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Generic Fiction Questions

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15 of the Best Questions for Teaching Literary Analysis

Teaching literary analysis in the secondary English classroom is an essential cornerstone of high school English and middle school English curriculum. When students learn the process of literary analysis, they will embrace the new challenge each literary text brings. How do you teach literary analysis essay?

When I first teach literature to my students, I use direct instruction strategies. I provide my students with literary analysis terms and examples. Then we begin short stories and excerpts together. Usually, we will analyze a couple of short stories together as a class before moving on to more substantial pieces, like novels. One blog post that might be helpful is this one about how to  write a literary analysis response .

When I’m teaching a piece of fiction, I like to have set questions I can use throughout the year to ask my students. As students answer the same question about various texts throughout the year, they improve their analytical skills and begin to form a better understanding of how literature analysis works.

If you are teaching response to analysis and literary analysis, here are ten questions you should ask your students about the piece they are reading. These questions are some of the questions included in my Response to Literature Task Cards that work with any piece of fiction. Here are several questions to guide your students as they analyze literature.

Here are 15 questions you can use when teaching literary analysis to your students.

Literary analysis questions about theme.

• How do the characters in the story develop or enhance the theme?
• How does the conflict of the story develop or enhance the theme?
• How do the symbols within the story develop or enhance the theme?
• How does the author’s tone of the story develop or enhance the theme?
• How is the story’s theme reflect the context in which it was written?

Literary Analysis Questions About Setting

• How does the setting affect the plot?
• How does the setting affect the conflict?
• How does the setting affect the tone of the story?

Literary Analysis Questions About Characters

• What is one of the protagonist’s flaws or weaknesses?
• What is one of the antagonist’s flaws or weaknesses?
• What motivates the protagonist to act?
• What motivates the antagonist to act?
• What character is most believable and why?

Literary Analysis Questions About Conflict

• How does the conflict reflect the context of the time in which the story was written?
• How does the author create a believable conflict?

Here are some literary analysis teaching resources you may like: 

Literary analysis with sticky notes.

Teaching literary analysis can be fun, engaging, and accessible for all students! Increase student engagement and understanding in your next literary analysis unit (whether it be short stories or novels) with interactive and hands-on close reading organizers and scaffolded writing responses. Students will enjoy using sticky notes in class as they analyze the author’s use of various literary devices in complex short stories and novels.

What fellow teachers say about this resource:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Extremely satisfied

“ My students found this very helpful to organize their writing and the movement involved with using sticky notes was a hit. The kids loved getting to use sticky notes and to flip them up and down. It made the planning for their writing so much faster. Would highly recommend for all students but especially for any kids who have a hard time focusing.”

“ This is a great way to have kids write literary analysis in a different way instead of just asking for essays. It’s like a little trick to get them to do academic work while thinking they are just doodling on sticky notes. I even use this with AP Lit and just modify my expectations somewhat. I appreciate all the different handouts/options.”

More resources:

My  Literary Analysis Mini Flip Book  combines the fun and excitement of sticky notes with the format of a mini flipbook. It is the perfect culminating activity for students to analyze a final short story in your short story teaching unit.

These  Response to Literature Task Cards  are an ideal way to get students talking about complex literary themes and ideas within any piece of fiction. There are two sets of tasks cards in this set, and you can use them again and again with any short story or novel.

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Student Opinion

100-Plus Writing Prompts to Explore Common Themes in Literature and Life

By The Learning Network

• Jan. 31, 2019

Update, Feb. 15, 2019: Learn more about how to use our 1000s of writing prompts by watching our free on-demand webinar: “ Give Them Something to Write About: Teach Across the Curriculum With New York Times-Inspired Daily Prompts. ”

Every day since 2009 we’ve been asking students a question inspired by an article, essay, video or feature in The New York Times.

Periodically, we sort those questions into lists to make finding what you need easier, like these previous lists of prompts for personal or narrative writing and for argumentative writing , or like this monster list of more than 1,000 prompts , all categorized by subject.

This time, however, we’re making a list to help your students more easily connect the literature they’re reading to the world around them — and to help teachers find great works of nonfiction that can echo common literary themes.

Below, we’ve chosen the best prompts — those that ask the most relevant questions and link to the richest Times materials — from our Student Opinion collection that address every stage of life, from coming-of-age and wrestling with one’s identity to understanding one’s role in a family; making friends; getting an education; falling in love; working; and experiencing old age. We hope they can provide jumping-off points for discussion and writing, and inspiration for further reading.

Most teachers know that our Student Opinion questions are free and outside The Times’s digital subscription service, but what you may not realize is that if you access the Times articles we link to from those questions via our site, the articles are also free. So in this list we hope we’re not just suggesting 100-plus interesting questions, we hope we’ve also helped you find 100-plus great works of nonfiction that can speak to the literature your students are reading.

So whether you’re taking on classic works like “The Catcher in the Rye,” “Romeo and Juliet” or “1984,” or whether you’re teaching more contemporary literature like “The Poet X,” “Speak,” “Refugee” or “There There,” we hope there are more than a few items on this list that will resonate.

Please note: All our recent questions, from late 2016 on, are still open to comment on our site. While questions published on an older version of The Learning Network are no longer open to comment, both the questions and the related Times materials are still available via the link.

I. Coming-of-Age

1. What Rites of Passage Mark the Transition to Adulthood in Your Community? 2. When Have You Reinvented Yourself? 3. Is It Harder to Grow Up in the 21st Century Than It Was in the Past? 4. Have You Ever Felt Pressured by Family or Others in Making an Important Decision About Your Future? 5. What Do Older Generations Misunderstand About Teenagers Today? 6. Are You Too Hard on Yourself? 7. What Childhood Rules Did You Break? 8. What Have You Learned in Your Teens? 9. Do You Think Anxiety Is a Serious Problem Among Young People? 10. Does Suffering Make Us Stronger and Lead to Success? 11. Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies? 12. Do You Have ‘Emerging Adult’ Skills? 13. Is Childhood Today Too Risk-Free? 14. How Young Is Too Young to Use Social Media? 15. What Are Your Secret Survival Strategies? 16. What Have You Learned From a Younger Person — and What Have You Taught an Older Person? 17. Do You Think Teenagers Can Make a Difference in the World?

II. Identity

1. Are You the Same Person on Social Media as You Are in Real Life? 2. How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are? 3. Have You Ever Taken a Stand That Isolated You From Your Peers? 4. What’s the Story Behind Your Name? 5. Are You Being Raised to Pursue Your Dreams? 6. Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender? 7. Do You Feel Constricted by Gender Norms? 8. What Messages About Gender Have You Gotten From Music? 9. Why Is Race So Hard to Talk About? 10. Is America ‘Backsliding’ on Race? 11. What Is the Role of Religion or Spirituality in Your Life? 12. How Often Do You Start Conversations About Faith or Spirituality? 13. What Is Your Earliest Memory? 14. How Resilient Are You? 15. Are You a Patient Person? 16. What Role Does Envy Play in Your Life? 17. How Do You Handle Fear? 18. How Much Control Do You Think You Have Over Your Fate? 19. What Are You Grateful For? 20. How Often Do You Leave Your ‘Comfort Zone’? 21. When Was the Last Time You Did Something That Scared or Challenged You? 22. Does What You Wear Say Anything About You as a Person?

III. Being Part of a Family

1. Who Is Your Family? 2. How Are You and Your Parents Alike and Different? 3. How Much Freedom Have Your Parents Given You? 4. Will You Follow in Your Parents’ Footsteps? 5. How Much Do You Know About Your Family’s History? 6. How Often Do You Fight With Your Parents? 7. Do You Have Helicopter Parents? 8. Do Your Parents Spy on You? 9. Should Parents Track Their Teenager’s Location? 10. How Do You Make Parenting Difficult for Your Parents? 11. What Good Can Come From Disagreements? 12. What Advice Would You Give to Your Mom, Dad or Guardian on How to Be a Better Parent? 13. How Do You Get What You Want From Your Parents? 14. Should Parents Bribe Their Children? 15. Do Your Parents Yell at You? 16. What’s the Best Way to Discipline Children? 17. How Should Parents Teach Their Children About Race and Racism? 18. Do the Adults in Your Life Follow You on Social Media? 19. What Advice Do You Have for Teenagers and Their Parents? 20. What Messages About Food and Eating Have You Learned From Your Family?

IV. Making Friends, IRL and Online

1. Do You Ever Feel Lonely? (video) 2. How Good a Friend Are You? 3. Do You Find It Easier to Make New Friends Online or in Person? 4. How Alike Are You and Your Friends? 5. Do You Have Any Unlikely Friendships? 6. What Does the World Need to Know About an Important Person in Your Life? 7. Does Technology Make Us More Alone? (video) 8. How Often Do You Spend One-on-One Time With Your Closest Friends? 9. Is Your Phone Love Hurting Your Relationships? (quiz) 10. Do You Spend Enough Time With Other People? 11. How Do You Feel About Introducing Friends From Different Parts of Your Life? 12. Do You Like Your Friends? 13. Do You Consider Your Siblings Friends? 14. How Have You Helped a Friend in a Time of Need? 15. Do You Take More Risks When You Are Around Your Friends? 16. Who Outside Your Family Has Made a Difference in Your Life? 17. Do You Ever Talk About Issues of Race and Class With Your Friends? 18. Is Your Online World Just a ‘Filter Bubble’ of People With the Same Opinions?

V. Getting an Education

1. What Do You Wish Your Teachers Knew About You? 2. Is School a Place for Self-Expression? 3. Are You Stressed About School? 4. Are Straight A’s Always a Good Thing? 5. How Well Do Rewards and Incentives Work to Motivate You? 6. Are High School Students Being Worked Too Hard? 7. When Has a Teacher Inspired You? (video) 8. Has a Teacher Ever Changed Your Mind-Set? 9. Does Your Teacher’s Identity Affect Your Learning? 10. Should Schools Teach You How to Be Happy? 11. Do You Feel Your School and Teachers Welcome Both Conservative and Liberal Points of View? 12. Have You Experienced Racism or Other Kinds of Discrimination in School? 13. Do Teachers Assign Too Much Homework? 14. How Should Schools Address Cyberbullying? (video) 15. Has a Novel Ever Helped You Understand Yourself or Your World Better? 16. Is Your School’s Dress Code Too Strict? 17. What Worries Do You Have About College? 18. Do Other People Care Too Much About Your Post-High School Plans? 19. Is the College Admissions Process Fair? 20. Should Everyone Go to College? 21. How Prepared Are You for College? How Well Do You Think You’ll Do? 22. How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities? 23. Can Students at Your School Talk Openly About Their Mental Health Issues? 24. Is Live-Streaming Classrooms a Good Idea?

VI. Learning About Love (and Sex)

1. Have You Ever Been in Love? 2. Should Your Significant Other Be Your Best Friend? 3. What Are the Basic ‘Rules’ for Handling Breakups? 4. What’s the Best Way to Heal a Broken Heart? 5. How Important Do You Think It Is to Marry Someone With the Same Religion? 6. How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating? 7. Is Dating a Thing of the Past? 8. Is Hookup Culture Leaving Your Generation Unhappy and Unprepared for Love? 9. Could Following These Directions Make You Fall in Love With a Stranger? 10. What Constitutes Sexual Consent? 11. Do You Find It Hard to Say ‘I Love You’?

VII. Working and Finding Your Purpose

1. What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? 2. Do You Think You Will Have a Career That You Love? 3. Would You Pursue a Career If You Knew You Likely Would Not Make Much Money? 4. Does Achieving Success Always Include Being Happy? 5. How Do You Express Yourself Creatively? 6. What Are Your Thoughts on ‘Hustle Culture’? 7. Is Struggle Essential to Happiness? 8. Does Achieving Success Always Include Being Happy? 9. Do You Give Yourself Enough Credit for Your Own Successes? 10. How Important a Role Has Money, Work or Social Class Played in Your Life? 11. When Have You Failed? What Did You Learn From It? 12. What Challenges Have You Overcome? 13. What Are Your Expectations About Earning, Saving and Spending Money? 14. What Choices Do You Make About Money Every Day? 15. Do You Perform Better When You’re Competing or When You’re Collaborating? 16. What Activities Make You Feel Most Alive? 17. Where Do You Think You Will Live When You Are an Adult?

VIII. Experiencing Old Age and Confronting Death

1. Do You Look Forward to Old Age? 2. Would You Want to Live Forever? 3. What Do You Want to Be Known for After Your Death? 4. If the World Was Ending, What Would You Want to Say? 5. Would You Like to Be Cryogenically Preserved (Frozen!) Upon Your Death? 6. Do You Believe That Everything Happens for a Reason?

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FREE Poetry Worksheet Bundle! Perfect for National Poetry Month.

Take High School Literature to the Next Level With These Discussion and Writing Activities

Plus get access to over 100 free teaching guides.

Want more? Get free access to over 100 printable teaching guides for popular high school literature.

Whether you’ve been teaching the same novel for years or are adding a brand-new one to your syllabus, sometimes it can be tough to think of engaging discussion questions, writing prompts, and activities. That’s why we love the 100+ free teaching guides available from HarperCollins (for almost any novel you can think of!). Thorough and well written, they often provide just the dose of inspiration that we need.

Below, we share excerpts from eight of our favorite discussion guides so you can get a sneak peek—but definitely check out the full list, too .

Brave New World

Activity: pull discussion questions out of a hat.

Write your favorite questions from the Brave New World teaching guide on slips of paper and have students pull them out of a hat. Throughout the discussion, each student has the responsibility of asking their question.

Sample Discussion Questions:

• The World State’s motto suggests that community, identity, and stability are the most important qualities in their society. What do you believe are the three most important values for a society? Explain your answer.
• Explain the “conscription of consumption” (p. 49). How are citizens conditioned to become consumers? Why would appreciating culture or nature be at odds with consumption?
• According to Mond, what is dangerous about science? What limits are imposed on scientific inquiry?

Activity: Free-write With a Partner

Let students free-write about one of the following topics from the Brave New World teaching guide. Then have them find a partner and present their opinions to each other for one minute. After one minute, have them rotate to a new partner. Continue to share, discuss, and debate for ten minutes.

Sample Writing Prompts:

• Does Brave New World offer a believable and/or realistic view of the future? Why or why not?
• In the World State, the needs of the community are valued over the needs of the individual. What do you believe is more important, the good of the individual or the good of the community? Apply this question to a current political debate, such as the question of NSA surveillance.
• Why do you think dystopian fiction is appealing as genre?

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for Brave New World

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Activity: Gallery Walk Discussion

Write several discussion questions from The Bridge of San Luis Rey teaching guide on poster paper and tape them to the walls. Have your students move from question to question, responding, reading others’ responses, and responding to others.

• What do you think Pepita means when she says that she is not going to send the letter because it “wasn’t brave” (p. 37)? What does Pepita’s remark help the Marquesa realize?
• Explain the meaning of the saying “unless the bridge falls.” How does this relate to the idea of being “under the sword of Damocles” (p. 97)?
• What was it about the master at the University of San Martín that impacted Brother Juniper’s worldview? What spiritual truth did Brother Juniper want to scientifically prove? Cite specific evidence from the text to support your answer.

Activity: Write One-Pagers

Have students discuss one of these topics from The Bridge of San Luis Rey teaching guide in a small group and take notes. Then have everyone create one-pagers , including images, quotations, and arguments showcasing their big conclusions on their topic. When they’re finished, do a gallery walk of the one-pagers.

• Analyze the way that the theme of love is developed in the novel. Examine the different types of love (agápe, éros, philía, and storgē) that are explored in each section of the book. Which character is associated with each type of love? How are their lives impacted as a result?
• Consider the archbishop’s favorite notions that are discussed on p. 81. Explain how each of these notions can be seen in current political discourse.
• Wilder’s novel features several strong female characters (Camila, Abbess Madre María del Pilar, the Marquesa de Montemayor). Analyze the novel from a feminist perspective. What do each of these characters reveal about the role of women?  

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for The Bridge of San Luis Ray

Last Days of Summer (Updated Edition)

Activity: Bell Ringer Conversations

When you need a quick bell ringer, project one of these questions from the Last Days of Summer teaching guide . Ask students to discuss it with a partner and jot down their ideas in preparation for a wider discussion when class begins.

• What similarities and what differences might there be in a novel about a young girl’s reaching out to a professional sports figure? What concerns might be shared by Joey and a girl his own age in the early 1940s—and today—and what concerns might be unique to each gender?
• On Joey’s report card for the fall semester, 1941, Janet Hicks writes: “Joseph has a mind of his own—but he will need to learn that he cannot expect to amount to much unless he does what he is told” (p. 203). Which is the more attractive: following one’s own mind and inclinations or doing what one is told? When might doing what one is told be the wrong thing to do? How might the two be balanced for optimal advancement in life? What kind of balance does Joey achieve?
• How might we all enrich our lives by persistently reaching out to those whom we admire?

Activity: Find Online Sources for Writing Research Reports

Last Days of Summer lends itself well to some mini-lessons about research and choosing good sources online. Have students apply those mini-lessons to short research forays into these critical questions.

• Joey chastises Charlie for being interested in America First. Research America First and prepare a report on why some Americans were attracted to it and why others found it repugnant. Why might Joey call Charlie “traitor” (p. 103) for being interested in America First? Why might Joey take such an adamant stand against America First?
• For all his dislike of President Roosevelt, Charlie admits that “Eleanor is okay, I guess” (p. 51). And he mentions Eleanor Roosevelt’s forays into the coal mines and into inner-city slums. Prepare a report on Eleanor Roosevelt’s activities and public statements involving civil and human rights. (You might want to include her work in establishing the United Nations and the writing of the Declaration of Human Rights.)
• Research and report on President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6099 and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. How historically accurate are Craig Nakamura’s descriptions of his and his family’s experiences preceding and during internment at Manzanar? Stephen T. Early writes to Joey that “only history can judge whether we have made a fitting choice or a regrettable mistake” (p. 274). Explain your reasons for judging which of these Executive Order 6099 was.

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Activities for Last Days of Summer

The Dispossessed

Activity: Fishbowl Discussion

Divide your favorite discussion questions from The Dispossessed teaching guide  and use them for a fishbowl discussion. Arrange your seating into an inner and outer circle, then let the inner circle discuss the first list of questions as the outer circle watches and takes notes. Give the outer circle a few minutes at the end of the first discussion to add ideas or contradict arguments. Then switch and let the other half of the class move to the middle to discuss the second list of questions. Again, give the listeners a chance to weigh in at the end.

• How is Shevek as a narrator? Do you find him reliable?
• A main symbol of Odonianism is the circle. How are circles used in Odonianism? How do circles apply in other ways to The Dispossessed?
• Labor relations: What are the philosophies of Anarres and Urras on work and workers?

Activity: Write and Film a Short Video

Consider letting students learn about filmmaking by having them shoot and produce one-minute video responses to discussion questions from The Dispossessed teaching guide . Then stage The Argument Awards video screening, watching all the films and letting students vote on awards like Strongest Textual Evidence, Best Film Production, Most Intriguing Argument, etc.

• What parts of the genre of science fiction does The Dispossessed challenge the most?
• How does The Dispossessed imagine different utopias? What does the novel critique about utopia?
• Would you describe The Dispossessed as a feminist novel? Why or why not?

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for The Dispossessed

Hidden figures.

Activity: Rotating Circle Discussion

Let students stand up and form into two circles, one inner and one outer. The inner circle faces out. The outer circle faces in. Everyone should have a partner. Then announce a discussion question from the Hidden Figures teaching guide and ask them to talk about it for one minute. Then rotate one of the circles. Discuss the same question for a few rotations, then move on to a new question.

• Are the women who become “girl computers” held to a higher standard? Or do they hold themselves to one? Why or why not?
• How do you think Langley employees reconcile the difference between the work they do that is innovative and advances humankind with the work they do that destroys it?
• How does the black press link the desegregation of southern schools and the launch of Sputnik ? What do you think is the reason behind doing so?

Activity: 15-Minute Writing With Partners

Throughout your unit, pull your favorite writing prompts from the Hidden Figures teaching guide and give students fifteen minutes to write. Then have them star their best paragraph and share it with a partner for feedback. Let them know at the end of the unit they’ll be choosing their best-written piece to turn in for a grade.

• Hidden Figures uncovers the story of the women whose work at NACA and NASA helped shape and define US space exploration. Taken as a whole, why is their story significant to our cultural, social, and scientific history?
• Would you consider NACA and NASA socially progressive institutions for their time? Why or why not?
• In advocating for herself to work on the Mercury capsule launch, Katherine says to her bosses, “Tell me where you want the man to land, and I’ll tell you where to send him up.” How are the women in Hidden Figures able to express confidence in their work and abilities? In what ways is that confidence validated by their coworkers? Why is this emotional experience such an important part of their story?

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for Hidden Figures

To Kill a Mockingbird

Activity: Quick Discussions to Check Reading

Pulling one or two questions from the To Kill a Mockingbird teaching guide can make for an easy and quick reading check quiz. Because they require such in-depth thinking, getting a quick summary online or asking a friend about the reading won’t help.

• Why do you think Atticus’s first two clients gave him a “profound distaste for the practice of criminal law” (p. 5)? What does this suggest about Atticus’s values?
• What does Scout’s observation that she “inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb County school system” suggest about her experience in public school? And what do you think she means when she says she had the impression she was being “cheated out of something” (p. 37)?
• Summarize Scout’s criticisms of her father. What do her criticisms reveal about the values of her community? How do most people in Maycomb County define “manliness”?

Activity: Inspiration for Writing Project Development

You can also use the writing prompts from the To Kill a Mockingbird teaching guide as inspiration for developing projects. Perhaps students might create graphic essays or spoken-word pieces in response to prompts like these.

• Atticus Finch is one of the great role models in literature. Throughout the novel, he sets an example for his children through his words and actions. Look carefully at his character and find specific examples of moments when Atticus acts as a role model for Scout and Jem. Analyze each of these examples by looking at what Atticus says or does and the lesson you think his words and actions teach his children; then, find evidence in the text that shows that Jem or Scout have been positively influenced by their father’s example. Make sure to include correctly cited quotes from the text as evidence for your analysis.
• Examine the role that gender plays in the novel. How does the fact that she is a girl impact Scout? What experiences is she excluded from? What experiences is she included in? How are society’s expectations different for her than they are for her brother? Do Dill and Jem face similar pressures to conform to gender expectations? Cite specific examples and evidence from the text to develop your thesis.
• Write an analytical essay that examines the role of prejudice in the book. Is prejudice limited to racial prejudice, or are there other types of prejudice as well? What do you think the novel suggests about the way to overcome prejudice? Use specific examples and quotes from the text to develop your thesis.

