The literary analysis of Ngugi Wa Thiongo's Weep Not, Child by Lene Ododomu, a student of English and Literature in the University of Abuja

THE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF NGUGI WA THIONGO'S WEEP, NOT CHILD BY LENE  ODODOMU A STUDENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERATURE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF  ABUJA

Text Title: Weep, Not Child

Author: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

Genre Type: Novel (prose)

Novel Type: Tragedy

Year of Publication: 1964

              CONTENTS

(1) Author's background

(2) Plot Summary

(3) Characters

(I) major 

(ii) minor

(4)Themes

(5) Literary techniques

(6) Setting

(7) The land issue

             AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine, was born in Kenya, in 1938 into a large peasant family. He was educated at Kamandura, Manguu and Kinyogori primary schools; Alliance High School, all in Kenya; Makerere University College (then a campus of London University), Kampala, Uganda; and the University of Leeds, Britain. He is recipient of seven Honorary Doctorates viz D Litt (Albright); PhD (Roskilde); D Litt (Leeds); D Litt &Ph D (Walter Sisulu University); PhD (Carlstate); D Litt (Dillard) and D Litt (Auckland University). He is also Honorary Member of American Academy of Letters. A many-sided intellectual, he is a novelist, essayist, playwright, journalist, editor, academic and social activist.

The Kenya of his birth and youth was a British settler colony (1895-1963). As an adolescent, he lived through the Mau Mau War of Independence (1952-1962), the

central historical episode in the making of modern Kenya and a major theme in his early works.

Ngugi burst into the literary scene in East Africa with the performance of his first major play, The Black Hermit, at the National Theatre in Kampala, Uganda, in 1962, as part of the celebration of Uganda’s Independence. “Ngugi Speaks for the Continent,” headlined The Makererian, the Student newspaper, in a review of the performance by Trevor Whittock, one of the professors. In a highly

productive literary period, Ngugi wrote additionally eight short stories, two one act plays, two novels, and a regular column for the Sunday Nation under the title, As I See It. One of the novels, Weep Not Child, was published to critical acclaim in 1964; followed by the second novel, The River Between (1965). His third, A Grain of Wheat (1967), was a turning point in the formal and ideological direction of his works. Multi-narrative lines and multi-viewpoints unfolding at different times and spaces replace the linear temporal unfolding of the plot from a single viewpoint. The collective replaces the individual as the center of history.

In 1967, Ngugi became lecturer in English Literature at the University of Nairobi. He taught there until 1977 while, in-between, also serving as Fellow in Creative writing at Makerere (1969-1970), and as Visiting Associate Professor of English and African Studies at Northwestern University

(1970-1971). During his tenure at Nairobi, Ngugi was at the center of the politics of English departments in Africa, championing the change of name from English to simply Literature to reflect world literature with African and third

world literatures at the center. He, with Taban Lo Liyong and Awuor Anyumba, authored the polemical declaration,

On the Abolition of the English Department, setting in motion a continental and global debate and practices that later became the heart of postcolonial theories. "If there is need for a 'study of the historic continuity of a single culture', why can't this be African? Why can't African literature be at the centre so that we can view other cultures in relationship to it?" they asked. The text is carried in his first volume of literary essays, Homecoming, which appeared in print in 1969. These were to be followed, in later years, by other volumes including Writers in Politics (1981 and 1997); Decolonising the Mind (1986); Moving the Center (1994); and Penpoints Gunpoints and Dreams (1998).

                    PLOT SUMMARY

First of all, plot is the arrangement of the various actions of the characters or events in a novel or any other work of art. It also refers to the outline surface of the novel whereby it gives synopsis of the work.  The story is a 1964 novel written by the award winning writer, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, a Kenyan and renowned writer of African literature. The novel x-rays the Mau Mau uprising of 1950s, a movement where Kenyans rose against the  British who controlled them as a colony. 

The main character is Njoroge, son of Ngotho whose family is at the center of the narrative. Njoroge's father, Ngotho has two wives namely: Njeri and Nyokabi and he has five children. However, Njeri, the first wife is the mother of Boro, Kori and Kamau while Nyokabi-the second wife is the mother of Njoroge and Mwangi. Njoroge is the first child that goes after education through the love of education by his mother and the fact that makes him deeply proud.  

When Njoroge's mother announced that he will go to school, he became very excited though doubted the news because he wasn't expecting that he will be projected to change the narrative of his family in educational aspect since he was the person to have such opportunity, but the mother fulfilled her promise and plan by registering him in school and  also provided all that he needed for his studies.

