Protista

The main character of the story is a man who I believe has been exiled to the middle of nowhere. His wife, Maria has left him there alone because she is tired of sharing his burden of exile. The man feels depressed and lonely without her there. I think the man links his youth and happiness directly to Maria. The circle on the wall serves as a constant reminder of Maria and causes the man much grief because he feels like the rest of his life has been wasted. Since there is longer no Maria there is no happiness and meaning to life for him. When the man says that he has become a manfish at the end, I think he is referring to himself as deceased. Maria's skeleton that he describes when he is in the form of a tree seems to represent that Maria is sad and lonely, and she holds onto the silver button as a last hope or connection to her husband. I think that when he is in the form of the tree and he says that he has become rooted to the land, he is saying that he has become tied down to the land, there is nowhere for him to go and there is nothing happy left in his life.

The Betrayal

Dr. Kamal is the president of an Indian organization called the Orient Front. Dr. Kamal is also the founder of the Fordsburg Youth League, an organization of young men who support the same issues as the Orient front. Dr. Kamal and his Orient Front are in danger of losing their prestige and power to another, new political group from the area. To ensure that the new political group doesn't gain support, Dr. Kamal betrays his religious beliefs and morals. Dr. Kamal recruits the Youth League to stand by the Orient Front and challenge any other political entity. At the inaugaral meeting of the new political group a fight breaks out between the Youth League and the new political group, because the new group wanted to change the political system. In the end Kamal's inner turmoil weakens and he feels that a new time is approaching. He did not feel that it was right to be power hungry and be so threatened by someone else that he would stoop to such a low level in order to insure his political power but he did it, he betrayed everything that he preached to everyone else.

The Bridegroom

Located at a desert roadside camp, this story tells about a man's routine and his hopes for the future with his soon to be wife. He is a white man in charge of African workers, I think they are responsible for repairing and building roads. The white man doesn't speak the same language as the Africans, he must have Piet translate for him. Because of this language barrier, the white man is somewhat of a loner, he spends his free time in his tent and alone by his campfire. It is the night before he is to return to his hometown, Francistown, to marry his fiance. The man's last night in camp seems to be joyous and special compared to how the man described his usual routine. The men play music and there is laughter and talking. The campfires are warm and welcoming, and dinner is a special dish that everyone really likes. I think the significance of all of the nights events reflect the joy of the man who is very excited about getting married. There is promise in the atmosphere that the rest of his life with his wife is going to be as comfortable and happy as that night.

A Conversation from the Third Floor

This story is somewhat perplexing. Aziza visits her husband Ashour at a prison. I'm not sure what the soldier on the horse represents. Maybe the soldier was just a part of the scenery, a way to represent the setting of a prison. I think that the husband asked Aziza to send him cigars to celebrate the birth of their son. I dont think that there was any significance to the date palms and the wall. Perhaps the husband was just making sure that things were being taken care of while he was away. Aziza seemed to be very lonely by her quiet behavior. She was also very obedient to her husbands wishes, trying her best to get him whatever he wanted.

A Handful of Dates

In the beginning of the story, the main character, a young boy, views his grandfather with high esteem. The boy's grandfather is his friend with whom he shares many special moments. The boy's view of his grandfather doesn't start to change until the day he learns that his grandfather disliked his neighbour Masood and that his grandfather was slowly buying Masood's land. Masood's land was full of date trees that Masood always said were living beings. The boy disagrees with any type of ownership over the land because in his mind it should be a place for his free imagination. The dates represent the wealth of the land and the boy probably wanted to spit them out because he realized that the dates were the same as money to the men who divided up the harvested dates. The boy did not want to be a part of the greedy group who did not even regard the living trees but only wanted the dates.