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for To Kill a Mockingbird

The Alchemist

Activity: Silent Small-Group Discussion

Try a silent small-group discussion using your favorite discussion questions from The Alchemist teaching guide . Give each member of a small group a piece of paper with a question written at the top. Then have everyone respond for three minutes. Call for everyone to pass their papers to the right, read the question and first response, and add a second response. Continue until everyone has participated in the silent discussion for all the questions given to the group. Then let the groups talk aloud about the questions.

• The alchemist says that “people become fascinated by pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the language of the world.” What is this language of the world, or “universal language” as it is called elsewhere in the novel? How is it different than ordinary language? Is it spoken or expressed in some other way? Why would a fascination with words and pictures make people forget it?
• The alchemist says that for the boy to find his treasure he must listen to his heart. Why does the alchemist feel that the heart is more important, or more trustworthy, than the mind? How and why is the heart able to understand things the mind can’t grasp?
• If you could ask Paulo Coelho one question, what would it be?  

Activity: Create a Curated Writing Project

Guide students in creating a curation project in response to their chosen research prompt from The Alchemist teaching guide . Rather than write a paper, have them curate key articles, videos, illustrations, podcasts, etc. from the web relating to the topic onto a Google Doc or simple website and bind them all together with their own analysis.

• Research the history of alchemy and explore the ways Coelho uses the concepts and practices of this mystical science in The Alchemist . You might want to consider the relationship between alchemy and the Pyramids; alchemy in Christian and Islamic cultures; or alchemy as a means of both material and spiritual transformation.
• In The Alchemist , King Mechizedek explains the principle of “favorability,” or beginner’s luck, a concept that is also important in Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes “beginner’s mind.” Do some research on this topic and discuss how it works in the novel. In what situations does it help Santiago? Why would a beginner be luckier than someone with more experience? Have you ever benefited from beginner’s luck or witnessed someone else who did something surprisingly well the first time?
• Many spiritual quests involve a journey into the desert. Research the subject of desert spirituality and discuss the relationship between the outer landscape and inner world in The Alchemist . In what ways is the desert the perfect landscape for a spiritual journey? What does Santiago learn about himself from the desert?

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for The Alchemist

The Essential Ginsberg

Activity: Google Slide Series Discussion

If your classroom is 1:1, try putting up a Google Slides series with a question from The Essential Ginsberg teaching guide at the top of each slide. Give students group access, then fifteen minutes to add responses, images, quotes, etc. to the slides in response. Then put the slides up one at a time and discuss what you see as a class.

• Is “To Aunt Rose” a successful elegy in your opinion? Why or why not?
• In what ways is “Kaddish” a poem of thanksgiving and praise, like the traditional mourner’s kaddish?
• Is the poem an effective antiwar poem? Why or why not? Support your response with solid evidence from the poem.

Activity: Writing Skills Practice

If you’d like students to focus on one particular skill—like writing a strong thesis or providing an embedded quotation—give them several writing prompts from The Essential Ginsberg teaching guide and have them practice the skill over and over, instead of writing full essays on one prompt.

• Write a short argument for or against Shelley’s statement, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”
• Think about the final sentence of the essay: “Everything belongs to me because I am poor.” Discuss what that unusual sentence might mean in terms of the Beats.
• Imagine that “Kaddish” has just been published. How would you describe the “plot” of the poem? Would you praise it or not? What poem-based evidence would you give to support your perspective on the poem?  

Get the Free Teaching Guide for More Discussion Questions & Writing Prompts for The Essential Ginsberg

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The Great Gatsby

By f. scott fitzgerald, the great gatsby essay questions.

Analyze Fitzgerald's conception of the American Dream. Does he view it as totally dead, or is it possible to revive it?

Is Nick a reliable narrator? How does his point of view color the reality of the novel, and what facts or occurences would he have a vested interest in obscuring?

Trace the use of the color white in the novel. When does it falsify a sense of innocence? When does it symbolize true innocence?

Do a close reading of the description of the "valley of ashes." How does Fitzgerald use religious imagery in this section of the novel?

What does the green light symbolize to Gatsby? To Nick?

How does Fitzgerald juxtapose the different regions of America? Does he write more positively about the East or the Midwest?

What is the distinction between East and West Egg? How does one bridge the gap between the two?

In what ways are Wilson and Gatsby similar? Disimilar? Who is Nick more sympathetic to?

How does Fitzgerald treat New York City? What is permissable in the urban space that is taboo on the Eggs?

Is Tom most responsible for Gatsby's death? Daisy? Myrtle? Gatsby himself? Give reasons why or why not each character is implicated in the murder.

The Great Gatsby Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Great Gatsby is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What are some quotes in chapter 1 of the great gatsby that show the theme of violence?

I don't recall any violence in in chapter 1.

the most significant men in daisy Buchanan's life are Tom and Gatsby. compare and contrast the two men and include a discussion about what Daisy finds attractive in each.

Tom is a philandering brute. He doesn't treat Daisy well but affords her a rich lifestyle that comes from old money (money inherited through generations). Gatsby is obsessed with Daisy. He puts Daisy on a pedestal and sees her as a goddess. His...

What is your question here?

Study Guide for The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is typically considered F. Scott Fitzgerald's greatest novel. The Great Gatsby study guide contains a biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Great Gatsby
• The Great Gatsby Summary
• The Great Gatsby Video
• Character List

Essays for The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

• Foreshadowing Destiny
• The Eulogy of a Dream
• Materialism Portrayed By Cars in The Great Gatsby
• Role of Narration in The Great Gatsby
• A Great American Dream

Lesson Plan for The Great Gatsby

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Great Gatsby
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Great Gatsby Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Great Gatsby

• Introduction
• Historical and biographical context
• Plot summary
• Major characters
• Writing and production

Jane Austen

• Literature Notes
• Essay Questions
• Book Summary
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Volume 1: Chapter I
• Volume 1: Chapter II
• Volume 1: Chapters III-IV
• Volume 1: Chapter V
• Volume 1: Chapter VI
• Volume 1: Chapter VII
• Volume 1: Chapter VIII
• Volume 1: Chapters IX-X
• Volume 1: Chapters XI-XII
• Volume 1: Chapter XIII
• Volume 1: Chapter XIV
• Volume 1: Chapter XV
• Volume 1: Chapter XVI
• Volume 1: Chapters XVII-XVIII
• Volume 2: Chapters I-II
• Volume 2: Chapters III-IV
• Volume 2: Chapter V
• Volume 2: Chapters VI-VII
• Volume 2: Chapter VIII
• Volume 2: Chapters IX-X
• Volume 2: Chapters XI-XII
• Volume 2: Chapters XIII-XIV
• Volume 2: Chapter XV
• Volume 2: Chapter XVI
• Volume 2: Chapters XVII-XVIII
• Volume 3: Chapters I-II
• Volume 3: Chapter III
• Volume 3: Chapter IV
• Volume 3: Chapter V
• Volume 3: Chapter VI
• Volume 3: Chapter VII
• Volume 3: Chapter VIII
• Volume 3: Chapter IX
• Volume 3: Chapter X
• Volume 3: Chapter XI
• Volume 3: Chapter XII
• Volume 3: Chapter XIII
• Volume 3: Chapters XIV-XV
• Volume 3: Chapter XVI
• Volume 3: Chapter XVII
• Volume 3: Chapter XVIII
• Volume 3: Chapter XIX
• Jane Austen Biography
• Critical Essays
• Plot of Emma
• Setting in Emma
• Point of View in Emma
• Characters in Emma
• Theme of Emma
• Style of Emma
• Cite this Literature Note

Study Help Essay Questions

1. Is Emma a unified novel? If so, where does the unity lie — in the plot, the characters, the setting, the theme, the style, the mood?

2. How does the fact that Jane Austen stretches out her climaxes relate to her concentrating her interest on exploring the effects of emotion rather than on the critical high moments of emotion?

3. Look up the term sentimental novel and determine whether any major elements of that form are used in Emma.

4. Describe the plot structure of the novel. Is only one structure involved?

5. Explain the ways in which Jane Austen uses contrast to effect irony. Are the contrasts simple and clear-cut?

6. Are there any general contrasts such as the difference between generations?

7. What evidence from this novel can you give for or against the critical statement that Jane Austen's point of view is a feminine one?

8. Many have noted that Miss Austen's novels lack any large historical perspective and lack making use of historical events of the day. Can you defend these lacks in Emma?

9. Critics have remarked that the character Emma refuses to let herself be basically involved with or committed to fundamental human concerns. On what levels can you either defend or refute this criticism?

10. In what ways is the setting important to the theme of the novel?

11. Describe the character of Miss Bates and point to instances in which she is important for the satirical delineation of manners.

12. Compare and contrast Miss Bates and Augusta Elton as two compulsive talkers.

13. Who is the raisonneur in the novel and what is his purpose?

14. Re-examine man's absurdities as they are treated in this novel. Are they absurd because they are exceptional? Why or why not?

15. In what ways is Emma a realistic novel, or is it not realistic at all? Justify your answer.

16. What would you say is the largest and most controlling ironic treatment in the novel? Is the reader aware of it most of the time?

17. Enumerate ways in which the eighteenth-century attitude toward social ranks is exemplified in the novel.

18. What are some elements of literary style that Miss Austen inherited from the eighteenth century?

19. What is meant by esthetic distance? How is it achieved in Emma?

20. Why do you suppose Miss Austen, who could liken her literary work to a little bit of ivory, avoids figurative imagery in Emma? Is this avoidance related to esthetic distance?

21. It is often stated that good literature bears re-reading. In what ways is this particularly true of Emma?

22. Consider in order the instances when Emma arrives at some degree of self-knowledge. Can you relate these instances to the plot pattern?

23. What characters other than Emma show an awareness of self-importance? How do they function thematically in relation to Emma?

24. Miss Austen has been accused of cold detachment from her fictional subject matter. What reasons can you give for this accusation? Can a satirist be thoroughly detached from what he is writing about?

25. Why do you suppose Miss Austen once said that Emma is "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like?" Is a liking of subject matter necessary for proper appreciation of a work of art? Is something else equally or more important?

Previous Quiz

Next Cite this Literature Note

How to Write a Novel Study: A Complete Guide for Students & Teachers

What Is a Novel Study?

A novel study is essentially the process of reading and studying a novel closely. There are three formats the novel study can follow, namely:

• The whole-class format
• The small group format
• The individual format

Each of these formats comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Which you will use in your classroom will depend on several variables, including the novel study’s purpose, class demographics, time constraints, etc. 

This article will look at activities you can use with your students in a novel study. Though the focus will primarily be on the whole-class format, the activities outlined below can easily be adapted for small-group and individual novel studies. 

But first, let’s take a look at some of the many considerable benefits of the novel study.

What Are the Benefits of a Novel Study?

The benefits of this type of learning are many and varied. Essentially, the novel itself serves as a jumping-off point for a diverse range of learning experiences that can benefit students’ learning in many ways. 

Here are just three of these benefits.

1. Encourages a Love of Reading

As teachers, we are well aware of how much literature can enrich our lives. However, for many of our students, reading is a chore in and of itself and is to be avoided whenever possible.

The novel study sets aside time in class to focus on reading in an engaging manner that not only encourages students to enjoy reading but helps them develop the tools and strategies required to get the most out of the books they read.

2. Builds a Wider Knowledge Base

Sharing books in this manner creates opportunities for students to become exposed to experiences far beyond those of their daily lives. Not only will they enter new and unfamiliar worlds through the portal of fiction, but they’ll also be exposed to the experiences and opinions of other students in the class. These experiences and opinions may differ markedly from their own.

It will also widen the student’s knowledge and understanding of text structure, vocabulary, punctuation, and grammar . Novel studies are an extremely effective way to practice comprehension skills and improve critical thinking.

3. Boosts Class Cohesion

Whole class novel studies help your students to flex their muscles of cooperation as they work their way through a text together. They also help students to understand each other, take on board the opinions of others, and learn to defend their own thoughts and opinions.

While reading is often viewed as a solitary activity, reading in this manner can become a social experience that helps students to bond as a class.

What Should I Do in a Novel Study?

There are many different ways to undertake a novel study in your classroom. 

For example, some teachers like to read the entire novel to their students first before going back through it as a class, focusing then on student interactions with the text.

Other teachers like to weave guided reading activities into their novel study sessions. However, this often works better with smaller groups where students can be grouped according to ability and assigned texts accordingly.

What shape a novel study takes in your classroom will depend on your student demographics and learning objectives. However, we can helpfully divide the various activities into pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading. You can select those that suit your situation best. 

Now, let’s look at some of these.

How to Start a Novel Study

Your novel study begins even before the first page is read. The activities below will help students tune in to the book they are about to read. 

This is a crucial stage of the novel study, especially if the book is of historical significance or deals with historical events and where some background knowledge may be essential for understanding the novel. 

Prereading Activities

• Examine the Covers

Before opening the book, have students examine the covers closely, both front and back. What can they tell about the book before opening it based on:

• The cover illustration?
• The author’s name?
• The blurb on the back?

It’s useful to do this as a whole-class discussion to allow for sharing ideas. Ask questions to encourage reflection and get students to make predictions about the novel based on their answers and observations. For example:

• What information does the cover provide?
• Does the cover illustration intrigue you? Why?
• Does this novel remind you of any other books you’ve read? Why?
• Do you recognize the author’s name? What else have they written?

It can be pretty surprising just how much information you can glean from a novel’s covers.

• Generate a List of Questions

Once students have had a good chance to examine the novel’s covers in small groups, get them to generate questions they have about the book and its contents.

These questions may be based on their expectations in the first activity, but they may also be general questions related to common elements in all novels. For example:

• Where is the story set?
• When is it set?
• Who is the main character/protagonist in the novel?
• Who is the antagonist?
• What is the nature of the central conflict?
• What happens in the climax? Resolution? Etc.

While most of these questions will not be answered entirely until the students have read the novel, asking these questions will get the students thinking about the novel’s structure from the outset. This will be extremely useful for later activities.

• Take a Peek Inside

Now, it’s time to open the book to look closer. Task students to go ‘finger-walking’ through the book and, without reading the novel, explore the book’s pages for more surface information. For example:

• When was the book published? Why is this significant?
• Are there any illustrations inside? What impression do they make?
• Does the book have chapters? What do the chapter titles tell us about the story?
• Open a random page and read it. What language register does the writer use? What point of view is employed?

Encouraging students to work in small groups can be helpful here. You can also ask prompting questions to help students maintain focus during this activity.

During Reading Activities

The whole-class format is perhaps the most widely used in the classroom context. In this format, each student will usually have a copy of the text and follow along while the teacher or another student reads. 

The reading will pause at intervals to allow the students to engage in discussion, ask questions, or complete various activities supporting learning goals related to the text they have been reading.

In general, novel study activities will focus on:

• Building vocabulary
• Improving comprehension
• Making text-to-text connections
• Making text-to-self connections
• Making text-to-world connections

In the following section, we’ll look at each of these in turn.

Reading is a fantastic way to build vocabulary; when your students encounter new vocabulary while reading, encourage them to employ several strategies to decipher the word before resorting to their dictionaries.

Firstly, what clues to the word’s meaning can the students find in the word itself? Do students recognize the word’s root or affixes? Does it resemble any other words they already know the meaning of?

Secondly, students should look at the context in which the word is used, not just in the sentence itself but also in the preceding and following paragraphs. What clues can the students find to the word’s meaning?

After analyzing the parts of the word and exhausting context clues, students can look up the word in dictionaries. However, they will still need to do some legwork to make the new word stick. Some valuable ways of committing a new word to memory include:

• Sketching a visual interpretation of the word
• Making a list of synonyms of the word using a thesaurus to assist
• Apply the target words in personal contexts (in conversation/writing sentences)
• Reading Comprehension

Vocabulary is only one aspect of comprehension. Novel studies afford students a valuable opportunity to develop their deep comprehension abilities.

Beyond just understanding the meaning of the words in a novel, students will work on their understanding of skills such as:

• Identifying the central idea/themes
• Examining character/plot development
• Distinguishing between fact and opinion
• Summarizing
• Inferencing
• Comparing and contrasting

While activities for teaching some of the more basic comprehension skills may be more self-evident, activities for teaching higher-level skills, such as inferencing, may require a bit more thought and planning.

We can define inference as the process of deriving a conclusion based on the available evidence in the text combined with the student’s background knowledge and experience. 

Put simply, inference involves reading between the lines.

Inference = What is in the text + What I already know

To encourage students to use inference while completing a novel study, ask questions building on prompts such as:

• Why do you think…
• What do you think would happen if…
• What can you conclude about x based on what you’ve read?
• How does the writer feel about…
• How do you think x feels?

If you want to learn more about teaching inference in the classroom, check out our thorough article on the topic here .

• Making Connections

While vocabulary building and developing reading comprehension skills are a big part of what novel studies are all about, this type of reading lends itself to a deeper exploration of the power of the written word.

Too often, our students read prescribed texts without ever making any personal or profound connections to the material they read. Students can better understand what they are reading by exploring ways of connecting to a novel. There are three main types of connections we can explore:

• Text-to-self connections
• Text-to-text connections
• Text-to-world connections

Let’s look at how students can make each type of connection in a novel study.

Text-to-Self

This is all about the student making a personal connection and responding to the text as an individual. Essentially, this type of connection is about encouraging the students to share their thoughts and feelings on various aspects of the novel. This sharing can take the form of oral contributions to class discussions and debates or in the form of a written response.

Either way, question prompts are a great way to kick things off. Here are some examples to get the ball rolling.

• What does this incident remind you of in your own life?
• Which character do you identify with the most?
• Have you ever been in a similar situation? What happened?
• What would you do in this situation?

Text-to-Text

These connections are all about the student linking the novel they are studying to other texts they have read or seen. This could include other novels, comics, nonfiction books, websites, and poems.

Here are some useful prompts to encourage your students to make text-to-text connections.

• Have you ever read anything like this before?
• How is this text similar to/different from other texts you’ve looked at?
• What other fictional character does the hero of this novel remind you of?

Text-to-World

Making a text-to-world connection requires students to think about the novel in terms of the wider world. Here, students forge links with the broader culture and current affairs. Text-to-world connections will frequently require students to tie the novel into other areas of learning, such as social studies and the sciences.

Here are a few helpful text-to-world prompts.

• How do the events described in the novel relate to real-world events?
• What issues explored in the novel are pertinent in today’s world?
• How does the world described in the novel relate to the world we live in now?

Post-Reading Activities

The number of possible activities you can do to complete a novel is almost endless. Which activities you choose will depend on what aspect of the novel and/or objectives you are trying to teach. Here are just a few popular tasks students regularly complete after they finish reading a novel.

• Create a timeline of events.
• Graph the plot .
• Write a character profile.
• Design an alternative book cover/blurb.
• Write a summary of the novel.
• Write an alternative ending.
• Have a formal debate based on themes or issues explored in the novel.
• Write a book review.

Well, that’s enough to start a novel study in your classroom. However, if you’d like to read more on reading comprehension strategies you can employ in your novel studies, check out our depth article on the topic here .

The flexibility of the novel study format lends itself well to almost any age group; just be sure to choose a text that matches the general reading ability of your class. For older kids, you may even want to involve them in deciding what text to study. 

However you decide to choose your novel, just be sure to read the text thoroughly in advance to stay one step ahead of your students – and don’t forget to have fun with it!

Teaching Literary Analysis: 17 Essential Questions To Guide Your Students.

Use these 17 essential questions to guide your students through literary analysis regardless of what they’re reading. The best part? You can recycle and reuse these questions, again and again, all year long.

The key to teaching literary analysis lies in having the right tools to move beyond a solid foundation of comprehension. In other words, it’s time to help your students grab their literary excavator and dig a little deeper.

Teaching Literary Analysis to Secondary Students

Yes, it’s important to ask students for details aboutwhat they read. However, in the secondary classroom, it’s time to prepare them to analyze what they read. Yet, whether they’re afraid of being “wrong” or simply don’t know where to begin, literary analysis tends to intimidate students.

It doesn’t matter if we’re assigning students one of our favorite novels or a must-read from the literary canon; there’s nothing worse than when students’ analysis falls flat. (Bor-ing.) Instead, we want them to be able to understand how to read between the lines. To break down the text into smaller pieces and examine how each works on its own and as part of the bigger picture– I mean, story.

We don’t just want them to think about what they’re reading but think deeply about it. We want them to take part in lively conversations and well-supported critical responses. We want them to question, analyze, and understand the author’s choices and their implications.

In other words, we don’t just want them to read the text. We want them to engage with the text.

But how exactly do we help them get there?

The First Step: Asking The Essential Questions

Literary analysis is like any other skill– it takes practice. Even the brightest of students need to learn the how-tos behind analyzing a text before mastering the art. And if you’re looking to avoid reading countless literary analysis flops– we all know how painful those can be– you know you want to teach it well . So, before asking students to showcase their knowledge in assessment form (aka the feared and fretted literary analysis essay), we must teach them how to read and analyze a text. Luckily,  with the right approach, teaching literary analysis does not have to be so dreadful. (And neither do those papers.)

It all begins by asking the right questions to guide students through their literary analysis. These questions will help students dig deeper into a piece of literature as they think, discuss, and even write about the text at hand. In fact, you might just be surprised how much deeper your students can analyze a piece of literature with these 17 essential questions.

17 Essential Questions To Guide Your Students Through Literary Analysis

Whether you’re asking your students to analyze a novel, play, short story, or poem, these 17 essential questions can be a big help.

These questions serve as a springboard for students to dig deeper into the author’s choices regarding elements such as theme, character, plot, conflict, and setting. They’ll help them move beyond comprehending and summarizing a piece of literature and toward analyzing and evaluating it.

Essential Questions About Theme

There are many ways authors reveal and develop a text’s theme. Students can better identify, understand, and analyze the theme(s) with the right questions as a guide.

• What is the main subject of this text? (Psst… I always remind students that this should apply to the world beyond the text itself.)
• What is the author’s commentary/main message regarding said subject?
• Are there any instances of symbolism , repetition, juxtaposition, or irony that develop or enhance this message?

Essential Questions About Character

Once the students identify the characters, understanding them is an essential element of literary analysis. Use the following questions to help students move beyond the basics of identifying characters and, instead, seeing them as essential elements to a story.

• What does the character say and think?
• How does the character act?
• How does the character interact with other characters in the story?
• What are the characters’ motivations and values and how are they revealed throughout the story?
• How do the characters in the story develop or enhance the theme?

Essential Questions About Plot and Conflict

There’s much more to plot than simply identifying what is happening in the story. It can also serve as a way to develop the story. Therefore, students can use the following questions to analyze plot effectively.

• Is the plot revealed in chronological order, or does it begin in medias res, meaning in the middle? Why did the author choose to tell the story this way?
• What is the story’s main conflict?
• How is the conflict revealed, developed, and resolved?
• How does the conflict of the story develop or enhance the theme?

