Write a composition to show how unscrupulous
preachers take advantage of Christians to enrich themselves basing your illustrations
on The Folded Leaf by Segun Afolabi.
Some exploitative preachers dupe unsuspecting
faithful and cheat them out of their hard-earned money, with a view of
enriching themselves. They encourage the congregants to give generously in
order to fund their lavish lifestyle while promising to heal or help the
gullible flock. In The Folded Leaf, Pastor Adejola Fayemi is one fine con
artist that tricks many people and lives opulently.
Pastor Adejola Fayemi has enriched himself at
the expense of his credulous followers (p 81). When Reverend Abbe prays, she
asks God to allow his messenger – Pastor Fayemi, to heal his children; Bunmi,
Samuel, Tunde and Mrs. Kekere. The preacher is famously known Daddy Cool
because he owns a helicopter and a Gulfstream jet and has homes in Florida,
Switzerland and the Caribbean. He is also frequently featured on TVs,
newspapers and magazines. He has a proclivity for wearing dark glasses. When they
get to his church, Tunde is interested in seeing his aeroplane or helicopter. He
is disappointed to see many wheelchairs instead. Although they have faith when they
visit Lagos for healing, eventually the journey turns out to be fruitless when
they return the same way they came. This is even after they give a generous
donation in church (p 88). When the miracles do not happen, Bunmi notes that
Papa must return home to face her mother, Reverend Abbe, Reverend Okulaja and
all the congregants and offer an explanation since they have given away all the
donation - that took months to raise – in one single collection. They return
empty handed (p 92). The unchecked trust they have in the conniving pastor does
not pay off. He exploits them for his own benefit.
Secondly, the pastor's sermon is hinged on the
gospel of prosperity and healing (p 86). He says that God does not like the poor.
He talks of having all the riches of the world right there, right then and that
there is more wealth than we can imagine. He urges thousands of church goers to
give generously claiming that giving is pleasing the Lord. Papa distributes
funds they raised for months at their local church to Tunde, Mrs. Kekere, Sam
and Bola. They give all the money to pastor Fayemi hoping to receive miracles
and healing in return (p 88). Bunmi can hear a voice different from pastor
Fayemi's booming, urging people to give all they can. He cautions them that God
sees into their hearts and they should not cheat Him. The man is simply trying
to squeeze money out of the hopeful faithful. This money is used to fund the
pastor's affluent lifestyle. The church is full of people expecting healing or
miracles. The pastors promise that there will be healing. They claim to cure
cancer, arthritis and other ailments. However, Bunmi, Sam, Tunde and Mrs.
Kekere who are disabled do not receive any miracles even after offering
generous church donations.
Mr. and Mrs. Ejiofoh are treated with utmost
decorum since they are rich. When they arrive at Pastor Fayemi's church, they
are whisked away to the VIP area whereas Sam, Bunmi and Mrs. Kekere are ushered
to the back of the arena. The couple's outward demeanour depicts them as opulent
so the greedy ushers give them preferential treatment since they expect
generous donations from them. Mrs. Ejiofoh's embroidered lace is soft and cost
a lot of money. Mr. Ejiofoh is a wealthy man. He takes his family to Rome for
a vacation. They stay in expensive hotels such as Intercontinental while on
such sabbaticals. Bimbo, his daughter drives a Volkswagen Passat. Mr. and Mrs.
Ejiofoh believe that you give and you receive in abundance. They are famous for
their church donations. Unsurprisingly, they are accorded VIP treatment at
Pastor Fayemi's church, since imminently they would donate generously to the
church. The preacher takes advantage of their faith to fleece them.
Pastor Fayemi and associates use fake miracles
to give the congregants false hope, while tricking them into having greater
conviction thus easily defrauding them. The church is packed to capacity with
disabled people seeking miracles or healing. Tunde exclaims that the place is
wheelchair city (p 87). Papa desperately says that they should run when the
pastor calls them. They travel from Leke Street all the way to Lagos in pursuit
of miracles. Reverend Abbe prays to God to heal Bunmi, Sam, Tunde and Mrs.
Kekere, through his messenger - Pastor Adejola Fayemi. The church is full of
people to the point that it is stifling. The pastor declares that there will be
healing and asks someone to stand up from a wheelchair. Sam tries to stand up
in vain. Mrs. Kekere says that she is prepared to receive healing. The pastors
claim to cure many ailments including cancer and arthritis. Papa tells Bunmi,
his blind daughter, that she will see them tonight after she is healed. An old
woman throws her cane down and starts dancing stage (p 89). This gives them
false hope that Mrs. Kekere and Sam will receive a miracle and dance too and Tunde's
heart will be healed. They are, however, not allowed on stage. They have to
return home disappointed after the trip and their efforts prove futile. Papa
has to face Rev. Abbe, Rev. Okulaja, Mama and other congregants and tell them
how their months worth of donations was given away in one collection only for
them to return the same way they went. Pastor Fayemi uses fake miracles to
deceive unsuspecting Christians and cheat them out of their money.