"Would you like to go to school? O, mother! Njoroge gasped. He half feared that the woman might withdraw her words" (Chapter one pp3)

Ngotho works in his ancestral land for a total stranger named Mr. Howlands (a white settler from England) to get paid and this happened when he returned back from the first World War. On his return, he expected to be rewarded by the white, but he was surprised to find out that the ancestral land is gone. Then Ngotho had no option than to serve the white man and hoped that one day he (the white man ) would live the land for him as the rightful owner or will eventually be driven away. Therefore, he works very hard as if he was the main owner at the moment.

.........."Then came the war. It was the first big war. I was then young, a mere boy, although circumcised. All of us were taken by force. We made roads and cleared the forest to make it possible for the warring white man to move more quickly. The war ended. We were all tired. We came home worm out but very ready for whatever the British might give us as a reward. But, more than this, we wanted to go back to the soil and court it to yield, to create, not to destroy. But Ng'o! The land was gone. My father and many others had been moved from our ancestral lands. He died lonely, a poor man waiting for the white man to go. Mugo had said this would come to be. The man did not go and he died a Muhoi on this very land. It then belonged to Chairs before he sold it to Jacobo. I grew up here, but working....(here Ngotho looked all around the silent faces and then continued)....... working on the land that belonged to our ancestors.

You mean the land that Howlands farms? (Boro's voice was cracked, but clear) Yes. The same land. My father showed it all to me. I have worked there too, waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled", (chapter 2 pp 25/26).

Meanwhile, when the people of Gikuyu cannot bear the pain, they decided to plan the Mau Mau uprising which was led by Boro, Ngotho's first son and half brother to Njoroge.

The novel is divided into two parts. The first part "Waning Light", deals with the period just before the emergence of the Mau Mau. There is a growing dismay over the lost land and it developed into protest as expressed in the general strike which was planned to bring down the economy. In part 2, "Darkness falls", swallowing up the whole community in violence and involving Ngotho's family in tragedy. Land is a big leading case in the trial. After the attempted strike, Ngotho loses not only his job on Mr. Howland's farm but also the right to live on Jacobo's land. This loss means greater misery to his family than his part in the strike meeting. Forces were directed against him and he was made to make a false confession of murder that includes Mr Jacobo during the arrest of his children which resulted in his torture and death. Also, Mr Howlands was killed by Boro to fulfill his promises for the struggle of independence and the pain that the white man caused on the blacks.

The death of Mwihaki's father, Mr. Jacobo angered and made her to hate Njoroge and his family and this  resulted him to also loss his intimacy with her, though love still  brings them close but she left him. When it happened that his hopes and dreams became desert, he attempted to kill himself but was saved by his mother and step mother.

                           CHARACTERS

Characters are the imaginary people a writer create in his work. It is the duty and obligation of the writer to makes his characters look real and this will create credibility in the work. However, characters are categorized into two types which are:

( i ) Complex or round characters 

( ii ) Simple or flat characters

Complex or round characters: These characters are also known as the major characters. They are the main characters that fully exist or develop throughout the story. They change from one events to another.

Simple or flat characters: These characters are also known as the minor characters. They are the types of characters that do not fully exist in a story and this means that their roles are not fully recognized. They will appear maybe in one event and then remained the same till the story is over.

                    The major characters

Njoroge: Njoroge is the leading character as everything in the novel circles around him. He is a son of Ngotho and Nyokabi and the last born who changed the narrative of the family's illiteracy by being the first person to go after education. From this point, Njoroge begins to see himself as the person God has chosen to save his people. Thus he is easily inspired by the story of Moses and other Bible heroes. The difficulty his family is thrown into only enkindles his passion for education as the only means of freeing them from poverty and bondage. The arrest of Jomo and the outbreaks of violence depress him considerably, but his hope hands on the future.

Njoroge is a sensitive child 'not used to expressing strong feelings in words'. His regard for other people's feelings is exemplified by his relationship with his mother and Mwihaki: he is upset if he ever does anything to hurt his mother, whilst, so overpowering is his sympathy for Mwihaki over the death of her father, that the begins to imagine he is responsible for her unhappiness. At school he is embarrassed by the teacher's reproof. He feels the pain of beating received by another boy 'as if it was being communicated to him without physical contact'. Above all Njoroge is touched when the harmony in his family gives way.

