Wam Literature

A Doll’s House looks at various aspects of inheritance. Most often, inheritance is looked under the concept of coming into material wealth left behind by a dead relative. Banking on material inheritance, Nora lies to Torvald that the money she had used for their trip down south was part of her inheritance from her dead father. By the end of the 19 th century, there was a growing interest in genetic science. However, society’s understanding of this science was not as conclusive as it is today. Therefore, there were a lot of misconceptions on what could be passed on from one generation to another. Among the misconceived notions was that moral decadence could be inherited. Dr Rank suffers from a strange illness which he believes he inherited from his father who led a promiscuous life. When Nora learns about her own immoral conduct, she begins to distance herself from her children. She believes that she will poison her children with whatever disease she currently has. To reinforce

Morality can be many things. However, it basically guides what is regarded as right or wrong. Right or wrong is subjective to the individual, community or societal beliefs at a particular time, within particular constructs. For instance, gayism /homosexuality was considered a moral wrong within so many societies and nowadays, it is slowly becoming a recognized social norm. Similarly, some communities in Africa and Asia practised and some still practise Female Genital Mutilation. Girls who did not undergo such rites were chastised and to some extent could not get a husband. However, such considerations are slowly losing ground as new philosophies around morality are formulated. The community within A Doll’s House has its own moral rules which are to be followed by every individual. It is within this moral confine that Nora is caught. The society is such rigid that it considers Nora’s sole act of heroism as untoward. Nora’s act of forgery was mainly because she had nowhere to turn at

Women’s roles have always been in the shadows of men hence the saying, ‘behind every successful man, there is a woman.’ Going by this trend, women have always been overlooked in major decision making. To this day, America has had over 40 presidents but none is a woman. Henrik Ibsen believed that women have the responsibility to develop their individuality; nevertheless, their role has always been self-sacrificial. In society, women have never been seen as equals in their contribution to family and society. This is the reason why Helmer finds it absurd that his wife can advise him not to fire Krogstad. He believes that it is embarrassing to kowtow before one’s wife. It will taint his image. Women did not have the authority to conduct business or transact in their own money. When Helmer fall’s sick, Nora is devastated. On the one hand, her husband is afraid of debts and according to the doctor, really needs a holiday to get better. On the other hand, her father is very sick and

Henrik Ibsen explores marriage as a tool for women subjugation and at the same time as a weapon of financial emancipation. He also looks at marriage as a level-headed arrangement between two like-minded individuals. Marriage is one of the most celebrated unions in the world. Similarly, it enjoys such high moral ground in religious and many cultural circles. In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen explores this vital part of the society in the life and times of Nora, her husband Torvald Helmer and other characters. From the onset, marriage seems a happy association since Nora is jubilant and bubbly as a wife. Although money could be one of the factors that threaten this marriage, Nora is capable of handling it. Torvald is very particular about the family’s expenditure and warns Nora to be careful. Being naïve and playing innocence helps Norah to get away with her husband’s restraint. In their association, Helmer holds the high moral ground, chief financier and key decision-maker. He

In Victorian society, a society within which the play is set, people believed in being respectable and honourable. Within this constructs, Torvald would do anything to safeguard his reputation including bending to the whims of Krogstad.  The biggest irony in A Doll’s House is that the play takes place in the living room of Torvald Helmer but, the men in the play are constantly haunted by their public image. In A Doll's House, one's standing in the society transcends family. Having been promoted to a bank manager, Helmer plans to fire Krogstad because of his tainted reputation. Helmer is afraid that associating with such characters would ruin his reputation. Krogstad, on the other hand, plans to redeem himself through the Helmers. On learning that he is to be dismissed, he digs up old dirt on Nora and plans to use it to his advantage. At first, he had planned just to extort from Nora using her forgery as a yardstick. Realising that extortion won’t work, he pulls o

 A Doll's House is a play by a Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. In this play, Henrik explores the two aspects of humanity: appearance and reality. We live at a time of social media lies and this theme speaks about many in modern-day society.    Henrik Ibsen cleverly plays out contrasts in this play. What we see from the outset, is not exactly as it seems. From the beginning, the house of the Helmer’s seems progressive, happy and respectable. However, beneath the veneer of all the happiness, there are hidden secrets and sacrifices. Nora can be seen as a naïve, playful woman with little care in the world. Her role throughout the play is that of a mother and chief decision-maker in the affairs of the house. Nevertheless, we come to see a mature Nora who sacrifices for her family and love. She confesses to Mrs Linde that she took a loan for the in order to save her husband who had been diagnosed by a fatal disease. It is a well-kept secret that even her husband does not know.

