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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 7 page paper discussing Ngugi wa Thiongo’s novel “The River Between” (1965). Ngugi wa Thiongo’s novel “The River Between” tells the story of the division between two Kikuyu communities in regards to their adherence or denial of the Western and Christian beliefs and education. The story takes place in the late 1920s and 1930s and tells of the division between the two communities which are divided between the Christians and the non-Christians. Ngugi uses several elements within his work to highlight the division between the communities. Firstly, he portrays a visual division in his description of the landscape which consists of the two communities on “antagonistic” ridges facing each other across the river. Secondly, he highlights one of the traditional rituals, circumcision, to show how the inclusion of the ritual in one community leads to a different social and gender structure than that of the Christian community which has been educated that circumcision is a “sin”. Regardless of the education however, the community left without circumcision does not feel that all of the stages to adulthood are met in the Christian religion. The novel also includes several mythological elements by Ngugi which are found to be traditional “savior” elements consistent with literary and religious themes across all religions. In the case of “The River Between” however, the savior elements are once again related to the land which must be conserved and protected against the invading colonists.
Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_TJNgugi1.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
and education. The story takes place in the late 1920s and 1930s and tells of the division between the two communities which are divided between the Christians and the non-Christians.
Ngugi uses several elements within his work to highlight the division between the communities. Firstly, he portrays a visual division in his description of the landscape which consists of the
two communities on "antagonistic" ridges facing each other across the river. Secondly, he highlights one of the traditional rituals, circumcision, to show how the inclusion of the ritual in one
community leads to a different social and gender structure than that of the Christian community which has been educated that circumcision is a "sin". Regardless of the education however, the
community left without circumcision does not feel that all of the stages to adulthood are met in the Christian religion. The novel also includes several mythological elements by Ngugi which
are found to be traditional "savior" elements consistent with literary and religious themes across all religions. In the case of "The River Between" however, the savior elements are once again
related to the land which must be conserved and protected against the invading colonists. Ngugi had experienced the 1950s Mau Mau Rebellion for
independence of British rule and the postcolonial and postimperial themes of independence are consistent through "The River Between" and much of his other early work. Having grown up in the
"White Highlands" of the British-ruled Kenya Colony, Ngugi could speak first hand about the divisions which existed between the two worlds of Kikuyu Africans and the Western Christians (Kerkhoff, 2002).
Ngugi uses the distinctive setting of the valley between two mountain ridges to dramatize the growing animosity of the two communities with seemingly
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