An Incident in the Ghobashi Household

It was very touching that Zeinat was willing to pretend to have a child to protect her daughter's reputation. Instead of rejecting her daughter, Zeinat is willin gto help her by offering her daughter, Ni'ma, her life savings and the opportunity to maintain her reputation. The relationship Zeinat has with Ni'ma exemplifies the powerful bond between a mother and daughter. Zeinat feels the need to protect her child in any way that she can because she wants the best life for her daughter. Zeinat was willing to lie to her husband and take on the job of raising Ni'ma's child in order to protect Ni'ma from her father's rejection. Zeinat didn't even need to think twice about helping Ni'ma and that shows the most incredible love a mother and daughter can share.

Minutes of Glory

Since Beatrice has become a barmaid she has only wanted to be lusted over by many men and offered many gifts. But for some reason unknown to her, men are indifferent about her and she is invisible to them. She is always feeling poorly about her appearance and failure to make any money. One day she finally thinks she has found someone to share her feelings with, a man who actually talks to her and pays her. The only problem is that when she finally shares her thoughts with the man, she makes him fall asleep. She is so angry, because she thought that this man would understand and be willing to listen to her because he would be able to relate. In vengeance Beatrice steals the man's money and goes to town to buy new clothes and jewelry.
Beatrice also learns that one of the other barmaids admired Beatrice, when all this time Beatrice had admired the other barmaids. Finally Beatrice is happy, and with her glowing persona and her new look, men stare at her everywhere she goes. Finally Beatrice is wanted by many men and gifts are offered to her constantly. But Beatrice turns them down because she feels happy with everything she has. Just knowing that these men feel this way makes her feel content with who she is. Even though her moment of glory is soon damaged when she is arrested for stealing she had her dream come true.

The Spider's Web

Change is like a spiders web. One changing event continues to grow like a spiders web. Ngotho notices how people who were once brave and heroic have lost their integrity and their respect for one another. Maybe the spider's web symbolizes a trap of hatred and greed. All of the people around Ngotho seem to be trapped in this web and have forgotten to be kind and stand up for what is righteous. For example, the "queen", Mrs. Njogu used to stand up for what she believed was right, she wasnt greedy, and she was a role model to a lot of people. Now she is consumed with greed and the need for power. Ngotho's dislike for the change in people leads him to become trapped in the web of hatred and disrespect like everyone else and it ultimatly consumes him.

The Green Leaves

When three thieves steal from a village, a whole whirlwind of events take place. Nyagar became curious and greedy when he went back to the thief's body to look for money. Apparently he was considered to have wealth, but that was not enough for him. Money can lead people to act in ways that are not always the most responsible. In the end, Nyagar's will to find money in the thief's pocket lead him to his death. The village people thought they had killed the thief, but the thief was actually unconsious and when Nyagar was looking for any money, the thief came to and murdered Nyagar. The village people were wrong for attempting to kill the thief without a trial first, according to the police. If the people would have just caught the thieves instead of trying to kill them they would have been able to avoid the whole situation. The village people were set in their traditional ways that clashed with what modern society believed was right. Perhaps Nyagar deserved to be murdered for being curious. It was his greediness that got him into trouble in the first place.

The Gentlemen of the Jungle

The way that the man is treated by the animals seems to resemble the issues of prejudice in real life. An example of this prejudice is when the animals say that the man's ideas are backwards and they never let him speak at the trial. The members of the commission behave like politicians in that they help eachother get what they want, no matter the impact on others. Greed consumed the members of the commission and it ultimately lead them to fighting with one another for the best hut space. The commission is like a government that mistreats its people, in this case the man, and in the end the man becomes tired of being walked on so he revolts by destroying the cause of the greed and those who were corrupt, much like a society would overthrow a government.

