Episodic Approach to Fathers of Nations Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Episode:6 The Ascendance of Professor Kimani
Summary (pages 21-22)

Professor Kimani had barely completed his studies at Oxford when a position opened in the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi, originally Kenya's constituent of the now-defunct University of East Africa. Professor Kimani was already flying before taking off. To encourage him, the University of Nairobi upped his entrance level from lecturer to senior lecturer in order to ensure he came and filled the post.

A month after his appointment, he sparked a raucous debate in which he demanded that the University of Nairobi strive for societal relevance rather than simply brilliance in its work. Although it was unclear what he meant by "societal relevance, he won after six months, and the university's official slogan became 'Relevance to the Society.' After winning this fight, he launched an even more boisterous war that was judged too extreme and even derided as simple-minded and doomed to fail. This time, he wanted the institution to be a change agent rather than a bystander. Others were confident that he would fall flat on his face and self-destruct before long, but he didn't care. Simultaneously, he captured the heart of a campus beauty named Asiya Omondi and married her on a rainy but approving Saturday to thunderclaps and flashes of lightning. His marriage expedited his academic progress, and he later acquired a professorship, after which he felt fulfilled; his persona was now complete, but he had no idea what life had in store for him.

Analysis

Stylistic Devices,Themes and Character & Characterization

Through a flashback, the episode provides background information on Professor Kimani's ascension. The writer's use of this literary feature allows the reader to build an impression of Professor Kimani prior to joining AGDA. In this episode, he is shown as initiating change in his surroundings, and it is through his activity that the University of Nairobi's motto is changed to 'Relevance to Society.' Page 21 He also emerges as a nonconformist who is dissatisfied with the status quo, but rather as an individual who effects change in his sphere of influence, elaborating on the theme of change in this episode. He is educated and intelligent; he studied at the University of Oxford and then earned a professorship while teaching at the University of Nairobi, which contributes to the issue of formal education. He is simple-minded but also radical, as evidenced by people, most likely his university colleagues, who believed his viewpoint was too radical and mocked him for being so. ‘Now he wanted the university to be an agent of change, not a mere spectator of it. This was when people still thought this view was too radical and ridiculed it as "simple-minded.’ Page 21. The author used foreshadowing to indicate how events would unfold for Professor Kimani, from good to bad. ‘Had anyone told him this happiness would one day end as it did, he would have laughed himself upside down.’ Page 22 The episode also makes use of vivid description when we learn about Asiya and Professor Kimani's wedding. ‘He married her on a rainy but approving Saturday, to claps of thunder and flashes of lightning.’ Page 22 This literary feature allows the reader to form a mental image of what is described, allowing them to have a clear comprehension of what the author is attempting to communicate. The subject of marriage emerges from this description; it is also worth noting the use of personification in the vivid description, in which Saturday is personified as giving approval to Professor Kimani and Asiya's wedding and marriage.

Role of characters in the episode

 Finally, Professor Kimani's role in this episode is to construct the themes of formal education, change, and marriage. While Asiya constructs the marriage theme.

                                      Episode 7: The Never-To-Be Change!

Summary Page 22-25

Professor Kimani and her daughter, Tuni, who was conceived in Tunisia, are having a conversation while eating ice cream in this episode. Professor Kimani is telling Tuni about the global economic downturn and how Africa was not spared. Jobs and revenue evaporated, and to emerge from the crisis, Africa needed to make reforms, which were everywhere, and the donor powers were behind them. The donors ganged up on Africa: "You, Africa, you will get no more aid from us unless you change this, that, and the other.'' Professor Kimani tells Tuni, her daughter, that Africa did as it was told, more so because they were tough. ‘…the donors did well to hang tough.’ He goes on to say that if it weren't for the donors, we'd still be chanting nonsense about homegrown development methods rather than importing foreign models. Late changes, according to Professor Kimani, accelerate excess. He claims that when they finally arrive, people go on a rampage to make up for the time they feel they have missed, and nowhere was this rampage more visible than in Parliament, the very institution that represents change. Nowhere was the excess more shocking than in a coup perpetrated by parliament. The lawmaker changed the existing constitution by inserting tiny clauses that legalized their wage rise and excused themselves from paying taxes. Professor Kimani observes that, in contrast to when he first began teaching, Members of Parliament now make up to a hundred times the salary of a professor. This, he notes, is because professors' earnings still include a salary, which is taxable, whereas MPs' earnings are no longer considered salaries and have long ceased to be taxed. He claims that the coup resulted in both an increase in MP income and the exemption of income from taxation. Unfortunately, elections do not wash away the excesses of parliament. The new parliament is more like the old one in that it raises salaries more than the old one did. ‘Msitu mpya, nyani wale wale." which translates to "new forest, same monkeys." The anticipated change visioned by the donors and citizens does not yield fruit; the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Analysis

