Skip to main content

HOW SELF-INTEREST IS EXPLORED IN THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE

'Some people abandon family members during difficult times for the sake of their own material thirst.’ With illustrations from The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht, Write an essay on the truth of this statement.

Some people abandon their family during difficult times because of the quest to satisfy their material thirst. Most of the time, men are known to be dead bit dads because of constant obsession with young girls or running away from responsibilities. In The Caucasian Chalk Circle, we come across such characters.
When the governor is assassinated, his wife Natella Abashwili concerns her cares about how her most expensive things should be carried. She defiantly commands one of the maids who was holding the baby to put him down and run for her (Natella’s) saffron coloured shoes. Although the governor’s wife showed concern for her son, it was not enough. Instead of holding the child while the servants looked for her precious adornments, she saw it fit to let Michael lying on the ground.
Her interest in apparel makes her irate especially when she cannot trace the particular dress she wants. She rummages through the trunks instead of using such energy in holding the child. It is unbelievable that when she is finally compelled by the Adjutant to go she calls for one of the servants to tag along with the baby!
Lavrenti, Grusha’s brother forsakes his sister at the time when she needed him most. When Lavrenti was married to Aniko, he came into wealth because of Aniko’s huge bridewealth. Lavrenti’s cowardly behavior makes him relegate his sister into mice infested workroom. It is Lavrenti who would have built Aniko’s confidence in Grusha’s purity. But instead, he judged his own sister. He saw the evil thing she had done and took assumptions that maybe the city had changed Grusha.
In order for Lavrenti to dissociate himself with the despicable thing Grusha had done that is having a child out of wedlock, Lavrenti finds Grusha a husband. This would be Jussup a dying peasant far away from home. In fact, Lavrenti is quick at disposing of his that he barely waits for the wedding to be over before running away. He is so obsessed by his self-image and that of his wife that he forgets how valuable family is.
In times of chaos, it is easier to know whether someone cares for you or not. Were it not for the war, Grusha would not have considered his brother ruthless. On the other hand, Grusha discovered how much Simon cared for her when he stood by her during the case to determine the real mother of Michael. While some people display selfishness; there 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF NASILIAN CULTURE IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

SOME ASPECTS OF CULTURE ARE BENEFICIAL AND OUGHT TO BE MAINTAINED. USING EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVEL, BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH, WRITE A COMPOSITION TO ILLUSTRATE THE TRUTH OF THE STATEMENT Culture defines our identity and social relationships within a certain setup. Sometimes, some cultural aspects come off as bad while others can be looked at as good. However, culture only becomes bad when compared to another that seems superior. Many African communities found themselves at crossroads when the ‘superior’ European culture was thrown down their gullets. Nevertheless, many African cultures have grown into what they are today while some have retained what can be perceived as negative cultural practices. In the book Blossoms of the Savannah, H.R Kulet presents a boiling pot of cultural confusion within the Maa community specifically the people of Nasila. As we can see, some of the Nasilian cultural practices can be beneficial to the wellbeing of society and, therefore, should be maintaine
22 comments
Read more

NEGATIVE CULTURAL PRACTICES AMONG THE PEOPLE OF NASILA IN BLOSSOMS OF THE SAVANNAH

The book Blossoms of the Savannah explores both the positive and negative cultural practices. H. R Kulet describes intimately those cultural practices he believes are best and on the other hand, lets us in on some of the cultural practices he believe were injurious. Interestingly, the negative cultural practices are aimed at women. The most poignant cultural practice that negatively affects women is Female genital mutilation. Although according to Parmuat, the practice was started by women to resist the evil Ilarinkoi, it continued to cause wanton pain and torture on women. Taiyo and Resian are determined to fight it. Resian manages to evade the brutal practice however Taiyo barely makes it having been forcibly cut. FGM is a global menace affecting millions of women in Africa and Asia. Although its benefits are only anthropological, its effects are very damning and could lead to death.  Second among the negative Nasilian culture is early marriage. Resian still has goals to fu
34 comments
Read more

THE THEME OF INHERITANCE IN THE PLAY INHERITANCE BY DAVID MULWA

Inheritance refers to what is left by the deceased to the family in material wealth or sometimes power. However, the word could have diverse meanings when applied to works of literature. In this respect, David Mulwa looks at inheritance in various ways. The play revolves around a three decades old Kutula under its new leadership. Having achieved independence from colonial masters, Kutula is now governed by Lacuna Kasoo-the son of pre-independence King Kutula XV. Lacuna ascended to power after the death of his father. Although the King has adopted Princess Sangoi as his successor, he dies mysteriously thus handing the power to the greedy, self-centred Lacuna. As it were, Lacuna conspired with the colonial masters to assassinate his father King Kutula XV. Having assumed power with the help of colonial masters, Lacuna runs the government under the influence of Kutula’s former imperialists. He receives hefty loans aimed at ‘developing’ the country. However, the loans are meant to make Kutu
5 comments
Read more