But with all his noble intentions and concern for others, Njoroge is 'a dreamer, a visionary who consoled himself faced by the difficulty of the moment by a look at a better day to come'. In the end he finds out by experience that the real world was more cruel and more unjust than his dream world, that while one hoped for the future, one also had to face the problems present. In learning this, Njoroge, now saved from hanging himself, runs home and opens door for his two mothers: an act of acceptance and a demonstration of responsibility, a maturity beyond childhood dreams.

Despite the fact that his parents are poor, he still love and respect them by refusesing to criticize them for a stranger. He was interested on his half brother, Kamau to get education like him, but Kamau declined the idea and insisted that he should be the eye of the family in educational aspect and he promised to support him with his carpentry work financially.

 Ngotho: Ngotho is the father of Njoroge and one of the blacks who was conscripted by the British to fight in the First World War. When he returned from the war, he expected to be rewarded for a job well done, but he was surprised to finds that the British had stolen his ancestral land. To watch over the lost land, Ngotho started working in his own ancestral land for a total stranger named Mr Howlands, the white settler to get paid. A prophecy was made according to the novel that one day the white settlers would definitely be driven out or live the lands for the rightful owners. He believes this prophecy and then decided to work hard inorder to keep himself close to the land.

As a man of polygamy, he lives wisely with his two wives namely: Njeri and Nyokabi. He does not biased but instead generalized himself with the two wives and this was demonstrated when he buys two pounds of meat, one for his first wife Njeri and the other for Nyokabi to promote equity and tranquility in the family. 

Prone to indecision, Ngotho finds himself torn when his fellow Kenyans organize a workers' strike  against the settlers by demanding for their wages increase and an indirect form to bring down the economy. However, he lost his job due to the strike and  not only his job on Mr. Howlands's farm but also the right to live on Jacobo's land. This loss means greater misery to his family as his part in the strike meeting directs the forces of the Emergency against him and drives him to make a false confession of murder that includes Mr. Jacobo during the arrest of his two sons. He claimed the crime to save his children  but died due to the torture by the white man. 

Boro: Boro is the surviving first son of Ngotho and Njeri, and half brother to Njoroge. He was conscripted by the British in the Second World War together with with his half brother, Mwangi (share the same womb with Njoroge) who died during the war. According to his father, Ngotho, his experiences in the war completely changed his mindset , and truly Boro hardly interact with people. The only thing that motive him to talk with people about his experiences in the war is when he is drunk. 

Boro was so angered that his father was dispossessed from his ancestral land after risked his life to fight for the British in the First World War and lost his brother for also fighting for them in the Second World War. This made him to hate the whites and then joined the Mau Mau uprising to against their tyranny. He was the one who murdered Mr. Jacobo whom he sees as traitor to the black race and also killed Mr. Howlands after he confessed his killing of Mr. Jacobo. This was made out of revenge.

Mr. Howlands: Mr. Howlands is a British settler in Gikuyu village, and master of Ngotho who occupied his land and turned him into a labourer in his own ancestral land. He is tall, heavily built with a oval-shaped face that ended in a double chin and a big stomach. He was a product of the First World War. After years of security at home, he had been suddenly called to arms and he had gone to the war with the fire of youth that imagine war a glory. But after four years of blood and terrible destruction, like many other young men he was utterly disillusioned by the 'peace'. He had to escape. According to him: "Africa was a good place. Here was a big trace of wild country to conquer" ( chapter three pp 30)

Mr. Howlands was killed by Boro in his house after he confessed to him about the murder of Mr. Jacobo.

Mr. Jacobo: He is an African elite and father to Mwihaki who was said to replace some of the white settlers who have returned back home. He is well educated and rich. He owns the land that Ngotho and his family lived. He had a very big land, a land that is big as a settler's farm. The land was full of pyrethrum flowers and forest of black wattle trees. Jacobo was lucky because he had for many years been the only African allowed to grow pyrethrum. It was said that he had stood in the way of similar permits being given to other people. He was considered as a traitor to the black race which geared the aggrieved vexation   that led to his murder by Boro.

Nyokabi: Nyokabi is the second wife of Ngotho and mother to Njoroge and Mwangi. She is the voice of the reason in which Njoroge ends up going to school. Nyokabi does this because she believes that through education Njoroge can bring honor to the family and also have the opportunity to speak the white man's Language. When Ngotho cogitates joining the workers' strike, Nyokabi urges him to think about their family, upholding that his first priority should be to provide for his children and wives and this angered him to beat her according to (chapter 6 pp 54) of the book.  After her husband dies and the majority of Njoroge's brothers are imprisoned, Nyokabi goes looking for her son, Njoroge who has decided to commit suicide. Calling his name, she coaxes him out of the woods and away from the noose he has prepared, ultimately convincing him without saying much to focus on the fact that he still has both his mothers. She is a peaceful woman who loves her steps sons and wive, Njeri.

