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AOL811S - AFRICAN ORAL LITERATURE - 1ST OPP - JUNE 2024 |
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nAmlBIA UnlVERSITY
OF SCIEnCE Ano TECHnOLOGY
FACULTYOF COMMERCEH, UMANSCIENCESA, ND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENTOF COMMUNICATIONAND LANGUAGES
QUALIFICATION: BACHELOR OF ENGLISH AND LINGUISTICS (HONOURS)
QUALIFICATION CODE: {08BAEN)
COURSE CODE: AOL811S
LEVEL: 8
COURSE NAME: AFRICAN ORAL LITERATURE
SESSION: JUNE 2024
DURATION: 3H00
PAPER: Theory
MARKS: 75
EXAMINER(S)
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER
Dr. A. M. Hautemo
MODERATOR:
Dr. L. Namaseb
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read all the questions carefully before answering.
2. Number the answers clearly
3. Give essay-type responses where necessary
4. Use blue or black ink only
THIS MEMORANDUM CONSISTS OF 6 PAGES {Including this front page)
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SECTION A COMPULSORY QUESTION
25 MARKS
QUESTION 1
25 MARKS
Read the poem below and thereafter discuss the social functions of oral poetry in African
culture. Illustrate with examples from the poem.
The Grave of the King
I, the Bard of Gompo
Am starting this song
Of poverty and degradation
Of sorrow and oppression
Of wounds and exploitation
Of humiliation and deprivation
That led to the destruction of our nation
Like the falling of the banks of a river.
I sing it for the future generation
Who will hear it as a story
Ofthings they had not seen with their eyes
Of things they had not heard with their ears
For they never had to dodge the bullets
They never had to smell gun powder
They never had to cut war shields
They never had to sharpen any weapons
They never had to smelt iron
They never had to sleep in caves.
Sing this song
To true patriots, Sing it!
Embellish it with all the details
As would a Teller of Tales.
Sing it in memory
Of the people of this land
Who fought trying to save it
Who spilled the last d rap of their blood,
From this body, so beautiful.
To what end did they do it
You, of the young generation, we ask,
Those, your forebears
Who gave their all?
They were fighting to save their kings
They were fighting to save their country,
In the hope that you, their future generation
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Would build those fallen walls
And out of their strength
Reap not the seeds of weakness
That country is coming back
Hold that dear in your hearts
It is not lost, but kept
By the "Father of Orphans";
It is well protected
In the "Fortress of Truth";
Misfortune has passed it by
So, when you are ready
They'll say:- "Here is it; Take it"
And when you are grown and mature,
When you understand and are united,
When you are tired of all the quarrels,
When your minds and hearts at peace,
When you have retrieved your culture,
And gone back to your roots,
When you speak with one voice,
Whose truth will cleave the skies,
Then, your Moses will come,
And in joy, you will come out.
Sing then this song
The Gompo Bard exhorts you
Bless these waters
That this king has chosen;
They are the only waters we will love,
Love even above gold,
Great are the things
We are going to do with them.
Our work is done,
Sandile has been offered as sacrifice.
from The Collected Poems of S.E.K. Mqhayi,
Edited by Ntongela Masilela,
Translation by Phyllis Ntanta/a,
Provide relevant examples from the poem to support the analysis.
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SECTIONB ELECTIVEQUESTIONS
SO MARKS
Answer any TWO questions from this section.
QUESTION 2
25 MARKS
Read the narrative below and discuss three features of oral narratives. Use examples from
the texts to qualify your analysis. Your essay should be 700 words.
WHY THE LEOPARDCAN ONLY CATCHPREYON ITS LEFTSIDE
Once upon a time, Leopards did not know how to catch animals for food. Knowing that the
Cat was very skilful in this way, Leopard one day went to Cat and asked very politely if she
would teach him the art. Cat readily consented.
The first thing Leopard had to learn was to hide himself among the bushes by the roadside
so that he would not be seen by any animal passing by. Next, he had to learn how to move
silently through the woods. He must never allow the animal he was hunting to know that
he was following it. The third great principle Cat taught Leopard was how to use his left
paws and left side in springing upon his prey.
