African Short Stories: “The Lovers” (p.422)
African Short Stories: “The Lovers” (p.422)
African Short Stories: “The Lovers” (p.422)
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World Literature<br />
<strong>African</strong> <strong>Short</strong> <strong>Stories</strong>: <strong>“The</strong> <strong>Lovers”</strong> (<strong>p.422</strong>)<br />
Name: ___________________________<br />
Read the story, and the author’s biographical information preceding the story. Respond<br />
to the following questions:<br />
1. What typical jobs do men do in this Botswana tribe?<br />
2. What typical jobs do women do?<br />
3. What else can you learn about Botswana gender role expectations from this story?<br />
4. What are their cultural norms and customs regarding marriages and marriage<br />
relationships?<br />
5. What religious beliefs/superstitions do you learn about in this story?<br />
6. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being extremely traditional and 10 being extremely progressive, how<br />
would you rate the following characters? Justify you ratings: what actions or attitudes<br />
from the story influence your ratings?<br />
Rating<br />
Justification…<br />
Keaja<br />
Tselane<br />
Rra-Keaja<br />
Rra-Tselane<br />
Mma-Tselane<br />
Mma-Monosi
7. What connection, if any, exists between Mma-Monosi and the story she reveals to Tselane?<br />
Support your answer with evidence from the story.<br />
8. What does Bessie Head achieve by using a third-person omniscient narrative<br />
perspective? Why would the author choose to tell this story from that point of view?<br />
9. Who or what is the antagonist in this story?<br />
10. Why don’t Keaja and Tselane return to the village?<br />
11. Why do the villagers unquestioningly accept the tribal regulations and taboos? How have these<br />
regulations shaped and influenced their culture and their way of life?<br />
12. To what extent, if any, can this story be considered a folktale? A legend? A romance?
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