The world has good people and evil people. Some
people hide behind religion to swindle desperate faithful of their hard-earned
money. Such preachers become opulent by exploiting guileless believers.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTIONS-"WINDOW SEAT" BENJAMIN BRANOFF
Developing African countries face many
challenges in a quest for urbanisation. Write a composition in support of this
statement citing illustrations from Window Seat by Benjamin Branoff.
Many African countries are faced with problems
like poor roads, ineffectual public officers, noise and air pollution among
others. In Window Seat, Branoff experiences some of the trials bedeviling
African countries, while on a bumpy daladala ride in Dar es Salaam.
The daladala (van) that the mzungu boards is
overloaded and thus quite uncomfortable. Most residents of Dar es Salaam are
forced to use this means of transportation. The old Hyatt van is extremely
crowded. The van is built to carry about ten people but nearly twenty five
people ride in it. The van has three rows packed with 4 people each, 2 half
rows of 2 people, a backward facing row which sits on the engine and is thus
hot and 2 passengers sit in front with the driver. The van is so brimful that
the conductor is forced to stand by the door. It gets worse during the rush
hour. Four more people stand with the conductor, bringing the total number of
passengers to twenty eight yet the family van is built for eight (p 63). The
mzungu tries not to jab the man in front of him. However, he concludes that that
the man will not care since this is not his first time in the van, which he
humorously calls sardine tin. The mzungu sits in a foetal position with his knees
wedged between the abdomen and the front seat since the van is packed to
capacity. The seats are too high and some passengers keep hitting the rusty
ceiling (p 62). At his stop, the narrator has to squeeze his way out of the
unbelievably packed daladala. In the second bus which is equally overloaded, he
gives up his seat for an old lady (p 68). When the van stops, he intrudes into
people’s personal spaces inadvertently. He grabs a man's shoulder. Overcrowding
in public transportation is a common problem in developing African countries.
Many government officials in developing African
countries especially police officers are corrupt and ineffective. When the
vehicle stops near a policeman, the American narrator is the only one who fails
to see apparently obvious problem with the police officer. Everyone else does
and smacks their lips in disapproval. The policeman stops the
van in an authoritative motion and casually inspects the vehicle. He inspects
the blinkers, light and windshield and seemingly everything is in order. The
mzungu notices that the driver and conductor are ostensibly annoyed by the policeman.
In this happenstance, they lose not only time but also money since the
unprincipled policeman is trying to squeeze a bribe out of them. He has
something other than civil service on his agenda (p 66). An argument ensues
between the officer and the driver. The policeman grabs the car keys despite
the spirited objections from the driver and conductor. Only one thing could end
the ordeal – the driver bribing the officer. When he does, the corrupt officer
waves them away, never mind that the van is overloaded. Corruption is a big
challenge in developing African countries.
Most African cities are unbelievably noisy and
chaotic. At Mwenge, a man moves around on a mobile music stand with tonnes of
CDs and a large stereo system. He blasts some horrible 80s music through the
speakers. Conductors shout at the top of their voices, advertising their
daladalas. The mzungu is dubious about the whole idea since it seems like they
are trying to convince travellers to abandon their original ideas and jump on
their daladala. As he heads towards Posta buses, he is barraged with relentless
enticing shouts of daladala advertisements. He muses that the persistent offers
make him to begin to rethink his route. Maybe he should go to Bagamoyo or
Msasani instead of Posta. The noise is undeniably annoying and unnecessary.
Noise pollution is a common problem in developing African nations (p 64-65).
African cities are faced with the challenge of
overpopulation. The cities are overcrowded making them uncomfortable, unsafe
and undesirable. When the bus stops, the narrator sees a million feet shuffle
in and out of his window view. He spots a white woman in the crowd but when he
alights he can barely find her in a sea of heads; swaying with the currents of
human traffic. He drops the idea of foolishly running through the crowd
shouting to get her attention. He has to go through a sea of human traffic to
get to the Posta buses. When he boards one, they manoeuvre through the human
sea, their feet dangerously close to the moving daladala. They return to the
road after negotiating the sea that occupies the bus station. Overpopulation is
one of the unpleasant problems African cities grapple with (p 64-65).