Essential Questions About Setting

Once students identify the time and place of a piece of literature– the setting– they can begin to analyze the broader role the setting serves in the text. Let’s just say it wasn’t a coincidence that Fitzgerald chose New York City and its suburbs for The Great Gatsby or that Miller set The Crucible in Salem 1692. The following questions can help students dive deeper into the story’s setting.

• Does the setting change? If so, what impact does that have on the characters?
• How does the setting affect the story’s plot?
• How does the setting affect the story’s conflict?
• How does the setting of the story develop or enhance the theme?

A Question To Get Students To See The Bigger Picture

Before saying “that’s a wrap” on literary analysis, we can’t forget to encourage students to understand that text in a broader context. In fact, this “bigger picture” thinking is what allows literary classics to remain relevant today!

Therefore, push students to see the bigger picture and analyze the author’s intentions by asking them the following question.

• How might this text serve as a mirror or window (or both) to the reader and/or modern society? (Similarly, you can also ask them to consider the significance of the piece during the time it was written.)

A Final Word On Teaching Literary Analysis

First step? Learning how to analyze a text. Next up? Writing an accompanying essay. Luckily, answers to any of the questions above (with supportive textual evidence, of course) will provide students with the foundation they need to tackle the analytical essay. 

The best part about these questions? They can be used over and over again so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Simply apply them to various texts throughout the year, and voila! You have a go-to resource for teaching literary analysis.

You can tweak the questions here and there to fit each text better or simply leave them as is! Either way, your students will walk away from the school year with a solid understanding of literary analysis. (Goal accomplished.)

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'Robinson Crusoe' Questions for Study and Discussion

Daniel Defoe's Famous Novel

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• M.A., English Literature, California State University - Sacramento
• B.A., English, California State University - Sacramento

Robinson Crusoe is the famous first novel by Daniel Defoe. A young man is shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island. It's the stuff dreams are made of, but there's more to it than that. Here are a few questions for study and discussion.

Discussion Questions

• What is important about the title?
• What are the conflicts in Robinson Crusoe ? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) did you notice in this novel?
• How does Daniel Defoe reveal character in Robinson Crusoe ?
• What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the ​ plot and characters?
• What are some symbols in Robinson Crusoe ? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
• Are the ​ characters consistent in their actions? Which of the characters are fully developed? How? Why?
• Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters persons you would want to meet?
• How do loneliness, fear, and isolation affect (and shape) the characters?
• Does the novel end the way you expected? How? Why?
• What is the central/primary purpose of Robinson Crusoe ? Is the purpose important or meaningful?
• How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?
• How important is friendship and/or camaraderie to Robinson Crusoe ?
• Compare/contrast Robinson Crusoe with other works by Daniel Defoe? How does Robinson Crusoe fit into Defoe's body of works?
• Would you recommend Robinson Crusoe to a friend?
• 'A Rose for Emily' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'A Passage to India' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 50 General Book Club Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'Robinson Crusoe' Review
• 'The Gift of the Magi' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'My Last Duchess' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'Invisible Man' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'The Jungle' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'Wuthering Heights' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'The Raven' Questions for Study and Discussion
• '1984' Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Book Club Discussion Questions
• 'The Devil and Tom Walker' Study Guide
• Discussion Questions for 'A Christmas Carol'
• The Catcher in the Rye: Questions for Study and Discussion
• 'Alice in Wonderland' Questions for Study and Discussion

88 Perfect Essay Topics on The Great Gatsby

Welcome to The Great Gatsby Essay Topics page prepared by our editorial team! Here you’ll find a large collection of essay ideas on the novel! Literary analysis, themes, characters, & more. Get inspired to write your own paper!

• 🔬 Literary Analysis
• 🎭 Characters
• 📊 Compare & Contrast
• 🗺️ Navigation

🎓 References

🔬 literary analysis of the great gatsby: essay topics.

• What are the literary devices used to create the image of Jay Gatsby?
• Analyze how Fitzgerald uses imagery in The Great Gatsby.
• The Great Gatsby: analysis and feminist critique
• What do colors symbolize in The Great Gatsby?
• How does Fitzgerald use geographical setting to show the contrast between social classes in the novel?
• How does Fitzgerald convey a notion of the American Dream through metaphors and symbols?
• What does the green light in Daisy’s window represent in The Great Gatsby?
• What does the Valley of Ashes symbolize in The Great Gatsby?
• What role does Nick Carraway’s narration play in the story? If we got it through an omniscient third-person narrator, what would we gain or lose?
• Could the story have been set in other places, like Chicago or Los Angeles, or were New York City and Long Island absolutely necessary?
• Look at the novel’s opening lines. If we accept Nick’s advice when we read the story, will our views of it change? Or, in other words, does refraining from criticism promote compassion?
• Is there a hidden meaning of the title of The Great Gatsby? What is it?
• How is the color white used within the novel? When does it make a false representation of innocence? When does it truly represent innocence?
• Color symbolism in The Great Gatsby
• What is the role of a New York setting in the novel’s storyline?
• What is the real meaning of ‘great’ in the title of The Great Gatsby?
• What significance do colors have in the party’s descriptions in chapter 3?
• Why is Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby a satire?
• Elaborate on the green light as the symbol of the American dream.
• What is the meaning of the phrase “Can’t repeat the past?.. Why of course you can!” What does Gatsby really want from Daisy?
• What role do the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg play in The Great Gatsby?
• How is The Great Gatsby a satirical representation of the society?
• Are the rich in the novel really so careless as everyone believes them to be?
• Create an alternative ending for The Great Gatsby. Justify your choice.
• What is the relationship between those born rich and those who became rich in the novel?
• Fairy tale traits in The Great Gatsby

🎭 Essay Topics on The Great Gatsby’s Characters

• Discuss female characters and their significance in The Great Gatsby.
• Compare Gatsby and Wilson. In what ways are they similar?
• Gatsby & Nick in The Great Gatsby
• Who is the most responsible for Gatsby’s death? Why is it so?
• Why do Tom and Daisy stay together at the end of the novel?
• Does Gatsby’s money bring him real happiness?
• Can Jay’s feelings for Daisy in The Great Gatsby be considered love?
• How do secondary characters affect the story?
• Daisy Buchanan: quotes analysis
• Who is the real hero in The Great Gatsby?
• Can we call Jay Gatsby a romantic hero or a villain?
• What does Jay Gatsby really live for in the novel: the present or the past?
• Compare Myrtle and Daisy.
• Jay Gatsby & Tom Buchanan: compare & contrast
• What does Tom’s quarrel with Myrtle in chapter 2 tell us about his personality?
• Elaborate on how both Tom and Gatsby want to change not only the future, but the past in chapter 7.
• What was Gatsby’s power of dreaming like? Was Daisy a worth object?
• Is anyone to blame for Gatsby’s death?
• Nick as the narrator in The Great Gatsby
• Are there any moral characters in the novel?
• Can Jordan and Daisy be considered perfect role models for the upper class in America? Why or why not?
• Is Gatsby really great? In what way? How does his greatness evolve as the plot unfolds?
• How does Nick’s character change over the course of The Great Gatsby?
• Does Gatsby deserve the definition of a self-made man? Why or why not?
• What role does Daisy play in the conflict between Gatsby & Tom?

🌻 Essay Topics on The Great Gatsby’s Themes

• What are the central themes in The Great Gatsby?
• What roles do fidelity and infidelity play in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby?
• What importance does sex have in the story?
• What role does alcohol play in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald?
• Did Fitzgerald really criticize the idea of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby?
• Does love play have any importance in The Great Gatsby?
• What role does the relationship between geography and social values play in the novel?
• Francis Scott Fitzgerald & his American Dream
• What is the meaning of time in The Great Gatsby?
• How do the aristocratic East Eggers, Tom and the Sloanes, regard Gatsby in chapter 6? How is their contempt connected to the theme of social class in the novel?
• Analyze The Great Gatsby through the prism of feminist theory.
• How are the themes of kindness and compassion presented in The Great Gatsby?
• Describe how the theme of ambition is presented in the novel.
• Elaborate on how Fitzgerald contrasts education and experience in The Great Gatsby.

⌛ Essay Topics on the Context of The Great Gatsby

• Describe how F.S. Fitzgerald’s life experiences influenced The Great Gatsby.
• What are the examples of modernism in The Great Gatsby?
• How does Fitzgerald represent the society of his time in the novel? Would you like to live in the Jazz era? Why or why not?
• How is America shown in The Great Gatsby? What values do the East and the West represent?
• How does Fitzgerald provide a critical social history of Prohibition-era America in his novel?
• How is the economic boom of postwar America shown in The Great Gatsby?
• Why did The Great Gatsby was neither a critical nor commercial success just after its publication? Why did its popularity grow exponentially several decades after?
• How are racial anxieties of the time shown in the novel?

📊 The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay Topics

• Make a critical comparison of the novel with the 2013 movie.
• Make a comparison of the novel with the 1949 movie.
• Compare The Great Gatsby movies of 1949 and 2013.
• Compare and contrast two classic American novels: The Great Gatsbyand The Grapes of Wrath.
• Female characters in The Streetcar Named Desire & The Great Gatsby .
• How are Donald Trump and The Great Gatsby’s Tom Buchanan alike?
• Compare Miller’s Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby.
• What other fictional or non-fictional character from a book or movie can Nick Carraway be compared to?
• Jay Gatsby & Eponine from Les Miserables .
• Make a critical comparison of The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby.
• Compare The Great Gatsby with A Farewell to Arms.
• Make a comparison of Daisy from The Great Gatsby with Henrietta Bingham from Irresistible.
• Love in The Great Gatsby & The Catcher in The Rye .
• What pop stars of nowadays Daisy can be compared to?
• Macbeth vs. Jay Gatsby: make a character comparison.
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Study Guide Menu

• Short Summary
• Summary (Chapter 1)
• Summary (Chapter 2)
• Summary (Chapter 3)
• Summary (Chapter 4)
• Summary (Chapter 5)
• Summary (Chapter 6)
• Summary (Chapter 7)
• Summary (Chapter 8)
• Summary (Chapter 9)
• Symbolism & Style
• Quotes Explained
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• Essay Samples
• Questions & Answers
• F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Biography
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Bibliography

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12 Best Book Club Questions for Any Book

Updated: Jan 10, 2024

Zoe Epstein

Today in our How to Book Club series , we’re tackling the best book club questions for a great discussion.  Some people like to wing it for book club, but others live by Alexander Graham Bell’s aphorism that preparation is the key to success. 

One of the best ways to ensure a successful book club meeting is to come prepared with good discussion questions.  A great list of discussion questions can help you avoid awkward silences and move your club beyond obvious questions like whether or not you liked the book.  

So dive into our favorite discussion questions below, and when you're ready to take your book club to the next level, organize your next meeting and manage your club membership with  Bookclubs.com  or the  Bookclubs app . From  scheduling meetings  and  polling members , to tracking books and facilitating discussion with  ready-made book club questions , we have all the tools you need to focus on the joy of reading together.

Looking for a book club questions for a specific book? 

A great place to start is Bookclubs' Book Club Discussion Guide center , which has book-specific questions for hundreds of titles.  Check back often as we add book club questions for new book club books every week!  Some are written by Bookclubs staff, while others come from the books’ publishers.  

General book club questions for any book! 

If you can’t find a guide for the book your club is reading, we’ve put together this helpful list of general book club questions.  These questions work well for almost any book, whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction.  

Take a look through, pick out a few questions that you think will work best with your book, and never worry about running out of things to talk about at book club again!

If you're in search of even more questions, check out our ultimate list of book club discussion questions for fiction and nonfiction, with 124 book club questions broken out by genre .  

• Would you recommend this book to someone?  Why or why not (or with what caveats)?  What kind of reader would most enjoy this book?
• Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? Why? How long did it take you to get into the book?
• Who was your favorite character? What character did you identify with the most?  Were there any characters that you disliked? Why?
• Did any part of this book strike a particular emotion in you? Which part and what emotion did the book make you feel?
• How much did you know about this book before picking it up? What surprised you the most about the book?
• Was there any part of the plot or aspects of the characters that frustrated or upset you? If so, why?
• How thought-provoking did you find the book?  Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what? 
• Did you highlight or bookmark any passages from the book? Did you have a favorite quote or quotes? If so, share which and why?
• From your point of view, what were the central themes of the book? How well do you think the author did at exploring them?
• Compare this book to other books you have read by the same author, or other books you have read covering the same or similar themes.  How are they the same or different?
• How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles?

Finally, here at Bookclubs, we like to end all of our book club meetings with this question:

• Rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.  Why did you give the book the rating you did?  Did any part of this book club discussion change your rating from what it would have been directly after finishing the book? 

Then use the Bookclubs app or website to record your rating and share a review of the book !

Download free printable book club questions

Keep your book club discussion questions at your fingertips with our book club questions pdf , making it easy for you to plan and lead insightful discussions about the books you read. With the printable book club questions readily available, you can focus on fostering meaningful conversations with your book club members, instead of worrying about coming up with questions on the spot.

Looking for more on how to run a book club discussion?

Coming prepared with good discussion questions is only the first step to a great book club conversation.  Bookclubs also has all the club organizing tools you’ll need to keep your book club running smoothly. 

• Automated Meeting Scheduling & Reminders: The meeting syncs with your calendar and all members receive a notification so whether you’re meeting virtually or in-person, you’re keeping book club on the calendar!
• Interactive Polls: Avoid those lengthy email chains with our interactive polls for book selection, choosing your next meeting time, and more.
• Message Boards & 1:1 Direct Messages: Share your latest book banter with direct messaging features and club message boards.
• Digital Shelving: Keep track of what your club (or you) has read and wants to read next. See in an instant what your club is reading this month, view your past reads in one place, and recommend books to each other – so you always have options for what to read next!
• Track Your Reading Goals: Set a goal for the number of books you'll read over the course of the year, the number of book club meetings you'll attend, or jot down and memorialize any other reading-related intentions you might have. Check back over the course of the year to see your progress, and we'll even send you reminders and motivation if you're falling behind. 
• Grow Your Club: Looking to connect with readers outside your personal circle? Open your club to the public and find new members in your hometown or across the globe.

Say hello to a better book club experience today and create your free account to get started.

Do you have any other must-ask general book club discussion questions?  Share them in the comments below!  

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General Essay Questions and Sample Essays with Answers - Blossoms of the Savannah

« Previous Topic Sample and Practice Excerpts and Extracts With Answers - Blossoms of the Savannah

SAMPLE ESSAYS

1. “though resian goes through the valley of death, her determination leads her to a victorious life.” write a composition to show the validity of this assertion..

Resian in the  Blossoms of the Savannah seems to experience several challenging situations in her life. In the scenarios she seems resolute in her actions as shown in the following ways

Oloisudori declares his intention of marrying her at an early age. This follows after he changes his initial plan: extorting Kaelo. He demands that she should first be circumcised so as to get rid of her state as nemengalana intoiye.  He intends to use anesthesia to make her unconscious and grab her. Resian resolves not to be married.  She tells Oloisudori point blank that she cannot be his wife. She returns the gifts that he had earlier brought and escapes to her father’s shop. Her father beats her so as to submit to the marriage, but Resian remains steady is her decision.

A number of callous youth in Nasila wish to assault Resian and Taiyo. In the first days, Resian and Taiyo take a walk around uncle Simiren compound.  All of a sudden a young man emerges from the blues and grabs Taiyo. Resian order the callous young man to release Taiyo immediately. The Young man has no option but to give in though he promises to revisit his grave decision.

Though in a dream, enkamuratani and other two women surround Resian to circumcise her holding an olmurunya. Although Resian is in a strange land and is defenseless she does her best to combat the situation. Determined, Resian twists enkamuratani’s hand with an intention of ensuring that she does not initiate other girls in the future. She knocks the old witch using a mallet as well as fights the third woman until she disappears.

Olarinkoi disappears with Resian to a far hut in the forest. He locks her up and returns very late in the night while drank. Once he returns, he is in his mission of raping her. He unzips and this gesture sets her trembling. She bites Olarinkoi’s thumb so that the pain reduces his action of rape. Owing to the fact that Resian had earlier witnessed Olarinkoi’s fiery attacks when he dealt with two callous men, it calls for a lot of determination on the part of Resian to tackle him.

In summary, from the above illustrations it is evident that Resian suffers rough challenging times in her life but she deals with all these situations with determination.

2. “The strong bond between Resian and Taiyo contributes significantly to their triumph.” Write an essay in support of the statement.

No man is an island. Human beings were created to relate mutually. The close friendship between Resian and Taiyo is the key to overcoming stormy times that present themselves in their lives as follows

In their new environment at Nasila, the girls meet unique challenges. They are not used to the communal life for all along they have stayed in an urban set up where life is individualistic. At Nasila, they have to get used to impromptu visitors and superior male counterparts. It is the love between the two girls that helps in these scenarios. The duo stay together most of the times. By so doing, they share a lot Taiyo counsels Resian on using kind language on Yeiyo Botorr her aunt. The two girls discuss about danger that lurks from the hostile youth especially because of their uncircumcised condition.

In overcoming the challenge of female genital mutilation (FGM), their friendship bond comes in handy. When Resian goes on a hunger strike she says it is only Taiyo who can change her stand. When Taiyo is informed of Resian’s condition, she does not hesitate to offer herself for Resian’s redemption even when there are risks all over. While at Nasila, they have a lot of time sharing their views towards FGM. The discussions must have strengthened their hard stands towards FGM. It is from these discussions that they vow never to give in to FGM.

In the incident when Taiyo and Resian are accosted by two callous young men their coordination and friendship save them. The incident finds them while they are walking together where they had visited Maiso for lunch. If the struggle had between two men versus one girl probably she would have been surmounted. Although most of the salvation is largely brought by Olarinkoi the fact that the two girls where together makes it easier for them to go about the ordeal. Their joint screaming and their escape unhurt is partly contributed by their togetherness. 

The two birds of a feather hatch a scheme to outwit Oloisudori. They wrap the gifts he had brought them into a box and title it as a gift. They then plan how to execute the plan. They arrange on how Resian is to thank Oloisudori and give him the gift. They discuss the aim of the gesture; to clarify to Oloisudori the fact they cannot be cheated with gifts. From this co-operation, Resian manages to trick Oloisudori and tells off her father and later with Olarinkoi, they manage to leave Nasila.

It is clear from the above illustration that strong friendship bonds can help friend go about hard experiences and overcome them in their lives.

3. Bad decisions can adversely affect our lives. Write an essay in support of the statement with illustrations from the novel. 

The Choices we make can affect us positively or negatively. Bad choices definitely have adverse effects on our future. A character like Ole Kaelo makes several bad choices which not only affect his life but also his daughters. 

Ole Kaelo is advised by his friend what kind of man Oloisudori is. He is told that he is not a man of integrity and warns him about doing business with him. He even warns him to keep his daughters from him. Oloisudori is unheeding to this warning. He goes on to sign business contracts and receiving a loan from him. Later, this man causes him great worry when he threatens to bring his business down if he does not give him his daughter in marriage.

Ole Kaelo makes the bad choice of agreeing to give his daughter Resian in marriage to Oloisudori. He does this to save his business empire and to acquire more wealth as dowry from him. This unleashes a myriad of problems in his family. He keeps assuring himself that his choice of Oloisudori is good and that the man is not all bad but inwardly, he has reservations about such a marriage. His decision worsens the already poor relationship between him and his daughter, who ran away and gets into more trouble with Olarinkoi. Taiyo also has her life ruined by being forcefully circumcised before being forced to marry Oloisudori. Finally, he loses his daughters trust and his fate is unknown because Oloisudori might come for him in person. 

Olarinkoi is not known by the Kaelos yet nobody asks questions about him. He seems a mystery and with time becomes like a member of the family. This earns him trust among the Kaelos to the point that Resian trusts him to take her to Minik’s ranch. This man who the family trusted so much turns into a beast by raping Resian and even planning to circumcise her by force before marrying her. If the Kaelo’s had not trusted the stranger, Resian suffering in his hands would have been avoided.

Mama Milanoi makes a bad choice of giving over her daughter Taiyo to three strange women cheating her that she was being taken to her sister. Her plans is to have Taiyo circumcised before being married by Oloisudori. This action makes her lose the trust her daughters had for her. The wound she has caused them will definitely take time to heal. They too are angry with her that they vow that they would not want to be like her in marriage.

Bad decisions made knowingly or unknowingly will definitely have negative impact in our lives or on those that are dear to us. 

4. Gender inequality is tantamount to violation of human rights. Write an essay in support of the assertion drawing your illustrations from Blossoms of the Savannah. 

Today’s position on the male and female gender is that men and women are equal and none of the gender should dominate over the other. In Blossoms of the Savannah, women are culturally forced to be subservient to men, a practice that denies them some fundamental rights as human beings. 

A wife has the right to state his position on any matter even if it is contrary to the husband’s position. This is not the case with Mama Milanoi, wife to Ole Kaelo. She admits that she did not know which man her husband was doing business with and even if she did, she would not do anything about it for he was the one who carried the family’s vision. She thus leaves every aspect of decision making to him whether those decisions are good or bad.

A woman is a being to be loved and not to love back. Although Ole Kaelo genuinely loved Mama Milanoi when he saw her first, her feelings on him are immaterial. Women were not expected to resist a man’s advances according to Nasilian culture. This is a great violation of her right to love or hate. In her case there is no room for that. It is also expected that Resian should give in to Oloisudori’s plans to marry her. Refusal is regarded as stubbornness. In fact, Oloisudori claims that none of his wives put any resistance in his interest in them. This means that their feelings for him did not matter a great violation of their freedom to choose their marriage partner.

Resian and Taiyo are forced to undergo cultural coaching by Joseph Parmuat. Resian rebels this citing inequality in the plan. She opines that if they were boys, such a thing would not be done on them. Instead, they would be freely roaming Nasila with nobody bothering them. In their case, there is no such option simply because they are girls. Their right to choose what to and not to learn is violated. Girls are taught how to cook for their men but there are no lessons for boys on how to please women. Resian opposes such arrangements saying she would not be taught to solely please men. She claims that even boys should be taught how to please women.

Gender inequality in this society elevates man over the woman to the extent that Resian says that it made men assume that they had right over the body of any woman. This has reduced women to be objects of sex to be exploited by men at will. This practice started with the Ilarinkon warriors who sexually exploited women after arousing their desires. Taiyo and Resian undergo several rape attempts with Resian ending up being raped by Olarinkoi who assumes he has every right over her body. These inequalities have greatly undermined women’s right to privacy and to choose whom to have sexual relation with. 

Gender inequality does not just stop at that. Instead, it is a major cause of violation of basic human rights that all should be accorded a chance to enjoy. Women in the novel have most of their rights curtailed as a result of gender imbalance between men and women.

5. Help can come when least expected. Discuss.

Most people reach the end of the tether in difficult situations and are just about to give up when help comes. Most instances of help appear coincidental but nonetheless; they change the course of life of the character as well as shaping the rest of the novel.