Mwihaki: Mwihaki is the daughter of Mr. Jacobo and best friend to Njoroge (and later develops into his love interest). She was always pleased with Njoroge. She felt more secure with him than she felt with her brothers who did not care much about her. She confided in him and liked walking home with him. She was quite clever and held her own even among boys. And now that Njoroge was in her class she could ask him questions about class work. It was in Standard IV that they began to learn English. When she discovered that Njoroge's family killed her father, she distanced herself from Njoroge which desert his hope that results him to the attempted suicide. She is a type of person that feel the pain of being embarrassed...... ."she looks soft, small and delicate. Perhaps all girls were naughty. Yes-sometimes. And when mother does not beat me, she uses bad language which hurts me more than beating" (chapter 4 pp 37).

Njeri: Njeri is the first wife of Ngotho and mother to Boro, Kori and Kamau. Like her step wive, she loves her step children and their mother. She and Nyokabi lived like blood sisters. 

Kamau: Kamau is a son of Njeri, junior brother to Boro and Njoroge's favorite. He learns carpentry work. He was arrested by Mr. Howlands during the murder of Jacobo to look for Boro. He is Njoroge's confidant whom he also wanted to go to school like him but declined. He complained of his master, Nganga who  restricted him not to become a master on his own.

                   The Minor characters

Mwangi: Mwangi is a son of Nyokabi and brother to Njoroge who died during the World War II. He did not fully develop in the novel as he was said to die in the war which restricted him not to even seen but only heard about in history.

Kori: Kori is a son of Njeri and half brother to Njoroge. He was a story teller and also a politician. He was also arrested by the white during the murder of Mr Jacobo.

Lucia: Lucia is the first daughter of Mr. Jacobo and elder sister to Mwihaki. She is a teacher who loves her job so much.

Juliana: She is the wife of Jacobo and mother to Mwihaki. She is described as a fat woman, with a beautiful round face and haughty eyes. She was kind with children.

Nganga: Nganga is the village carpenter. Kamau was apprenticed to him. So Ngotho had to pay huge fattened he-goat and a hundred and fifty shilling on top. Nganga was rich. He had land so was respected as a wealthy man. Kamau described his character as a selfish master who doesn't want his servant to be like him. He was killed during the emergency period.

Isaka: Isaka is Njoroge's class teacher. He is short  with a small moustache which he was fond of fondling. He was killed during the emergency period.

     

                           THEMES

Theme is not an understatement to say that what salt is to food and that is what theme is to novel or any other work of art. It is simply refers to the subject matter of a novel. Apart from being the subject matter, it can be seen as an underlying message in which the central idea is discussed. The themes of the novel includes:

Theme of Hope and Hopelessness: First of all, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen while hopelessness is a feeling of despair or lack of hope that life can feel better than it does. These feelings often lead to lack of investment or interest in life and at it most extreme, can lead to suicidal thoughts. However, the opening of the novel "The Waning Light" introduced us to the hope of the main character, Njoroge who sees himself as the person God has chosen to save his people. In the novel, Njoroge, clings to his hope that life will improve if only he continues to work hard for the things he values and loves. This means pursuing an education which he believes will enable him to uplift his community by retrieving the lost land.  His desire for education was actualized by the interest of his mother, Nyokabi who also proud of the fact that going to school will enable him to learn the white man's wisdom. He became so excited and happy when he was told by his mother about his going to school, and began to imagine of how he will be opportuned to associate with the elite child, Mwihaki.

Then the last opening "Darkness Falls" also introduced us to the hopelessness which in conclusion Njoroge lost the hope.

After Ngotho’s death, Njoroge is obliged to give up his education and to work in a dress shop. These events emotionally destroy Njoroge, and he goes to the one source of comfort he has left: Mwihaki. They admit that they love each other, but that they cannot be together because they

are obliged to support their families, both of which are now missing a father. Njoroge tries to kill himself, but Nyokabi stops him and brings him home.

Theme of Colonialism: First of all, colonialism is the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Colonialism is one of the major theme of the novel, Weep Not, Child. However, the novel x-rays how the British colonized the Kenyans by occupying their lands with settlers then started ruling them. This system of tyranny is what led the Mau Mau uprising that against the British by the Kenyans in the 1950s.

