The story “Wedding at the Cross” written by Ngugi was a sad story about a girl named Miriamu who came from a wealthy family and fell in love with Wariuki who wasn’t so rich. Her father did not approve of this man because he felt as if this man could not support his daughter. After Miriamu and Wariuki ran off and had a family, Warriuki wanted to seek Miriamu father’s approval, so he did whatever he could to become wealthy. Sadly this made Mariuki change to be just like Miriamy father. At the altar she realized she was in love with the man he use to be and not the man he has become.

While reading this story I could completely understand Miriamu decision not to marry him. I very much felt for her because I had a similar experience. My first year of college I met this guy and we were crazy in love and everyone would compare our relationship to the notebook because we were that crazy about each other, that and we both loved the 40’s. After six months of dating him he was deployed for a year. I waited, and when he came back it was as if the man I feel in love with wasn’t there anymore; we grew apart. I stayed with him for another year hoping that the feelings I once had would come back, but I couldn’t do it anymore and he knew that I didn’t feel the same as I did before. It was very sad and depressing, but we ended on good terms and he is still one of my best friends; however, I can’t say the same for Miriamu since her situation was a little different, but I could definitely understand where she was coming from.

Nadine Gordimer

Out of all of Nadine Gordimer's writings, "Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants", "Amnesty" and “ Six Feet of the Country,” “Six Feet of the Country” was the story that really got me. When I first started reading it I was happy to hear how the owners treated the natives that live on their land, with some respect. As the story went on I stared losing the respect I had for narrator. Towards the end the only reason that the narrator wanted to get the body back was because he was insulted about how powerless he was with his own system his people created; not to mention how this made him look in front of the natives. this may not have seemed like a big deal to many because so what its just a body,but to the natives who could have a different religion that believe if the body is not disposed properly, then the soul of the brother would spend eternity in limbo. Personally just thinking about a family member burning in hell bring me to tears, I could only imagine what these poor people felt. There was also a comment made by one of the men in the story that basically said the black all look the same and who cares. To think that anyone could be that heartless towards another human being brings me to tears. I don’t understand how any would could treat another human or any living thing with disrespect.

What was great about this story along with Gordimer’s other writing, was that we saw these stories through a disturbed characters point of view. This made it more interesting because I was able to see what was going though the characters mind, as if I was him. Many writers use the innocent or the hero as the narrator, Gordimer didn’t.

Chinua Achebe

Out of the three stories we read in class, all written by Chinua Achebe “The Mad Man,” was the only story that really I could understand and relate to. The first story we read “An image of Africa” was flat out dry and boring. It was extremely hard for me to fallow what Achebe was saying. It would have probably helped if I knew who Conrad was, but I have never heard of the man until now, and quite frankly, after reading this I’m not a fan of him.

The second story “ Girls at War” was also a little hard to fallow because you would have to really understand the meaning of Irony to comprehend the story. I was familiar with Irony but very much confused with the definition. After reading “Girls at war” and discussing it in class I had a better understanding of meaning but not to its full extent.

The third story“ The Mad Man” really was the story that gave me a clear understanding of irony. Nwibe was a normal every day man that one day got his clothes stolen from him by the mad man. Nwibe just lost it and went after the man scream, making Nwibe, himself, look like the mad man. If I was in Nwibe shoes I would have done the same. I felt the embarrassment and the frustration the he felt, I mean this poor man had his clothes stolen from him by a grown man and was just there laughing at his butt, and now everyone is looking at him like he is crazy, Id be ferrous.

Reading these stories I was able to see how difficult it was to try and translate African language or even understanding in to English. After discussing all these stories in class I had a better understanding of all of them walking out of the class then I did walking in.

The Stranglehold of English Lit

The poem “The Stranglehold of English Lit” written by Felix Mnthali, I found to be very difficult to comprehend at first; However, after reading the poem over a few times and put myself in Mnthali shoes, I understood it just a little better. It is obvious that that Felix Mnthali is not a Jane Austen fan, but my question was why? What did Jane Austen ever do to him that made him loath her so much? I pictured it as if the Middle East became a powerful country then came in to the United States and started to take control, Forcing their culture, their way and views on life on us. Being forces to read their history their Literate and having them turn to me and ask what I do, what my people do. I would be insulted; I too would hate their Jane Austen. Two perfect quote from this poem shows Mnthali frustration towards these asked questions “for if we had asked why Jane Austen’s people carouse all day and do no work” and “while history want on mocking the victims of branding irons and sugar-plantations that made Jane Austen’s people wealthy beyond compare!” basically he is saying that while Jane Austen’s people were sitting back drinking tea and having a good time, his people were doing their dirty work. Bringing in income for their people, while they all just sat and watched, and now they have the nerve to come in to their country come and ask what they do.

“The stranglehold of English lit.”, “Gentlemen of the Jungle”, and “Creating space for a Hundred Flowers to Bloom” all seem to tie in together. they are all about the authors prospective on colonization.