Another challenge facing developing African
nations is poor waste management (p 65). People burn rubbish and dead foliage
in piles on the side of the road. The fires burn the surrounding grass also. The
mzungu picks up various smells – some are pleasant while others are rancid. The
smell drifts in through the cabin, through the front window and out through the
narrator's. Watching the heads of the front seat passenger by the window, he
pretends to be detective Sherlock Holmes, trying to look for obvious warnings
of an intruding aroma. When a rancid smell fills his nose, he wishes he could
pass the excess around. It smells of garbage, human filth and decomposition. The
waste is managed inefficiently by piling it up and letting it rot or burning
it. The foul smell lasts a little longer than a few moments. Surely, many African
countries are plagued with the challenge of garbage disposal.
Lastly, poverty in developing countries sometimes
results in petty theft. The mzungu narrator meets a beautiful young lady he
calls “Kanga”. Her body has been moulded by a lifetime of never ending work and
deprivation of luxuries. They smile at each other and exchange greetings. He is
besotted with her. Since the bus is packed like sardines, the passengers
intrude into each other's personal spaces inadvertently. Mzungu could feel the
cold warmth of Kanga's hand on his waist. The grip is firm at first and he notices
it loosening, as her other hand slips off his jeans. After a long tiresome
journey, the mzungu is awakened from his sleep by the conductor, who demands
his bus fare. He realizes that his wallet is missing. He checks his right and
left pockets and looks back into the floor of the daladala. He checks his back
pocket although he never puts money there. He only finds a note from Kanga –
the petty thief who pinched his wallet. Poverty and crime are incessant
problems in developing countries.
Developing African countries grapple with a
myriad of challenges.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTIONS "MISSING OUT" LEILA ABOULEILA.
Staying overseas can make an individual alienated from their
people or cultural practices. Write a composition in support of this statement
using illustrations from Missing Out by Leila Abouleila.
When Majdy goes to London to study, he feels homesick
and badly wants to return home – Sudan. However, he later feels more at home in
London and becomes harshly critical of Sudan. He drops conservative rituals
like compulsory prayers and becomes more detached from his people, their way of
life and way of thinking.
First, Majdy is no longer loyal and committed to
prayers. He quarrels with his wife Samra because he does not own a prayer mat. Furthermore,
he does not know where the qibla is since he cannot figure out the direction of
the Ka'ba. From Britain, Mecca and Saudi Arabia are south-east but Majdy cannot
tell the south-eastern direction from his room. He has been there a whole year
without praying! He does not attend the Friday prayers either. This shocks
Samra who suggests that he should skip his Friday classes to attend prayers. Majdy
prioritises his study and tells Samra that her suggestion is stupid. She is
hurt. To make it up to her, he takes her to the Central mosque and buys her a
red prayer mat, a compass - which points to the direction of Mecca, and a
prayer booklet. On each page was a month with rows showing days and columns
showing different prayers. Samra is excited about the prayers but Majdy is aloof
and indifferent. He is glad that she says “I” not “we” when talking about the
strict prayer schedule. She would pray whether he joined her or not. Samra is
hell bent on influencing Majdy to commit to prayers. He remains committed to
his course which he says is too hard for him to play truant. Majdy is happy
that the trip to the mosque satisfied Samra but he remains disinterested. To
her, prayer offers protection, grace and guidance. Majdy is alienated. He is a lazy
and half hearted believer who argues that prayer is a distraction, an
interruption and an inconvenience especially in the fast-paced civilization of
London. He asks Samra to stop nagging him about prayers. He is surely detached from
some sacred, compulsory practices of his people.
Majdy is so alienated from Sudan that he feels
London is much more civilized. When he returns to London after his summer holiday
in Sudan, he enjoys the tranquil quietness away from Khartoum’s perpetual hum
that is pleasantly absent. In London, there is continuity of life. When it
rains people go about their lives with umbrellas, shelves in supermarkets empty
and fill up again and the postman delivers mail everyday. Majdy considers this
civilization – security to build ones life and make something out of it. He
feels that Samra does not belong in London. Nevertheless, he cannot fathom why
she is not excited by the new opportunities in London. She does not admire the
way people go about their business with efficiency and decency. Here, the
ambulance and fire engines never let anyone down. Furthermore, financial
transactions using cheque cards are convenient and pigeons and ducks in the
parks are not molested or eaten. Majdy feels that London is a paragon of
civility and Sudan is too far behind to catch up. He plans to get a work permit
once his student visa expired, and remaining in London after his PhD.
Thirdly, Majdy feels that his home, Sudan, is backwards
and uncivilized. When students demonstrate over the planned execution of an opposition
leader, Majdy does not have the anger in him to join the demonstration. Back in
London, he wants to get a work permit since he does not plan to go back to Sudan
after he gets his PhD. Samra wants him to return to Sudan and work as a lecturer.
