ANTICIPATION

THE ELEMENTS
Characters
 Nana Adaku II- the Omanhene of Akwasin, and was celebrating the
twentieth anniversary of his accession to the stool of Akwasin, the man
who has 40 wives.
 Effua- One of the 40 wives of Omanhene
 Linguist- the trusted person of the Omanhene
 Men of Akwasin- are wearing tokota sandals on their feet and rich
multicolored velvet and gorgeous, hand-woden .
 Women of Akwasin with golden ear-rings dangling, with golden chains
and bracelets. Looking dignified in their colorful native Attire.

Setting(s)
 Nkwabi, the capital of Akwasin. Conflict
 Man vs. Society- the character in this story became the victim of its own
society, of its own tradition. Point of view
 Third Person Point of View- it is being told or narrated by a person who
doesn’t have an actual participation in the story.
The theme
 Sometimes the things that we anticipate are already there. It’s just that we
fail to appreciate them and only see them when we don't have any options
or when we simply got bored.
The plot development
Exposition
 The Omanhene was celebrating the 20th anniversary of his accession to
stool of Akwasin. He then arrived in a palanquin in the state park where
the
Odwina was to be staged. As the drum beats on the women performed the
Adowa dance. One dancer capture his attention because of its beauty, he
then threw a handful of loose cash into the crowd of dancers. The
particular dancer mad no sign but instead keeps on dancing.
Rising Action
Realizing that he was neglected by the dancer, he turned to his trusted linguist.
He told him to get fifty pounds from the cashier and gave it to the dancer’s
relatives. The linguist then starts his investigation about the woman.
Climax
Nana went back to his place. He then fell asleep after he had taken a bath.
When he woke up the young woman was kneeling by his feet. There he gave
the remaining 50 gold sovereigns to Effua to complete the offer of 100. After
receiving the amount the woman gave it to his parents and went back to the
Omanhene.
Falling action
There they talk casually inside the Omanhene’s room. Omanhene appreciated
the beauty and charm of Effua while he was playing the ivory beads lying so
snugly on her bosom.
Denouement
Effua stands and look in the mirror. As she came back and sit, she then
revealed that they were already married two years ago, that he also paid her 50
pounds before.

THE CRITICAL INSIGHTS

  I think the best approach to this literature is Sociological Approach. This
story shows concrete details on how the culture, economic, and political
context affects the flow or the outcome, character’s actions, and the story
as a whole. Perhaps these three aspects indeed play a vital role in the
story.

 In the story the society views marriage as an assurance for a better life.
This is evident on how the women are being portrayed. They are
marrying a rich or noble man, to the extent that they disregard the fact
that the man is already been married on the first place. This action that
we consider deviant has been tolerated by the culture and the society in
the story. The economic status also has something to do with this
practice. Nana Adaku is an Omanhene in his town. Here we can deduce
that he is rich and powerful, giving him the rights to practice this
polygamous act, since the only ground for it is that the man should have
the capability or as long as the man can support his wives and his
families.
Reflection
 The ending of the story is unpredictable, it is not what I expected it to be.
I can tell that the author did not fail to amuse her readers. The story is
quite good, unpredictable, unusual, humorous, and most importantly not
boring. The only thing that left me hanging is the ending of the story. I
was left wondering what will happen next after that revelation, on how
Nana Adaku reacted. Did he realize his stupidity? Did he laugh out of it?
Did he learn to love and valued Effua or his wives? But again, as I said
the story is unusual. If this is what author’s main intention, then I can say
that he indeed succeeded on her intention.

 In this story I have learned the importance of valuing and to value my

loved ones. Those who loved me unconditionally, (my mom, siblings
and friends) who’s been willing to help, build me up whenever I'm down
and motivates me to strive harder, to continue living a meaningful life, a
life with purpose.