Olarinkoi seems to be at the right place at the right time. He happens to be the savior of Resian and Taiyo when they need help most. He comes to the rescue of the two girls when they are coming from their father’s shop and are about to be raped by two men. Olarinkoi single-handedly saves the girls by fighting the men. Resian and Taiyo are much grateful and would not want to imagine what would have happened if he had not come at that time, even fearing that they would have been infected with HIV. 

Olarinkoi again comes to the rescue of Resian when she discovers her father’s betrayal by planning to marry her off to Oloisudori. He comes to her rescue when she is even contemplating committing suicide by drowning herself into the river. At the same time, Oloisudori and his men are looking for her to abduct her. Olarinkoi promises to take her to Minik whom she had been yearning to meet someday. Although the help turns disastrous with Olarinkoi turning against her, she is able to escape the current wrath of Oloisudori. 

Taiyo is rescued from the hands of her circumcisers by Minik’s men. Minik’s rescue team use tricks to rescue her from the well-guarded home which she would not have escaped in her sickly state.  Were it not for Minik’s intervention, Taiyo would surely have been forcefully married off to Oloisudori after healing. The rescue gives Taiyo a new lease of life, reunion with her sister and of course quicker physical and emotional recovery. 

Minik’s help to Resian and Taiyo perhaps is the most important event that completely changes their lives. She gives refugee to the girls in her ranch hence protecting them from marauding men like Oloisudori and Olarinkoi. She gives Resian a job in the ranch hence giving her something to live on and promises her a scholarship from the ranch. Most importantly, she is able to have the two girls enrolled at Egerton University, their dream university. These kind gestures create a happy ending in a novel that has been dominated by sad events.

When people are about to despair, that is usually the point when help comes. No matter how belated characters like Resian and Taiyo get help, their lives are greatly impacted and changed by those interventions. 

6. In the novel, Blossoms of the Savannah, Ole Kulet goes out of his way to castigate some Maa way of life. Write an essay to show the validity of this statement with close reference to the novel. (20marks)

Introduction -2mks

• Must display that they understand the question
• Can either be general or contextualized?
• Accept any plausible introduction

Body -12 marks

F.G.M was valued by Maa people. No girl would get married before going through the rite.

It was a tool to fight against sexual harassment by Olarinkoi warriors Resian and Laiyo fail to see its purpose and try to run away from it Minik has a ranch where over five hundred girls have been resolved from circumcision.

Resian manages to escape from circumcision through Nabaru who sneaks her away.

Though Mama Milanoi has undergone the rite, she is apprehensive against her daughters Undergoing it.

Heinous acts in the society

Ole kulet castigates heinous acts in the society. When Taiyo and Resian are almost raped by two vagabonds, Tara Muyo and Lante, the society is mad at them and they are almost killed.

Ole Kaelo almost kills them, but later is relieved that he has not caused the death of the man for this could have brought a curse which could not be cleansed.

When Olarinkoi attempts to rape Resian, she almost bites off his finger, He is banished from the village for some time and he misses the opportunity of making her his wife. Kulet portrays that this behavior is unacceptable in the society.

Old men marrying young daughters

Ole Kulet castigates this vice of old men marrying girls young enough to be their daughters.

Mama Mitanoi in her anguish about Oloisudori's wish to marry Resian remembers that in the past, such a thing would not have happened. She could have appealed to the elders' court which would have ruled in her favour.

Oloisudori's effort to marry either Resian or Taiyo does not succeed. He ends up losing his vehicle and fleeing for his life.

Kulet Castigates forced early marriages. Emakererei has rescued over five hundred girls whose dowry their father had taken. She has kept them in her ranch and taken them back to school.

Prejudice against Women

Women in the book have no place in decision making. Mama Milanoi has to accept everything that her husband does.

Taiyo and Resian are also not given their space. Their father refuses to give Taiyo permission for the extravaganza. He is also not bothered about their education.

Resian and Emakererei break the tyrannical regime by making their own decision. Emakererei campaigns against F.G.M and early marriages. Resian defies the dominance of her father by refusing to marry Oloisudori.

Kulet develops these characters to water down male dominance in the society.

Mark 4 well illustrated point 3:3:3:3:3 = 12 marks

-Accept any relevant conclusion

-It must be linked to the marks of the body i.e. 0-4 = 1 mark 5-6= 2 marks 7-9 = 3 marks 10 - 12 = 4 marks

7. Some cultural practices are archaic and outdated, With evidence from the Blossoms of the Savanna, Write a composition in support of this statement.

Introduction : Give a general introduction of the retrogressive cultural practices imposed on the people on diverse cultural practices.

Context based:  Highlight the main points of discussion.

Points of interpretation

i) Female genital mutilation which is depicted as a compulsory rite of passage which a girl must undergo in order to be married to a man.

(ii) Under age marriages where young girls are denied their rights to pursue their ambitions e.g. Resian and Taiyo are sold off by their father at their young age to the Monstrons Oloisudoni.

(iii) Barring people to get married even if they belong to the same tribe but have no blood relations e.g. Taiyo and Joseph Parmuat.

(iv) Male Chauvinism where men feel that they are superior than women e.g. Ole Kaelo being very hard on Mama Milanoi.

(v) Seeing girl child education as waste of money and opportunities. Where we find Ole Kaelo not regarding their daughters not to join Egerton University.

Give a general opinion whether to shed off the said archaic traditions. Or Recap of the points discussed as topic sentences.

8. Alienation is a theme that runs through the novel, Blossoms of the Savannah. Discuss.

Introduction

To be alienated implies a state of separation of a person from a former position, state or object of attachment. There is an aura of enstrangement that runs through the novel in relation to the family of Kaelo and their cultural establishment.

At the start of the novel, Parsimei Kaelo who has been in Nakuru for a number of years is alienated from his ancestral family and roots. His younger brother, Simiren who remains in Nasila, had been more appreciated and was considered the cultural head of the community by the Kaelo's. Simiren, Parsimei's younger brother happens to be the one who represents the family in the Ilmolelian clan to which they belong. He performs sacred rituals like initiation of girls, circumcision of boys or bethrothal ceremonies on behalf of Parsime. We are also told that Simiren, unlike Parsimei is a strict adherent to his people's customs amd traditions.

The Kaelo daughters, Taiyo and Resian, are also alienated from their roots. Mama Milanoi's women friends refer to the girls as Intoiye Nemengalana (girls who are not circumcised) contemptuously. In their culture, it was expected that females be circumcised, something that has not happened to Taiyo and Resian. In fact it is a taboo to remain an uncut woman/girl. The young man that Taiyo and Resian meet at Nasila also refers to them as Intoiye Nemengalana (girls who are not circumcised). This societal expectation is so critical so much that Joseph Parmuat is given the responsibility of talking to Taiyo and Resian about their tradions. (Pg 71). However, the girls are so alienated that they don't see the gravity of being uncircumcised and that Resian thinks of is her enrolment to Egerton University.

Parsimei Kaelo is also alien. They are alienated to the clan dictates on marriage. Elders term Parsimei's decision to remain married to only one wife who had borne him two daughters as a reckless one. This is alien in a society where polygamy is practiced and boy children are cherished. For instance, Simiren has 4 wives and 16 children or so; Ole Supeyo has 6 wives and about 30 children. It is this alienation that makes Parsimei enlist the help of Simiren and several senior elders of the community to re-establish links and also blessings for his family. (pg 37). He decides to do this by throwing a party. It is in this party that Ole Musanka blesses the Ole Kaelos and advises them to re-assimilate themselves to their peoples' culture. (pg 52)

Minik ene Nkoitoi 'wasp' is alienated to her community. She is regarded as the devil incarnate. She is hated and reviled for campaigning vigorously against traditions that she says abuse the right of the girl child - namely - girls' circumcision and early marriages. (pg 62). This puts her in direct collision with the people of Nasila.

Finally, Mama Milanoi is also alienated from the cultural expectations of her community. She lets her daughters remain uncircumcised in a society where this is considered a taboo. She is also accussed of being aloof and selective on the aspects of Nasila culture that they choose to interact with. (pg 145) ((Plus any plausible argument)

9. Man is the defacto leader of the family and when he faulters many things are bound to go wrong. Using Ole Kaelo for your illustrations show how the faults by the head of family affect

INTRODUCTION

In the Africa set up men is assured to be the family head. He makes major decisions concerning the family and doesn't have to consult. Ole Kaelo in Blossoms of the Savannah is a perfect example of such a man.

Unfortunately for him he faulters and the effects are clear.

Ole Kaelo solely opts to move his family to Nasila from Nakuru. He assumes that they will be comfortable and that by taking them to his newly build house will make them happy. Unfortunately, the family does not know joy there. Pressure from the community to have the girls circumcised is overwhelming and denies them joy. Sex also abounds.

Ole kaelo gets financial and from Oloisudori, an evil man against all expectations.

The result demands to have over his daughter Resian to him. Something that eventually collapses his family.

Ole Kaelo opts not to educate his daughters further and instead hoping that they will get good Nasila man to marry them. This is against the expectation of the girls. Resian tells him in his fate that she will join University. This decision that he makes affects the family unity and his image before them. In the end the family breaks up as the girls opt out.

Ole kaelo resolves to have his daughters circumcised and later handover Resian to Oloisudori to be married by him. This is against her wish as the man is old and she does not love him. Her wish is to join Egerton University to further her studies. It is because of this that Resian leaves and is later followed by Taiyo.

Ole Kaelo blindly makes decision that affects his family as seen above

10. "Diligence and determination are the key to success." Write an essay in support of this saying with illustrations from H. R. Ole Kulet's "Blossoms of the Savannah."

When a person desires to achieve something, no amount of obstacle can deter him/her as long as the ambition lives on. Resian succeeds in fighting FGM, forced marriage, attempted rape and her desire to join university because of her strong determination. `Accept any other valid introduction POINTS OF INTERPRETATION

• Resian is determined to go back to Nakuru and join Egerton University She is determined to take a course in Veterinary Science and become a veterinary doctor. She wants to read everything that there is to be read and put on the graduation regalia at the end of four years. She therefore requests her sister to persuade their father to allow them go back to Nakuru and join the university. Discussing polygamy, Resian reminds Taiyo that she doesn’t want to be a parent in the foreseeable future but wants to study emphasizing that such peripheral matters as marriage will come only after she will have obtained her degree. She enlists for the help of her mother who later becomes elusive. When Taiyo fails to find the most opportune moment to speak to their father, she decides to take the bull by the horns by facing her father at the shop to ask him about her plans of taking her to university. Ole Kaelo tells her she has had enough formal education. Instead, he has sold her to Oloisudori. Unbowed, she tells him she will still go to the university and hopes that his father will be there to witness her graduation. Olarinkoi’s abduction doesn’ t stop her either. She shares her afflictions and dreams with Nabaru. Touched by her physical and mental courage, Nabaru promises to help her do what she intends to do or go where she wants to go once she is back onto her feet, with or without the enkoiboni’s predictions. She later procures a lorry with which she helps recue her out of Olarinkoi’s tentacles and takes her to Minik’s ranch which is a safe haven for young girls escaping female genital mutilation and early marriage. Minik later calls her with her sister and shows them two envelopes containing their letters of admission at the university where they are to report on fifth of September. On the very day, they board Minik's vehicle and travel to the university. They cannot believe that their long cherished ambition and adoration had at long last become a reality. Resian says prayerfully that all is well that ends well. 4, 18, 71, 87, 206-207,279,281,284*
• Resian wins against the attempted sexual assault by Olarinkoi After being abducted by Olarinkoi, Resian is consoled by a dream in which she meets the Emakererei who promises her all kinds of wonderful things. Her sweet dream is, however, interrupted rudely and violently by Olarinkoi. Drunk, he walks to the terrified Resian, gets holds of her shoulders and shakes her violently glaring at her with his glittering eyes. He tells her that she is his wife and he will find out how educated her body is. He gets hold of her, drags her into the other room and begins unfastening her buttons with his rough trembling hands. Panicking and terrified, Resian tries to get away from him, but he holds her effortlessly as he brutally continues to fumble with her dress, trying to loosen it. Resian screams as loud as she can in vain as her abductor holds her more firmly with his strong arms and against her loud protests, he tears her garments and begins to push her towards the bed. Resian doesn’t give in, however. She desperately takes her last chance of self-defense and self-preservation. She musters all her strength, thrusts his thumb into her mouth, sinks her teeth into the flesh like a ferocious animal and tenaciously holds onto it, tugging at it fiercely like a lioness and tears it. She clings unto the thumb as Olarinkoi howls in pain, tries to push away but she holds on, digging deeper into the flesh, nearly severing the limb as Olarinkoi cries loudly. Olarinkoi struggles to escape the wrath of Resian’s teeth. He knocks and manages to escape. Although she faints, she manages to prevent Olarinkoi from defiling her. later, feeling embarrassed, Olarinkoi apologizes and assures her that he will not repeat what he tried to do. p.220, 212, 215, 222, 223, 240-241, 245, 248, 249
• Resian successfully fights forced marriage. Oloisudori who is hugely owed by Ole Kaelo gets attracted to Resian upon seeing her when he visits Kaelo’s home. He takes advantage of Ole Kaelo’s assurance that he cannot be denied anything in his home by telling his host that he is interested in his daughter, Resian. Grudgingly, Ole Kaelo consents. Later, he arrives and pays dowry for Resian. The briefcase of five hundred thousand shillings plus other princely gifts like a pretty golden brooch and twelve lengths of different kinds of materials, a golden pendant, golden bracelet a cutely designed golden ring for Resian to seal the marriage. Determined to ward off any possible marriage plans, Resian swears to show Oloisudori that she was a chattel to be secured by the content of a briefcase. With her sister, she intends to show him that they were not on sale and that they were not equal to the prize the briefcase. They are determined to show him that they were young women who had their own pride, self-respect and self-esteem and not rudderless objects drifting in the sea without direction. P196. Determinedly, Resian asserts that she will try to face him bravely and tell him what she thinks of him they plan to repackage the gifts and return them to the monster-Oloisudori. P. 195-198 Oloisudori invites the Kaelo’s to his palatial home in Nakuru Milimani area to show them the magnificent house he had been building for Resian. He had been beautifying it in order to make Resian fall in love with upon seeing it. So much that on seeing it, Ole Kaelo is attracted so much to the wealth that he decides that he was not going to allow his daughter’ s ignorance to destroy her future. He declares that as a father, he had a Godgiven duty to guide her to a secure future; to lead her to the honey pot that would be part of her future. A plan to ensnare Resian is hatched. Kaelo would prepare the ground for Oloisudori’s coming to persuade Resian into the marriage. If she refused, his men would arrive in the evening, pounce on and abduct Resian and drive her to her house in Nakuru. When she refuses, the three-Oloisudori, Kaelo and Mama Milanoi connive and agree on abducting Resian and forcefully marrying her. In his third visit, Oloisudori reveals to Resian that she is his wife and that their fate is sealed and that only death shall par them. Resian screams at him telling that he is mad…stark mad to think that she is his wife. She adds that she can only be his wife over her dead body and that he and her father can kill her and take her body to Oloisudori’s palatial home. Excruciatingly pained by Oloisudori’s remarks, Resian storm out of the house and heads to the shop to confirm this plans from her father. He confirms her fears by telling her that Oloisudori has asked to marry her. she interrupts her father by shouting and screaming. She tells him to better kill her than hand her over to Oloisudori. Even the revelation by her father that he has already taken dowry from Oloisudori and that she is his wife whe likes it or not doesn’t deter Resian. She walks out on her father and rushes to Nasila river as she contemplates committing suicide. She is prepared to die than marry Oloisudori. Luckily, Olarinkoi appears and saves her. She later reveals to Nabaru her dreams of meeting Minik. However, Olarinkoi is determined to fulfil her mother’s prophesy of marrying Resian and living with her in Tanzania. Olarinkoi’s abduction doesn’t stop her either. She shares her afflictions and dreams with Nabaru. Touched by Resian’s physical and mental courage, Nabaru promises to help her do what she intends to do or go where she wants to go once she is back onto her feet, with or without the enkoiboni’ s predictions. She later procures a lorry with which she helps recues out of Olarinkoi’s tentacles to Minik’s ranch where she finds a safe haven for young girls escaping female genital mutilation and early marriage. P.93-95,194,192,197,195,203-210,213215,222-224,245-247,248-249.
• Resian manages to fight female genital mutilation. Her mother tells her that F.G.M is in everyone’s lips in Nasila. It is so entrenched that Resian and her sister experience so much contempt from the vagabond who first accosts them. For Ole Supeyo and his ilk, circumcision was "an important practice which tamed an otherwise wild gender." P.22. he says that"...a certain measure of docility was necessary to keep more than of lots of poisons." P.22. He and Ole Musanka castigate Minik who protects girls from this practice. It is therefore difficult for Resian to escape especially when her father, after the cultural reception declares that after his wife "prepares his daughters to appreciate and accept their future responsibilities as mothers and home builders" and after Joseph Parmuat "teaches them a few home truths", they will "...call the enkamuratani to play her part before we give them away..." P.61 Aware that men "...are the creators of the labyrinth the women continue to meander around...P.91 she promises to escape going through this barbaric practice. Resian declares that the enkamuratani’s "…withered, claw-like hands would only touch her over her dead body..."P.58. she declares that over her dead body will she be circumcised. She says she would rather live in a noisy place than live anywhere near a vagabond who would accost her ...with the intention of mutilating her sexuality. P.33 • Resian and Taiyo vow to join Minik in fighting against F.G.M. P.87 To escape, she constantly reminds her sister to persuade their father to allow them travel back to Nakuru. However, this doesn’t go through. Even so, her determination sees her escape from home through the ‘ help’ of Olarinkoi. When she later learns from about the mono-eyed woman and her son’s determination to clip that erogenous salacity from you that destroys homes… in order …. become a respectable woman worthy..."P.229 • Resian's determination to live through the challenge inspires Nabaru to support her escape "...I am willing to help you do what you intend to do or go where you want to go once you are back onto your feet..."P. 233. She finally manages to escape from Olarinkoi and meets her mentor Minik, the anti-crusader of F.G.M. pgs: 224-225,232-234, 242,245-249 253, 277278*
• Resian’s wins in her will to meet her mentor; Minik, the Emakererei. She first hears about Minik when Ole Musanka places a voluble on Minik contemptuously referred to the wasp on account of her advocacy to maintain intoiye nemengalana amongst their daughters. Resian and her sister, Taiyo wonder who Minik is and why she evokes so much virulent hatred amongst Nasila people.52,53. When her further confirms that he has already sold her to Oloisudori, she contemplates ending her life. However, Olarinkoi finds her at Nasila river and offers to help her fulfil her dream of meeting Minik. However, Olarinkoi changes his mind and decides that she is his wife and even attempts to rape her. The rape attempt wears her down. However, Olarinkoi’s abduction doesn’t stop her from meeting her mentor. She shares her afflictions and dreams with Nabaru. Touched by her physical and mental courage, Nabaru promises to help her do what she intends to do or go where she wants to go once she is back onto her feet, with or without the enkoiboni’s predictions. She later procures a lorry with which she helps recues out of Olarinkoi’s tentacles to Minik’s ranch where she finds a safe haven for young girls escaping female genital mutilation and early marriage.
• Minik’s determination to save girls/Taiyo from F.G.M and forced marriage respectively pays off. In her efforts to save young girls from retrogressive customs, she had come to persuade Ole Supeyo not to circumcise his five daughters. She is so insistent that the old man has to forcefully eject her out of hiss homestead, threatening to clobber her. p. 21,22 despite being abhorred in Nasila she doesn’t relent in her efforts to save the helpless girls who are circumcised and married off at an early age. A case in point is Taiyo whom she rescues from Olosudori who has already managed to have her circumcised and is planning to marry her off against her will. She had sent her rescue team to trace Taiyo. It was easy to find her as for the home in which she was kept was being guarded day and night by fierce armed men. The rescue team had to retreat to Nasila to find Parmuat, their contact man who had initially directed them to Esoit. They make several attempts to save Taiyo and almost giving up when Parmuat manages to help them rescue Taiyo by luring Oloisudori’s the whole team of guards into a beer party, leaving Taiyo unguarded. They team strikes and scampers away with Taiyo like men fleeing from a burning village for three kilometres, to spot where they had left their vehicle. They escape the stones that are thrown at them. Later, when Oloisudori shows up at the ranch to take one of Ole Kaelo’s daughters, Minik does not allow him. She orders him to get out of the place fast for his own safety and the safety of his expensive machines, adding that the two girls are under her charge and that none of them will be taken away from her. she steels herself and looks into his eyes with an unwavering stare. when he orders his men to get Resian, her four hundred energetic workers who had just eaten to their fill surged forward and in no time reduced Oloisudori’s convoy into smouldering shells and acrid smell of burning tyres besides clobbering Oloisudori and his men thoroughly to the extent that they had to run away. P. 281-284
• Nabaru's determination helps Resian escape F.G.M, forced marriage to Olarinkoi and take her to Minik, her mentor. Frustrated by her father's determination to sell her ofc to Oloisudori, Resian runs to Nasila where she contemplates suicide. Olarinkoi finds her there and offers to help her fulfill her dream of meeting Minik. However, Olarinkoi changes his mind and decides that she is his wife and even attempts to rape her. The rape attempt wears her down. Luckily, she finds a God-given mother in Nabaru, who is so much touched by her physical and mental courage that she promises to help her do what she intends to do or go where she wants to go once she is back onto her feet, with or without the enkoiboni’s predictions. She feeds her well and nurses her until she regains her strength, which was necessary for her escape. She later procures a lorry with which rescues her. Olarinkoi hangs on the lorry, threatening fire and termination, but Nabaru's will sees Resian escape to Minik’s ranch where she finds a safe haven for young girls escaping female genital mutilation and early marriage. (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 3;3;3;3) Total 12 marks Grammar and Presentation- 4 marks

Conclusion In conclusion, Resian and Minik succeed to achieve their goals due to their unwavering determination. Accept any other valid conclusion-2 marks

11. Basing your illustrations on Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay to negate the saying “Blood is thicker than water” (20 marks)

Actions by some characters in Blossoms of the Savannah tend to negate the saying ‘blood is thicker than water.’ We expect family bonds to be the strongest and the loyalty to be true yet that is not the case. Ole Kaelo and Mama Milanoi put their daughters Taiyo and Resian through harrowing experiences and ironically, they get help from strangers such as Nabaru and Minik ene Nkoitoi.

Ole Kaelo’s actions go against the saying blood is thicker than water. Although he is Resian’s father, he abhors her for no apparent reason. Ole Kaelo intimidates Resian so much and she only finds solace in her sister Taiyo. Ole Kaelo teams up with Oloisudori to hatch an evil plan to kidnap Resian, anesthetize her and have her circumcised should she turn down Oloisudori’s proposal. He is against her ambitions of joining Egerton University with the intention of marrying her off to an old man she hates. This indeed negates the saying; blood is thicker than water.