He says if he did, he would not be able to afford an apartment because of the poor
pay. Other problems bedevilling Sudan include lack of fuel and unreliable electricity
supply. Defrosted fridges are used as cupboards with soggy food rotting inside as
a result of frequent power blackouts. Also, most people waste valuable time bickering
about politics and job promotion is based on political inclination and not merit.
Majdy refers to Sudan as a large crazy country owing to its backwardness. Samra
thinks he is disloyal. Due to shortage of public transport vehicles, Majdy's mother
is forced to hike a lift from a stranger after waiting in vain for hours. She is
forced to make several trips to the central post office in Khartoum and sit for
hours on the uncomfortable wooden benches in the stifling heat in order to communicate
with her son. Poverty stricken children try to sell hairpins, chewing gum and matches
and beggars sit by the mosque. Samra's teacher irks her when she says she must be
relieved to be away from war and famine in Sudan. Majdy is alienated because of
the fact that Sudan is uncivilized compared to London.
Majdy feels that Samra is stuck in the past by adoring
Sudan since she misses out on the present. Instead of enjoying London’s beauty,
she broods over how poor her own people are. He finds her homesickness irrational
and is baffled by her unwillingness to embrace the new life. This blindness blocks
her progress and possible gains. She misses out on so many choices and opportunities.
Majdy feels that other Sudanese women in London blossomed in the new surrounding
– they wear tight trousers and smoke cigarettes. He does not expect Samra to necessarily
ape this but expects her to capture and embrace the spirit. She, however, remains
shy and reserved. She insists on wearing her tobe - the traditional Sudanese attire
and covering her hair. Despite being far away from home Samra prays faithfully.
She acquires a prayer mat, a compass and a prayer book. Majdy wants her to enjoy
the lively, civilized London life. She should be grateful to him for rescuing him
from the backward Khartoum. She on the other hand wants Majdy to return to Sudan
after his studies overseas. She fantasizes about sleeping in the afternoon under
a fan, their children playing on the roof, taking mint tea and gossiping with neighbours.
Majdy is worried about Samra's aloofness that he enrolls her for word processing
classes to keep her busy. She drops out of the school when the teacher talks impertinently
about her beloved home country Sudan. He finally capitulates and sends her back
to Sudan – much to her delight.
Being away from home can alienate one from his people
or their culture.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION "No Need to Lie" Rolf Schmid
Strong will and optimism help one overcome challenges. Write a composition to validate this statement making reference to Rolf Schmid’s No Need to Lie.
Diseases like cancer bring along with them many
predicaments. Many patients die because they lack hope and despair on life. If
treated or well managed, cancer can be defeated. One needs strong willpower and
optimism in order to beat cancer. Rolf Schmid’s obstinate refusal to be
defeated by cancer is a perfect example of mind over matter tenacity.
After developing scary health and physical
symptoms, Rolf Schmid is fearful about the impending diagnosis. However, when
doctor Rupani tells him that he has cancer, he says that his willpower is
strong and determined (p 125). What starts as persistent sore throat turns out
to be a more grave illness when Rolf's doctor Mrs. Van Enk suggests that he
sees a specialist. Fear grips him. He wonders if it is AIDS which he considers
a death sentence. He is concerned about the stigma and what his family, friends
and guests at his restaurant would say. He even contemplates suicide. He is
determined to live and opines that suicide is for cowards. He manages to keep
calm but the word AIDS keeps creeping up (p 123). The ghosts of cancer and AIDS
haunt Mr. Schmid and he is really scared. His strong willpower and
determination to live are evident when he says that his children need him and he
wants to see them grow up. “I could not let myself die,” he thinks. Worry robs
his wife Asmahan and him of sleep. He thinks of people that die of cancer
everywhere and his mind is preoccupied with “cancer, cancer, cancer” (p124). Dr.
Rupani finally informs Rolf that he has cancer but tells him that he can battle
and win. Rolf thinks of his children, wife, business and future and declares
that he is not going to die. He is too young to die. He repeats this message
over and over to send it to every cell in his body (p 125). Before he travels for his
operation at Katharinen Krankenhaus in Germany he is trapped in worries. He
remembers doctor Meister, who did not make it after an operation, and he was diagnosed
with a similar illness as Rolf. He thinks of being buried next to his
grandmother in the event that he dies during the operation. However, he remains
optimistic that he is not going to die. He tells himself, “You are not ready to
die.” (p 132). Rolf resolutely declares
that he is not going to give in to cancer (p124). He battles cancer
bravely and eventually manages to beat
it. Surely, strong willpower is important when battling predicaments such as
cancer.