Themes

This episode shifts the focus to the citizens' disillusionment after the anticipated change did not materialize. The theme of change dominates this episode, as evidenced by the changing times that developed as a result of the worldwide economic slump, which had a significant influence on Africa. ‘ Africa was not spared, jobs, and income vanished.’ Page 22 Another topic that is explored in this episode is poor leadership. Members of parliament, for instance, are said to have successfully staged a coup in parliament. Professor Kimani remarks that when he first began teaching, members of parliament earned less, but now they earn a hundred times more than professors. To make matters worse, their pay is not considered a salary and hence is not taxed, notwithstanding the fact that they earn a lot of money. ‘The year I started teaching, members of parliament (MPs) still earned less- I repeat, less-than professors did. Now each MP rakes in up to a hundred times- I repeat, a hundred times -the income a professor makes. It gets worse: earnings by professors still consist of taxable salaries; whereas earnings by MPs are no longer deemed salaries and have long ceased to be taxable. Both the rise in income by MPs and the exemption of that income from taxation came with the coup.’ Page 23. All of this illustrates how the author satirizes our leader's greed and self-serving characteristics, thereby only caring about their welfare at the expense of the population who elected them, leaving them disillusioned. When donors are portrayed as the ones calling the shots, prescribing what African governments must do to acquire their money, neocolonialism emerges as a theme. ‘ You will get no more aid from us unless you change this, that, and the other, understand?’ page 22. 

Stylistic Devices & Characterization

Language, on the other hand, has been employed cleverly to emphasize the point that the writer intends to convey. For example, the author uses repetition to stress the impact of the global economic recession in Africa, which resulted in changes everywhere. "Changes, changes-they were everywhere!’ page 22 This style contributes to the theme of change that took place as a result of the worldwide economic downturn. Another literary device employed in this episode is dialogue. The issue of neocolonialism and change is developed through the interaction between Professor Kimani and Tuni, and Tuni is portrayed as inquisitive. ‘What did Africa do?’ page 22 It is worth noting that Africa has been personified here. ‘You’re not enjoying your ice cream, Dad, Are you? Tuni asked.’ Page 23. Tuni's inquisitive personality also lends him the ability to be portrayed as observant, as she notices that her father, Professor Kimani, is not enjoying the ice cream. Rhetorical questions are still used as literary devices in the text. This device is intended to allow the reader to ponder the question. ‘Why, he wondered, had no whiz kid invented warm ice cream yet?" Page 23 When describing Tuni Professor Kimani's daughter, the author uses vivid descriptions to build a mental picture. ‘ She had her mothers: wings of an imported butterfly, pure black in the middle, pure white at the margins, ringed with inch-long eyelashes. Whenever she blinked, her eyelashes fluttered as if they were about to fly her away. ‘Page 24. Situational irony has also been employed in this episode, when the MPs and parliament were supposed to bring about change in society but instead did the opposite by amending the constitution to benefit their interests and raise their pay. ‘ Change in Africa has only replaced tyranny by presidents with tyranny by MPs.’ Page 25 It is also ironic that MPs with limited education earn higher salaries than professors. The use of local dialect helps to establish the place of the story and provides the story with authenticity and a local flavor, providing realism. The Swahili phrase emphasizes the despair of electorates who vote in new leaders just to betray them and behave like the old government. ‘ Msitu mpya, nyani wale wale.’ Page 25 When the author appears to imply the ineffectiveness of electing a new leader, he employs sarcasm. Professor Kimani is sarcastic when he alludes to this by stating, ' …just as when rains come, water washes off the spots of a leopard!’ page 25 He also comes out as a critic when he criticizes political officials for being greedy and minding their own business. Symbolism is also used, with Tuni representing her location of conception in Tunisia. ‘ Tuni owned that name to Tunisia, believed to be her country of conception. Her father had gone there for a conference, and her mother was along for the ride.’ Page 22

Role of Characters in the Episode

Finally, Professor Kimani's role in this episode is to construct the theme of poor leadership, change, and neocolonialism, while Tuni creates Professor Kimani's and leaders' character traits.