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

Ambition and Greed are two antagonisms explored by Leo Tolstoy in this short story. In this review, we look at how the two play out in the main character Pahom Regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time, Leo Tolstoy would be well known for his works War and Peace and Anna Karenina- books sought after by many literature lovers in the world. Born in 1828 in Tula Province, Russian empire, Tolstoy is regarded as a master of realistic fiction. Besides writing, Tolstoy would become a renowned world moral and spiritual leader whose teachings greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi. However, his teachings on religion significantly dwindled as people got to explore his life and literature. Tolstoy’s writing reflects a lot about his beliefs and moral standing as regards society. In the story, How Much Land Does Need? Tolstoy explores greed and Ambition. In this iteration the author explores greed as the driving force for wanting more, but can there be the distinction between greed an

Women have over centuries struggled to free themselves against Male dominance. However, men have always stood in the way of their achievements. In his play, A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen looks at how women have always been downplayed by the male dominated society. Interestingly, women on the other hand have been the leading advocates on their men's success.  Nora is a vibrant bubbly woman with the heart of a child. She is the manager of the house and ensures that the children are kept busy so as not to disturb Helmer while he is working. Furthermore, she entertains Helmer's guests until when it is appropriate for them to get into Helmer's office. Although she does all this, she does not receive appreciation from Helmer or an adult talk that would open her vistas to new opportunities. instead, she is treated like a child. Helmer only finds time to pamper and toy with her like one would a child.  Furthermore, instead of being led into adult discussions, the adults aro

Money can be many things. It is one of the reasons as to why this most loved commodity has become a human being's obsession. Henrik Ibsen, in A Doll's House, looks at how money has enslaved human being and in some occasions made them behave insane or docile depending on an individual's disposition. In A Doll's House, Nora seems to be in need of an endless supply of money to make the cogs of her house go by. Being a Christmas season, Nora wants the festivities to be flawless and that is why she goes overboard with her shopping. Helmer asks her whether she has been overspending and her answer is, this was their first Christmas that they needed not to worry about money after Helmer's big promotion (pg2). In this respect, Helmer is sceptical about Nora's grasp on basic financing. According to Helmer, they should have waited until the new appointment had come into effect before overspending. However, Nora is of the opinion that it should be sooner rather than late

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

Torvald Helmer's affections towards his wife can be confused as genuine love. However, hidden deep within the feelings of love is a classical male chauvinist.  The play, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen presents various characters with different perceptions of what is expected of in society. Such characters have deeply embedded moral standing that determines how they relate with other members of the society and how they conduct themselves as society men. Among such characters is Torvald Helmer. In order to fit into a modern self-righteous society, Helmer displays impeccable civility and mannerisms that reward him as a bank manager. In order to keep certain respectability around him, Helmer decides to cut off any unsavory characters around him. Krogstad becomes the unfortunate victim of Helmer's plan. However, Krogstad cannot go down without a fight. Apparently, Krogstad, as it happens, had connived with Helmer's wife, Norah in a ploy that could destroy Helmer's o

Norah represents women who accept society's bias against until it intrudes on their independence. These women may look docile and accommodating, however, when they choose to react, they do not bow down to apologies and mere promises. Their only goal is to reinvent themselves before entering again into normal life. There was a post on Facebook the other day advising women who cannot submit not to try marriage. The author of the post expressed outrightly that marriage was a subordination institution and those who thought that equality existed in such institutions were just dreaming. I paraphrase of course. This post got me thinking and using my photographic mind a wandered through the successful marriages I had seen and the not-so-successful ones trying to authenticate this hypothesis. Although I tried to justify this statement, most of my study subjects were in the fifties and sixties or even older. At this age, many of these so-called successful marriages were built on the ten

Blossoms of the Savannah is a book by H. R Ole Kulet. The writer does seem to be at home with polygamy and that is why he beautifully models Simiren's home as a home of prosperity and love. Polygamy is a common practice in Africa, especially among the political elite. Traditionally though it was the norm for a man to have more than one wife. However, with the advent of Christianity, society has adopted a monogamous way of life. Though on paper, and in keeping up with teachings of the Bible, many seem to have adopted monogamy, the practice of many wives is still prevalent. Some call them mistresses while in Kenya, we have MWK (Mpango wa Kando.) By extensions, we have newer models of 'slay queens' who may be in the category of the traditional class of concubines. With the growth of such 'out of the norm' institutions of marriage, one may hope that literature on polygamy will try to model it on the side of the disadvantaged cultural practices. Ole Kulet, however, fe

Biblical Allusion involves the use of direct references from the Bible either by borrowing a story, a character, event among others within the context of a larger story. In this case, we are going to interrogate how H. R Kulet has employed this style in Blossoms of the Savannah. I should point out in the outset that, Kulet borrows heavily from the Bible than we care to see and understand while reading the book. To begin with, Resian compares her tribulations in the hands of Olarinkoi and his mother to the trials and testing of Job of the Bible (pg230). This allusion helps to build hope in Resian that no matter what the circumstances, she would prevail. Also, it opens her mind to more brutal suffering that she herself could not handle.  Secondly, when Olarinkoi pays her a visit after her recovery, Resian knows that she is on the verge of the eleventh hour. While waiting for Nabaru, her only hope out of her hell in Inkiito, she experiences helplessness that only comes with the w