Rolf determinedly endures the unpleasant side
effects of treatment bravely because of his
strong willpower. When he goes for radiation treatment, the room is full of
patients who have lost their hair and look appalling. The humongous radiation
apparatus are intimidating and threatening (p 125). The radiation treatment
continues for a month. Furthermore, Rolf has to undergo four sessions of
chemotherapy to kill the cancer in his body. He dreads the word chemotherapy. It
makes patients feel sick and brings with it a myriad of miseries e.g. loss of
hair. The thought sends shivers down his spine. Nonetheless, he hopes it will
cure his cancer. He is still worried that he will lose his hair and be very
sick. His friend Alberto tells him to be brave. He tells him that some people
get violently sick while others do not and that it all depends on the patient’s
mind and physical constitution. Rolf bravely endures an eight hour drip without
experiencing nausea or vomiting. The nurse tells him that he is a really strong
ndume (man). He even goes to his Polo Club to show everyone how strong he was
(p 128). Due to the treatment, he loses half his hair and part of his beard. His
tumor shrinks and this is a glimmer of hope. He knows he is not going to die (p
129). After the operation, his head swells twice its size and half of his neck is
missing. He faints when he notices this and every time the wound is cleaned. He
manages to walk out of the hospital thinking he had beaten cancer. Eventually
he returns to Kenya having defeated cancer (p 135). Surely, strong willpower is
vital for survival.
Rolf Schmid resolutely endures the pain that comes
with cancer. His mouth is full of ulcers and the skin is peeling. The pain is
excruciating. He cannot take it any longer (p 125). Rolf has difficulty in
feeding because of the pain. He cooks minced meat and vegetables, celery, leek,
carrots and 3 litres of water, cools it down to body temperature and strains it
through cloth. The mere thought of the liquid passing through his mouth scares
him. The ritual of feeding through a half inch pipe is painful and torturous. He
has no option since he needs food and lots of fluids to beat cancer. He
struggles to eat determinedly lest Dr. Rupani confines him in a hospital and
feeds him intravenously (p 126). If anything touched his raw lips, gums or sore
throat he would groan in pain. Despite the severe agony, he has to continue with this
ritual, his only chance of survival. He compares cancer to a rival in a judo
match – he is determined to defeat him with a full “ippon” – a knockout win! He sips his “survival juice” and urges
himself to go on and congratulates himself when he succeeds. Sometimes he
chokes and coughs and screams in pain – it feels like a ghost is biting and
tearing his neck and throat. He is ashamed when his friends find him screaming
in pain (p 127). Sometime he feels mental rejection of the food. He realizes that
cancer patients die because of lack of hope or because of despairing on life. He
has a strong unstoppable desire for health and life. He remains strong for the
sake of his wife Asmahan. He wants to continue playing Polo and making
sculptures (p 128).
Rolf Schmid suffers weight loss but he remains
resolute until he beats cancer. Rolf Schmid is a big athletic man weighing
120kgs. He could bench press 165kgs and squat 240kgs. As a result of the
cancer, he looks like a malnourished old man. A friend muses that he looks like
a Labrador puppy. He loses 300 grams in one day. He weighs 87.3kgs down from 125kgs.
He is a pale shadow of his former brawny self – a powerlifter with a chest of
54 centimetres and very wide biceps. This makes him think of death. However, summoning
the faces of his children, he has a reason to live. His ardent personality keeps
reminding him not to give up. “You cannot
die now” (p 126). When he goes for his Polo game, he is almost 36kgs lighter than
before. His horses must mistake him for someone else (p 129-131). One of his clients
is astounded by the change. He has dropped almost 40kgs in 3 months. His face is
hollow, hair and beard almost nonexistent (p 132). Nevertheless, Rolf fights stubbornly
until he beats cancer.
Rolf manages to beat cancer because of his mind over
matter attitude and his stubborn refusal to die. His strong willpower and optimism
are admirable.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION "How Much Land Does Man Need" Leo Tolstoy
Greed causes suffering. Write an essay to justify this
statement citing illustrations from Leo Tolstoy’s “How Much Land Does Man
Need?”
Pahom is filled with intense and selfish desire for
land. His irrational avarice makes him to suffer greatly. Due to his lack of contentment,
he undergoes intense distress of body and mind and eventually loses his life.
Despite owning 123 acres of land and pasture, Pahom
desires to have more land. Pahom is a relatively rich farmer living in the countryside
of Russia. Apart from land, he also owns a big house in which he lives with five
family members. Furthermore, he keeps cattle whose number keeps increasing. He thinks
that his land is not big enough. He wants wider and more fertile lands. He has
a desire to farm widely and keep more livestock. All day, he keeps thinking about
only one thing: “How can I have more lands?” Despite having all these possessions,
Pahom lacks happiness and satisfaction because of his greed.
