A SILENT SONG AND OTHER STORIES ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

A SILENT SONG ESSAY QUESTION

People with admirable traits stand out. Basing your illustrations on Vrenika Pather's Ninema,
write an essay to validate this assertion.

Exemplary attributes arouse respect and approval. Ninema is a young beautiful woman whose
praiseworthy character makes her the embodiment of magnificence. She stands out from the
pack at the market place.

First, Ninema is industrious. She rises early at 4:00 AM to reap her herbs from her garden. She
has green fingers and her crops are healthy. She is also an enterprising businesswoman. To earn
a living, she sells fresh produce at the Indian market. She learned the trade from her parents.
Her business makes good profit. At the end of a long working day, her hanky bulges with notes
and coins. Her diligence makes her remarkably superior to others.

Secondly, Ninema is resilient. She is as tough as old boots. She is contented and accepts her
situation but does not resign to it. She faces many challenges and wins. She is thus respected.

Ninema is also focused. She does not pay heed to the trifles when people admire her for her
physical beauty. She is indeed a beautiful woman with long black hair. Her beauty turns heads.
As she walks balancing her baskets on her head, her hips sway from side to side. Her sari drapes
around her perfect body kept in place by her high, firm breasts. Her long, toned arms and
cinched waist cause men to stop and stare. She faces them with piercing black eyes. Women
admire her high cheekbones. She does not pay heed to the attention. She has laser-like focus
on earning a living. She doesn’t waste time chatting with other women at the market because
she has no time to waste. Indeed Ninema is focused.

Ninema is good-natured and she treats her customers well. She is wise enough to provide
genial customer service. She takes extra care of her first and last customer. She says they bring
luck. She learned her trade from her parents and thus she believes in the grace and power of
generational knowledge. She is also good at accounting. She can count faster than you can utter
the word “herb”. She treats all her loyal customers with respect and appreciation. She
masterfully handles the stubborn Mrs. Singh and respectfully calls her auntie.

Furthermore, Ninema is affable and the clients like her. Mr. Chimran is always the first to
support her. The other women joke that he is in love with Ninema. He is a rich lawyer from the
high Brahmin caste. Nonetheless, he is infatuated with Ninema a poor girl from the low caste.
She makes his days. He buys too much from her until the mother complains. He cannot fathom
the idea of an arranged marriage which will deny him the chance of visiting Ninema's stall. Mrs.
Singh is rich but she also enjoys buying her herbs from Ninema. She haggles for lower prizes
simply to spend more time with Ninema, away from the boredom of her big lonely house. She
lingers bargaining in order to interact with Ninema more. Ninema also takes personal interest in
the lives of her customers. She knows whose son is studying medicine in India, whose daughter
just got married, and who moved into a new house and where they bought it.

Ninema is self assured and confident. She runs her business with an iron fist. She is her own
person – acts independently with confidence. She does not give in to what other people expect
of her. This thrills as much as it irks many people. It makes the ladies in the other stands fond of
her. They often compromised themselves at work and at home. This makes them angry with
themselves. They look up to Ninema. They admire her since she is different though she’s one of
them. They want to learn her secret. Mrs. Singh relentlessly bargains for lower prices but
Ninema does not budge.

Ninema is organized and that is why her business flourishes. She has a steady flow of
customers. She arranges her herbs appetizingly. The customers are attracted by the look and
smell of her stall. There is high demand for Ninema’s herbs. She is always busy at lunchtime
when the rich professionals patronize her during their lunch break.

Ninema is also tough. When an amorous man blocks her way and tries to harass her, she stares
directly at him. She defends herself by fighting him so ferociously that the shameless man is left
astounded. This attracts cheers and jeers and hearty laughs of approval from the other women
at the market.

Lastly, Ninema is prudent. She is a poor girl living a modest lifestyle but she has big plans. She
saves part of her money with a view of buying a big house of her own. Currently her house has
neither hot running water nor a kitchen inside. She has to wash her face and feet using cold
water in the outside tap. However, with the money she’s saving she plans to buy a house with
the running hot water and a kitchen inside. It will have a big garden where she can plant fruits.

In conclusion, Ninema is the pinnacle of magnificence. Because of her praiseworthy traits, she
seems remarkably superior to her peers. Indeed, exemplary attributes attract respect and make
us stand out.
A SILENT SONG ESSAY QUESTION

People commit unethical acts as a result of lack of care. Citing illustrations from Incident in
the Park by Meja Mwangi, write an essay to validate this statement.

Immorality stems from people’s indifference. Unethical acts like negligence and brutality result
from lack of care. Blood thirsty city dwellers brutally murder an innocent fruit seller without
batting an eyelid in Incident in the Park.

Government workers go about their business ignoring the ravaging effects of the drought on
the neglected park. The park is dirty and brown. There was no promise of rain that August. The
ground is dusty brown, bare and parched. The ministerial offices, City Hall and parliament
buildings and the ominous cathedral are a stone throw away from the pathetic looking park.
The ministerial offices are modern fortresses and its occupants conveniently ignore the park
which clearly lacks proper care. This is evidenced by the dry bits of grass, dry leaves and thirsty
trees. Only delicate flowers, planted like oasis islands at various spots, are watered in a
desperate effort to keep the dirty brown park beautiful. The sad-looking boathouse and dirty,
muddy water sum up the government's lack of care for the park.