 

Episode 8: Homeland Security
Summary Page 25-30

Through a flashback, the episode relates a dialogue about security between Professor Kimani, his wife Asiya Omondi, and their daughter Tuni. The author observes that there have been changes, noting that guarding has now evolved into a full-fledged industry. There is home security, vehicles in the transport sector are fitted with touch-me-not anti-theft gadgets, tour operators warn tourists not to flaunt their valuables in public, and provisions for seminars on personal safety at the workplace all point to the changing times, which Professor Kimani dismisses as signs of a failed state. According to him, it is the state's job to safeguard the safety of its residents. He believes that attending seminars is not a wise thing to do, but rather a requirement that the state should provide for all of us. 

Tuni and her mother, Asiya Omondi, on the other hand, believe that in the absence of state assistance, it becomes a private arrangement that we must establish for ourselves. Professor Kimani maintains that the private arrangement would only excuse the government from even attempting to provide the services that our taxes obligate it to provide.

Women are aware of the reality of men's violence against them. According to Tuni, more than two-thirds of women in the country have witnessed it on other women or on themselves. Tuni heard at the seminar that women are easy prey for three reasons: they are unaware of their surroundings, they appear weak and defenceless, and they are tempted to stray. To all of this, Tuni has some of the safety measures learned in the seminar, such as after running an errand or shopping, women should get in their car, lock the door, and drive away immediately, and secondly, they run away when cornered with a gun before entering a car or clash the car hard when driving to immobilise the predator, allowing the victim to escape.

At that time, Professor Kimani's financial difficulties become apparent, since Tuni, his daughter, is unable to drive his car because it has broken down again, and Professor Kimani can only expect to restore it when he receives his next salary. Ironically, Asiya, who once saw Professor Kimani as a young guy going places, now compares him to his old broken-down car, and both (Professor Kimani and his old car) are headed nowhere. Professor Kimani is also compared with his former junior colleague at the university, Mr Newton Walomu, who is now a member of parliament and owns four cars. Mr Walomu comes from a small tribe with no roads or schooling. When Asiya suggests that her husband leave university and seek greener pastures elsewhere, Professor Kimani resists, claiming that he was destined to teach. He calls Mr Walomu a loser who lives in luxury because he benefits from a failed state managed by losers who reward other losers.