Theme of War and Conflict: Briefly, war is a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country. It is logical to argue that it is the theme of conflict that makes Weep not, Child so remarkable. One of the most

noticeable conflicts in the novel is the political conflict . The British are still ruling over Africa. "Later, our fathers were taken captives in the first Big War to help in a war whose cause they never knew. For instance, Ngotho, Njoroge's father was among the people that was conscripted by the British to fight their enemies in the World War I and then returned with the expectation that he would be rewarded for job well, but he was surprised to find out that he had been dispossessed from his ancestral land. Then he did not only suffered in the first war or lost the ancestral land, but he also lost his son, Mwangi in the World War II. However, the conflict was geared by the anger of the British tyranny and this was why Mr. Howlands was killed together with the black elite, Jacobo who was said to be a betrayal to the black race. Therefore, the novel emphasizes the evil of war and conflict.

Theme of Land Ownership and Power:  In African literature land is one of the important gift that Africans had which is said to be worshiped like God but most Africans, especially the Kenyans lost their ancestral lands for the Whites who controlled them in their own lands  after the World War I. The majority of the disputes and tensions that arise in Weep Not, Child have to do with land ownership because white settlers like Mr.Howlands came to Kenya and took possession of farms belonging to black families, it’s obvious they don’t have a true right to the land. Unfortunately, though, this doesn’t mean they don’t benefit from their newly acquired property. In keeping with this, Ngotho correctly believes that land ownership leads to power, since having a farm is the only form of stability in a country that is at odds with itself. Mr. Howlands, for his part, recognizes this connection between land ownership and power—so much so, in fact, that his conception of what it means to have a farm is wrapped up in notions of dominion and authority, as if by claiming a plot of earth he can assert his will and subjugate not only the people who work for him, but the land itself. This stands instark contrast to Ngotho’s ideas about land ownership, since he approaches the matter with a spiritual kind of reverence, understanding the instrumental role the earth has played in shaping his culture. As such, Ngũgĩ presents readers with two ways of looking at land ownership, ultimately demonstrating that Mr. Howlands’s notion of using the earth for his owner benefit is a power-hungry and exploitative way to engage with nature.

Ngũgĩ emphasizes the importance of land ownership early in Weep Not, Child . “Any man who had land was considered rich. This is no doubt because the Kenyan government is in such turmoil that only the ability to produce one’s own wealth is valuable. Indeed, people like Jacobo plant pyrethrum (a plant that makes insecticide and medicine), thereby creating a source

of riches that they can sell on their own instead of working for low wages on someone else’s farm. The problem, of

course, is that many Kenyans are unable to do this because white people like Mr. Howlands moved onto their land while

they were absent during World War I. “We came home worn- out but very ready for whatever the British might give us as

a reward,” Ngotho says, telling his family about what it was like to return after the war. “But, more than this, we wanted

to go back to the soil and court it to yield, to create, not to destroy. But N’go! The land was gone. My father and many others had been moved from our ancestral lands. He died lonely, a poor man waiting for the white man to go.  The white man did not go and he died a Muhoi on this very land.” Not only have Ngotho and his family been

dispossessed of their land, they’re also forced to work on the very soil to which they are entitled. When Ngotho says that his father “died a Muhoi ” on his own land, he means that the old man was essentially a serf, someone working for a place to live. By outlining this injustice early in the

novel, Ngũgĩ shows readers why Ngotho is so insistent upon reclaiming his land. After all, it belongs to him and his family. At the same time, Ngotho’s motivation to win back his land isn’t a simple matter of justice and ownership. Rather, he wants to nurture the earth, using the “soil” “to create” instead of “destroy.” As such, readers see that he has a profound respect for the land, one that transcends selfish notions of proprietorship. This is why he works for Mr. Howlands. Simply put, he will take any opportunity to interact with the land that belonged to him and his

ancestors, as he feels a responsibility to maintain this slice of earth. For example, when he walks alongside Mr. Howlands and surveys the grounds, he is acutely aware of his connection to the land. “For Ngotho felt responsible for whatever happened to this land. He owed it to the dead, the living, and the unborn of his line, to keep guard over this shamba,” Ngũgĩ notes. The bond Ngotho has with this farm

goes beyond the superficial notion of ownership, especially because he feels indebted to “the unborn of his line,” who

he hopes will benefit and prosper because of his commitment to the land.

