Ngugi Wa Thiong'o Stories

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o had a different perspective compared to other authors I have read this quarter. I feel a major theme in 2 of the stories involving women. Being a man I will naturally take a mans point of view and side. In "Wedding at the Cross" and "Minutes of Glory" helped me connect more on a female's side, and more of a female approach. In the end of "wedding at the cross" in a way I kind of felt a since of pride and was happy with the ending. I was happy because it was as if the woman was actually misrable and could not speak for herself, but at the end she finally did. In "Minutes of Glory" I felt that Beatrice was colonized and trying to be someone she was not.

Nadine Gordimer

Nadine Gordimer is very unique in her 3 readings of "good climate, friendly inhabitants", "Six feet of the country", and "Amnesty". All of these pieces center around the Apartheid. Theses stories have changed my life and how I now look at the South African Apartheid, in which I also did my presentation on. Thanks to the presentation and the 3 stories I now have a better understanding.

   The story that reached me the most was "Six Feet of the Country". Gordimer used the man who owned the farm in an unique way. After going over the story in class it made even more sense to me. It also angered me even more that one man could possibly think that way. That one man could talk down on another human , and during a funeral you would be hitiing a golf ball!  Gordimer wrapped the story around the system of the South African Apartheid. In the end of the story even the farm onwner could not get the original body back because of lack of power, and after seris of letters, arguments, the ones who actually cared could not either

"Stranglehold of English Lit"

In the poem there are many questions asked that even strike me to think. I can now look in their perspective of how Africans were educated in Europe. The poem alone is an arguement that can be used. I feel more educated on the british rule in Africa. If Africans wanted to be educated they would have to leave their culture and dress into one they are not. Leaving had its own consequence of missing out on years of their culture. Although this is true I also feel when they come back to their culture there is another consequence that is positive. Which is being able to teach ones who never left.