Analysis

Stylistic Devices,Themes and Character & Characterization

The episode continues to utilize flashbacks to help us comprehend Professor Kimani's life before joining AGDA. This episode teaches us about change, particularly in security. The government has failed to provide security services to its citizens, even though it collects money in the form of taxes that obligate it to provide them as a service to its citizens. This, according to Professor Kimani, is a sign of a failed state, a sign of poor leadership that comes out in the episode while also building a theme of change. ‘Guarding had come of age in Kenya." No longer was it the marginal activity it once had been. It had matured into a fully-fledged industry. Now, it did not stop at just home protection. It covered other areas as well. In the transport area, it meant vehicles full of touch -me-not anti-theft gadgetry. In the tourism sector, it meant tour operators warning foreigners against showing valuables in public. In the workplace, it meant seminars on personal safety, and so on.’ Page 25 In the example above, there is the use of authorial intrusion, which is a literary technique used by authors to communicate directly with their readers, speaking to them as themselves rather than through the guise of a character's dialogue to comment on the story (perhaps to give their opinion on the novel's events or to hint at what's to come). Based on the illustration, the author appears to be discussing security. It is important to note that from the illustration, security has been personified as getting mature, which is personification. Professor Kimani opposes the current status quo, which he expresses by speaking about it with disapproval, portraying him as a contemptuous and condemning persona. Furthermore, the plight of women is raised as an essential issue. Women are portrayed as victims of male aggression who prey on them because they are easy prey, raising the issue of gender-based violence, particularly against women. ‘Over two-thirds of women in this country witness it on other women or on themselves.’’ Page 27 The dialogue continues to feature as a literary device employed in this episode. The conversation between Professor Kimani, his wife Asiya Omondi, and their daughter Tuni, as narrated through flashback, highlights themes such as poor leadership, insecurity, change, the plight of women, and gender-based violence. Another instance of personification occurs when Professor Kimani's old Toyota is personified as dying. ‘But our family only has that dying old Toyota.’’ Page 29 Situational irony also comes out when Asiya, who is Professor Kimani’s wife, once saw her husband as a young man going somewhere, but now she only sees an old man headed nowhere, just like his dying car. This also draws a parallel between Professor Kimani and his failing automobile. Professor Kimani is also compared to her former junior colleague at the university, Mr. Walomu Newborn, who is now a member of parliament and is doing well in comparison to Professor Kimani, who is struggling financially. She rubbed salt with a comparison: ‘Newborn left the university and went to greener pastures somewhere." Now look: he is an MP with four cars!’ page 29 There is the use of parenthesis/brackets, which allows the author to provide additional information, allowing the readers to understand the idea he wants to convey in the text. ‘After completing an errand-shopping or whatever- women like to get in their cars and…’ page 28 Ellipsis is also used as a stylistic device in the episode to indicate an interruption or that certain words are not pronounced, making the sentence unfinished. 'Mother...', '...beside you...' page 28 In addition, he uses idiomatic expressions as an artistic approach to bloom his language. ‘… to greener pastures …’ Page 29 suggests a new location or activity that provides new opportunities. Mr Newborn Walomu is described as a braggart. ‘Newborn Walomu, a rowdy fellow… page 29. Professor Kimani is characterized as scornful due to his critical attitude towards the country's security challenges. ‘ Professor Kimani viewed this growth in guarding with disapproval, to which he added contempt.’ Page 25 He is also staunch in his belief that he was born a teacher and will die a teacher. ‘…because he was a born teacher, he always told Asiya, and as a teacher, he would die.’ Page 29-30 He is also perceived as a critic because of the way he criticizes the government and how it handles security issues. ‘You call that clever?" Tuni security isn’t a clever thing we do by attending seminars. "It's a necessity the state should provide to us.’ page 26 Asiya, on the other hand, is presented as abrasive/harsh/cold/mean/abusive on page 28. ‘ I don’t care what your stupid instructor says.’ Tuni, on the other hand, is demonstrated to be practical on page 26. ‘His daughter held a more practical view.’ 

Role of Character in the Episode

Finally, Tuni, Professor Kimani, and Asiya's roles in this episode are to deepen the issue of gender-based violence, bad leadership, change, and the plight of women, as demonstrated above, and to construct character qualities from each other.

 

Episode 9:The Freak Road Accident
Summary Page 30-32

The episode tells the story of Tuni Professor Kimani and Asiya Omondi's daughter dying in a road accident. She was aboard a minibus when a trailer hooked up to a truck negotiating a corner broke free, swung outward and landed on top of the minibus that Tuni was travelling in, in the adjacent lane.

For fear of mob punishment, both drivers flee, leaving the passengers on the minibus to their own devices. Onlookers try to help Tuni, who is the only one trapped in the minibus. The man who had seen her on his way out of the minibus attempted to return to help her, but all of the doors were jammed. He took out his phone and dialed 999 to report distress and call for assistance. When the onlookers grew into a crowd, they attempted to shove the trailer off the minibus but failed. When a big van emerged, they attached it with a chain that kept cracking, punching the roof of the minibus even lower.  A big man with an axe appears out of nowhere, and his effort to hack the minibus with the axe failed since it weakened the minibus further, causing it to collapse and killing Tuni Kimani. 

Analysis

In this episode, the author continues to use flashbacks to explain how Professor Kimani's only child, Tuni, died in a baffling road accident involving a minibus she was riding in and a trailer. The author also uses dialogues to bring forth the observers' conversations and their attempts to save Tuni, who was stuck in the minibus. ‘ …a woman trapped in her seat.’ Page 30. Onomatopoeic terms are also used to mimic the sound of the axe.  'Hack!Hack!...', '...loud clash.' Page 30. To provide additional information, parenthesis/brackets are also used. ‘…called the mystical number -999- to report distress and request... page 30.