Having taught him these three things, Cat asked Leopard to go and practice them well.
When he had learned them thoroughly he could return to her and she would give him more
lessons in hunting. Leopard obeyed. At first, he was very successful and obtained all the
food he wanted. One day, however, he was unable to catch anything at all.
Being very hungry, he wondered what he could have for dinner. Suddenly he remembered
that the cat had quite a large family. He went straight to her home and found her absent.
Never thinking of her kindness to him, Leopard only remembered that he was hungry, and
he ate all her kittens. When Cat discovered this dreadful act, she was so angry that she
refused to have anything more to do with the great creature.
Consequently, Leopard has never been able to learn how to catch animals that pass him on
the right side.
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QUESTION 3
25 MARKS
Technology plays a big role in the revitalisation and preservation of African orality and
orature. Discuss the role of Technauriture in the space and places of African Oral Literature
and suggest strategies in which technology can be used as an integral part of orature.
QUESTION 4
Critically evaluate the tale given below to illustrate how it expresses:
i. the phases of storytelling.
ii. the social, political, and moral philosophies of the people.
25 MARKS
Beauty and the Beast
Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy merchant and his three daughters. One day, the
father was to go to a far-off place, and he asked his daughters what they wanted on his
return. The first and the second daughter asked for lovely dresses. But the third daughter,
whose name was Beauty, said, "Father, I only need a rose plucked by your hand." The
merchant, on his way back, had to cross through the deep forest. It was dark and the
merchant tried to find a place to sleep. He suddenly found a huge castle and went inside to
find nobody. There was a huge table with delicious food and he ate it ·all.Then the merchant
went into the bedroom and slept on a soft and fluffy bed. The next day, too, the merchant
did not find anyone in the castle. He saw a beautiful rose bush growing on the lawn and
remembered Beauty's gift. He plucked a red rose.
From the bush. Suddenly, a ferocious-looking beast sprang out of the bush. He was wearing
fine silk clothes and roared, "I gave you food and a bed to sleep in! And now, you are
stealing my roses!" The merchant was frightened and told the Beast about Beauty's gift.
The Beast decided to let him go only if he promised to send Beauty to this castle. The
merchant agreed and ran back home. He cried and told his daughters about the Beast. But
Beauty loved her father a lot and agreed to go stay with the Beast. The Beast treated Beauty
with a lot of kindness. He was never rude to her. He let her stay in the biggest room and let
her roam in the beautiful garden.
Beauty would sit near the fireplace and sew while the Beast kept her company. At first,
Beauty was afraid of the Beast but slowly, she began to like him. One day, the Beast asked
Beauty to marry him, but she refused. She was still afraid of his fearful-looking face. The
Beast still treated her kindly and with a lot of love. Beauty missed her father a lot. The
Beast gave her a magic mirror and said, "Look at the mirror and you can see your family.
Now you won't feel lonely anymore. One day, Beauty looked in the mirror and saw that
her father was very ill and dying. She went to the Beast and pleaded and cried, "Please let
me go home! I only want to see my father before he dies!" But the Beast roared, "No! You
promised you would never leave this castle!" Saying this, he stormed out of the room. But
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after some time, he came to Beauty and said, "You may go to stay with your father for
seven days. But you must promfse to return after that."
Beauty was very happy and agreed. Then she left and went to stay with her father. Her
father, on seeing Beauty, felt very happy and soon recovered. Beauty stayed with her family
for seven days and more. She forgot the Beast and his castle. But one night, she had a
terrible nightmare in which she saw the Beast was very ill and about to die. He was crying
"Beauty, please come back!" Beauty woke up and went back to the castle because she did
not want to hurt the Beast. She cried and said, "Please don't die, Beast! I will live with you
forever!" The Beast miraculously changed into a handsome prince. He said, "I was under a
curse all these years and could only be relieved when someone fell in love with me. I am
now cured of the curse because you truly love me." And then, Beauty and the Beast were
married and together they lived happily ever after.
Retrieved from: https://www.bookreports.info/beauty-and-the-beast-summary/
END OF PAPER
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