 Like Ngotho, Mr. Howlands also feels strongly about the farm. In fact, his connection to the land is rather surprising, considering that he didn’t grow up in Kenya and could most likely buy and operate a farm almost anywhere in the world. Nonetheless, he is devoted to what he sees as his corner of the earth. Rather unexpectedly, he even conceives of his connection to this land in spiritual terms. “There was only one god for him—and that was the farm he had created, the land he had tamed,” Ngũgĩ writes. Strangely enough, this kind of spiritual bond to the earth is similar to the way Ngotho approaches the notion of land ownership, especially considering the fact that Ngotho thinks about losing the farm as a “spiritual loss.” However, there is a notable difference between the way these two men conceive of the earth. Whereas Ngotho sees the land as part of his cultural and familial heritage—part of a way of life that existed before him and will go on existing after he’s dead—Mr. Howlands mistakenly thinks that he has “created” this farm. In other words, he thinks he has total dominion and control over something that in reality is much bigger and more significant than his temporary and arbitrary ownership. This,Ngũgĩ insinuates, is a foolish and egocentric way of thinking, a worldview that springs from the false belief that land ownership means anything other than treating and maintaining the earth with respect.

Theme of Violence and Revenge: First of all, violence is a behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something while revenge or retaliation is an action of hurting or harming someone in return for an injury or wrong suffered at the person's hands. The theme of violence and revenge briefly talks about the British oppression over the blacks that led to the Mau Mau rebellion. Character like Boro, Ngotho's first son who fought in the World War II together with his half brother, Mwangi who died during the war,  was so angered by the fact that the Kenyans were used by the British to fight their enemies and then dispossessed them from their ancestral lands. The white didn't not just deprived them from their lands, but also enslaved them.  As a result of fighting against this evil of the whites, his father died while trying to defend his children who were arrested during the murder of Mr Jacobo. No therefore killed Mr Howlands in fulfilment of the revenge.

Theme of Superstition: First of all, superstition is an excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural. This theme was introduced through the prophecy that says the white settlers would eventually returned to their lands and then the ancestral land would  be retained by the owners. In the belief of this prophecy, Ngotho works very hard to keep himself close to the land of his ancestors......."I grew up here, but working.....(here Ngotho looked all around the silent, faces and then continued)..... working on the land that belonged to our ancestors.....

'You mean the land that Howlands farms?' Boro's voice was cracked, but clear. 

'Yes. The same land. My father showed it all to me. I have worked there too, waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled' (chapter 2 pp 26)

Also, the belief of Njoroge on the mother who said that being over happy in the morning is a sign of bad omen. Njoroge doesn't know how true this belief is but still he believes it.

The Theme of Disilusonment:  Disilusonment is a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be. However, the theme of disilusonment could be seen in many areas of the novel but preferably used three to talk about it. The first area is that Mr. Howlands's hatred of his own country and strange attachment to the Kenyan lands are a result of his disilusonment with the First World War in which he had fought and suffered. The second area is that Ngotho too served in the same war, and when he came back his ancestral lands had gone and this also contributed to the theme of disillusionment. Then lastly, Mr. Jacobo was hated by his people resulting to the fact that he was so corrupt and betrayed the black race. He owns the land on which Ngotho and his family live and this was because Jacobo was rich and understand the white man's wisdom. He did not use this opportunity to favour is people but instead he replaced some of the white settlers who have returned back home and  took over their possession of lands and act like them. His disappointment to the black was what geared the anger of Boro who killed him.

Theme of Selfishness: Selfishness is   the quality of thinking only of your own advantage or the lack of consideration for other people  However the theme of selfishness can be seen through the character of Mr. Jacobo who was so greed by not wanting his fellow Africans to be like him....."He is an enemy of the black people. He doesn't want others to be as rich as he is" (chapter 7 page 59)

             LITERARY TECHNIQUES

Literary techniques simply refer to the devices used by a writer in his work. The quality of the work of art be it poem, play or novel is depended upon the literary techniques employed by a writer in his work. These devices include diction, structure or form, imagery, symbolism, figures of speech etc. The literary techniques used in the novel, Weep Not, Child include the following:

The Use of Irony: First of all, irony simply refers to the use of words that are purely opposite to the intended meaning. The writer uses this figure of speech to say something that is contrary in his mind and hoping that the real meaning would be understood by the audience or the reader e.g (We know that Samson is slim ) -the irony: Samson is fat. Then in this example, the speaker expected you to know the actual meaning which we knew that Samson is slim not fat. However, Ngugi introduced us the irony in Weep Not, Child through the thoughts of Ngotho and his master, Mr. Howlands. Ngotho works for Howlands with passion and this made  Howlands  likes him more not knowing the contrary that Ngotho was doing it to keep himself close to the land which belonged to his ancestors. 

