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Read the oral Narrative below and answer the questions that follow

      

Read the oral Narrative below and answer the questions that follow

THE WARRIOR WHO HAD EIGHT LOVERS

A long time ago there was a warrior whose bravery and handsome looks made the girls of the village fall in love with him. Eight girls, at least, were known to want to marry the young warrior, for they had composed many songs in his praise.
Now, this warrior was one time getting ready to go on alone raid in faraway country. Before he set off for the raid, he called the youngest of his eight lovers and told her to put fresh milk in a small guard. He also instructed her to keep checking on the colour of the milk every day.” Should the milk turn red, “ the warrior told the girl, ‘ it would mean that I have been killed or I am seriously wounded.’
The young girl was so touched by the departure of her lover that she composed the following song for him.
My warrior whom I love
For whom I open the sweet curdled
Milk of my father’s herd,
And to whom I give fat rams
Of my father to slaughter,
To whom I give my slender
Thighs to lie on,
With whom are you going on a raid next?
It happened that many days after the departure of the warrior, the girl noticed that the milk was turning red. She wept bitterly, for she knew that her lover was either dead or dying in a faraway country. Without telling anyone, the girl set off to look for her dying lover.
For many days she traveled, and as she walked through plains and forests she sang the song she had composed for her warrior. She travelled on and as she travelled she checked the colour of the milk in the gourd. Each day that she saw the milk turn a little more red, she traveled faster. And each day she hoped that she would find her lover alive.
On the ninth day the girl sang louder and louder as she traveled. Each time she sang she would listen to hear if their was any reply. Any as she listened at one time, she heard a faint voice. There was no mistake about it. It was her lover’s voice. She ran and ran and after a while she found her lover. He was extremely weak and badly wounded. When the dying warrior saw her, he told her; ‘When I am finished, you take my attire and weapons home. When you get a son give them to him And with that the warrior seemed to be dying.
But the girl did not listen to him, she quickly looked for water and washed his wounds. And after that she began to look for food for him. It did not take long before she saw a deer passing by. With her lover’s spear she killed it, and wasted the meat for her lover. For many months the young women washed the wounds of her lover and fed him until he was well again.
Back at home everybody thought that the young woman and her lover were dead, and they insisted that their death rites be performed. However, the father of the warrior kept postponing the death rites. But at last the old man agreed to perform the rites because his youngest son was to be circumcised, and could not be circumcised before the rites were performed.
So preparations for the death rites for the lost warrior were made. But on the morning of the day that the rites were to be performed, and as people were gathering, one of the people in the gathering heard a war song coming from the other side of the valley. He asked other people to listen. The father of the warrior could not mistake his son’s voice. He was almost crying as he gazed on the other side of the valley. The singing voice became clearer and before long the warrior and his lover emerged, driving a large herd of cattle. The bells that were tied around the necks of the oxen played to the tune of the war song.
There was great rejoicing as people ran to meet the lost warrior and his young lover. On their arrival back home a big bull was slaughtered and there was a great feast. People at and drank. And the warrior and his lover were married. The two became man and wife and lived happily. And my story ends.
From Oral Literature. A Junior Course
By A. Bukenya and M. Gachanja,
Longhorn Kenya.

Questions

1. What kind of a narrative is this? (2mks)

2. Identify two instances of repetition in the passage (2mks)

3. What are the character traits of? (4mks)

(i) the warrior
(ii) the youngest lover

4. Give two functions of the song. (2mks)

5. Show instances of irony in the passage (2mks)

6. What are the economic activities of this community? (2mks

7. Which devices have been used to start and end this story? What are their functions? (4mks)

8. With one proverb, summarize the teaching or moral lesson in the story. (2mks)

  

Answers


Martin
Answers

1. Dilemma 1mk (Identification)
Warrior’s choices going to bring cows and risk being killed or stay and marry wonderful lovers and remain poor. 1mk ( Explanation)
- No mark if identification is missing.

2. Sang louder and louder (1mk)
- She ran and ran (1mk)

3. (ii) The warrior
- Brave (1mk) went for a lone raid (1mk)

(iii) the youngest lover
- loving (1mk) risked her life going to look for her lover (1mk)

(Any other correct trait and illustration) Total 4 mks
No mark if trait is missing.

4. (i) Expresses the girl’s love for the warrior (1mk)

(ii) Helped the girl trace her warrior lover (1mk) Total 2 mks

5. (i) The warrior was ready to die but instead he recovered (1mk)

(ii) Everybody thought the young woman and her lover were dead and insisted
their death rites be performed. (1mk) Any other relevant irony

6. (i) Pastoralists (½ ) – bull, cows (½ )

(ii) Hunting ½ - she killed a deer with lover’s spear ½ mks

7. (i) Opening formula
- to call for attention

- alert audience for start of narration
Removes the audience from the world of reality and takes them into the world of fiction

(ii) Closing formula
- to mark the end of the story.

8. A friend in need is a friend indeed
- the girl was willing to risk her life to serve her lover
marto answered the question on March 21, 2019 at 07:49


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