is also failing like other temporal institutions.

            In line 13-18 the soul is directed to address the “potentates” (strong-arm rulers, the tyrants), he is to let them know that they live/acting by others “action, meaning that they sit in such a position as to take decisions affecting several people, so should not be cut off from the people. Although tyrants are feared, and they are not strong unless they are supported by a fraction  of their subjects.

            They poets message here to potentates is that they are powerless in themselves. The power they wield is in essence derived from the people, who can also take it anyway from them. They can only enjoy the people’s love and goodwill if they are also prepared to give them their all.

            Finally, these messages portray the poet’s experience of the inadequate of the ‘court’ church and ‘potentate’. As he departs the world, the poet charge his immortal soul to go out boldly and tell these three institutions the truth and damn the consequences ‘no less then stabling’ he should inculcate in he that will (he who is willing to hear) that no stabling can kill the soul “no stab the soul can kill”.

Hint

Eugene is the husband of Beatrice and the father Jaje and Kambili. He is a wealthy man, an industrialist, a philanthropist, a publisher and a died-hard catholic faithful. He was educated by the catholic missionaries and he is deeply committed to Catholicism. His commitment sometimes verges on bigotry. He is even more catholic then the pope, especially in his views of sin, crime and punishment. He is also very conservative and resistant to change. His religious bigotry beclouds his sense of justice and natural affection. he love his family clearly but his doctrinal control over his family leaves them with little happiness, freedom and self development. He esteems the laws of the church above Christian virtues of love and obligation onto his wife and children.

            He brings up his family under a stern, fanatical catholic condition. He visited his children and wife with cruelty every time they fail to measure up to his expectation of Christian piety. Kambili, Jeje and their mother see Eugene bitter side as demonstrated on this, palm Sunday when he did not se Jeje in church. Beatrice is also severely beaten on the Pentecost Sunday because she was reluctant to visit Fr. Benedict due to poor health condition. Beatrice and the children receive the beatings of their live for aiding Kambili in breaking the Eucharist fast.

            He is a disciplinarian and sticker to rulers and order. He prepares schedule for the daily conduct for his children and expect them to stick to its provision religiously. Even the only time he permitted his children to visit their aunty, he made sure they went with their schedule to the chargin of his sister. Their conduct at home by their father Beatrice is held hostage by her husband’s (Eugene) cruelty and highhandedness. She dears the cross with silence as long as she can, she is shown no sympathy by her husband when she is ill. She is made to do penance for no visible reason, and she is battered to the point of losing an almost due pregnant. She loses a second early pregnancy of six weeks she Eugene breaks a smell table in her belly.

                 Though Eugene immediate family live under a violate domestic background, they are submission, well-mannered and brilliant children, they love and respect their father and never discussed their horrible home life with anyone else

Hint

He is the seventeen year old son of Eugene and Beatrice, a student of Nicholas. He is a studious and brilliant student always taking the first position in class.

            He is a neat and smart boy. He was voted the neatest boy in the school. He is strong, courageous and protective of the sister and mother. He could own up to offense he never committed to protect his loved ones. He claimed to have given Kambili food to eat when their father accused her of breaking the Eucharist fast, not minding the consequence.

            He has an unusual strength of character to challenge situation and take on task he had never done before. Note how he washed Aunty Ifeoma’s car and slaughtered the chicken to Kambili amazement.

            He is self-welled and defiant. He is the only one who could look to his father’s face and defy him. He took it upon himself to protect Kambili, his mother and even the unborn baby against his father’s excesses. After his exposure to freedom in Aunty Ifeoma’s house he stands firm and challenges father’s to for communion. This marks the beginnings of the disintegration of the family. He voluntary takes up his mother’s punishment when he claims responsibility for the murder of his father. He paid the price for freedom.

Hint

Before Pokuwa’s marriage to Kwado Fordwo, she has been married to Kofi Daafo and Kwado Fosu. They were her first and second husband. She divorced them on the prompting of her mother when she could not have children by them.