Mama Milanoi’s actions also negate the saying blood is thicker than water. In the face of Resian’s constant intimidation by her own father, Mama Milanoi fails to protect her. Resian constantly rushes to Taiyo for a shoulder to lean on. She also deceives Taiyo using Resian’s plight, to accompany the three women to Esoit where she is savagely circumcised against her will. Surprisingly, Taiyo is rescued by Joseph Parmuat, who is not a blood relative; sadly, he loses his life. Indeed, this is a testament that family bonds may sometimes be the weak link in a relationship.

Taiyo’s experiences in Nasila prove that sometimes family ties are not the strongest ties. Her father is clearly inconsiderate of her feelings and needs when he denies her a chance to attend a music extravaganza in Mombasa. When she is kidnapped, help comes from unexpected quarters. She is rescued by Minik ene Nkoitoi’s team. Joseph Parmuat, a distant clan member, sacrifices himself for Taiyo’s sake when her parents seem indifferent. Indeed; this negates the saying blood is thicker than water.

Lastly, Nabaru the enkabaani cares for Resian more than her mother does. Resian even calls her a “God given mother”. Although they are not related, Nabaru proves to be caring and motherly. She tends to Resian following the nasty beating she received from Olarinkoi. When her father tries to forcefully marry her off to Oloisudori, Resian escapes to Inkiito with the help of Olarinkoi; little does she know that he has ulterior motives. He attempts to rape her and hurts her badly. During her 3 weeks stay at Inkiito, Resian receives tender care in terms of medical attention and food from Nabaru. She is not only a loving and caring mother to her, but also a valuable friend and confidant. She also rescues her from the hands of Olarinkoi and his evil mother Enkoiboni despite the fact that she has been paid handsomely in order to be part of the scheme. This also negates the popular belief that blood is thicker than water.

To sum up, Mama Milanoi and Ole Kaelo prove that family members can turn out to be our greatest enemies and occasionally help comes from people who are not necessarily related to us.

12. Determination leads to victory. Write an essay to qualify this claim basing your illustration on H.E Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah (20 marks)

Trying to achieve something difficult relentlessly and resolutely always results in success. In other words, steadfastness pays off. In Blossoms of the Savannah Resian’s strength of will pays off when she beats all the challenges and manages to go to the university against all odds. She breaks the shackles of unsupportive parents, archaic cultural practices of FGM and early marriages and cruel patriarchal beliefs to achieve her dream of enrolling at Egerton University.

Resian is determined to join Egerton University to pursue a course in Veterinary Medicine, a dream she manages to achieve. From the onset, Resian is resolute about her ambition of joining Egerton University. She obstinately urges her sister to talk to their father about their prospect of returning to Nakuru to enroll at Egerton University. Although her father does not support this, she still fights determinedly until she achieves her dream. Her determination makes her trust Olarinkoi who has promised to take her to Ntare-naaju ranch to meet Emakererei who is to aid her pursue her dream. The journey is tumultuous but she beats all odds and finally departs for Egerton on 5th September.

Resian is determined to cheat the cultural expectations and remain uncircumcised, a feat she manages to achieve. When Ole Kaelo relocates to Nasila from Nakuru, there is immense pressure on him to circumcise his girls to evade the derogatory title of father to intoiye nemengalana (uncircumcised girls). He is torn between the Nasila culture and his daughter’s liberty and needs. Some men like Ole Supeyo circumcised all their girls and married them off to prominent men in Nasila. He says that women have to be circumcised to control their wild nature. Ole Musanka, a dignified elder insists that girls must be circumcised. Other women like Enkamuratani, Enkasakatoni and Enkaitoyoni also vehemently support the cut. She risks her life by blindly trusting Olarinkoi with sheer need to escape the cut. She manages to escape from Nasila to Ntare-naaju albeit through difficult situations. Eventually, she escapes both FGM and early marriage.

Resian also manages to escape the suffocating chains of patriarchy when accosted by Oloisudori; she manages to escape forced marriage to an old man due to her steely steadfastness. Oloisudori hatches a heartless plan to have Resian kidnapped and even anesthetized if need be. He plans to forcefully have her circumcised and to marry her as a sixth wife. He manages to arm twist Ole Kaelo into accepting the deal by using gifts including 500,000 shillings and a mansion for Resian in Milimani-Nakuru. Resian is neither lured nor sucked in by Oloisudori’s pompous show of financial might. She calls him mad and says she can only marry him over her dead body. Even though Oloisudori, Ole Kaelo and Mama Milanoi conspire to have her married to Oloisudori, her sheer determination helps her to avoid this.

Resian manages to fight off Olarinkoi who is led to believe that their impending marriage is destiny as prophesied by her diviner mother. She prophesied that Olarinkoi would live with the Kaelos and later marry one of his daughters. He kidnaps her and hides her in a dungeon in the sleepy village of Inkiito after deceiving her. He even tries to rape her. Resian’s courage and determination is seen when she fights bravely and bites him badly while defending herself. She endures harrowing life in Olarinkoi’s hut that is crawling with rats, lizards and snakes. She remembers the Biblical story of Job and how he triumphed because of perseverance. Eventually she manages to escape with the help of Nabaru the enkabaani. Inspired by her bravery and determination, Nabaru walks through the dangerous Inkiito terrain until she finds and convinces a lorry driver to make a detour in order to help Resian. Finally, she meets Minik ene Nkoitoi, who helps her to enroll at Egerton University.

Resian beats all odds and achieves her dreams. Surely, determination leads to victory.

13. “Our greatest enemies are those close to us.” Basing your argument on H.E Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah write an essay to qualify this assertion. (20 Marks)

More often than not, we are harmed or betrayed by those close to us. Our close family members, trusted friends, or other relatives sometimes turn out to be our biggest adversaries. In Blossoms of the Savannah Mama Milanoi betrays her own daughter Taiyo when she deceives her and has her savagely circumcised against her will. Other characters that highlight this vice are Oloisudori and Ole Kaelo.

Parsimei Ole Kaelo is an enemy to his own daughter Resian. He has abhorred her since she was born because he expected a boy. He plans to have Resian forcefully circumcised and married off to a sly and cunning extortionist Mr. Oloisudori, a man she vehemently hates. Oloisudori financed Ole Kaelo’s businesses and helped him to acquire a magnificent home in Nasila. He uses his guile and money to lure Ole Kaelo and Mama Milanoi into accepting his odd demand. Ole Kaelo schemes with Oloisudori to have his own daughter kidnapped and anesthetized should she turn down his proposal. He equates her to a stubborn kid that refuses to suckle. Ultimately, Ole Kaelo fails in his bid to please Oloisudori and to fulfill his own avarice since Resian escapes, leaving them reeling in turmoil.

Oloisudori Loonkiya turns out to be an enemy to Ole Kaelo. They are friends and business allies. Although he knows that Oloisudori is a criminal, he does not expect him to betray their friendship. When Oloisudori visits Ole Kaelo’s home and meets Resian he falls in love with her and demands to marry her. She also has to be circumcised. Oloisudori is an old man while Resian is still a teenager. Ole Kaelo is shocked by this strange demand and beseeches him to drop it and ask for anything else. Oloisudori uses his financial strength and emotional blackmail to convince Ole Kaelo to bless the union. He gives him 500,000 shillings as dowry. This evil scheme fails when Resian tells Oloisudori off in his face and escapes. Oloisudori later faces the wrath of Minik ene Nkoitoi and his vehicles are destroyed.

Olarinkoi betrays Resian’s trust. He looks odd but seemingly harmless. He is accepted into the Kaelo homestead where he visits freely and eats together with them. He deceives them with food supplies. He earns Resian’s trust when he rescues Taiyo and her from their would-be rapists Ntara and Lante. He turns out to be Resian’s foe when he deceives and kidnaps her taking her to Inkiito instead of Ntare-naaju. He plans to have her circumcised and to marry her and escape with her to Tanzania. He attempts to rape her and causes grievous bodily harm on her. His evil scheme also fails when Nabaru helps Resian to escape from his home. He is also forced into hiding after his shameless rape attempt.

Mama Milanoi is an adversary to her own daughters. She fails to speak up for them but instead selfishly guards her marriage. She is scared to ask her husband to let them join Egerton University. In the face of constant intimidation, she fails to offer her protective wings to Resian who only finds solace in Taiyo. She is privy to the evil scheme to have Resian kidnapped and forcefully circumcised and married to Oloisudori but she remains callously indifferent. She laughs when Ole Kaelo compares her to an obstinate kid. She also blatantly lies and convinces Taiyo to follow the three women to Esoit where she is brutally circumcised. Surely, our family members turn out to be our biggest foes.

Lastly, Ntara son of Muyo betrays Resian and Taiyo. He is their relative. Although he is of the Ilukumae clan, he is their first cousin. He is a son of Mama Milanoi’s sister who married Muyo an elder. He accosts them while in the company of Lante son of Kanyira and attempts to rape them. In the scuffle that ensues, the girls are injured. They are rescued by Olarinkoi. It is odd that he tries to rape his own cousins. He is later apprehended and beaten up mercilessly. He is also fined three heifers.

In conclusion, the events in Blossoms of the Savannah prove that those close to us turn out to be our greatest adversaries.

• Oloisudori betrays Ole Kaelo. Though they were close business friends. Oloisudori blackmails Ole Kaelo so that Ole Kaelo has no option but to marry off his daughter to Oloisudori.
• Mama Milanoi who is the mother to Taiyo betrays her by allowing her to accompany three women to take her to Resian only for her to end up being forcefully subjected to F.G.M.
• Ole Kaelo, father to Taiyo refuses to allow his daughter Taiyo to travel to Mombasa with the other youth selected by an FM radio station for a music extravaganza. To him participating would be like engaging in prostitution.
• Ole Kaelo also betrays his daughter's ambitions to join Egerton University preferring instead to marry them off to Oloisudori. This shows he is not ready to help them realize their dreams as a father should do.
• Ole Kaelo betrays Resian. He openly shows his resentment to Resian. Constantly rebuking her for even the slightest of mistake she makes. He hates because he expected a boy child not a girl child. This leaves Resian with a low self-esteem and fearful.
• Olarinkoi, who is occasionally accommodated by the Ole Kaelo's and is even though he is not part of their family, later betrays the Ole Kaelo's when he abducts Resian with the intention of eloping with her. This is betrayal to a family that had hosted him. 

14. “Individuals who are selfless and determined are always rewarded in life”. Using illustrations from the novel Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay in support of this statement. (20 Marks)

Some individuals show great concern for other people by sacrificing their valuable time and possession for others. Their steadfast spirit coupled with their selflessness always results in success. In Blossoms of the Savannah Minik ene Nkoitoi and Nabaru are characters who are rewarded for such acts of kindness. They achieve what they set out to do.

Minik ene Nkoitoi is not only selfless but also determined. Her resoluteness pays off. First, she manages to go to Makerere University to pursue a course in veterinary medicine, which is no mean feat for a Maa woman. For instance, all of Ole Supeyo’s daughters were circumcised and married off to prominent Nasilian elders. Although Minik was also circumcised, that does not hinder her from achieving her dreams. She manages a sheep ranch at Ntare-naaju. Unlike other Maa women who subserviently coil before men, ene Nkoitoi remains an assertive individual who succeeds because of her resoluteness.

Apart from her success in education and career, Minik also succeeds in her fight against needless cultural practices like FGM. She relentlessly puts up a spirited fight against FGM and early marriages. She faces stiff resistance from conservative chauvinists such as Ole Supeyo, Ole Musanka and Oloisudori but she stays steadfast in her quest to abolish the inessential traditions. Even fellow women like enkamuratani, enkasakatoni and enkaitoyoni fuel the practices further. Minik has been labeled entagoroi (wasp) but she does not relent. Due to her selflessness she manages to rescue five hundred thousand girls and sacrifices her valuable time and resources to make them comfortable. Resian and Taiyo also benefit from her selfless nature. She accommodates and feeds them and enables them to join Egerton University. Indeed, Selfless and determined characters always succeed.

Nabaru is also both selfless and determined. When Olarinkoi deceives and kidnaps Resian and takes her to Inkiito instead of Ntare-naaju, Nabaru’s help comes in handy. She nurses and feeds Resian like her own daughter. She gives her water, milk, bits of olpurda, pounded mutton and ugali. She reveals the evil plan that enkoiboni has for Resian. She selflessly nurses and feeds Resian for over 12 days. Although she has been paid handsomely, she abandons the initial plan and chooses to help Resian. In her Resian finds not only a loving and caring mother but also a valuable friend and confidant. She makes Resian comfortable by making her a bed using her two blankets. She manages to make Resian’s stay at Inkiito a bit bearable. She succeeds since selfless individuals more often than not achieve success.

Nabaru is also determined to help Resian escape the cut and marriage to Olarinkoi; she succeeds. She walks a long distance to the next shopping centre to find a driver, Lebutu, and convinces him to help her rescue Resian. She makes a daring and determined trek considering the terrain was dangerous and riddled with wild animals. She succeeds since she ensures Resian arrives safely at Ntare-naaju and meets her role model Minik ene Nkoitoi, the emakererei. Resian refers to her as yeiyo-ai-nanyorr which means my beloved mother. Nabaru’s resolute spirit helps Resian evade circumcision and marriage and instead get chance to join her dream institution- Egerton University. Olarinkoi and enkoiboni fail terribly but Nabaru succeeds.

In conclusion, it is indeed true to say selfless and determined individuals are usually rewarded in life.

15. “Bad deeds always go unrewarded.” Write a composition to support this assertion basing your illustration on HR Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah. (20 Marks)

Individuals who commit atrocities more often than not fail to achieve whatever they are trying to achieve. Some individuals do shocking or cruel things due to their selfishness but they never succeed. In Blossoms of the Savannah, Olarinkoi, who tries to rape Resian, is hurt and humiliated and he fails to marry her. Ole Kaelo and Oloisudori’s atrocities also fail to bear fruits.

Oloisudori plans to forcefully circumcise and marry Resian against her will but he fails terribly. Oloisudori is a sly extortionist tricks Ole Kaelo (Resian’s father) into a business partnership. After helping Ole Kaelo secures several lucrative contracts, he demands to marry Resian forcefully. Resian hates him since he acts suggestively when the first meet. Ole Supeyo had earlier cautioned Ole Kaelo about his randy traits. He tries to woo her with gifts such as a golden brooch and bracelet and a spectacular house which she duly hands back. He hatches a callous plan to have Resian kidnapped and anesthetized should she turn down the proposal. He fails terribly since Resian calls him mad and says he can only marry her over her dead body. Even after spending millions of shillings and using unethical means to get a wife, Oloisudori fails to get Resian hand in marriage.

Olarinkoi, who kidnaps Resian with a view of marrying her, is unrewarded. Olarinkoi is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He pretends to be a friend to the Kaelos when he lives with them. He rescues Taiyo and Resian when Ntara and Lante try to rape them thus earning Resian’s trust. He tricks Resian into believing that he will take her to Ntare-naaju to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi, and avoid circumcision and marriage to Oloisudori. Instead he takes her to Inkiito village where he tries to rape her and assaults her until she passes out. Resian’s journey to Inkiito and the stay there is harrowing. Luckily she escapes with the help of Nabaru. Thus Olarinkoi fails to marry her. He is also forced into hiding due to shame and nearly loses a finger when Resian almost severs it. Surely, bad deeds always go unrewarded.

Ole Kaelo’s greed for material possession does not bear fruits. Ole Kaelo is sucked in by Oloisudori’s opulence and apparent generosity that he fails to see the danger he exposes himself and his family into. After getting into a business partnership with Oloisudori, he is thrown into turmoil when Oloisudori demands to marry Resian. He is faced with a dilemma of either losing his daughter’s faith and love or losing his lucrative contracts and possibly his magnificent house. After visiting Oloisudori’s palatial homes, Ole Kaelo chooses wealth over Resian’s happiness. He warms up to the idea of having Resian kidnapped and anesthetized. He receives 500, 000 shillings among other gifts but fails to have Resian marry Oloisudori. She runs away from home leaving his father confused! His evil plans prove futile.

Mama Milanoi selfishly guards her marriage at the expense of her daughter’s happiness. She is a conservative conformist who remains subservient and fails to protect Taiyo and Resian. When they move to Nasila, she is delighted since her daughters would be married by prominent men. She is, however, stuck between the devil and the deep, blue sea of either losing her daughters’ faith and love or going against the Nasila traditions. She deceives Taiyo and aids three women to abduct her and whisk her away to Esoit village where she is forcibly and brutally circumcised. She hopes to have her married to Oloisudori so that they keep the business contracts and maintain the enviable living standards in Nasila. Her plan fails since Taiyo is rescued by Minik ene Nkoitoi’s team and taken to Ntare-naaju where she joins other girls. Resian and she swear never to be subservient like their mother! Indeed, bad deeds always go unrewarded.

In conclusion, bad deeds never bear any fruits instead the perpetrators fail terribly.

16. Irresponsible decisions can lead to serious consequences. Referring closely to H.R. Ole Kulet's Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay in support of this statement.

When people make decisions that are devoid of good judgement the results are usually adverse. People like Ole Kaelo and Oloisudori suffer as a result of their rash decision.

Ole Kaelo makes an irresponsible decision when he engages in business with Oloisudori. When Ole Kaelo is retrenched from Agribix Limited, he chooses to relocate to Nasila, his native home, with his family. Here, he opens a shop dealing in Agricultural products. His business is funded by Oloisudori. Oloisudori also helps him to secure some business contracts. He helps Ole Kaelo to secure a 4 years' contract to supply all government institutions in Nasila with agricultural inputs like fertilizer, seeds, herbicides, fungicides et cetera. His mentor Ole Supeyo warns him against his involvement with Oloisudori. He says that Oloisudori is corrupt. He equates him to a hyena and a randy he-goat and cautions Ole Kaelo to keep him away from his daughters. Ole Kaelo does not heed. This decision haunts him when Oloisudori asks for his daughter Resians' hand in marriage. Resian has to be circumcised first. Her dream is to enrol at Egerton University. When she learns of her father's plan, she confronts him at his shop and he slaps her, further straining their relationship. She runs to Nasila river where she contemplates suicide. Olarinkoi finds her and promises to take her to Ntare naaju to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi, who could help her pursue her education. Ole Kaelo's rash decision makes him to lose his daughter. She leaves Nasila with Olarinkoi.

Mama Milanoi makes an unwise decision when she keeps a low profile when her daughters are subjected to punitive cultural practices. When they relocate to Nasila after Ole Kaelo is retrenched, Taiyo and Resian suffer the stigma of being labelled "intoiye nemengalana". Ole Kaelo plans to circumcise Resian and marry her off to Oloisudori. Mama Milanoi knows that her dream is to join Egerton university and pursue a degree in Veterinary medicine. She however fails to defend Resian against the pressure from society to have her circumcised and married off against her will. She succumbs to the pressure of the Nasilian culture. She knows that FGM is a tortorous and painful experience but she still fails to speak to Ole Kaelo against it. She is privy to the details of having Resian abducted and forcefully circumsised but she still remains silent. The painful outcome of her subservience is that Resian esacpes from home with the help of Olarinkoi and she eventually manages to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi and to enrol at Egerton University. Mama Milanoi loses her daughter's trust.

Ole Kaelo suffers when he chooses to deny Resian and Taiyo a chance to pursue their education at Egerton university. Parsimei Ole Kaelo instead asks Joseph Parmuat, a teacher, to teach them cultural aspects of Nasila in preparation for circumcision and marriage. Resians coaxes her sister Taiyo to speak to their father about the prospect of joining Egerton University on so many occasions, because she burns with passion for education. When she tries to ask her father, he gets so angry at her. He warms up to the idea of marrying her to Oloisudori. Ole Kaelo receives gifts and money from him. He fails to protect her daughter from advances by the corrupt extortionist. Resian finally escapes from Nasila with the help of Olarinkoi and later manages to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi who helps her to finally leave for Nakuru to join Egerton university. Oloisudori loses her as a result.

Oloisudori errs in his decision to follow Resian and Taiyo all the way to Ntare naaju ranch. When his first choice for a wife, Resian, runs away with Olarinkoi, the Kaelo's offer Taiyo as a replacement. Minik's men manage to rescue her from Esoit village but not before she is circumcised. When he loses both of them, Oloisudori pursues them upto Minik ene Nkoitoi's ranch. He knows that Minik is referred to as 'entangoroi' or wasp but still chooses to confront her. He demands for either Resian or Taiyo saying he has paid dowry enough for both. Minik says that she will not release them even to their own father. She asks Oloisudori to leave. He asks his men to grab Resian and then a pandemonium ensues. Minik's 400 workers descend upon them and clobber them thoroughly before torching his expensive vehicles and reducing them to smouldering shells. Oloisudori loses his vehicles and still fails to get a wife even after spending a lot of money, time and effort.

Olarinkoi makes two foolish decisions. First, he abducts Resian and then he tries to rape her. When Resian runs away from home and is contemplating her next course of action by the Nasila River, Olarinkoi arrives and tells her that Oloisudori's men are looking for her all over. He offers to take her to Ntare naaju to meet Minik her icon. She complies owing to the fact that she trusts him since he has been a regular visitor at their home and he saves Taiyo and her when the vagabonds, Ntara Muyo and Lante, try to rape them. Olarinkoi does not keep his word. He instead takes her to Inkiito. He locks her up in a dingy hut. That night he comes back stone drunk insisting that Resian is his wife. He mocks her about her education and he forcefully grabs her tearing her clothes and pushing her to the bed. She defends herself by pushing his thumb into her mouth and sinking her teeth into it until he bleeds. She almost severes the thumb. Olarinkoi suffers physically and also emotionally when he is admonished by his mother until he goes into hiding due to shame. Nabaru, the nurse, who was contracted by the mono-eyed woman to take care of Resian after circumcision helps to rescue her when she brings a lorry driver, who takes them to Ntare naaju. Apart from the physical and emotional pain, Olarinkoi fails to get Resian as a wife as a result of his irresponsible decision.

Mama Milanoi makes an irresponsible decision when she tricks Taiyo into circumcision. When Resian runs away with Olarinkoi to avoid marriage to Oloisudori, Taiyo is offered as a replacement. Mama Milanoi allows her to accompany the three women from Esoit. They lie to Taiyo that Resian is on a hunger strike and has gone for three days without eating. They want her to accompany them to Esoit for Resian's sake. She complies and accompanies them happily since her mother assures her that their father had vowed never to try to marry them by force to any man. At Esoit she is thrown into turmoil as no one attends to her or talks about Resian. She is instead left in a dingy hut. The next morning she is dragged out of the hut by a group of excited women, 20 litres of cold water is emptied on her head before she is forcibly circumcised by 'enkamuratani'. The ordeal is so painful that she passes out. She is later rescued by Minik's men with the help of Joseph Parmuat, who tricks the guards guarding her, with alcohol. The guards attempt to chase after Minik's men,pelting them with stones, but they fail. Parmuat is speared to death. Mama Milanoi loses Taiyo when she is taken to Minik's ranch.