Episode 10: The Separation
Summary pages 32-34

Tuni's death devastated both Professor Kimani and his wife, Asiya Omondi. Asiya is extremely depressed, despises her spouse, and has avoided him for months. Professor Kimani does his best to accommodate her, perhaps hoping that things will get better. Asiya reveals to her husband one evening that she is leaving him since Newborn Walomu has asked her to marry him. Professor Kimani warns her that money does not guarantee happiness, and that those with wealth are not without troubles. Asiya defends herself, arguing that she had lived in poverty with Professor Kimani for thirty years and that he had no right to accuse her of leaving him for Mr. Walomu's money. She cynically tells Professor Kimani that, because he has always been poor, he cannot understand that money does not guarantee happiness. Asiya goes on to say that her husband has never tasted happiness, and that even if it landed on his lap and screamed out, he wouldn't identify it. Asiya attributes their daughter's death to Professor Kimani's inability to afford the proper car. If Professor Kimani had a real car, Tuni would not have perished. Their thirty-year marriage ends the next day when Asiya Omondi, aged sixty, leaves Professor Kimani for Newborn Walomu, a randy, affluent MP.

Analysis

Stylistic Devices,Themes and Character & Characterization

This episode's overarching topic is pain and suffering. This is beautifully exemplified by Professor Kimani and her wife's agony and anguish following the deaths of their only child and daughter, Tuni, in a roadway accident. Tuni's death also makes Asiya Omondi Professor Kimani's wife blames her husband for Tuni's death, which leads to the dissolution of their thirty-year marriage. ‘Mother and father were inconsolable. Then, at their daughter’s burial, the final in a way that ended all doubt and all hope about her, closure came. Grief sharing then turned into progress towards recovery. Six months later, they were well enough again.’ Page 32 This also builds on the theme of marriage and separation, as illustrated by Professor Kimani’s marriage with Asiya Omondi. Furthermore, betrayal is another issue tackled in this episode, when Asiya betrays her spouse, Professor Kimani, by leaving him for Mr. Newborn Walomu, a wealthy MP and former junior colleague of Professor Kimani at the university. ‘I’m leaving… I've been asked to marry Newborn. Page 32-33 Much like the last episode, dialogue has been used to create and help the reader identify Professor Kimani and Asiya's character traits through their conversation. Personification is still used as a stylistic technique. p. 33, "The bed roared." ‘You couldn’t tell what happiness was if it fell on your lap and cried out its name.’ Happiness has been personified by crying out its name. In addition, direct speech is used as a style. The illustration is what separates between dialogue and direct speech because both allude to a conversation between characters; however, for direct speech to score, the illustration must be the precise words of the characters having the conversation in speech marks. For instance, in direct speech, ‘I’m leaving,’ she said... "What do you mean you are leaving?’’ Professor Kimani asked.’’ Page 32. Sarcasm is used when Asiya says sarcastically that she should have departed earlier. ‘You mean I should have left earlier before I turned sixty?’ page 34 There is also the use of an idiomatic expression. '...she dropped the bomb.' Page 32. 

In this episode, Professor Kimani is shown as pretentious. ‘ He pretended he understood why she did so.’ Page 32. He is extremely inquisitive, as evidenced by her questioning Asiya multiple times to obtain the clarifications he required. ‘ What do you mean you are leaving?" Professor Kimani asked.’ Page 32. Asiya, on the other hand, is callous; she blames her husband for their daughter's death, something he had no influence over. ‘ She would still be alive if you had a real car,’ page 33. She is also sarcastic when she implies sarcastically that she should have departed earlier. ‘ You mean I should have left earlier before I turned sixty?" page 34.

Role of Character in the Episode

 Finally, the job of Professor Kimani and Asiya, her wife, in this episode is to elaborate on the above-mentioned themes of pain and suffering, marriage, separation or divorce, and betrayal. They also help each other develop the aforementioned character traits.