Civil Peace

The family in this story worked very hard to earn money. Jonathan, the father and husband, used his bicycle to taxi soldiers around, he ran a bar, and his children picked mangoes for the soldier's wives. Jonathan was also a luck man because his house, wife, and four of his five children survived the war. Jonathan even recieved twenty pounds for turning in rebel money to the treasury. The fact that Jonathan and his family were willing to be creative and work hard to make a living, shows that they are not greedy people that expect everything to just be given to them. Throughout the story the idea that nothing puzzles god keeps being presented. Since Jonathan and his family are good honest people it seems fair that they got to keep thier home and earn the extra twenty pounds. Even when Jonathan is faced with theives that are after his twenty pounds, he does not endanger his family by challenging the thieves. Instead he hands over the money to spare what is most important to him, his family. The moral is that hard work pays off and that money is not everything.

The Will of Allah

This story is about two criminals named Sule and Dogo. Sule seems to be a self assured, religious individual who accepts who he is as a person. Dogo on the other hand, appears to be a man who chooses to think very little, he is arrogent and rude. The irony within this story is capturing. It is ironic that a criminal would have such a high appreciation for his religion, as Sule had. Also, the way in which Sule and his partner in crime, Dogo, die in the end is somewhat ironic because they believed to be filled with riches when it actually contained a lethal snake. In the end when Dogo doesnt inform Sule about the Cobra in the gourd, and lets Sule reach inside and be bitten, shows how much Dogo really mistrusted Sule. The calm manner in which Sule accepts the fact that he is about to die reflects his belief in Allah. Sule feels that his death is Allah's will, sort of like his death was supposed to happen in such a way. Perhaps a message within the story regards the idea of fate, or that everything happens for a reason.

The Apprentice

This story is about a boy who is troubled by his current situation as an apprentice for a black smith. His name is ogunmola and he comes from a historically famous family of rulers which he greatly admires. Not wishing to go to school he decides to become an apprentice. The two different smith masters that ogunmola works for at different times, who happen to be quarreling brothers, accuse ogunmola of creating work resembling the other masters work. Ogunmola is at a loss, all he wishes for is a job as a black smith where he can create his own work and dream of his great family. Maybe if Ogunmola had gone to school, he would have been able to fulfill such a wish, however he ignored such advise. In a sense this situation is another hopeful reason to seek a higher education. Perhaps the story teaches that dissapointment is a part of life that should be expected by everyone. Ogunmola was disappointed when his family was removed from rule and he was disappointed with his career, but even with such disappointments he would not be stopped from dreaming and that perhaps, is the most important aspect.

Certain Winds from the South

In the beginning of the story it was difficult to figure out the setting and the characters. A mother named Asana is told by her son in law that he must go south so that he can earn money to provide for Asana's daughter, Hawa, and Hawa's newborn son. When Asana's son in law leaves she must tell Hawa where her husband has gone, and although Hawa is heartbroken, her mother tells her to have hope for a better happier future. The idea of faith seems to play a role in this story, in that the daughter Hawa must have faith that her husband will return and they will be happy and have food. Sometimes one must do what is required of them in order to take care of the people that they love. Even though some things are hard to do they can not always be avoided. Hawa's husband leaves because he knows that if he goes south he can create a better quality of life for his wife and son. Assana also shares the story about how Hawa's father had left for the south too. She tells her that it is important to be strong for your child. In life there are challenges, those who are strong will bounce back from those challenges and succeed in the end.

The False Prophet

At first the character Mahmoud Fall comes across as very mysterious. Mahmoud's selfishness and guiltlessness of pretending to be a preacher present him as a shady, self absorbed individual. One can accumulate the idea that some people will do anything for wealth, just as Mahmoud pretended he was a preacher in order to steal from people who believed in him. Also, the fact that his "followers" believed him so readily shows how easily persuaded people can be when they are promised good things. The theme of the story almost seems as though it revolves around the idea of karma, what goes around comes around. Since Mahmoud took advantage of god and people who believed in god, he was mistreated just as he had mistreated those people. The story reminds its readers that choices must be made everyday, and depending on what choice is made, there will be a consequence. Mahmoud chose to use religion as a means to fool people and in the end he lost all that he worked for, and suffered embarrasment from losing his hair. Sometimes a lesson must be learned the hard way.