Through characters like Oloisudori and Olarinkoi, we learn that foolish decisions usually lead to bad consequences. We ought to think before we leap.

17. Women suffer in male-dominated societies. Write an essay to validate the truth in this assertion basing your illustrations on Blossoms of the Savannah.

In most societies, men hold primary power and influence. Blossoms of the Savannah highlights the problems women suffer in a male-dominated society. Resian, Taiyo, Mama Milanoi and Minik ene Nkoitoi suffer a myriad of problems in Nasila.

Resian suffers for simply being born a girl. Ole Kaelo is infuriated when his second born child turns out to be a girl. He had prayed for a boy and wanted at least three boys. The society values boys more than girls. A boy would carry the Kaelo's name to the next generation Ole Kaelo offers Resian as a sacrificial lamb when Oloisudori comes looking for a wife. As much as she knows her father hates her, she is shocked that he has the temerity to sell her to a man she hates with a passion. Resian is always sad and aloof owing to her father's mistreatment. Resian feels betrayed by her father and at one point considers committing suicide. She is forced to run away from home with the help of Olarinkoi. Surely, women in male-dominated societies suffer a great deal.

Men in Nasila use FGM to oppress women. Women are considered a wild gender that has to be tamed through FGM. Girls who undergo FGM suffer physical and psychological pain. Uncircumcised girls are mocked, derided and contemptuously referred to as intoiye nemengalana. Circumcised girls are considered decent and accorded respect. The subject of FGM makes Taiyo and Resian feel squeamish, hopeless and downcast. Resian feels that FGM is useless today and is only used by men to oppress women. Taiyo is duped and taken to Esoit village, 5 kilometers away from Nasila, where she is forcibly circumcised. She is dragged out of a hut, splashed with 20 litres of cold water, wrestled to the ground and circumcised. The excruciating procedure is carried out using a bladelike tool known as olmurunya. She faints and only regains consciousness two days later. She even imagines she had died! Even after being rescued, she suffers bouts of sickness, restlessness, weakness and pain. This all happened in order for her to be married off to Oloisudori since men in Nasila do not marry intoiye nemengalana.

In male-dominated societies, women suffer forced early marriages. When Resian learns that she has to marry Oloisudori, she is thrown into a sea of agony. Forced marriage is rampant in Nasila. Oloisudori and Olarinkoi try to marry Resian forcefully. Resian's dream is to join Egerton University. Her father, however, plans to marry her off to Oloisudori against her will. He makes all these plans behind Resian's back. He receives cash and gifts from Oloisudori knowing too well that Resian only values university education. Oloisudori even considers rendering Resian unconscious should she decline his proposal. At Inkiito, Resian realizes that many girls are married to old men. One girl is eighteen and her husband is about seventy five. Such girls live in squalor conditions. To avoid marrying Oloisudori, Resian runs away from home. She endures an agonising 3-week stay at Inkiito battling hostile hosts, mosquitoes, hunger and physical injury. Surely, she suffers a lot when her father tries to marry her off without her consent.

In Nasila, Resian and Taiyo suffer sexual exploitation since they are not circumcised. They are mocked and chided by strangers. Two vagabonds attempt to molest them. Like most men in Nasila, Ntara and Lante do not respect women. When they first meet, Oloisudori harasses Resian despite her being too young for him. She describes him as an ill-mannered devil. At Inkiito, Olarinkoi unsuccessfully tries to rape Resian. He comes home drunk as a skunk and demands for food from her. He then tries to molest her. She fights back fiercely and bites his thumb. Olarinkoi then assaults her viciously rendering her unconscious. For a couple of weeks that follow, Resian endures pain from the attack. Resian and Taiyo undergo physical and emotional anguish in the hands of men who abuse their privacy.

Women in Nasila suffer because they are voiceless. Mama Milanoi is voiceless when her husband plans to marry off Resian to Oloisudori. She cannot even dissuade him from circumcising their daughters. In Nasila, it is men who make decisions. Mama Milanoi suffers sleepless nights pondering in pain owing to the excruciating experience awaiting her daughters yet she remains voiceless. Mama Milanoi is in a dilemma because she is torn between being a dutiful Maa wife and being a protective mother to Taiyo and Resian. As a subservient Maa wife, she has little choice but to submit to her husband and Nasila cultural dictates. She is baffled that an old man like Oloisudori could marry Resian, something that was unheard off during her childhood days. She visits and talks to other women like Yeiyo bottor in an attempt to avert the marriage. The thoughts of early marriage and circumcision take her through mental torture yet the male-dominated society gags her and renders her voiceless. She suffers in silence.

Minik ene Nkoitoi is treated contemptuously by men in Nasila. Men like Simiren and Ole Musanka hate her passionately. She is referred to as entagoroi, a derogatory name for a sharp-tongued woman. When she tries to stop Simiren from circumcising her daughters and marrying them off to old men, he chases her away and almost assaults her physically. Ole Musanka curses her that “she may go down with the setting sun”. Even women in Nasila call her a witch. Minik ene Nkoitoi suffers mistreatment and alienation in Nasila simply because she fights archaic practices like early marriages and FGM, which are perpetuated and fueled by men, with a view of oppressing women.

In summary, it is clear that women suffer in male dominated societies.

18. Betrayal causes pain and strain in the family. Using illustrations from Henry Ole Kulet's Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay to validate this statement.

Good families are built on trust and love. When we fail or desert our family members, we cause them untold grief. In Blossoms of the Savannah, Taiyo and Resian suffer when their parents betray them.

Ole Kaelo betrays his daughter Resian when he irrationally mistreats her for no apparent reason, causing her untold grief. He fails his daughter because he detests her right from birth. He feels cheated by nature since he had prayed for at least three boys but as fate would have it ends up with two girls. Ole Kaelo loves his first daughter Taiyo but hates her younger sister Resian. He was utterly disappointed when she turned out to be a girl when he prayed for a healthy baby boy to carry the Kaelo’s name to the next generation. He is angered by her body size and intends to dispose of her as soon as possible. Resian feels betrayed since her father intimidates her and her mother fails to protect her from the provocations. Her only reprieve is Taiyo, who gives her a shoulder to cry on. The girls enjoy their father's absence more than his company. Resian wonders why her father despises her so much but does not hate Taiyo. She ponders whether it was her fault. Her father wants her to marry a shady crook named Oloisudori by force. She argues that if her father respected her, he would have listened when she said she disliked Oloisudori. Resian knows that her father hates her but is shocked that he could go as far as selling her. This betrayal causes Resian misery since she was a child and she grows up to be sullen, bewildered and resentful. She even thinks there is a curse for being born a woman. Her nature is darkened with melancholy. The frequent tongue lashing and harshly impatient nature from her father towards her contribute to her tempestuous disposition. She is haunted by nagging complaints and never ending unhappiness. Sometimes she sits alone in the biting cold brooding over her father's inexplicable hateful nature. Her sadness is compounded by the fact that he intends to forcefully marry her off to a monster she hates, in order for his business venture to thrive. The pain pushes her to edge until she contemplates drowning herself in Nasila River in pursuit of peace. Surely, when a father hates his own daughter this, much the result, needless to say, is untold suffering. (Pgs. 9-10, 34, 172-173, 205, 210)

Mama Milanoi betrays both Resian and Taiyo when she chooses to remain indifferent and aloof to her own daughters causing them pain. At first, she has a strange premonition since her daughters are uncircumcised yet the culture demands otherwise. She is thrown into a conundrum of either forcing the girls to undergo FGM and losing their faith, love and confidence, or refusing to yield to tradition at the risk of being labelled a pariah. Instead of fighting to protect her daughters when their father plans to circumcise them, she subserviently bows to pressure and foolishly asserts that culture is everything and it rules their lives. Now that FGM had reared its ugly head, she knows that it was going to wreak havoc in the innocent girls’ young lives. She also knows that her daughters do not expect their own parents to subject them to the excruciating pain and turmoil of FGM. It would be mental torture for them. However, she remains aloof and selfish simply to protect her position as a dutiful Maa wife. She concurs with Yeiyo Bottor that Resian has olkuenyi which can be cured through FGM. She knows that FGM would terribly hurt the girls but she fails to protect them. She kept lying to the girls and reassuring them that nothing sinister was in the offing as they prepared to circumcise them. She laughs with her husband and Oloisudori as they discuss Resian's fate but a feeling of betrayal lingers in her heart. Mama Milanoi fails Resian and Taiyo since she abandons them at the time of need. Taiyo and Resian are angry at their mother and term her as an example of a wife they never wanted to be. She had been held captive by her husband and could not express her own opinion unlike Nabaru and Minik ene Nkoitoi. Resian is forced to run away from home through a harrowing journey but Taiyo pays the ultimate price when she undergoes the excruciating pain of FGM. Surely, when a mother fails to protect her daughters, they suffer. (Pgs. 17, 34, 60-62, 63, 78, 147, 192, 276)

Mama Milanoi tricks her daughter Taiyo into circumcision causing her pain and regret. She calls Taiyo to greet three women visitors from a village called Esoit. They say Resian had sought refuge there after running away from home. They need Taiyo to accompany them since Resian was on a hunger strike and had not eaten anything for three days. They claim they pitied Resian and claim she had mentioned Taiyo who could persuade her to eat and save her life. Since Taiyo is caring and knows Resian depends on her for protection, she buys the story. She is happy since her mother assures her that their father had vowed never to marry them by force to any man. This is the height of deceit and betrayal from a mother. At Esoit, there is no sign of Resian. Taiyo is abandoned in a dingy hut and at dawn she is dragged out, drenched with 20 litres of cold water, wrestled to the ground and forcibly circumcised. Her screams of terror and pain fall on deaf ears. She faints and only gains consciousness two days later, feeling sore, bitter and angry. She even imagines she had died. She is later rescued by Minik ene Nkoitoi but still suffers bouts of pain, intensely painful headaches and weakness. It is difficult to come to terms with the forcible circumcision. Taiyo and Resian blame their father for wanting to please Oloisudori at the detriment of his own daughters. Their mother does not escape their ire. They think she is the embodiment of a bad wife and mother. When a parent betrays their child, they cause the child grief. (Pgs. 272, 274, 275, 276-277)

Ole Kaelo betrays Resian when he agrees to marry her off against her will to a wanton criminal - Oloisudori, causing her untold misery. Oloisudori is a rich man who helps Ole Kaelo by financing his business in Nasila and assists him in acquiring government contracts to supply agricultural inputs. He then demands to marry Resian. Ole Kaelo had been retrenched from his job at Agribix limited in Nakuru and had decided to relocate to his native Nasila to venture into business. Ole Kaelo's mentor Soin Ole Supeyo warns him that Oloisudori was a corrupt criminal, a hyena and a randy he-goat. He cautions him to keep the amorous man away from daughters. He does not heed the warning. Ole Kaelo knows that it is his duty to protect and educate his daughters and it pains him to hand them over to a man they don’t love. He foresees them crying forlornly and questioning the sincerity of his love and the reason for his betrayal. However, he still chooses to betray and sacrifice Resian. He accepts cash and other gifts from Oloisudori. He vows that Resian has to be married by Oloisudori and is party to an evil scheme to abduct her in the event that she resisted. While Mama Milanoi feels they were betraying Resian, Ole Kaelo feels happy and satisfied especially after visiting her potential husband’s palatial homes. As they drive past Egerton University, he feels Resian was foolish for choosing education over marriage to a wealthy man. Resian was speechless when it dawned on her that her father had sold her to Oloisudori. She feels it was a curse being born a woman in Nasila. She knew he disliked her but never thought her own father could sell her. She cries in anger and outrage and accuses him of betrayal and hatred. She says it was better to die than marry her father's monstrous friend. He even slaps her with the view of intimidating her into bowing to pressure of his demands. Resian leaves his office and heads to Nasila River where she contemplates suicide. She instead chooses to flee from home with the help of Olarinkoi and embarks on a harrowing, daunting journey to Ntare Naaju not knowing what awaited her. Resian surely suffers in the wake of her father's betrayal. (Pgs. 26, 108, 111-112, 178, 185, 191-193, 204, 205, 208, 209, 210)

Ole Kaelo betrays his daughter Taiyo when he fails to support her musical aspirations. Taiyo loses trust in her father when he denies her permission to attend an extravaganza organised by an FM radio station. Taiyo loves music. She has excelled in music festivals and been awarded many times. Broadcasting stations noticed her talent and encouraged her to pursue a career in music. Even her parents applauded her on many occasions so she did not expect them to have any objection if she pursued the desire of her heart as a future occupation. An FM station offered her a chance to attend a music extravaganza in Mombasa and attend a short course later. Her father refuses to grant her permission, claiming rather absurdly that performing for money was akin to harlotry. It is evident that Taiyo loves music. It was in her blood. She thoroughly enjoys the children’s performance in Nasila. When her father denies her permission, it leaves a wound in her heart. She stubbornly tries to convince him but loses the fight. This betrayal leaves her seething in rage. (1-2, 44-45)

Lastly, Ole Kaelo betrays his daughter Resian when he refuses to send her to university. Resian is determined to join Egerton University. When they are about to relocate to Nasila from Nakuru, she tells Taiyo that she does not want to work at their father's shop. She wanted to join Egerton University to study veterinary medicine and be called Dr. Resian Kaelo. She requests her sister Taiyo to persuade him to allow them to return to Nakuru and enroll at the university in order to avoid being subjected to outdated traditions. She is not interested in Parmuat's cultural lessons. She only wants formal education which is universally beneficial to all. Her only hope was placed on Taiyo speaking to their father as their mother proved to be either impuissant or unwilling. She, however, chooses to remain optimistic envisioning herself in Egerton University donning academic regalia. She rejects Oloisudori’s gifts and hands them back since her only ambition is to pursue university education. Her father refuses to allow her to join university. He intends to marry her off to Oloisudori, a man Resian deems a monster. She refers to him contemptuously as ol-ushuushi – a reckless person and olbitirr - a warthog. Resian assertively declares that even if she was over eighty years old she would still join university. It is painful for her to struggle, run away from home, suffer in Inkiito in the hands of a callous brute – Olarinkoi, before she finally joins university, courtesy of total strangers Nabaru and Minik. She finds solace in the distant lands of Ntare Naaju when her own parents betray and hurt her. (Pgs. 4, 18, 33, 58, 73, 89, 196, 207, 210)

In brief, when family members fail or desert us, we suffer immense pain or hardship.

19. “As bad as it may be, every culture has a good side. Closely referring to the treatment of the girl child”, write a composition in support of this; drawing your illustrations from H.R. Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah.

Introduction Traditional cultures though condemned have been of great help in caring for the interest and safety of the girl child against wayward/predatory men. This is evident in Nasila culture in Blossoms of the Savannah.

• Elder’s court Mama Milanoi laments Oloisudori’s obnoxious act of demanding her daughter Ressian for a wife. Oloisudori is the age mate of Parsimei – Mama Milanoi’s husband. Mama Milanoi recalls that such a thing would have never happened in the past. She says that in those old good days, had her husband tried to enforce such an abomination, she would have appealed to the Elders court which would have ruled him out of order, possibly fined him together with his purported son in law. A public rebuke and cleansing ceremony conducted by the fearsome Oloiboni would shamed the culture – abusers and their collaborators; a deterrent act. (without mentioning of elder’s court, it is thin) page 113-114, 115
• Women’s court Culture also gave aggrieved women room to call for mass action-swift, vindicive and decisive. It was most feared by men. Mama Milanoi recalls an incident of a mannerless old man who got infatuated with a fourteen-year-old daughter of his daughter of his agemate and started stalking her. The man seduces the girl while milking her mother’s cows. The girl reports the incident and her mother appealed to the women’s court for the culprits, let out the calves. No cow was milked no fire was lit in the hearths. Then they attacked the homestead of the accused using firewood, husband’s knobkerries. The old man is beaten thoroughly, stripped naked; teased and paraded naked in all the homesteads. The aggrieved girl would question him and he would be forced to give a certain response. The women’s cry would send all men scampering for safety up in the hills. The accused would be beaten to death. All the men would be denied food and milk till they called the Oloibon to cleanse the homestead and restore peace, love and unit. Such punishment deterred men from offending the sensibilities of Maa. (without appeal to women’s court - thin)Pg 115-117
• Patureishi Joseph Parmuat cultural lessons and dances helps Ressian and Taiyo understand the various kinds of love that young people in Nasila were involved in. Such love include the conventional and the Patureishi. Those involved in conventional were considered betrothed. Should the betrothed misbehave or offend the sensibilities of the Nasula culture and lose the favour of the girl’s parents, he would forfeit right to marry the girl. Patureshi – institution also checked the conduct and behavior of young people and keep them discipline. The young man who violated it or engages in disgraceful act, disrespect for women, the Paturesihi would shame him. A young man who balanced conventional and Patureishi earned respect and was regarded as a potential leader and of the future of Maa. This safeguarded the girl child. (Role of Patureishi must come out clearly, failure - thin) Pg 125-127
• Punishment of the vagabonds Another incident where sensibilities of Nasila was breached is when Taiyo and Resian are returning home from their father’s shop. Two young men accosted and attempted to rape them. They dragged them to the bush and Olarinkoi’s appearance and has intervention saved them. This was a serious violation that left the girls traumatized. When they reported to the family, the entire clan is enraged, and a search for the culprit ensures. When they were caught they were clobbered until they bled profusely. They pleaded for mercy and fearfully hid under the legs of and old man. One of them –Ntara Muyo was their first cousin. The other was Lante-son of Kanyira. Elaborate cleansing ceremony is planned and Ole Kaelo is compensated. Taiyo and Resian went to be paid two heifers each. The tenets of Nasila culture ensured justice for the girls. (without punishment, compensation and cleansing ceremony - thin) Pg 140, 156-164
• Olarinkoi’s Exile Olarinkai offers to evacuate Resian to Ntare Naaju Ranch – the home of Minil-ene -Nkotoi- Emakererei to escape a forcible circumcision and marriage to Oloisudori. Resian who was at the verge of committing suicide saw a savior in Olarinkoi and accepts the offer gratefully. However, he takes her to Inkiito where he goes drinking and comes in at night and attempts to rape her. She bites his thumb and he hurts her until she passes on. Nabaru who nursed her tells her that the mono eyed woman – Olarinkoi’s mother had prophesied her marriage to his son but the attempted rape diluted everything. Olorinkoi is banished into exile for days and later the marriage fails to materialize pg 232 – 234
• Ill-intent men Resian blames her father for the tension in the family for being forced to stay behind to host Oloisudori against her will – Resian opines that this is the neo-culture. Girl child was always protected and shielded from males who ogled and stare at them with no good intentions. Where there were male visitors, the girls were taken to their aunt’s houses to avoid meeting some of these ill-intent fellows. The aunts would instead serve the guests. Fathers too had minimum interaction with their daughters and guarded jealously their privacy and guaranteed them security(without the shielding of girls from men; taking them to aunt’s place, score thin). Pg 174-175

Conclusion It is therefore clear that most traditions of the people have a way of ensuring that its daughters’ security was guaranteed and there is need to perpetuate them.

20. Some cultural practices are archaic and out dated. Write an essay in support of this statement. (20mks)

Introduction This can be general, specific or general specific bringing out the retrogressive nature of cultural practices imposed on people of diverse cultures.

• Female genital mutilation which is depicted as a compulsory rite of passage if a girl has to be respected, valued and married. Expound on Resian’s and Taiyo’s experiences in Nasila.
• Under- age marriages where young girls are denied the right to pursue further education and ambitions e.g Resian and Taiyo are sold off by their father to Oloisudori without their consent.
• Barring people from getting married or involved in a relationship if they are considered to be of the same clan but not related by blood eg Joseph and Taiyo
• Male chauvinism where men feel they are superior to women eg Ole Kaelo’s and Mama Milanoi’s situation concerning their daughters’ circumcision, lesson on Maa culture,Olarinkoi’s demand that Resian cooks for him,Ole Supeyo’s opinion on women circumcision as being dehorned and therefore being made docile and submissive, Oloisudori being sarcastic towards Resian after having confirmed that he has already bought her off from her father and that she can do nothing concerning the betrothal( His word was final)
• Seeing girl child education as a waste of time eg Ole Kaelo totally denies his daughters pursuing further education saying the education they have is enough and Joseph was asked to teach the girls on the reqirements of a respectable Nasilan woman and later get cicurmcised as they await getting married. Ole Supeyo educates his sons upto the University level yet his daughters don’t get such opportunity but married off to prominent men in Nasila .

Conclusion: Recap on the points discussed in the content.

21. “Self-interest is a vice that whoever engages in it is bound to fail” Using Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay to support this assertion. (20mks)

Introduction When one does something in the hope of benefiting himself or herself, the person is most likely not to succeed in his or her endeavors. This is well illustrated by Ole kulet in Blossoms of the savannah. (2mks) Accept any other valid introduction.

• Ole Kaelo’s self interest make him to engage in things which later on make him regret his decisions. Ole kaelo is advised by a friend Ole supeyo about the kind of man Oloisudori is. He is told that Oloisudori is not a man of integrity and warns him about doing business with him. He is even warned to keep his daughters away from him. Later this man causes him great worry when he threatens to bring his business down if he does not give him his daughter in marriage. Since Ole Kaelo does not want to lose his business and the money given to him by Oloisudori he accepts to offer Resian to oloisudori, leading to him losing his two daughters in end when Resian escapes to Miniks place and later Taiyo who was rescued by Minik’s men.
• Mama Milanoi decides to participate in offering her two daughters to Oloidudori. First Resian who ecapes then Taiyo. She fears going against ole Kaelo since she knows what is at stake if she does. This action makes her lose the trust of her daughters and they are angry with her and vow that they would not want to be like her marriage. In the end she also loses her two daughters.
• Olarinkoi seems to be a mystery in Ole Kaelo’s house, though he has his hidden intentions. He pretends to be of help to Resian when he finds her by the river after being disappointed by Ole kaelo the father. After taking Resian to his place, he turns into a beast by trying to rape Resian and even planning to circumcise her by force before marrying her. But Resian protects herself by biting his thumb when it was later known that he had to rape Resian, he was admonished and he later lost Resian when she was helped to escape by Nabaru
• Oloisudori is also another person who perpetuates self-interest when he extorts his clients. He has made Ole kaelo sign up to several contracts just to extort him at the end. He then changes his mind when he comes over at Ole Kaelo’s for his pound of flesh. He demands that Ole Kaelo gives him his daughter instead. Later on he still insists on his demands even after Resian escaping to Minik’s place and Taiyo being rescued, he proceeds to the ranch when Minik was having a farewell party for the 2 girls. This decision which he made out of self interest sees his convoy being reduced smoldering shelf and acrid smell of burning tires clobbered thoroughly. Mark 3:3:3:3

Conclusion. In conclusion we can therefore agree that self –interest can lead to failure to anyone who engages in it. (2mks) (Accept any valid conclusion). Font – 12 Grammar – 8 Introduction – 2 Conclusion – 2 Total - 20

22. When people build a strong friendship, they easily endure and overcome any obstacle that come their way and emerge successful. Using examples from Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay to show the truth of this statement.