Episode 11: The Face-Off
Summary pages 34-38

After Asiya left Professor Kimani for Mr. Newborn Walomu, he decided to confront the randy MP at his office. Two secretaries greet Professor Kimani and are laughing at him, most likely because his wife Asiya left him for their boss, Mr. Walomu Newborn. They try to prevent him from entering Mr. Newborn's office, but he brushes them aside and forces his way in to face his new archenemy. Mr. Newborn's office is described as well-furnished, with expensive furniture purchased with government funds. We also learn that Mr. Newborn has changed since leaving university; he now has a belly like a ball, huge and hard, and he is married to three lovely young women, each of whom has already given him a child. We also learn that he was elected in a by-election after his predecessor, a swaggering savage whimsically nicknamed Kazi Kubwa pesa dogo, loosely translated as 'Big Work, Small Money,' was assassinated by shooters who were scaring off their pursuers while he was wobbling drunkenly out of a pub. Mr. Walomu extends an invitation to Professor Kimani to take a seat, which he declines. He goes on to inform Professor Kimani that he knows he has come to question him about his desire to marry Asiya. Professor Kimani asks what good Asiya will be to him because she is older, to which Mr. Walomu responds that "old is gold." Mr. Walomu then goes on to provide statistics on places around the world where spouses are stolen from their spouses, as detailed by a Texas professor behind the study. According to the data, 30% of Britons, 17% of Americans, and 40% of Greeks  spouses are stolen from their partners after getting married. A scuffle ensues as a result of this provocation, and it only ends when the police arrive and arrest the two enraged men. Professor Kimani is accused of attacking a 'member of parliament'. His university demotes him from the status of full professor to the lower rank of senior lecturer as his starting point. This, according to the institution, is his just punishment for disgracing the university in the eyes of the public. After serving his six month jail sentence, he is released and returns to his residence, a devastated man. His career was all he could see, and now it was doomed beyond survival.

Analysis

Themes

The episode centers on the confrontation between Professor Kimani and Mr. Newborn Walomu, which results in a fight. The topic of pain and suffering is continued in this section, which highlights the anguish Professor Kimani feels after losing her daughter Tuni in a road accident and her wife Asiya Omondi leaving him for his former junior colleague at the university, who is now a member of parliament. To make matters worse, his university demotes him from his senior position as a professor to a lower-ranking position as a senior lecturer. As if that wasn't enough pain, he's now been sentenced to six months in prison. Another theme in the episode is disillusionment or despair, which Professor Kimani introduces after her daughter dies, her wife Asiya leaves him for Mr. Newborn, the university demotes him to a lower level, and the government sentences him to six months in prison. When Mr. Walomu Newborn intends to marry Asiya, his former colleague's wife, Professor Kimani at the university, he establishes the issue of betrayal. Another theme raised in this episode is insecurity, as demonstrated by the death of Mr. Walomu's predecessor, who was slain by gunmen firing in an attempt to scare off their pursuers, which resulted in the death of the former MP. Mr. Kazi-kubwa Pesa Dogo was his nickname. ‘Gunmen, scaring off pursuers, had killed his predecessor, a swaggering rogue whimsically nicknamed ‘kazi-Kubwa Pesa-dogo,’ or "big work, small money," while he was wobbling drunkenly out of a bar.’ Page 35. This image also highlights the problems of drug misuse and immorality. 

Character and Characterization

In this episode, Professor Kimani is portrayed as an abusive character who storms into Mr. Walomu's office uninvited and verbally abuses him. ‘You fat baboon!’ page 34. When he barges into Mr. Walomu's office without permission, he is also regarded as uncultured, disrespectful, or ill-mannered. ‘ He knew who was behind the door: Newborn Walomu, MP. So, brushing the two girls aside, he went and opened the door anyway.’ Page 34. He is also short-tempered, as evidenced by his storming into Mr. Walomu's office angrily to confront him about Mr. Walomu's intention to marry Asiya, Professor Kimani's wife. Mr. Walomu, on the other hand, is presented as immoral and greedy because he has three young wives and many more sexual encounters with other ladies, as hinted at in the episode, yet he feels comfortable marrying Professor Kimani's wife Asiya, who is older than him, which is ironic. ‘When a cat gets into a pigeon coop, it kills all the pigeons it finds there, not just those it will eat.’ Mr. Walomu had already eaten three pigeons and now had in his paws a fourth: Asiya. Strewn along his path lay many others he had killed but not eaten.’’ Page 36. This is an allegory, which is a narrative or pictorial depiction in which a character, setting, or event can be taken to reflect a hidden meaning with moral or political implications. To comprehend the moral implications of this allegory, the reader must consider who the cat and the pigeons represent. Also, Mr. Walomu is further painted as polygamous when he states, ‘ A real bull dies with green grass in its mouth.’ Page 37. which is a wise proverb used to compliment a man's exploits with numerous wives, concubines, or girlfriends.