Ngotho rarely complained. He had all his life lived under the belief that something big would happen. That was why he did not want to be away from the land that belonged to his ancestors. That was really why he had faithfully worked for Mr Howlands tending the soil carefully and everything  that was in it. Then the stranger was ignorant of this thought but instead praises him for working so hard for him. Therefore, it is interesting to compare the  way Howlands and Ngotho look at this same piece of land. 

Mr. Howlands has forsaken everything including his country and family to cultivate the wild land he has conquered. It is the only thing in the world that matters to him now. He likes Ngotho because of 'the way the old man touched the soil, almost fondling, and the way he tended the young tea plants as if they were his own. In fact in a right way they are his own, for Ngotho regards this land as his birth right and works efficiently on it as a duty towards his ancestors as it is explained above. Notice the irony in the situation and the fact that the writer is sympathetic towards both men.

Imagery:  Imagery is a descriptive language used to appeal to a reader's senses: touch, taste, smell, sound and sight. The references to light and dark throughout the novel speaks to optimism and despair, to hopelessness and salvation. Njoroge's focus on the light helps to buoy him through Kenya's dark times, but when the light goes out for him, he waits for literal darkness in order to attempt to take his own life.

The Use of Flashback: First of all, flashback is the presentation of past events or actions by a writer. The flashback was introduced through the narration of the World War experiences and also the presentation of Jomo's story as it was told  throughout the novel. 

Symbolism: Symbolism is a word or an image that stands for something other than a literary meaning. In this novel, the land symbolizes different things to different people: for Mr. Howlands, it is a representation of his ability to restrain, control and subdue, whereas to Ngotho the land symbolizes his connection to his ancestors and his spirituality, as seen through the legend of Gikuyu and Mumbi, to whom the land was given by Murungu the Creator. The road is a symbol of colonial oppression. In the case of this novel, pyrethrum (a crop) is symbolic not just of wealth, and the difference between those with and without money, but a marker of land ownership and of accepting the colonial laws and customs.

The Use of Paradox: Paradox is a statement that look untrue or false statement but contains some truth when inwardly examined. This was used through the belief of Njoroge on education. This belief seems to be untrue, but when it's examines inwardly there is a truth that by learning the white man's wisdom can enable him to retain the lost lands for his people and this was why he works hard to ensure that he becomes educated.

The Use of Allusion: It is the act of making a reference to a person or thing and it is classified into two types which includes:

-biblical allusion

-classical allusion

However, the reference made to Moses in the bible, and Jesus on Mathew chapter 24 at chapter 11 page 90 is an allusion, especially the reference to Moses in the bible was used to build the hope of the main character, Njoroge who believes that he was the one who God choose to save his people just like Mose who saved the Israelites from the hands of Egypt.

The Use of Repetition: Repetition is the re-occurrence of words for emphasis sake. The writer used repetition  with the example of "a tooth for a tooth" 

The Use of Simile: Simile is a figure of speech that shows direct comparison of one object with another. The simile in the novel includes: 

Mr Howlands looked like a caged animal

They are as bad as Mau Mau

The Use of Personification: Personification is a figure of speech that represents an animate object or abstract notion that has possess the attribute of a human. That is non-living object is performing the duty of a human. Some examples used in the novel are:

Even stars later shone in the night gave him no comfort.

There is no hiding in this naked land

Onomatopoeia: It is a figure of speech that describe a sound and suggests it's meaning. Examples used in the novel are:

What with booms and machine guns that went boom-crunch! boom-crunch! troo! troo!

Diction or Language: Diction simply refers to the choice of words used by a writer to convey his ideas. It is expected that the writer must choose words that are clear, correct and appropriate with the subject matter. The rate of comprehension of any work of art is lies upon diction. This suggest that whatever words (use:d) by an artist must be effective to ensure proper understanding. However, the language used in the novel is simple and accessible and stylistically he uses third person point of view to recount the story. This view point is also to weave seamlessly through the perspectives of different characters, as well as providing objective descriptions of events and settings.

                   SETTING

Setting is the physical environment, background or location in which the work is set. It also includes the time in which the actions of the work takes place. Therefore, the story is set in a Gikuyu village in Kenyan during the Mau Mau uprising of 1952-60, a period when Kenyans rose against the British who controlled them as a colony.