            Kofi Daafo was the husband of her fourth. They met at the village playground and carried their childhood love into marriage. Kofi Daafo was with her doing the death and burial of her father. But with no children she opted out and married Kwaku Fosu hoping that things will be deferent concerning child birth. She does not meet with luck. She remains childless. Just after three years her mother will not allow her to stay “you have been married to Kwaku Fosu for nearly three years. There is no sign of child, will you stick to him”. She encourage her to leave the man. She begins to meddle in the marriage. She find fault with Kawaku Fosu and urges her to leave. Eventually for no serious reason she opted out of the marriage. Thus, Pokuwa enters her first two marriage with expectations of bearing children. Since her expectation never materialized, she leaves her first and second marriage to another.

Hint

Kwado and Pokuwaa are husband and wife who really love each other. Their relationship is based on mutual love. Kwado is the third husband of Pokuwaa. He provides Pokuwaa with support in her sacrifice and rituals, following her to Tano’s shrine and helping to listen to the instructions in order to help her remember.

            He spend an entire week with her while she performs the purification rites, inspite of his other wifes disagreement with the idea. He also prays to Tano to make it possible for Pokuwaa to have a child, worried that she might divorce him as she had divorce her two husband on the grounds that she could not bear children with them, vowing to do everything possible to help her make the sacrifices successful.

            He goes to farm with her and helps to make aduaa round the farm to keep rats out and spend time between plating and harvest, weaving new mets for her. When Pokuwaa suffers a miscarriage, he confronts her, trying to keep her mind focused on the possibility that she would have another pregnancy. He becomes anxious when  she tells him that she will no longer perform the sacrifice, beginning to fear for their marriage her tries to persuade her against the decision.

            Pokuwaa reciprocate Kwado’s love she wishes to spend all her life with him. She wants to bear a child to make both of them happy. She appreciates Kwado effort and through all her pain allows her-self to be consoled by Kwado. In the end their love sees them through their days of anguish. Pokuwaa is able to conceive Kwado is speechless and weeps at the news of her pregnancy, immediately proposing a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Tano (though the child did no come from Tano but from Nyankopon), Kwado and Pokuwaa look forward to a life of fulfilled hopes and dreams.

Hint

He is the faithful boy and young friend of Santiago (the old man). Santiago taught him fishing at the age of 5years. He used to go fishing with the old man on an occasion for 40days without the oldman catching a fish and his parents tell him that the old man is “salao” the worst form of unlucky and they compel him to abandon the old man and join another boat.

            He is not happy about it. Even at that he still pledges his loyalty to the oldman. Manolin is not happy to see the oldman goes to help him carry his fishing gear and cares for him. There is a strong bond between Manolin and the oldman, he demonstrated this loyalty and care for him when he tells him he will like to drink, sardines and baits for his 85^th day expedition the next day.

            He demonstrate his generosity and concern for the oldman welfare as he helps the oldman to take his gear to his shack and attends on him. He gets the sardines and returns to find the oldman asleep, he covers him with his army blanket and goes to bring food and eve when the oldman says he is not hungry, Manolin insist that he will not fish without eating while he is still alive. He undertakes to get him water and soap for washing, a towel, shirt, jacket, shoes and another blanket for the winter.

            Mandolin see the oldman off to sea the next morning, he goes each day to the oldman’s shack to check on him and gets anxious over unusual stay at sea, until he finally returns on the third day. Mandolin again demonstrates his strong bond and concern for the oldman welfare as he look at him mutilated hands and starts crying. He is also a source of reassurance for the oldman. Drawing from the oldman’s terrible experience with the Marlin, he reports to Manolin saying “they beat me” and he replies “he did not beat you” he assures the oldman that he is a winner. The fish did not beat him.

Hint

The theme of perseverance in the novel is portrayed in the lives of Santiago (the oldman) and Manolin. Santiago did allow the difficult times in his fishing careers and his personality and his career. For eighty-five days, he could not catch a single fish. As a result of this he was declared a failure and his only boy was withdrawn from him. He was declared a failure yet he persevered and continued with his fishing. His only boy was withdrawn from him yet he persevered and continued with his life. His lonely existence and hardship would have been a very good reason for him to give up living. He never gave up, his dream finally come through. He caught a big fish that surprised all the success the other fishermen had recorded. This episode also portrays his perseverance, when he hooks into his massive fish which he has t pull in all by himself he demonstrates his perseverance by hanging on even though badly bruised and bathered.