Points of Interpretation

• Who have strong friendship?
• What challenge/obstacle/problem do they face?
• How does their union come in handy to help alleviate/overcome the challenge? NB: How their strong friendship works to help in a given challenge must clearly be brought out for the candidate to score a full mark in any point.

Introduction In Blossoms of the Savannah, Taiyo and Resian, Resian and Nabaru and Resian are some of the characters that forge deep friendship which helps go over the many problems that befall them. (Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS

• When Taiyo and Resian are accosted by a vagabond on their first day in Nasila, their closeness helps them avert a would worse scenario. Resian asks the vagabond to leave her sister’s hand. She reminds him that they don’t have any money on them. Taiyo on her informs the vagabond that they are not the type of women he thinks. Later when Resian is traumatized by the experience, Taiyo comes in to reassure her by promising to talk to their father about the possibility of going back to Nakuru. Pp. 14-19; 32-33.
• On realizing that Resian is always tempestuous after the father’s constant tongue-lashing and that even their mother would not help them, Taiyo takes it upon herself to mob her sister’s tears. Right from nursery school through to secondary, Taiyo who was ‘fiercely devoted to her sister’ ensured that she protected her sister from the bullies. She was also keen and ‘always sensed her sister’s yearnings.’ PP. 32-34.
• The two sister bank on their love to outwit Oloisudori upon realizing that their mother and father would not assist them at all. They come up with a conspiracy to return the gifts as a reciprocal gesture to Oloisudori. This is to prove a point- that they are focused girls with a clear map of what they want in life. They also plan that they would feign innocence until when Oloisudori’s intentions become apparently clear to them. Taiyo advises Resian to ensure that he doesn’t remain alone in the house with oloisudori for he may harm her. This plan works to their favour as Resian is able to face-off Oloisudori and beat them at their plan- that of forced marriage. Pp. 195-205
• After Resian is rebuked by her father for refusing to serve Oloisdori, Resian runs out into the cold at night. Taiyo follows her out in the cold and condemns her for endangering/risking her life. She urges her to go back into the house so as not to catch a cold. Pp. 169-173
• Resian forms a formidable alliance with Nabaru to defeat Olarinkoi and the enkoiboni’s schemes. Nabaru becomes Resian’s confidant. She buys into Resian’s dream. She reveals the evils planned out against Resian and goes out of her way to rescue Resian into the Ranch. Despite Olarinkoi’s infantile threats, she delivers Resian safely to her nirvana. Pp.220-223; 230-245; 248-252; 262-265
• Taiyo and Resian forge a strong bond with the Minik and the over 400 girls they find at the Ranch. It is this bond that has thrived between them that helps them to vanquish Oloisudori. Because of the love Minik has developed for the girls, he faces Oloisudori, a man of means and humiliates him publicly. Together with other enegetic workers they burn down Oloisudori’s convoy and ashes and also beat him thoroughly. With their biggest threat behind them, the two girls embark on their academic journey. Pp. 279-284. (Accept any 4 well illustrated points. Mark 4;4;4;4. Total 12 marks) Grammar and Presentation 4marks

True friendship knows to obstacle raised on its way.  ( Accept any other valid conclusion ) 2marks

23. Irresponsible parenting can lead to instability in a family. Discuss the truth of this statement using the novel “Blossoms of the Savannah” by H. Kulet

Accept any relevant introduction (2 mks)

• He gets disappointed when he gets a girl.
• Vents his frustration on the poor child.
• Effects – Resian realizes her father does not like her right from her cradle.
• He detests her, treats her harshly, openly favours Taiyo. Distance created.
• Her personality is affected since she grew up sullen, bewildered and resentful (pg 10).
• She becomes rebellious, angry and bitter.
• Her nature was darkened by melancholy, self – doubt.
• At home she became difficult to deal with especially with her father
• Ole-kaelo as a parent failed to offer lose, acceptance and assurance.
• Ole kaelo agrees to Mary Resian to Oloisudori: He is aware he is a criminal, a bank robber and a gangster (pg. 194)
• He is willing to cast a blind eye on the fact that Oloisudori is old enough to be Resian father.
• He is willing to use Resian as the sacrificial lamb to secure his palatial home and business contracts.
• He allows Oloisudori to black mail him with a demand for his daughters hand in marriage. Giving out Resian to Oloisudori is too small a price.
• He betrays his daughters when he agrees to the plan fo her abduction should she turn down Oloisudori’s marriage proposal> (pg 191).
• He fails in his responsibility to care and protect his daughter because of material gain.
• Resian feels betrayed is full of anger and bitterness – she runs away from home, where she undergoes such trauma at the hands of Oloirinkoi.
• Resian has suicidal thoughts.
• Olokaeilo chose to please the Maa people at the expense of his family.
• Her ambition was to study veterinary doctor.
• She asks her mother and Taiyo to make the request for but never go the chance.
• When Resian vehemently asks if he will take her to university, he informs her that formal education that she had was enough. (pg 207)
• Suggests that she can join Parallel program once she marries Oloisudori.
• He also fails in assisting Taiyo pursue her music interests.
• He fails in His responsibility to fully educate her daughters when brought a big conflict between his and the girls.
• She fails to protect the girls from the harsh mean traditions.
• When Resian tries to confide her fears to her she dismisses and scolds her for referring to Oloisudo as a manner less old man.
• She sends her back to serve the old lustful man tea.
• She does little to correct the tension between Resian and her father does not come to rescue her.
• Taiyo is surprised at her mothers inability to protect Resian from mistreatment from her father.
• She betrays Resian – she failed her.
• She was fearful of her husband and was owed to silence even when injustices were being committed against her own daughters.
• Her silence pained Resian beyond words.
• She betrays Taiyo by tricking her into going to Esoit to undergo faced circumcision.

Conclusion: The once good and peaceful family falls apart due to the parents failure to take up her roles responsibly. In the face of adversity one requires strong - will power. Justify – referring to the story “No need to lie”.

24. Mama Milanoi’s submissiveness results in the break up of her family. With clear illustrations from the novel, Show the truth of this statement.

Mama Milanoi is depicted as a woman who is unable to defend her daughters against unfavourable decisions made by her husband in order to protect her own interest. Points

• She does not protect Resian when she is harassed for not being born a boy.
• She fails to defend daughters against their father’s decision to have them circumcised.
• She does not speak out against the plot to drug and abduct Resian if she refuses to marry Oloisudori.
• She is part to the women who abduct Taiyo and have her circumcised against her will.

Any other correct point. Expect fully illustrated answers Introduction 2 marks Body 12 marks Language 4 marks Conclusion 2 marks.

25. “When faced with challenges in life, help comes at a time that it is least expected.” Citing evidences from Henry Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay in support of this statement.

• Most people reach the end of the tether in difficult situations and are just about to give up when help comes suddenly. Most instances of help in Blossoms of the savannah appear coincidental but nonetheless; they change the course of life of the characters as well as shaping the rest of the novel. (Accept any other relevant introduction)
• Olarinkoi seems to be at the right place at the right time. He happens to be the savior of Resian and Taiyo when they need help most. He comes to the rescue of the two girls when they are coming from their father’s shop and are about to be raped by two men, the vagabonds. Olarinkoi single handedly saves the girls by fighting the men. Resian and Taiyo are much grateful and would not want to imagine what would have happened if he had not come at that time, even fearing that they would have been infected with HIV. The incident also made the two girls build up their trust in Olarinkoi, (Pg. 140-143).
• Olarinkoi again comes to the rescue of Resian when she discovers her father’s betrayal by planning to marry her off to Oloisudori. Resian confronts her father at the shop and realizes she has been ‘sold’ to the monster Oloisudori. Her father is hostile to her and beats her up and she runs away. He comes to her rescue when she is even contemplating committing suicide by drowning herself into the Nasila River. At the same time, Oloisudori and his men are looking for her to abduct her. Olarinkoi promises to take her to Minik whom she had been yearning to meet someday. Although the help turns disastrous with Olarinkoi turning against her, she is able to escape the current wrath of Oloisudori. It is while at Olarinkoi’s hut that Nabaru becomes of help and eventually escapes with her to Minik’s Ranch. She also escapes the knife remaining intoiye nemengalana. Olarinkoi’s help then is a blessing in disguise, (Pg. 204-2011, 224, 237, 244-249).
• Taiyo is rescued from the hands of her circumcisers by Minik’s men. Minik’s rescue team in coordination with Joseph Parmuat use tricks to rescue her from the well-guarded home which she would not have escaped in her sickly state. Were it not for Minik’s intervention, Taiyo would surely have been forcefully married off to Oloisudori after healing. The rescue gives Taiyo a new lease of life, reunion with her sister and of course quicker physical and emotional recovery. Their dream of joining Egerton University is equally realized after the recovery, (Pg. 270-274).
• Minik’s help to Resian and Taiyo at the most challenging moment perhaps is the most important event that completely changes their lives. She gives refuge to the girls in her Ranch hence protecting them from the marauding men like Oloisudori and Olarinkoi. She gives Resian a job in the ranch hence giving her something to live on and promises her a scholarship from the Ranch. Most importantly, she is able to have the two girls enrolled at Egerton University, their dream university. These kind gestures create a happy ending in a novel that has been dominated by sad events, (Pg. 261-262, 264-267, 279,281-284). In conclusion, people are about to despair, that is usually the point when help comes. No matter how belated characters like Resian and Taiyo get help, their lives are greatly impacted on and changed by those interventions. (Accept any other relevant conclusion)

26. The rich culture in the Nasila community bonds the people in the society together. Write an essay with clear illustrations from the novel ‘Blossoms of the Savannah’ by Henry Ole Kulet to justify this statement.

• There is an instance of pride in cultural identity. This enhances the Maa’s unique identity as witnessed during Ole Kaelo’s homecoming party. It is manifested in songs and dances (pg44) the jewelry worn by the guests: ivory beads, coloured lessos, kangas and shukas.
• The generosity of the Nasila community as all and sundry are invited to savor in the celebration and partake in typical Maa food and drinks served during the home coming ceremony. (pg51-52)
• The community bond is also laudable in the togetherness seen in the community’s activities. We are told “Life and work was communal.” This evident at Ole Kaelo’s homecoming party, (pgs 42-52) No wonder, Kaelo is overwhelmed at the brotherhood, honour and selflessness he witnesses during his ceremony.
• Nasila way of life clearly defines relationships. And from his consanguinity is kept at bay (pg 118)
• Justice system among the Nasila is apt and acceptable. (pgs 162-164) and (pgs 115-117)
• The Maa people value family. In the family there is love, care and provision. Simiren and his family. (pgs 152 – 155)
• The Maa people have a strong religious/spriual mentality which binds them together. Ole Kaelo’s home is blessed by elders who give good tidings to the children and property (pg38)
• Cultural expectation on love to guard against illicit relationships. (pgs 124-127) “When one fails to heed to advice, they suffer.”

27. "Change is inevitable in any society”. Validate this statement with the illustrations from the novel, Blossoms of the Savannah (By Henry Ole Kulet)

Introduction:  Accept a valid introduction

Points to consider

• Ole Kaelo and his family relocate from Nakuru to Nasila after his retrenchment from Agribix limited. His two daughters, Taiyo and Resian were born and raised up in Nakuru. The idea of leaving Nakuru for a village town, Nasila, is coldly embraced by Taiyo and Resian.
• There is change of Nasilian cultural practices. In the past, culture did not allow an elderly man to marry a girl young enough to be his daughter. It was considered an abomination, and the perpetrators risked being fined heavily besides facing a public rebuke and cleansing ceremony. Ole Kaelo is collaborating with Oloisudori, his age mate, to ensure that he marries his daughter, ResianKaelo.
• There is environmental change. Mama Milanoi recounts how Nasila Rivers had changed. Nasila water was no longer the same clean water that she and her friends drew when they were girls. The water had been polluted. People were emptying sacks of agricultural chemicals and poisonous pollutants into Nasila River.
• There is an emergence of new generational vocal female activists who openly oppose FGM. Minik, a manager of a big sheep ranch and veterinary medicine graduate fights against female circumcision, a practice that is deeply embedded in Nasilian culture. She faces sharp resistance from conservative Nasilans and is christened Emakererei, the wasp.

Conclusion : Accept a valid conclusion

28. “people who do bad deeds to others never go unrepaid” Show the validity of this statement with reference to Henry Ole kulet’s novel “Blossoms of the Savannah”.

In the text, characters like Oloisudori, Ole kaelo and others perpetuate evil towards other characters, but they also receive their equal measure of pain and suffering as discussed below. Oloisudori is a businessman but with questionable deals. Despite his age, and being polygamous, he shamelessly wants to marry Ole Kaelo’s teenage daughter. He blackmails Ole Kaelo into giving his daughter Resian in marriage to him or forgets his numerous business contracts which Oloisudari had helped Ole Kaelo to secure. He further puts Ole kaelo in a tight corner where he has to forcibly circumcise. Taiyo and give her to him in marriage after Resian runs away from home. However, his actions never go unpaid, in a bid to forcibly take his bride from Minik’s ranch, his convoy of vehicles is attacked and several of hi cars burnt. He ends up losing both Resian and Taiyo, his money and his property. Ole kaelo betrays their trust of his daughter Resian. He openly resents Resian and is quick to scold her for the slightest of mistakes. He insults her just because he expected a boy child for his second born and not a girl child. He readily agrees to marry off Resian to Olisudori rather than forfeit his numerous business contracts which Oloisudiri had helped secure. He also turns down her request to join Egerton University saying that he had already received her dowry. However, Ole kaelo pays dearly for his decisions since Resian openly comfronts him at his shop and turns down the marriage deal with Oloisudari, she later escapes from home and leaves Ole kaelo with no option but to give out Taiyo in marriage to Oloisudori. Mama Milanoi’s bad deeds towards her daughters leaves them with a strong dislike for their mother. As a mother, she never comes to the defense of her daughter when Ole kaelo constantly scolds her. She further colludes with her husband to marry off Resian to Oloisudori. They collect gifts and dowry from Oloisudori and even shamelessly hatches a plan on how Olisudari will collect his bride Mama Milano also colludes with the Enkamuratuni to have Taiyo forcibly circumcised thereby causing her a lot of physical and emotional pain. All her actions never go unrepaid as her two daughters all run away from home and vow never to copy her example as their mother. Oloisudori bad deeds towards Resian never go unpunished. He rescues Resian just before her attempted suicide promising to take her to Minik’s Ranch. He however turns on his words, forcibly abducts her with the intentions of marrying her. She endures a long torturous journey at the back of an old pick – up track. She forced to stay in a lonely dark hut and even physically assaults her when his attempted rape on her backfires. He however pays dearly for his actions as Resian bites off his thumb to near amputation during the attempted rape. He is rebuked by his mother for his actions and forced to go into hiding for a number of days.

In conclusion bad deeds are always paid with bad deeds as seen above.

29. Parenting should build an environment of trust and peace in a family. Write an essay that explores how this statement applies to the Ole Kaelo family in Blossoms of the Savannah.

Introduction - (2mks)

Points of interpretation;

- The kind of parenting by Mama Milanoi and her husband does not herald peace and trust in their family. The girls desire to join the university does not receive any attention from the parents. The girls get emotionally affected as a result.

Ole Kaelo's acerbic/stinging tongue is a source of discomfort to his daughters. They enjoy his absence from the house.

The parents secretly conspire to marry off Resian to Oloisudori, which leads to her escape from home and her misery. This betrays her trust.

Resian is fully aware that the father loves Taiyo and hates her. Reasian is always on the receiving end, being cajoled and criticized for this or for that by the father. She knows no peace in the family.

(Any 4 well explained points x 3)

Conclusion - 2mks

Language A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

30. The author has been able to effectively employ irony to bring out the message of the text. Illustrate the effectiveness of this style in the text.

Communication is greatly dependent on the manner of passing the message. One of the most effective ways of communicating is by use of irony. The text Blossoms of the Savannah by H.R Ole Kulet clearly employs this style.

Olarinkoi presents himself as dependable person when he saves Resian and Taiyo from rapists. He however turns out to be a rapist himself he wants to have Resian against her will.

FGM which is a harmful practice to women is practiced, propagated and defended by the people it hurt most women.

Mama Milanoi remains mum even when her daughters are harassed by her husband who wants to have them circumcised and married off to Oloisundori against their wish.

Ole Kaelo opts to marry off his daughter Resian mannered old man, in order to save his business.

Irony as a style is one of the major styles employed by the author to communicate his message.

31. It is resian’s determination that makes her achieve her goals. In the light of what happens in the novel, Blossoms of savannah, Write an essay in support of this assertion.

People who are determined and optimistic in life achieve success in their life endeavors. Although Resia's road to success is in pain, she finally achieves her goals in life as portrayed in Ole Kulet's Blossoms of Savannah.

Resian is determined to join the university. On the day her family packs and leaves Nakuru for Nasila, Resian expresses her feelings about not working at the shop saying that she wants to come back to Nakuru and join Edgerton University. She hopes to take a course in veterinary medicine and become a veterinary doctor. She keeps urging her sister to talk to the father to enroll them at the university. At one point she is worried that her sister has spent all the money decorating the shop and leaves nothing for their University education. She tells her father that even if she lives to be eighty, she will still go to university. Finally, after a long struggle, she is able to enroll at Edgerton University for her dream course. Not giving pays up for her.

Resian is determined not to undergo female circumcision. She is opposed to this retrogressive practice and says that she would rather live in the noisiest place on earth than live anywhere near a vagabond who would accost her with the intention of mutilating her sexuality.Resian is optimistic that soon Nasita culture would do away with FGM as a cultural practice. While she's held captive in Olarinkoi's hut she dreams in her sleep.In her dream she show cases her gallant and determined nature She vows that the old enkamuratani and enkoiboni with a mallet. Her determined resistance against undergoing FGM starts bearing fruits when she and Nabaaru reach Minik's Ranch. This is after a hair-raising and daring escape on the verge of being circumcised in Olarinkoi's hut in inkiito. She is finally safe with Emakererei.Her determination not to be circumcised has borne fruit.

Resian is determined and hopeful of meeting and working with minik ene Nkoitoi,her role model. She dreams of graduating from University and getting a chance to work with Emakorerei. She imagines herself already working at the ranch during a large flock of sheep. She even thinks of asking for help of Joseph Parmuat in composing a song in her praise. When the ill-INTENDED Olarinkoi suggests he could rescue her from oloisudori by taking her to Emakerereri,sje jumps at th idea and falls prey to his evil plans. However after such a struggle, she is able with the help of Nabaaru,to escape from Olarinkoi,s hut and run to minikis ranch. There,she gets her own house ,a job and finally gets to enroll at her dream university and dream course. Her remaining hopes has finally paid off.

Determination not to get married to Oloisuduni forcibly has paid off for Resian. Oloisudori is an old man that Resian describes as a monster. Her father Ole kaelo, intends to give his daughter away in marriage as a seventh wife. However, she is determined to face him and resist his advances on her.she and her sister Taiyo hatch a plan to return the gifts that were part of the dowry by Oloisudori.when Olosudori announces that his fate with Resian is sealed,she responds by telling him that he is mad.He is stunned. She tells her father that she would rather die than get married to a monster,an Ol-ushuushi like Oloisudori,a monster,gangster,bank robber and an extortionist per excellence. Oloisudori makes a final attempt to get either Resian or Taiyo for marriage from Minik's ranch, a move that sees his convoy reduced to ashes. He is thoroughly clobbered and has to run for his life.resian has finally won the battle.

Conclusion.(sample)

It is imperative to say hopeful even in the midist of a storm.Resian, albeit stuggling, succeeded because of her unwavering determination.

Introduction-2mks Body -12mks Conclusion -2mks Language -4mks = 20mks Total

32. Other people’s wrong choices can adversely affect our lives. Justify this statement using Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry Ole Kulet. (20 marks)

Introduction.

When people make poor decisions without good judgement it can negatively have serious consequences to other people’s lives. People like Olekaelo make others suffer due to the poor decision they made. This is illustrated in the novel Blossoms of the Savannah.

CI: Ole Kaelo makes a wrong choice when he engages in business with Oloisudori;

Ole Kaelo is retrenched from Agribix Limited, he chooses to relocate to Nasila, with his family. He opens a shop dealing in Agriculture products. His business is funded by Oloisudori. Oloisudori helps him secure some business contracts. He helps Ole Kaelo secure a 4 year contract to supply all government Institutions in Nasila with agricultural inputs like fertilizer, seeds, herbicides and fungicides. His mentor Ole Supeyo warns him against his involvement with Oloisudori. He says that Oloisudori is corrupt. He equates him to a hyena and a randy he-goat and cautions Ole Kaelo to keep him away from his daughters. Ole Kaelo does not listen. This choice haunts him when Oloisudori asks for his daughter Resian’s hand in marriage. Resian has to be circumcised first. This affects Resian her dream to enroll at Egerton University. When she learns of her father’s plan, she confronts him at his shop and he slaps her in anger after she refuse the proposal calling Oloisudori a monster. Resian also runs to Nasilariver. She contemplates suicide. (pg 107-113, 114- 119, pg 176-180, 205-206, 207-210)

CII : Ole Kaelo makes a poor choice to deny Resian and Taiyo a chance to pursue their Education at Egerton University.

Ole Kaelo has been reassimilated to the Nasila culture, during the home coming ceremony Ole Musankaadvice him to come back to Nasila and embrace the pillars. He takes this advice of bringing his family back into the Nasila fold.

He asks Joseph Parmuat to teach them cultural aspect of Nasila in preparation for circumcision and marriage. Resian coaxes her sister Taiyo to speak and convince their father about joining Egerton University on so many other occasions because she burns with passion for education and wants to fulfill her ambition of joining Egerton University. When she tries to ask the father he gets angry at her. Ole Kaelo says he thought of it but decided not to send her there because she has had enough of formal education. He even accepts the bride price in suitcase from Oloisudori. He fails to protect her daughter from advances by the evil and corrupt extortionist. This affects Resian, she suffers emotionally and tells the father he’d rather kill him than hand her over to his monster friend. A monster, gangster, and a bank robber. The father slaps her and she rans away from home then later joins Emakererei. (pg. 37-47, 198- 203, 204-205, 206- 210)

CIII: Mama Milanoi makes an unwise choice to keep a low profile and not protecting herd aughters when subjected to punitive cultural practices.

