What is the summary of the grain of wheat?
Set in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya’s independence from Britain, A Grain of Wheat follows a group of villagers whose lives have been transformed by the 1952–1960 Emergency. At the center of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village’s chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret.
How appropriate is the title of Ngugi’s A Grain of Wheat?
Ngugi, by using the title A Grain of Wheat alludes to the Bible with the belief that something small like a grain of wheat can give fruitful results in form of high yields. It is the people’s sacrifice of a few grains and that those grains should die, rot and bear new fruits (St. John 12:24).
Why does Mugo betray kihika in A Grain of Wheat?
Mugo had betrayed Kihika because he was unsettled by the young man’s zeal and because of the reward offered for his head, but as soon as he betrayed him he felt remorse. Most people, including General R. and Koina, two Mau Mau soldiers, believe Karanja was the one who betrayed Kihika.
What is Uhuru in A Grain of Wheat?
Uhuru is the Swahili word for “freedom.” It encapsulates both the concept of freedom and the Kenyan struggle for independence from colonial Britain, especially through the efforts of the Movement and the Party.
What is Ngugi wa thiong famous for?
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, original name James Thiong’o Ngugi, (born January 5, 1938, Limuru, Kenya), Kenyan writer who was considered East Africa’s leading novelist. His popular Weep Not, Child (1964) was the first major novel in English by an East African.
Who is the author of A Grain of Wheat?
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’oA Grain of Wheat / Author
How does a grain of the wheat adress freedom and the Kenyan struggle for independence?
The events that take place in A Grain of Wheat occur in the aftermath of British colonizers arriving in Kenya and stamping down their authority by building a massive railroad. The reaction of the various characters to this interference by the British forms the crux of this novel.
Is Mugo a hero in A Grain of Wheat?
Mugo is redeemed a hero. As one looks at the male characters in this novel, we find several heroes and perhaps one anti-hero. Mugo, Gikonyo, and especially Kihika are praised for their acts and words as they fought for Kenya’s freedom.
Who is gikonyo A Grain of Wheat?
Gikonyo (gee- KOH -nyoh), a carpenter who achieves financial security by becoming a merchant. He and Karanja are rivals for Mumbi, who marries Gikonyo. He is not an enthusiastic follower of the movement, but he is arrested and imprisoned for six years. He becomes disillusioned, confesses, and is released.
What does Ngugi wa thiong o believe the real aim?
What does Ngugi wa Thiong’o believe the real aim of colonialism to be? The nobles speak poetically, while commoners speak in a direct manner.
Where does Ngugi wa thiong o work?
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine, was born in Kenya, in 1938 into a large peasant family.
Who is the protagonist of A Grain of Wheat?
Mugo Grain of Wheat, A ( MEW -goh), a farmer, reared by his drunken aunt. He has always felt himself to be an outsider. Naturally self-protective because he is alone in the world, he fears those involved in the revolutionary movement (Mau Mau) that seeks to overthrow the British rulers.