Character and Novel
POSSIBLE ESSAY ANSWERS “I have not known a days peace and contentment in my life.” Discuss this statement in light of the various internal conflicts faced by Makhaya in the novel. Support your ideas with details from the novel.
In the novel When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head, we are a spectator to trials and tribulations of Makhaya, the protagonist. While many of these trials are external, they also impact on his state of mind and on his emotional detachment. As an individual, Makhaya is internally tormented. He is tormented due to his antisocial tendencies, his inability to feel a sense of belonging, and the weight of external conflict which he constantly broods over. By using such a broken and fractured man as the protagonist, we are able to more easily understand the themes of the novel.
“When Rain Clouds Gather”[1968] is an attempt to suggest an alternative to desire for power.” Discuss this statement with reference to the thematic concerns of the novel. Support your ideas with details from the novel.
Bessie Head, by setting her novel When Rain Clouds Gather in a small refugee village in Botswana, challenges her readers to question their assumptions of power. The village of Golema Mmidi, barren and breathing poverty is described as a “utopia”. This twist in the portrayal of power, follows throughout the novel where we come to question all authority. In this, we undertake a thematic journey to discover an ` ‘alternative’ to the desire for power. This alternative is illustrated through addressing the themes of self determination, feminism and tribalism. Through the characters we come to understand that most power is irrelevant in the personal journey of self discovery.
Sample Essays
Question. “I have not known a day’s peace and contentment in my life.” Discuss this statement in light of the various internal conflicts faced by Makhaya in the novel. Support your ideas with details from the novel.
ESSAY 1
In the novel When Rain Clouds
In the novel When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head, we are a spectator to trials and tribulations of Makhaya, the protagonist. While many of these trials are external, they also impact on his state of mind and on his emotional detachment. As an individual, Makhaya is internally tormented. He is tormented due to his antisocial tendencies, his inability to feel a sense of belonging, and the weight of external conflict which he constantly broods over. By using such a broken and fractured man as the protagonist, we are able to more easily understand the themes of the novel.
“When Rain Clouds Gather”[1968] is an attempt to suggest an alternative to desire for power.” Discuss this statement with reference to the thematic concerns of the novel. Support your ideas with details from the novel.
Bessie Head, by setting her novel When Rain Clouds Gather in a small refugee village in Botswana, challenges her readers to question their assumptions of power. The village of Golema Mmidi, barren and breathing poverty is described as a “utopia”. This twist in the portrayal of power, follows throughout the novel where we come to question all authority. In this, we undertake a thematic journey to discover an ` ‘alternative’ to the desire for power. This alternative is illustrated through addressing the themes of self determination, feminism and tribalism. Through the characters we come to understand that most power is irrelevant in the personal journey of self discovery.
Sample Essays
Question. “I have not known a day’s peace and contentment in my life.” Discuss this statement in light of the various internal conflicts faced by Makhaya in the novel. Support your ideas with details from the novel.
ESSAY 1
In the novel When Rain Clouds