When a passing dealer tells Pahom about the land the
Bashkirs are selling, he is strongly attracted due to his greed. The passing dealer
stops to get some feed for his horse. When taking tea, they have a talk. He is returning
from the land of the Bashkirs which is very far away. He had bought 13,000 acres
of land all for 1000 roubles. Pahom asks whether it is true but says, “There must
be a catch.” The dealer shows him his title deed and tells him there is more land
than you could cover if you walked a year. The lands are very fertile and the best
for farming. Pahom declares that he has to go there and buy land. After inquiring
where the Bashkirs are, he buys many presents and takes his servant with him. They
take seven days to find the Bashkirs. The chief promises to give him anything he
asks for, as a reward for the presents. Pahom says that he would like to have some
land for himself. He is mesmerized by the wide fertile lands. The leader tells him
that he could have as much as he wanted if he could go round on his feet in a day.
However, he must return to the starting point before sunset, otherwise everything
would be invalid. Pahom is willing to go to these lengths just to acquire land.
His greed causes him distress.
Pahom cannot sleep at night due to the excitement caused
by his greed. He is delighted by the Bashkir’s offer. He keeps thinking about the
land. He plans to walk the whole day and mark off a large tract. He also plans to
make a big pasture in his newly-acquired land and to build a big cottage. Pahom
lays awake all night and dozes off just before dawn. In the morning, the chief tells
him he could have any part of the land. His eyes glisten with burning desire. It
was all virgin soil. The leader puts his fox-fur cap on the ground to mark the starting
point. All land Pahom goes round would be his. Because of greed, Pahom could not
sleep at night. Greed is surely a source
of distress.
Pahom declares that he would get the largest and best
land above all people, betraying his greedy nature. He starts walking towards the
meadow, thinking that he must lose no time. He laments that time goes fast. It grows
quite warm so he takes off his outer coat and shoes. He walks until the hillock
is scarcely visible. People on it look like black ants. He feels sweaty and thirsty
but goes on and on. He begins to grow tired. The grass is high and it is very hot.
At noon, he decides to rest. Pahom endures suffering because of his unquenchable
greed.
At noon, Pahom thinks, “I must have a rest!” He stops
walking to have lunch. To save more time, walk more and get more land, he stands
while eating bread and water. At first he walks easily since the food strengthens
him. It becomes terribly hot and Pahom feels sleepy. In the face of misery, he thinks:
“An hour to suffer, a life-time to live”, and goes on. He is about to turn left
but changes his mind when he perceives a damp hollow. He thinks that it would be
a pity to leave it out. He thinks that flax would do well there. A desire to get
the damp hollow makes him not to turn. The heat makes the air hazy. The hillock
seems to be quivering and people on it can scarcely be seen. Pahom suffers as a
result of his irrational obsession for land.
Pahom loses track of time because of his excessive
desire for land. He feels it is too early to return to the hillock despite having
walked for a long time and acquiring a great deal of land. He concludes that it
is not the time to go back yet. He steps faster in a bid to get more land. He goes
over the plain – walking without thinking. The sun is nearly halfway to the horizon.
The leader's words hit Pahom’s head and he’s filled with worry. He starts rushing
back to the hillock in a straight line. Worry eats him up. Did he go too far? He
is in a lot of distress while walking towards the hillock. He walks with difficulty.
He was done up with the heat. His bare feet are cut and bruised. His legs begin
to fail. He longs to rest but it is impossible. The sun, waiting for no man, sinks
deeper and deeper. Pahom is worried that all his effort and money would be in vain.
He suffers greatly because of greed.
Pahom is worried that he may lose everything so he
begins running. He is distressed that he may have blundered trying for too much.
He is far from his goal and the sun is already near the rim. “What if I am too late?”
He feels serious pain but still presses on. He throws away his outer coat, his shoes,
his flask and his cap. He keeps the spade for support. His shirt and trousers are
soaking with sweat. His mouth is parched. His breast is working like a blacksmith’s
bellows. His heart is beating like a hammer. His legs are giving way as if they
do not belong to him. Pahom is seized with terror. He could die because of strain.
Though afraid of death, he could not stop. His greed fuels his ambition and he suffers
in the process.