Tradition is people’s beliefs and practices which in this case has been passed on from one generation to another. In the book, Blossoms of the Savannah, the author H.R Kulet explores the tradition of the Maa people. Using the Nasilian community, the book looks at the socio-economic and political set-up of the Maasai people. The Maa people, in this case, the people of Nasila, have several traditional practices. To begin with, they threaded female genital mutilation is the heart of the story. When Kaelo’s family relocates to the village, Mama Milanoi fears for her daughters (pg8). As it seems urbanization had shielded them from the fearful mutilation. Another practice is polygamy. Kaelo seems contended with his lean family and wife but his brother Simiren bathes in the glory of four wives and more than sixteen children (pg16). Curiously enough the author does not give the definite number of Simiren’s children. I should point out that, in many African traditions, children are not coun

The pearl is a story about pessimism written by John Ernst Steinbeck. In the book, John tackles various issues among them poverty, oppression, colonialism, and fate.  Most of us subscribe to various religions, sometimes out of choice and majorly out of our parents' choice. Religion is generational, and those who choose different paths are called rebels or outcasts. Although the world has only several religions, such religions come with different sects which create sectarian extremisms and loyalty beyond our own imagining. Another thing that religion builds is fear for the deity. It is this fear that a lot of priests prey on to create loyalty and a stream of submissive souls who can do everything for them. John Steinbeck explores these issues in The Pearl in a compelling manner without any prejudice. Kino’s people have their own religion based on the various traditions revealed in the book. However, it is the new religion that seems to command loyalty and supremacy. When t

Blossoms of the Savannah is a 2008 novel by H.R Kulet which focuses on the issue of FGM and the quest to end it among the Maa people among other issues. The River Between is a 1965 book by Ngugi wa Thiong'o which addresses among other things the question of female circumcision and its impact on the society. Female Genital Mutilation is one of the traditions that has received a lot of criticism because of its impact on the psychological and physical well being of the girl child. Despite the heavy campaigns against it, the vice has continued to thrive among certain communities in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As a practice, the vice is carried under cultural or religious viewpoint. In this avenue, some anthropologists condemn those against the vice for cultural infringement. However, Scientifically, there are no known benefits accrued from the practice. In practice, female circumcision takes different forms. Firstly, there is clitoridectomy which involves the partial or com

Many cultures practice the art of paying the bride price. In fact, it is one of the traditions that is okay with many women and men. Ask anyone out there whether they object to payment of bride price and the rude remark would be, "How would you feel if your own daughter was married to a stranger without receiving anything in return?" I have been asked this question several times when I bring up a discussion on bride price. Today as I write this piece I am confused on whether I support bride price or not. I imagine my daughter years from now looking at me with teary eyes demanding to know why I gave her out for 'Free.' In the beginning, before I had been asked the question, I thought I would be the proud father who declared triumphantly that, "As long as you two are happy, you have my blessings." Anyway, time will tell. Before we discuss the issue of bride price, I wish to point out that bride price and dowry are two different entities. Bride price is the

Feminism emerged as a movement to fight for the social, political and economic rights of the women. It is more of a political movement that recognises the individuality and sexuality of women and how historically and religion wise have been segregated. Before the advent of feminism, women lived under the tutelage of their male counterparts. For instance, a woman did not have any right to choose whom to marry, it was the prerogative of the male family member to choose. In the TV Serial, Rome, Julius 'Octavian' Caesar, who later became Augustus Caesar, makes a decision that affects both his mother and sister in a way unimaginable. The mother, Artia of the Julii is in love with Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and she plans to marry him. However, Caesar decides it will be impossible for the two lovebirds to make it official. For political reasons, he settles for his sister Octavia as a suitable wife for Mark Anthony! There are many examples of male subjugation in numerous cultur

A Doll's House is a play by Henrik Ibsen while Blossoms of the Savannah a novel by H.R. Kulet. Both books explore the theme of patriarchy. Here is how to explore the theme in the books .   The age of gender equality is upon us. In Kenyan literature, high school students are reading two significant books to catch up with the Age of feminism. The books; A Doll’s House (1879) by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and Blossoms of the Savannah (2008) by Kenyan writer H. R Ole Kulet mix the old and the new in the quest of gender equality which has proven to be a costly affair in the East African Country. With such pivotal works of literature, it seems the focus on gender equality is now on young people, thanks to the landmark release of Black Panther. Black Panther is built on ancient gender neutral Kingdom of Wakanda. I have no idea why the makers made such a kingdom fictional when several African Kingdoms have been existing including the biblical Sheba whose queen Makeda