Ole Musanka advices the women to re-assimilate mama Milanoi and her daughters. She was also torn in a dilemma to support her daughters and be a pariah in Nasila or accept to follow tradition and lose her daughters trust. She chooses to be submissive to the husband and accept to circumcise and marry them off. Taiyo and Resian suffer the stigma of being labelled intoiyenemengalana. Ole Kaelo plans to circumcise Resian and marry her off to Oloisudori. Mama Milanoi knows that its her dream to join Egerton University and pursue a degree in Veterinary Medicine. She however fails to defend Resian against the pressure from society to have her circumcised and marry them off. She knows that FGM is torturous and painful experience but she still fails to speak to Ole Kaelo against it. She is aware to the details of having Resian abducted and forcefully circumcised but still remains silent. Resian escapes from home and separates with her family. Taiyo is also psychologically damaged she says it will take long before conscience reconcile with what happened to her. The damage done to her will be indelibly printed in her memory. (pg 113- 119, 37-47, 203-205, 272-275)

C.(IV). Mama Milanoi decides to collude with the three blind mice affects Taiyo.

Resian runs away with Olarinkoi to avoid marriage to Oloisudori, Taiyo is offered as replacement. Mama Milanoi allows her to accompany the three women from Esoit, they lie to Taiyo that Resian is on a hunger strike and has gone for three days without eating. They want her to accompany them to Esoit for Resians sake. She complies and accompanies them happily since her mother assures her that their father had vowed never to try to marry them by force to any man. At Esoit no one attends to her but she is left in a dingy hut. The next morning they drag her out and poured cold water on her then the enkamurataniforciblt circumcise her. She passes out. She is later rescued by Minik the guard to a beer party. Parmuat is speared to death. Taiyo is affected psychologically, she says that the damage done to her will be indelibly printed in her memory. (pg 270-273, 272-275)

C.(V): Olarinkoi chooses to attempt raping Taiyo and it affects her.

Resianrans away from home and Olarinkoi finds her by the river, he lies to her that Oloisudori’s men are looking for her all over. He offers to take her to Ntarenaaju to meet Minik. She complies since he had saved them from the vagabond whenNtaraMuyo tried to rape them. He take her to his dingy hut and came back at night stone drunk. Insisting Resian is his wife. He even try to force her to cook maize meal and meat. He mocks her about her education and forcefully grabs her attempting to rape her then tore her clothes. Resian defends herself by pushing his thumb into his mouth and biting his thumb almost severing it. He also knocks Resian on her ribcage with his elbow until she became unconscious. He had a choice of being patient to fulfill the mother’s prophecy but he decided to deep his hands in the porridge before it was served to him. She bled and her head throbbed with an excruciating pain, blood trickled from her nostril; she nosebleed. She also suffers psychologically, she was tortured. She saw distorted images moving and a lonely darkness. Images of Olarinkoi and Oloisudori merged haunting her and becoming one great terror. (pg 217-222)

Conclusion In conclusion, choices have consequences.

33. “The frustrations faced by people in the contemporary times can be traced to the conduct of a few immoral individuals.’’ Write an essay supporting this statement drawing illustrations from Ole Kulet`s Blossoms of the savannah.

Introduction Moral decadence is a vice which leads to several negative consequences in the society. Immoral people such as rapists, extortionists, thieves and others abuse the rights of people hence leading to frustrated lives. In Blossoms of the Savannah, characters like Oloisudori, Olarinkoi, the warriors ,Lante and Ntara have frustrated various people as explained below.

• p110 As a blackmailer, his demand for Resian makes Ole Kaelo seethe with impotent fury
• p111 it excrutiatingly pained him that circumstances would force him to hand any of his daughters to a man who was not their choice
• p112 He cried and his heart bled for Resian amid threats of being fleeced by Oloisudori. He had had to agree that she becomes sacrificial lamb
• p112 ole Kaelo infuriated by Ole Kaelos demand that Resian be circumcised,he felt sick and nauseated by the whole affair.
• P113  Mama Milanoi tossed, writhed and cried like a a woman in labour.This is not what she had dreamed to achieve in Nasila.She sadly admits there is no other action they can take other than hand over Resian
• p119 Ole Kaelo gritted his teeth like an animal that was unable to free itself from a snare
• p85 when he killed  two men, women squirmed  and gasped while the men ground their teeth with impotent fury
• p86 the Maa men hold meeting after meeting  to find ways to resist the perplexing demands but found no workable solution
• P86 Women perturbed as they were forced to to compose lewd songs which they had to perform in the most outrageous and and indecent postures and styles
• Women angry because forced to perform the offensive dances with their daughters
• Women hated themselves as they were unable to resist the sexual demands of the Ilarinkon
• In frustration, they resorted to FGM.
• p228 she insultingly tells Resian that she ought not to have fought Olarinkoi as she had no honour to defend as intoiyenemengalana
• Resian stares at her frightfully, a new hopelessness and helplessness threatening to wreck havoc in her
• Resian cried out silently unable to bear the detestable stressful disgusting verbiage from the old witch, but is forced to listen to the nasty loathsome  foul language
• p229 when threatened with FGM, she cries out bitterly “what have I done to the gods to deserve this kind of punishment?
• p19 The vagabond spits in disgust and tells them there is no room for intoiyenemengalana. He roughly grabs Taiyo’s arm. The girls are shaken and note that they would have been helpless in the hands of the brute. Taiyo sheds tears of anger and indignation
• p46 the vagabond sneers at the girls in their own home during the homecoming. This goes unnoticed by the crowd and the girls felt angry, terrified and isolated although they were in a crowd
• p 141 When two men almost rape the girls,they scream but cant restrain the two men who have heavy knobkerries
• Later they sob with rage and shame The near rape incident left a feeling of invasion and degradation
• Taiyo seethes with fury at a society that despised women Conclusion: We should behave in a morally upright manner to avoid bringing emotional suffering to ourselves and others in society.
• Accept any other relevant point as long as it is well identified, illustrated and explained. Eg Ole Kaelo’s hatred for Resian, Ole Kaelos greed, Oloisudoris insensitive bullying of Resian, etc –
• Mark any other relevant introduction and conclusion.
• Introduction (2mks)
• Body 3:3:3:3: 12mks
• Grammar and presentation mark: 4mks 9 – 12  3mks 6 – 8  2mks 4 – 5  1mk 1 – 3  1mk
• Must have introduction and conclusion, if not deduct 3AD –
• Conclusion (2mks). Accept any  other relevant  conclusion.

34. "When we create with concerted effort strong bonds and relationships, we can easily overcome challenges that come our way." Justify this assertion citing evidences from Henry Ole Kulet's Blossoms of the Savannah.

• What challenge/obstacle/problem down to access
• How does their bond come in handy to help alleviate/ overcome the challenge?

NB: How their strong bond works to help in a given challenge must clearly be brought out for the candidate to score a full mark in any point

• In Blossoms of the Savannah, Taiyo and Resian, Resian and Nabaru and Resian are some of the characters that forge deep friendship which helps go over the many problems that befall them. (Accept any other relevant introduction) 2marks

ILLUSTRATIONS B(i) When Taiyo and Resian are accosted by a vagabond on their first day in Nasila, their closeness helps them avert a would-be worse scenario. Resian asks the vagabond to leave her sister's hand. She reminds him that they don't have any money on them. Taiyo on her informs the vagabond that they are not the type of women he thinks. Later when Resian is traumatized by the experience, Taiyo comes in to reassure her by promising to talk to their father about the possibility of going back to Nakuru. Pp. 14-19, 32-33.

B(ii)On realizing that Resian is always tempestuous after the father's constant tongue-lashing and that even their mother would not help them, Taiyo takes it upon herself to mob her sister's tears. Right from nursery school through to secondary, Taiyo who was fiercely devoted to her sister' ensured that she protected her sister from the bullies. She was also keen and 'always sensed her sister's yearnings.' PP. 32- 34.

B(iii) The two sisters bank on their love to outwit Oloisudori upon realizing that their mother and father would not assist them at all. They come up with a conspiracy to return the gifts as a reciprocal gesture to Oloisudori. This is to prove a point- that they are focused girls with a clear map of what they want in life. They also plan that they would feign innocence until when Oloisudori's intentions become apparently clear to them. Taiyo advises Resian to ensure that he doesn't remain alone in the house with oloisudori for he may harm her. This plan works to their favour as Resian is able to face-off Oloisudori and beat them at their plan- that of forced marriage. Pp. 195-205

B(iv) After Resian is rebuked by her father for refusing to serve Oloisdori , Resian runs out into the cold at night. Taiyo follows her out in the cold and condemns her for endang her life. She urges her to go back into the house so as not to catch a cold. Pp. 169-173

B(v) Resian forms a formidable alliance with Nabaru to defeat Olarinkoi and the enkoiboni's schemes. Nabaru becomes Resian's confidant. She buys into Resian's dream. She feveals the evils planned out against Resian and goes out of her way to rescue Resian into the I Despite Olarinkoi's infantile threats, she delivers Resian safely to her nirvana. Pp.220-223; 230-245; 248-252, 262-265

B(vi) Taiyo and Resian forge a strong bond with the Minik and the over 400 girls they find at the Ranch. It is this bond that has thrived between them that helps them to vanquish Oloisudori. Because of the love Minik has developed for the girls, he faces Oloisudor, a man of means and humiliates him publicly. Together with other energetic workers they burn down Oloisudori's convoy and ashes and also beat him thoroughly. With their biggest threat behind Pp. 279-284 (Accept any 4 well pasip, the two girls embark on their academic journey. 

35. Irresponsible decisions can lead to serious consequences. Referring closely to H.R. Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah, write an essay in support of this statement.

When people make decisions that are devoid of good judgment the results are usually adverse. This is well illustrated by Ole Kulet in his book Blossoms of savannah.

• Ole Kaelo makes an irresponsible decision when he engages in business with Oloisudori. When Ole Kaelo is retrenched from Agribix Limited. He chooses to relocate to Nasila, his native home, with his family. Here, he opens a shop dealing in Agricultural products. His business is funded by Oloisudori. Oloisudori also helps him to secure some business contracts. He helps Ole Kaelo to secure a 4 years contract to supply all government institutions in Nasila with Agricultural inputs like fertilizer, seeds, herbicides and fungicides. His mentor Ole Supeyo warns him against his involvement with Oloisudori. He says that Oloisudori is corrupt. He equates him to a hyena and a randy he-goat and cautions Ole Kaelo to keep him away from his daughters. Ole Kaelo does no heed. This decision haunts him when Oloisudori asks for his daughter Resians’ hand in marriage. Resian has to be circumcised first. Her dream is to enroll at Egerton University. When she learns of her father’s plan, she confronts him at his shop and he slaps her, further straining their relationship. She runs to Nasila river where she contemplates suicide. Olarinkoi finds her and promises to take her to Ntare naaju to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi, who could help her pursue her education. Ole Kaelo’s rash decision makes him to lose his daughter. She leaves Nasila with Olarinkoi.
• Mama Milanoi makes an unwise decision when she keeps a low profile when her daughters are subjected to punitive cultural practices. When they relocate to Nasila after Ole Kaelo is retrenched, Taiyo and Resian suffer the stigma of being labeled “intoiye nemengalana”. Ole Kaelo plans to circumcise Resian and marry her off to Oloisudori. Mama Milanoi knows that her dream is to join Egerton University and pursue a degree in Veterinary medicine. She however fails to defend Resian against her will. She succumbs to the pressure of the Nasillian culture. She knows that FGM is a torturous and painful experience but she still fails to speak to Ole Kaelo against it. She is privy to the details of having Resian abducted and forcefully circumcised but she still remains silent. The painful outcome of her subservience is that Resian escapes from home with the help of Olarinkoi and she eventually manages to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi and to enroll at Egerton University. Mama Milanoi loses her daughter’s trust.
• Ole Kaelo suffers when he chooses to deny Resian and Taiyo a chance to pursue their education at Egerton University. Parsimei Ole Kaelo instead asks Joseph Parmuat, to teach them cultural aspects of Nasila in preparation for circumcision and marriage. Resians coaxes her sister Taiyo to speak to their father about the prospect of joining Egerton University on so many occasions because she burns with passion for education. When she tries to ask her father, he gets so angry at her. He warms up to the idea of marrying her to Oloisudori. Ole Kaelo receives gifts and money from him. He fails to protect her daughter from advances by the corrupt extortionist. Resian finally escapes from Nasila with the help of Olarinkoi and later managed to meet Minik ene Nkoitoi who helps her to finally leave for Nakuru to join Egerton University. Oloisudori loses her as a result.
• Oloisudori errs in his decision to follow Resian and Taiyo all the way to Ntare naaju ranch. When his first choice for a wife, Resian, runs away with Olarinkoi, the Kaelo’s offer Taiyo as a replacement. Minik’s men managed to rescue her from Esoit village but not before she is circumcised. When he loses both of them. Oloisudorii pursues them up to Minik ene Nkoitoi’s ranch. He knows that Minik is referred to as ‘entangoroi’ or wasp but still chooses to confront her. He demands for either Resian or Taiyo saying he has paid dowry enough for both. Minik says that she will not release them even to their own father. She asks Oloisudori to leave. He asks his men to grab Resian and pandemonium ensues. Minik’s 400 workers descend upon them and clobber them thoroughly before torching his expensive vehicles and reducing them to smoldering shells. Oloisudori loses his vehicles and still fails to get Resian as a wife even after spending a lot of money, time and effort.
• Olarinkoi makes two foolish decisions. First, he abducts Resian and then he tries to rape her. When Resian runs away from home and is contemplating her next course of action by the Nasila River, Olarinkoi arrives and tells her that Oloisudori’s men are looking for her all over. He offers to take her to Ntare naaju to meet Minik her icon. She complies owing to the fact that she trusts him since he has been a regular visitor at their home and he saves Taiyo and her when the vagabonds, Ntara Muyo and Lante, try to rape them. Olatinkoi does not keep his word. He instead takes her to Inkiito. He locks her up in a dingy hut. That night he comes back stone drunk insisting that Resian is his wife. He mocks her about her education and he forcefully grabs her tearing her clothes and pushing his thumb into her mouth and sinking her teeth into it until he bleeds. She almost severe the thumb. Olarinkoi suffers physically and also emotionally when he is admonished by his mother until he goes into hiding due to shame. Naburu, the nurse, who was contradicted by the mono-eyed woman to take care of Resian after circumcision helps to rescue her when she brings a lorry driver, who takes them to Ntare naaju. Apart from the physical and emotional pain, Olarinkoi fails to get Resian as a wife’s a result of his irresponsible decision.
• Mama Milanoi makes an irrepressible decision when she tricks Taiyo into circumcision. When Resian runs away with Olarinkoi to avoid marriage to Oloisudori, Taiyo is offered as a replacement. Mama Milanoi alows her to accompany the three women from Esoit. They lie to Taiyo that Resia bis on a hunger strike and has gone for three days without eating. They want her to accompany them to Esoit for Resian’s sake. She complies and accompanies them happily since her mother assures her that their father and power never to try to marry them by force to any man. At Esoit she is thrown into turmoil as no one attends to her or talks about Resian. She is instead left in a dingy hut. The next morning, she is dragged out of the hut by a group of excited women, 20 liters of cold water is emptied on her head before she is forcibly circumcised by ‘enkamuratani’. The ordeal is so painful that she passes out. She is later rescued by Minik’s men with the help of Joseph Parmuat, who tricks the guards guarding her, with alcohol. The guards attempt to chase after Minik’s men, pelting them with stones, but they fail. Parmuat is speared to death. Mama Milanoi loses Taoiyo when she is taken to Minik’s ranch.

In conclusion, through characters like Oloisudoiri and Olarinkoi, we learn that foolish decisions usually lead to adverse consequences.

Mark 3:3:3:3 Introduction: 2 mks (Any other relevant introduction) Body: 12 mks (4 well elaborated points) Language: up to 4 mks (Language pegged on marks from the body) Conclusion: up to 2 marks (Any other relevant introduction) 

36. In a male-dominated society, only women who are resilient in character overcome the hurdles placed on their paths. Write an essay justifying the assertion with clear illustrations from Henry ole Kulet's Blossoms of the Savannah. (20 marks)

Point of interpretation

• Their resilience
• Background information
• Details on the challenges and their resilience
• Success (outcome)

In the Blossoms of the Savannah, women who are resilient and determines no matter the challenges always succeed in the end.

• Resian is determined to go to the university. She has desires to join Egerton University and pursue veterinary Science. (18) She constantly asked Yeiyo amd Taiyo to talk to their father. (183) Her father, Ole Kaelo prefers marrying Resian off to Oloisudori to educating her. (101, 169, 185 197,203-209) She manages to escape and get to Emakererei (262)
• Resian is determined to fight off being married forcefully to Oloisudori, despite the father's and Oloisudori's insistence. (101. 169, 185-197, 203-209) she manages to escape their plans by the help of Olarinkoi(209) and even gets to Minik's ranch (262) who protects her from the clutches of oloisudori.(282-284)
• Minik ene Nkoitoi, Emakererei, is focused on rescuing the girl-child from the FGM practice. The society values this practice and one who has not undergone it is deragoratorilly called ntoiye nemengalana. she's been considered as a wasp( 21-22, 52) she saves th girls at her ranch (21, 265-284)
•  Minik ene Nkoitoi has set her eyes on educating the girl-child despite the resistance from the Nasilian male-chauvinists.
• Resian fights olarinkoi from raping her. He worms into their family doing odd jobs (67,74) and wins the girls's trust by protecting them from the vagabonds(140-143) she uses that fact to lure resian to his place (209) and tries to rape her and also forces to marry her (218-222) she escapes to Minik's place(262)
• Nabaru fights for Resian against Olarinkoi and his mother to get her Emakererei. Nabaru takes care of resian when she's hurt( 224-233) she helps her escape to Nabaru's (245-253) In conclusion, one needs to beat all odds to achieve their dreams

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24 Book Review Questions to Ask Before Writing a Review

By: Author Laura

Posted on Published: 23rd February 2021  - Last updated: 29th February 2024

Categories Book Blogging , Books

Trying to write a book review but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, these book review questions for a book report will help you on your way!

Writing a book review or book report can feel overwhelming for one of two reasons. Either you have too much to say or nothing to say at all.

In either case, having some structure to your review and a roadmap of questions to answer can be helpful in focussing your thoughts so you can write a useful book review.

These book review questions are designed to get your brain thinking about some of the key issues and interesting points about your book in question.

You certainly don’t have to answer all of them and you don’t need to follow the order I have listed the book report questions below.

RELATED: How to Write a Good Review of a Bad Book

Book Review Questions: General Information

Before you delve into sharing your own opinions, you should share some general information about the book.

This can be to do with its plot, its genre, the setting and whether there is anything readers should be aware of before delving in.

These are good questions to ask about a book as a basic starting point and where you should always begin.

What is the book about?

What genre does this book fit into?

In what time and place is the book set?

Who is the intended audience of the book?

Is the book appropriate for that audience?

Should this book come with any content warnings?

Book Review Questions: Stylistic Points

An author could craft the most fascinating story in the world but if they can’t convey that story with an interesting or logical style then a book may well just fall flat.

Consider whether the author of the book you are reviewing has a particularly interesting style and what is it about their style that shaped the book and your opinion of it.

What style is the book written in?

What point of view is the book written from?

Does the author use any interesting techniques?

Book Review Questions: The Characters

Really compelling characters, whether you love them or hate them, can make a book really stand out. If they don’t feel real then a book can crumble pretty quickly.

Make sure to include some information about the main character (or characters) but there’s no need to mention every single person, there simply isn’t space!

Who are the key characters in the book?

Did the characters feel real?

Are the characters likeable?

Which character did you find most compelling?

Could you relate to the key characters?

Book Review Questions: Your Opinions

Of course, any good book review should contain what you, the reviewer, actually thought about it! These book review questions to ask yourself are some of the most important.

Did you discover a new favourite book or is this one you wish you had never picked up in the first place?

Try to share a balanced view so reader’s of your review can come to their own conclusions about whether this book is worth reading for them. Some points that you might not have liked might be another reader’s favourite trope!

What did you like about the book?

What did you dislike about the book?

What could have been improved?

How did the book make you feel?

How does the book compare to other similar books?

Book Review Questions: Conclusion

Make sure to wrap up your book review with some final reflections about who should read this book, what you learnt from it and what other books it is similar to.

If a reader sees that a book is similar to one they have already read and loved then that’s a great indication that they’ll love this one too.

Would you recommend this book?

What did you learn from reading this?

What sort of reader would like this book?

What other books did this one remind you of?

What star rating would you give this book?

That concludes my list of book questions to ask yourself kick your brain in gear and get you thinking about all the most interesting points of the book you’ve just read.

Do you have any more relevant book review questions to add to the list?

Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Instagram and Goodreads for regular book updates!

If you liked this post, check out these: How to Write a Negative Book Review How to Start a Book Blog 36 Easy Book Blog Post Ideas

Editor of What’s Hot?

Saturday 10th of December 2022

Book report question: What made this book unique from other books you have read?

Thursday 25th of February 2021

This is so so useful.

Tuesday 23rd of February 2021

Very key points here. That first part, where I talk about the synopsis, the intended audience, the genre, that is my biggest struggle.

The Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 (So Far)

Always books. Never boring.

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We’re a quarter of the way through the year, if you can believe it, which makes it a good time to look back at the state of books so far in 2024. Goodreads has just released a list of 51 Nonfiction Hits of 2024 (So Far), separated into Essays, Memoirs, History & Biography, Science, and General Nonfiction. These are the books that have been added by Goodreads users to their Read and Want to Read shelves the most, as well as gathering a lot of positive reviews.

Here are a few of the best and buzziest nonfiction books of 2024 so far:

There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

You Get What You Pay For: Essays by Morgan Parker

Like Love: Essays and Conversations by Maggie Nelson

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe

I Finally Bought Some Jordans: Essays by Michael Arceneaux

Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul

This American Ex-Wife by Lyz Lenz

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne

Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uché Blackstock

History & Biography

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson

Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong by Katie Gee Salisbury

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins

Science, Technology & Health 

Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie

Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka

Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher

General Nonfiction

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell

Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

To see all 51 of the Nonfiction Hits of 2024 (So Far), check out the full list on Goodreads .

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in  Breaking in Books .

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• Surprise 4th Book in Jeff VanderMeer’s Hit Southern Reach Series Coming Out This Year
• The 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Winner Has Been Announced
• Watch the Trailer for TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, Based on the John Green Novel
• Windham-Campbell Prizes Award 8 Writers $175,000 Each
• 5 Books Trending On Amazon Today (and Why)
• The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists
• Rebecca Yarros Announces Title of Next Book in FOURTH WING Series
• 24 Titles Compete for Barnes & Noble’s Children’s & Young Adult Book Awards
• Jimmy Fallon’s Book Club is Doing a March Madness-Style Bracket for Their Next Pick

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