The last nail on Pahom's coffin is that he actually
dies and loses everything. He runs on and on and he can hear the Bashkir's shouting
to him. He can see the people on the hillock. He can see the fox-fur cap on the
ground so he rushes on with all his remaining strength. He bends his body forward
but his legs can hardly follow fast enough to prevent him from falling. When it
grows dark, he gives out a distressful cry, “All my labour has been in vain.” The
Bashkir's urge him on when he is about to stop. He takes a long breath and runs
up the hillock. His legs give way, he falls and reaches the cap with his hands.
The leader is mesmerised by Pahom's determination to get much land. He exclaims
that he is such a fine fellow. Unfortunately , he had lost all his strength and
died. Despite suffering dreadfully and gaining much land, he is buried by his servant
in a six foot grave. That’s how much land he needed. Pahom's greed results in his
loss, misery and death.
In conclusion, lack of contentment is dangerous. If
we do not check our greed, we suffer great losses. Pahom loses everything including
his dear life because of his insatiable desire for land.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION "Umbrella man" Siddharta Gigoo
Inmates in asylums experience many challenges. One
needs hope in order to survive. Write an essay to show the truth of this
assertion basing your illustrations on Siddartha
Gigoo's "Umbrella Man".
In the face of trials or challenges, we need to remain positive,
confident or hopeful. Number 7 endures the desolate life in confinement with buoyancy.
He is finally released.
The inmates are confronted with the challenge of restricted movement.
First, they are allowed to go out of their cells only in the evenings. Even then,
they can only stroll within the compound
of the asylum. Due to his obedience and calm disposition, Number 7 is the only inmate
allowed to saunter out of the gate. Even he can only enjoy limited liberty. He walks
along the 90 something yard avenue that ends at the wall. The inmates are restricted
within the 120 square metres asylum. Beyond the stone-and-brick wall, there is nothing
but vast darkness or oblivion. Their lives ended at the wall (pg. 46). While enjoying
his limited freedom, he is alerted by the booming siren to return to his cell (pg.
49). He seems to envy the puny little fellow, who is free to do whatever he wanted
to do and roam about without any restrictions (pg. 50). Despite this problem, Number
7 remains hopeful. He walks around with his umbrella hoping it would rain, even
though for seven months it has not rained. He waits patiently for the swelling clouds
and rain. Despite the restricted freedom, Number 7 clings to hope since he has
something to look forward to.
Secondly, the inmates have no visitors or worldly possessions.
Number 7 has not had any visitors for many years. None of the inmates has visitors.
They also have no material possessions other than two sets of clothes – woolen and
cotton. The umbrella is Number 7’s only companion is his solitary cell. His beautiful
umbrella makes him smile. Not many in the asylum know what beauty is. He takes leisurely
walks on sunny afternoons, holding it aloft. Despite not having any visitors or
belongings, Number 7 is happy and satisfied since he owns the beautiful yellow-and-red stripped umbrella. He keeps hope alive that one day it would surely rain
(pg. 48).
Also, the inmates locked up in the asylum endure loneliness. On
lonely nights, Number 7 imagines he is not alone in the cell. He would see the image
of a child. He would wake up from his nervy sleep to comfort the child. Stroking
his hair tenderly, Number 7 would say, "Go back to sleep, I’m by your side". Number
7 worries about the child and talks to it night after night. As much as he lives a lonesome, desolate life, Number 7 keeps hope alive and offers his imaginary friend
companionship. He stays optimistic and hopeful when he prays for the child, hoping
for some divine help from the infinite universe. He is a father and mother to the child.
He grows old but remains hopeful like a child. It is important to remain hopeful
in spite of any challenges we encounter.
Number 7’s chance of freedom is dependent on the decision of other
people. They have to put up with unsmiling doctors. On the day of his release, Number
7 receives the news from two attending doctors beaming with smiles. They don’t smile
on most days. The doctors claim their effort had yielded fruit and Number 7 is free
to go now. This is after they assessed evidence and facts and conducted a careful
examination. The committee agreed to their assessment. Number 7 thinks the committee
is made up of serious members who never concurred or signed any discharge papers.
He knows that their fate was determined by the doctors and the committee. Despite
this, number 7 remains sanguine and hopeful until he tastes release and permanent
freedom.
Life in incarceration is riddled with a myriad of challenges that
can only be overcome if one remains hopeful.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Write an essay to show how admirable people inspire
change, basing your illustrations on The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.
Magnificent people motivate us to change or improve our
lives. Esteban’s arrival in the village makes the villagers aware of their
myopic vision and, without uttering a single word, the dead man persuades the
villagers to transform their way of life.