                      THE LAND ISSUE

Land is one of the important and most valued gift Africans had. Historically, land was said to be worshiped like a second God by them. Any man who had land even without any other things was considered rich. If a man had plenty of money, many motor cars, but no land, he could never be counted as rich. A man who went with tattered clothes but had at least an acre of red earth was better off than the man with money. Therefore, a man who had a land was the only one who is recognized as a true son of the soil.   However, the foolishness of the Blacks (Africans) during the time of the First and Second World War was when they accepted to be conscripted by the British to fight their fellow whites........."You know how bitter he is with father because he says that it was through the stupidity of our fathers that the land had been taken" (chapter 5, pp 41). This rhymes with the adage that says when the owner of a house is absent, the house rightfully belongs to the rats. If the blacks, especially the Kenyans (as it's well presented in Ngugi Wa Thiongo's Weep Not, Child)  did not accept to be conscripted for the war, their ancestral land wouldn't have been taken away from them.  It's so funny to say that a landlord becomes the tenant, imagine!  They returned from the war and met the ancestral land  being  occupied by total strangers, the white settlers. Then they have no option than to work for them in their own ancestral land to get paid and started waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled. A prophecy which was said to be the uprising against the British who controlled them as a colony. 

“All of us were taken by force. We made roads and cleared the forest to make it possible for the warring white man to move more quickly. The war ended. We were all tired. We came home worn-out but very ready for whatever the British might give us as a reward. But, more than this, we wanted to go back to the soil and court it to yield, to create, not to destroy. But Ng’o! The land was gone. My father and many others had been moved from our ancestral land.  He died lonely, a poor man waiting for the white man to go,” (chapter 2 pp 26).

In short, the Indians were called cowards because they refused to be conscripted for the war in adherence to the advice of their hero, Mahatma Gandhi and this resulted to the benefit and advantage that their ancestral land  was not taken away from them.

Ngotho, Njoroge's father returns back from the First World War only to see that he has been dispossessed from his ancestral land, then he had no option to serve the white settler, Mr. Howlands in his own land to get paid and hoped that the white man would live the land for him one day or being driven away. 

For being the most valued gift in Africa, land is therefore the big issue leading to the crisis in this novel. It is interesting to compare the way Howlands and Ngotho look at the same piece of land. Mr. Howlands has forsaken everything including his country and family to cultivate the wild land he has conquered. It is the only thing in the world that matters to him now. He likes Ngotho because of 'the way the old man touched the soil, almost fondling, and the way he tended the young tea plants as if they were his own'. In fact in a  way they are his own, for Ngotho regards this land as his birth right and works efficiently on it as a duty towards his ancestors. Meanwhile, Ngotho's dedication to work in the land was a contrary to the thought of Mr. Howlands. The old man knew the fact that land is the most valued gift Africans had but he somewhat lost it for a stranger. So he decided to watch over it by presenting himself as the stranger and hoped that it will be retained back one day.

Ngotho rarely complained. He had all his life lived under the belief that something big would happen as it is said above. That was why he did not want to be away from the land that belonged to his ancestors. That was really why he had faithfully worked for Me Howlands tending the soil carefully and everything that was in it.

                        Works Cited

( i ) Ngugi Wa Thiong'o. (1964) .Weep Not,       Child . Heinemann, London Ibadan                 Nairobi

(ii) Advanced English Dictionary (8th                  edition)

                About the Work

This work is designed to help the students of literature in their study of 'Weep Not, Child' by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, especially for the university students. It covers every parts of the text that are required in the analysis of literary work, and it is useful in project work also.  However, it is impossible to be perfect. Therefore, I accept the liability for any mindless error that is found within the content of this

work.

  Lene Ododomu

(B.A English, University of Abuja)

                  About the Author       

Ododomu is a student of English at the University of Abuja. He hails from Whygirigha-Arogbo, Ondo state, Nigeria. He was a one time PRO of Derimobo Model College Old Students Association (DMCOSA) and currently the Vice President of the Association. He was a Legislative Member of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS) University of Abuja chapter, and the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Body. Also, he was a member of the NASELS Editorial Committee. He is a lover of literature, and a literati. Inception from his time in

secondary school-he has being a student teacher of literature, and he was nicknamed a Prof. by the students

body. His analyzed literary works include the following:

1. Things Fall Apart (a novel) by Chinua Achebe

2. The Gods Are Not to Blame (a play) by Ola Rotimi

3. Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (a play) by Ola

Rotimi

4. Arrow of God (a novel) by Chinua   Achebe

5. Abiku (a poem) by Wole Soyinka

6. Abiku (a poem) by J.P Clark

7. The stillborn ( a novel) by Prof. Zainab Alkali

He is a student lecturer in the university. He is a researcher,

novelist, poet and playwright.