Stylistic Devices

The dialogue between Professor Kimani and Mr. Newborn Walomu continues to feature as a dominant literary technique. Direct speech is closely related to dialogue since it has the same definition as dialogue (a conversation between two or more characters in a work of art), but its representation is different because the learner must cite the actual words of the people talking to one another. For instance, in direct speech, ‘Karanja, take a seat," he said, gesturing at a chair. '' Professor Kimani rejected it. ‘Keep it!’ page 35. Vivid description is another stylistic device employed in this episode: ‘Since leaving the university, his belly had grown into a ball, big and firm.’’ Page 35. Local dialect is used to provide the text with local flavor, setting, and originality. 'Kazi-Kubwa Pesa-dogo,' which translates as 'Big work, Small money," 'Na hivyo ndivyo illivyo.' Page 35. meaning "And that’s how the cookie crumbles.’ Page 36. Smile, a figure of speech, is also used in this episode, whereby Mr. Walomu is said to be sluggish and groggy like a satiated python with a hangover. Page 35. There is the usage of parenthesis or brackets as a style, which is a stylistic element derived from the Greek word for "to place" or "alongside." A qualifying or explanatory sentence, clause, or word is inserted into a paragraph or passage by the author. However, even if they leave it out, it has no grammatical impact on the text, which is correct without it. ' I just told you why: Old is gold." Anyway, "stealing"—to use your words—is not all that uncommon, you know.’ Page 37. 

Role of Characters in the Episode

Finally, in this episode, Mr. Newborn Walomu is used to construct the themes of immorality, greed, and insecurity, while Professor Kimani builds the themes of pain and suffering, despair, and disillusionment. As previously stated, the two characters build each other's character traits through their interactions.

Episode 12: Professor Kimani Enlist to Path Alpha
Summary pages 38-45

Professor Kimani hears a knock on the door, weary from lack of sleep, which we learn has been a recurring problem he has had for some time. He grumbles as he goes to check who is at the door. A white man of about 50 years is standing outside, looking from side to side as if an enemy might be following him. He goes ahead to introduce himself as Tad Longway, director of special projects at AGDA, an agency based in Cape Town, South Africa. To try and confirm what Mr. Tad Longway is saying, Professor Kimani runs a check on the card that Mr. Longway had already offered him. gives an antidote about Mr. Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who had hired mercenaries to go stage a coup in Equatorial Guinea, and a year before the South African government hauled him in and fined him a million dollars and a four-year jail sentence that it immediately suspended. Professor Kimani does not see any relationship between that story and paying him a visit. Mr. Longway then suggests that he get inside the house so that he can explain the relevance of the story to Professor Kimani, which he only allows for a few minutes. Once settled in the house, Mr. Longway states that what African presidents ever do is ride on the citizens' backs, something that raises Professor Kimani's eyebrows since he is a white man and he did not expect him to be an African, probably due to his bitonal accent and color. This makes Mr. Longway switch to the South African English dialect, which Professor Kimani can pick up, and he apologizes for judging him based on the color of his skin. goes ahead to state equivocally that at independence, our leaders told us that we had three problems; poverty, ignorance, and diseases. They promised to eradicate them, but decades later, ironically, they have eradicated none; rather, they have added corruption since they are its primary beneficiaries and impunity when they (political class) are reluctant to punish offenses, and that is where AGDA comes in since it has a will to change. s further states that when our presidents keep messing things up, public discontent accumulates and becomes anger, then later rage, and eventually fury. And yet even fury does not really produce change since it cancels each other, yet it aims to bring change; they need to add up instead. AGDA's mission is to question Africa’s status quo by asking what it takes to develop it. This information makes Professor Kimani state that maybe Mr. Longway is confusing him for someone else. He is a teacher, not an activist, Mr. Longways assures him that a teacher is an activist since a teacher’s job is to coach people towards a better future, while an activist’s role is to coax them towards the future. At this point, further ask Professor Kimani to follow Path Alpha, a strategy built on the idea that a present, public discontent expresses itself in acts that cancel out instead of adding up. Path Alpha, according to Mr. Longway, aims to correct the anomaly by mobilizing civic discontent into a will to change. He believes he has the drive to pursue goals and the tenacity to stick with them, and therefore urges Professor Kimani to join Path Alpha. He would go down to Cape Town, South Africa, for orientation, and, he would attend the next summit of African heads in Banjul, Gambia. Mr. Longway encourages Professor Kimani to think over it and read the copy of Path Alpha before making the decision. Professor Kimani's loss of her daughter Tuni due to a road accident, the dissertation by his wife Asiya to his former junior colleague at the university, now a member of Parliament, Mr. Newborn Walomu, and mistreatment by his university and state had tested him hard and long. He has reached a breaking point, and therefore he enlists as a member of Path Alpha the following day.

