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AOL811S - AFRICAN ORAL LITERATURE - 1ST OPP - JUNE 2025 |
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nAm I BI A u n IVE RS ITY
OF SCIEn CE TECHn
FACULTY OF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCES,AND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGES
QUALIFICATION: BACHELOR OF ENGLISH AND LINGUISTICS (HONOURS)
QUALIFICATION CODE: (0BBAEN)
COURSECODE: AOL811S
LEVEL: 8
COURSE NAME: AFRICAN ORAL LITERATURE
SESSION:JUNE 2025
DURATION: 3 HOURS
PAPER: Theory
MARKS: 75
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER
EXAMINER(S) 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 QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF 4 PAGES (Including this front page)
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SECTION A COMPULSORY QUESTION
25 MARKS
QUESTION 1
25 MARKS
Proverbs relate to people's understanding of the world and help create that
understanding through their ability to assess their environment.
Assess the validity of this statement using the examples of proverbs listed below.
i.
Words are like bullets; if they escape you can't catch them again.
ii.
It takes a whole village to raise a child
iii. The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise
himself if no one else did.
iv. A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it.
v.
The elder woman is a vegetable cake; old woman is the bean soup.
vi. A cow trampling about, does not step on her calf.
vii. A large eye does not mean keen vision.
viii. If you run after two hares you will catch neither.
(3 marks each)
SECTION B ELECTIVE QUESTIONS
Answer any two questions from this section.
50 MARKS
QUESTION 2
25 MARKS
The following extract from one of the many praises of the famous Zulu King, Shaka, illustrates
the use of allusion, metaphor, and praise names which are combined with some narrative to
convey the bravery and fearsomeness of the King as he defeated his enemy, Zwide.
Discuss the validity of this statement with reference to the poem below. Illustrate with
examples from the poem to support your ideas.
1. Shaka!
His spear is terrible.
The Ever-ready-to-meet-any-challenge!
The first-born sons of their mothers who were called for many years!
He is like the cluster of stones of Nkandhla,
5. Which sheltered the elephants when it had rained.
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The hawk which I saw sweeping down from Mangcengeza;
When he came to Pungashe he disappeared.
He invades, the forests echo, saying, in echoing,
He paid a fine of the duiker and the doe.
10. He is seen by the hunters who trap the flying ants;
He was hindered by a cock in front,
By the people of Ntombazi and Langa [mother and father of Zwide!
He devoured Nomahlanjana son of Zwide;
He devoured Mdandalazi son of Gaqa of the amaPela;
15. He was lop-eared.
He devoured Mdandalazi son of Gaqa of the amaPela;
He was lop-eared.
The Driver-away of the old man born of Langa's daughter!
The Ever-ready-to-meet-any-challenge!
20. Shaka!
The first-born sons of their mothers who were called for many years!
He is like the cluster of stones of Nkandhla,
Which sheltered elephants when it had rained ...
The Eagle-which-beats-its-wings-where-herds-graze!
25. He drove away Zwide son of Langa,
Until he caused him to disappear in the Ubani;
Until he crossed above Johannesburg and disappeared; He crossed the Limpopo
where it was rocky;
Even though he left Pretoria with tears.
30. He killed the snake, he did not kill it in summer,
He killed it when the winter had come.
{Grant 1927: 211-3)
QUESTION 3
Write short notes on any TWO of the following {250-300 words each).
2.1 Tzvetan Todorov
2.2 Vladimir Propp
2.3 Greimas's Model of Folktales
25 MARKS
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QUESTION 4
25 MARKS
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.
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 daughters asked for lovely dresses. But the third daughter, whose name
was Beauty, said, "Father, I only need a rose plucked by your hand." On his way back, the
merchant had to cross through the deep forest. It was dark and the merchant tried to find a
place to sleep. He suddenly saw 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 entered the bedroom and slept
on a soft, fluffy bed. The next day, 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 wore 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 only
lets him go if he promises 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 much 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 much 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, 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 after some time, he came to Beauty and
said, "You may stay with your father for seven days. But you must promise 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 delighted 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 returned 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 lived happily ever after.
Retrieved from: https://www.bookreports.info/beauty-and-the-beast-summary/
END OF PAPER
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