East African Poetry And Drama Question Paper

East African Poetry And Drama

Course:Bachelor Of Arts In Literature

Institution: Kenyatta University question papers

Exam Year:2008

KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS 2007/2008
SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR
OF ARTS AND BACHELOR OF EDUCATION

ALT 201:
EAST AFRICAN POETRY AND DRAMA

DATE: Monday, 16th June, 2008

TIME: 8.00 a.m. ? 10.00 a.m.
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INSTRUCTIONS:
a)
Answer THREE questions in ALL, at least ONE question from EACH section.
b)
You are strongly advised to be CLEAR, PRECISE and ILLUSTRATIVE.
c)
Ruiru students are encouraged to select any THREE questions from numbers SIX
(6) to TEN (10).
SECTION A:
POETRY
1.
Read the following poem carefully and then answer the relevant questions:

to you my friend by Namutebi Barlow

? like first rays of sunlight

you reach out to the world

new, refreshing.

? like a flower unfolds its petals

you begin to open yourself up,

5

so young, so confident,

not yet disillusioned by life.

? new and untouched

like a rosebud still wet with dew

you touch the world with your

10

youth and radiance,

still so happy about life,

failure unknown.

Live on my friend, live.

? still loving life even in sorrow

15

may loneliness remain, to you, unknown.

and in the evening

with crimson sky may your sun set,

the end of a beautiful day.
QUESTIONS:
1.
a)
Why do you think Namutebi (the poet) began each stanza with dots (?)?
b)
How appropriate are Namutebi?s similes in conveying her impressions of
her friend?
c)
Comment on the metaphor in lines 18 ? 19.

2.
Make a critical appreciation of the poem below, bearing in mind:
a)
Subject ? matter.
b)
Tone/Mood.
c)
Significant poetic devices.
The Death of My Father by Henry Indangasi

His sunken cheeks, his inward-looking eyes,

The sarcastic, scornful smile on his lips,

The unkempt, matted, grey hair,

The hard, coarse sand-paper hands,

Spoke eloquently of the life he had lived.

5

But I did not mourn for him.

2

The hammer, the saw and the plane,

These were his tools and his damnation,

His sweat was his ointment and his perfume.

He fashioned dining tables, chairs, wardrobes,

10

And all the wooden loves of colonial life

No, I did not mourn for him.

He built colonial mansions,

Huge, unwieldy, arrogant constructions;

But he squatted in a sickly mud-house,

15

With his children huddled stuntedly

Under the bed-bug bed he shared with Mother.

I could not mourn for him.

I had already inherited

His premature old-age look,

20

I had imbibed his frustrations;

But his dreams of freedom and happiness

Had become my song, my love.

So, I could not mourn for him.

No, I did not shed any tears;

25

My father?s dead life still lives in me,

He lives in my son, my father,

I am my father and my son,

I will awaken his sleepy hopes and yearnings,

But I will not mourn for him,

30

I will not mourn for me.

3
SECTION B:
DRAMA
3.
Critically discuss the relevance of any ONE of the plays below in contemporary
African Society:
a)
THE FLOODS BY john Ruganda
b)
BETRAYAL IN THE CITY by Francis Imbuga.

4.
How effective is the use of symbolism in John Ruganda?s The floods?

5.
In what ways does characterization contribute to the thematic and dramatic impact
of David Mulwa?s Redemption?

6.
Compare and contrast the two characters, Bwogo and Nankya. Why would you
prefer either?

7.
How relevant is Ngugi and Micere?s treatment of history in The Trial of Dedan
Kimathi?

8.
Church and Morality feature greatly in David Mulwa?s Redemption. Do you
agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer.

9.
Do you consider what Francis Imbuga writes in his play, The Successor to be
relevant to the title?

10.
Is the poem below any relevant in our modern times?

4

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