Analysis

Themes

In this episode, the theme of pain and suffering is at work, as Professor Kimani's problems appear to be far from over. After losing her daughter Tuni in a road accident, his wife Asiya abandoned him for Mr. Newborn Walomu, a former junior colleague and now a member of parliament. After being demoted from his job and serving a six-month jail term, he is back but sleepless since he now has a recurring condition. ‘Weary from lack of sleep, a recurring problem now... ' page 38. Another topic that emerges when Mr. Longway explains to Professor Kimani how our presidents continue to ride on our backs and wreck our homes when our lives are all we have is poor leadership. ‘At independence, they told us our problems were three: poverty, ignorance, and disease." They promised to eradicate all three. Decades later, have they eradicated even one? Ha! Instead, they have added a fourth: corruption. And, this time, you don’t hear them promising to eradicate it because, as its primary beneficiaries, they mean to keep it…impunity. To change.’ Page 40-41. Simultaneously, the issue of Sir Mark employing mercenaries to stage a coup in Equatorial Guinea indicates poor leadership, which necessitated the coup, and the South African leaders' impunity in suspending the four-year jail term indicates that they are unwilling to punish Sir Mark's crime. This illustration also highlights the reality that corruption is a theme, and because our leaders are the primary beneficiaries, they are hesitant to confront it. The theme of corruption, which is also a symptom of poor leadership, is portrayed in the episode when Mr. Longway says that he gets sick when presidents pretend to be telling police not to take bribes, yet they themselves take even bigger bribes. ‘I get sick each time I hear our presidents telling the police to stop taking bribes." Why should they stop, when those who tell them to stop take even bigger bribes?’ page 41.

Stylistic Devices

As in previous episodes, the author makes considerable use of dialogue as a literary device in this episode. Dialogue, as a stylistic element, aids in breaking up the monotony of narration, developing the character attributes of the persona engaging in the conversation, and developing the theme. This theme is highlighted in the episode by a conversation between Professor Kimani and Mr. Tad Longway regarding the situation in Africa and an attempt to recruit Professor Kimani to Path Alpha. Take notice of the prior episodes' discussion on direct speech as a style. Mr. Tad Longway's appearance is brought out through the use of vivid description. ‘His voice was a lion roar: deep, reverberating, and eerie. His eyes were green.’ Page 38. When his voice is compared to a lion's roar in this description of Mr. Tad, metaphor as a style emerges. In the episode, the writer also exploits historical allusion as a literary device by referring to a historical character, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Irony is also present in this episode, as African officials are satirized for professing to fight corruption by forbidding police officers from accepting bribes, despite the fact that they are the principal beneficiaries who accept even larger bribes. ‘I get sick each time I hear our presidents telling the police to stop taking bribes." Why should they stop, when those who tell them to stop take even bigger bribes?’ page 41. It is odd that Mr. Tad Longway, a white man with a bi-tonal British and American accent, appears to have Africa's best interests at heart, in contrast to native political leaders. Also, it is ironic that the African leaders during independence claimed that we have three problems (poverty, ignorance, and disease) and promised to eradicate them all, yet many years later, none have been dealt with; instead, they have added two more challenges (corruption and impunity). 

Character and Characterization

The interaction between Professor Kimani and Mr. Tad Longway reveals Mr. Tad's character attribute of being tactful and persuasive. ‘No? You don’t? Then perhaps I should come in for a minute and explain. May I?' page 39. This demonstrates how Mr. Tad persuades Professor Kimani to listen to what he has to say. We can see from the interaction that Professor Kimani is keen, as he compares what Mr. Tad says to the information on his business card, which he gave him upon introducing himself. ‘Professor Kimani compared this oral information with that which was written on the card." They matched.’’ Page 39. The issue of corruption is developed through dialogue in this episode when Mr. Tad Longway tells Professor Kimani that he feels nauseous when presidents appear to fight corruption while collecting large bribes. ‘I get sick each time I hear our presidents telling the police to stop taking bribes." Why should they stop, when those who tell them to stop take even bigger bribes?’ page 41.

Role of character in the Episode

Finally, in this episode, Professor Kimani and Mr. Tad Longway are utilized to deepen the theme of corruption, pain and suffering, and poor leadership while growing each other's character traits.

Keep reading our summary and critique of Chapter 4, here.