Esteban inspires the villagers to build better houses. The
village is made up of twenty-odd wooden houses with stone courtyards that are
devoid of flowers. The houses are spread about gauntly on the end of a desert-like
cape. The women sewing clothes for Esteban think that if this magnificent man
lived in the village, his house would have the widest doors, highest ceilings
and strongest floors. After Esteban’s arrival, they decide that everything
would be different from then on. Their houses would have wider doors, higher
ceilings and stronger floors to enable Esteban’s memory to roam without bumping
into beams. They also plan to paint the fronts of their houses gay colors to
make Esteban’s memory eternal. Indeed, impressive men transform others.
Before Esteban’s arrival, the villagers were unware of their
stark streets and dry courtyards. They become aware of these inadequacies while fighting for the privilege of carrying
Esteban along the escarpment. His beauty persuades them to change this. Their
courtyards have no flowers but this will change. The women imagine that Esteban
could put so much work into his land that springs could burst from among the
rocks enabling him to plant flowers on the cliffs. They even dismiss their own
men that for all their lives they could not do what Esteban could do in a day.
However, after the encounter with Esteban the villagers decide that henceforth they
would put great effort into digging for springs among the stones and planting
flowers on the cliff. In future, the smell of gardens would awaken passengers
on great liners and captains would admire the village and label it “Esteban’s
village”. Surely, great men inspire change.
Esteban persuades the villagers to organize a splendid
funeral for him. Initially, they would throw the few dead among them off the cliff.
The men plan to get rid of Esteban in a similar fashion. They improvise a litter
with remains of foremasts and gaffs and plan to sink Esteban into the deepest
waves where fish are blind and divers die of nostalgia. They don’t want him to
be brought back to the shore by bad currents. However, when they see his face,
they are awestricken by his beauty, the truth in his manner and his sincerity.
Surprisingly, they fight for the privilege to carry him on their shoulders.
They let him go without an anchor so that he could return if he wanted. Surely,
Esteban’s greatness inspires the villagers to change the way they treat their
dead.
Esteban arrives in the village as a stranger but later he
unites the whole village. First, the women unite to make clothes for him. The
tallest men's holiday pants would not fit him nor the fattest one’s Sunday
shirts. His feet would not fit in the shoes of the men with the biggest feet.
Fascinated by his huge size and beauty, the women decide to make him some pants
from large pieces of sail and shirt from the bridal Brabant linen so that he
could bear his death with dignity. They sit in a circle sewing. Then, the inhabitants
in the village are united as kinsmen. This is because they could not let
Esteban return to the waters as an orphan. They choose a father and our mother
for him from the best people. They also choose aunts and uncles and cousins and
he thus unites them as one large happy family. While the women work together to
bring many flowers, the men not only make a litter to carry Esteban but also
fight for the privilege of carrying him on their shoulders. This point clearly
depicts how a great man inspires change.
At first, the men are not as obsessed with Esteban as the
women are. When the women learn that he is not from the neighboring village,
they jubilate and praise the Lord saying “He's ours.” The men dismiss this
excitement as womanish frivolity. Since they’re tired, all they want to do is
to get rid of the corpse once and for all. They plan to sink it in the deepest
sea to ensure it wouldn’t come back. The men are jealous when they notice that
the women are overly excited and passionate about the dead man. With a tinge of mistrust in their liver, they
contemptuously refer to him as a drifting corpse, a drowned nobody and a piece
of cold Wednesday meat. But when they see his face, they are left breathless too.
They are impressed by his handsomeness and
the truth in his manner. They shudder at Esteban’s sincerity. They end up
giving him the most splendid funeral they could conceive for an abandoned
drowned man. Clearly, magnificent people motivate others to change.
In conclusion, marvelous people like Esteban have the uncanny
knack to inspire transformation.
MORE ESSAYS FROM MEMORIES WE LOST AND OTHER STORIES
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION
"Window Seat" Benjamin Branoff.
Write a composition entitled: The challenges of
urbanization in developing African countries, making reference to Benjamin
Branoff’s “Window Seat”.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE
ESSAY QUESTION "The Umbrella Man" Siddhartha Gigoo
In the face of affliction hope is essential for man's survival.
Write an essay to validate this statement in reference to Siddharta
Gigoo's The Umbrella Man.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE
ESSAY QUESTION "Hitting Budapest" NoViolet Bulawayo
Children need compassion,
guidance and love without which they become delinquents. Write an essay to
qualify this assertion citing illustrations from NoViolet Bulawayo's Hitting
Budapest.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION "Light" Lesley Nneka Amirah.
Write a composition on the challenges experienced by a single
parent raising a teenager citing illustrations from ‘Light by
Lesley Nneka Amirah.
MEMORIES WE LOST KCSE ESSAY QUESTION "The Folded Leaf" Segun Afolabi
Self acceptance is vital for a meaningful life. Write a
composition to validate this statement citing illustrations from The Folded
Leaf