            Mandolin perseverance in his friendship with Santiago. He is taken away from him to join other fishing brats that are well to do. This does not deter his relationship with the oldman. He keeps on being his friend. He remains loyal and carrying by keeping constants checks on him through visits to his shack as well as reassuring him.

            The oldman spends unusual number of days at sea, Manolin gets very anxious of his welfare. His perseverance pays of when Santiago finally returns with a big fish despite the quality. They show that perseverance can be rewarding.

Hint

The novel is an adventure story. It is an account of a group of young boys who arrived an uninhabited Island far from the adult world of their parents. The plane which was taking them out of danger crashed leaving the children in a bush where there was on living soul.

            Ralph and Piggy located each other first. They discovered too that they were other children like them on the Island. They gather themselves together and began to scout the Island, more children joined them at the sound of a conch. They all knew they were lost but they resolved to make the  best use of what the Island offers.

            The conch Piggy discovered is used by the boys to install order and discipline in the camp. Anyone who picks the couch is assumed to have the authority of the community to speak. They later embark on  an exploration of the whole Island. They enjoined the absence of adult control. Returning from the exploration, the came across a pig. Ralph makes attempt to kill it but could not decide whether to stab it.

            Ralph is chosen to lead the new community. They decide to set a bonfire for purpose of rescue by the outside world who might see the smoke from the fire. Jack, apparently the stronger boy leads a group of young boys as hunters, they go into the bush to hunt for pigs. There is fear of evil beats in the bush. Ralph, Jack and Piggy reassure the younger ones of their safety and possible rescue. In the midst of this, Simon goes into the bush in search for the truth of the existence of the beast but he is mistaken for the beast and killed as he returns to tell the truth of man’s fear. He discovers there is no beast, that their fears is in themselves. He discovers that what they had regarded as beast is a harmless decaying corpse of a man. Earlier on the bonfire they set up a signal dwindles as they abandon it for a game under the leadership of Jak.

            Quarrels and rivalries gradually creep into the community. Jack and Piggy pick on each other every occasion. Jack is completely rebellious and begins to question Ralphs position. He breaks away with his group of hunters and when Ralph questions his action, he opts out of the group to form his own band. There now existed two opposing communities on the Island, Ralph, Piggy and some little ones on one side, Jack, Roger and some other grown-up on the other side. Besides the division, the talk of fears, dreams, ghost and beast tear the unity, peace and joy in the Island. The couch and the assembly has become ineffective. The division degenerates murder of Piggy who has lost his spectacles. The animal in the boys surfaces with the conflict between Jack and Ralph heightening. Ralph becomes the hunted and he is chased by others lead by Jack, he runs for his dear life. But for the arrival of the naval officer, it would have been more tragic.

            The boys adventure ends with the arrival of the Navy. This becomes Ralphs saving grace and also the means by which all the savage comes to an end, and the boys returns to civilization.

Hint

Their exercise of authority differs remarkably. Ralph believes in constitution and dialogue in the exercise of authority while Jack is authorization and dictatorial. Ralph is the protagonist of the novel. He is a symbol of authority and orderliness. He is the democratically elected leader choosen above jack and Piggy. The places absolute trust in the couch which represents order. He is simple and unassuming and does not create unnecessary officialdom around his role. He consults others in taking decisions. Ralph notion is that power is sharing. As soon as he is elected he thinks of offering Jack a position. He gives Jack leadership of the choir and the freedom to call them an army of hunters as he chooses. He is charismatic, loving and caring, always interested in the welfare of the little ones and rescue of the community. He is public spirited, sacrifice his personal safety for the good of the other boys.

            Jack is the antagonist of Ralph. His exercise of authority is antithetical to that of Ralph. He does not believe in democracy. He installs himself as the defector leader. He cherished chaos over orderliness. He does not abide by the rules and regulations governing the civilized society. He does not believe in the couch, he only makes use of the couch at his convenience and does not consult others in decision making. His word is law. He is violent, he is architect of destruction. He is an anarchist opposed to any form of civility.