Secondly, the park is filled with many idlers who have little care in the world. They waste many
hours lying idle in the park. They ignore the city and parliament clocks which strike suddenly,
together - reminding them of how much time they had wasted. They care less about being
useful. The clocks’ pleas go unheeded. Some insolent loafers simply shake their heads defiantly,
curse loudly, face the other way and go back to sleep. Only every now and then, does a
misplaced idler heed the clocks nagging disapproval and accusing fingers and walk away. The
park people have no intention to go anywhere else but while away. They are here to stay. They
have arrived. During the afternoons, the park looks parched and almost dead, dotted with a few
loungers. More idlers sit by the lake watching the rowers, day in day out. This unproductive lot
is a burden to the city and to society.

The neglected pond in the park is another sign of lack of care by relevant authorities. The fish
pond is dangerously overgrown with weeds. Colourless weeds choke the yellow, blue and
purple water lilies. An ugly mishmash of weeds has replaced the aesthetic blue-green surface of
the once beautiful pond. Initially, the pond flowers stuck out buds, thick colorful fingers and
proclaimed order but not anymore - the existence of these beautiful fauna has been snuffed
out by a riot of unclassifiable intruders and bastard flowers. To make matters worse, the park
soil has collapsed, forcing the pond’s murky, brown water and bewildered fish to the deeper,
further end. The sorry state of the pond points to acute lack of attention or care.

The hairy loafer who feeds the fish is defiant. He ignores the public notice on the board that
cautions people against feeding the fish. He carelessly tosses debris, tiny bits of grass and soil at
the hungry fish. The fish fight for the useless things but let go when they realize they are
worthless. The idler throws in more rubbish and carelessly sniggers - he has no iota of empathy
whatsoever. He also drops in a piece of soil at the fish. When he learns that fish feeds on
insects, he tries to find some and later decides to throw in a flattened cigarette end when he
cannot catch any insects. The big fish that catches the cigarette butt releases it since it is
useless. At last, the uncaring idler curses after violently hurling a large rock at the confounded
fish. His lack of empathy leads him to defy the order not to feed the fish and as a result he
harms the fishes.

The police constables are callous. They harass innocent people heartlessly, displaying no shred
of sympathy. The two city constables accost the old fruit seller and demand for his license and
identification. As fate would have it, he has neither. He cannot afford a licence. The old man
nods uncomprehendingly and shakes his head sadly when the police demand for a license. He
desperately tries to bribe the constables by offering five shillings; all he had made that day. The
policeman grabs him by his old coat and remarks that he would explain it to the judge. The old
man swears by his mother. He is devastated because he has another case with the cruel judge.
A tyrant who would hang him this time round. The fruit seller cries that the judge is crazy and
would castrate him but his pleas fall on deaf ears. He offers the constables a 10- shilling bribe
and even his foot baskets. The constables remain indifferent even when he cries that he has a
wife and children. They do not care. They match him right ahead. When he realizes that he is
talking to a brick wall, he decides to leap and run for it but not before cursing the cops, their
wives and their children.

The judge is portrayed as being unjust or outrightly cruel. When the police insist on taking him
to the judge, the old fruit seller cries desperately. He has no licence and identification. He
swears by his mother. He already has a case with the judge and he does not want to be taken
back. He believes the judge will hung him. He is selling the fruits in order to afford the fine that
was earlier imposed. He pleads with the police men as brothers. He even tells them that the
judge is a tyrant - a crazy man who will have him castrated. The allusion to his wife and children
does not bear any fruits. He tries to bribe the police with 10 shillings and appease them with his
fruit basket but the uncaring constables match him ahead. The fruit seller curses the policemen
and their families and decides to bolt. He takes this desperate measure to avoid facing the evil,
apathetic judge.

The bloodthirsty city dwellers have no regard for human life. Realizing that the city constable
were adamant about taking him to the judge, the fruit seller decides to run for it. He leaps,
breaking away, leaving the policeman holding onto a piece of his one coat. He runs across the
park. The policeman shouts for help. The old man hopes to get protection by disappearing into
the city dwellers. That was not to be. The barbarous city dwellers lunge at him trying to nab
him. The old man is savagely desperate to escape. When he stumbles and falls into a ditch, the
ferocious mob stones him to death. He cries out pleading for mercy. The bloodthirsty crowd
leaves him for dead, looking like a broken twisted rag doll, covered in stones and a thick red
blood. The crowd mistakenly label him as a thief.

Lastly, the injustice witnessed after the innocent fruit seller killed is the height of brutality and
lack of care. The constable strives to shift blame. No one looks guilty enough. The constables
conveniently withdraw. An inspector confirms that the man is dead. The crowd that stoned him
and those that witnessed his savage murder lower their eyes. Unwilling to openly testify, some
of the residents hurriedly return to their offices, indifferently. The word ‘thief’ oozes out
discreetly from mouth to mouth. They mistakenly condemn the man to be a desperate thief.
They judge him by the unmistakable uniform of his trade - dirty torn clothes and a mean hungry
face. Even the inspector of police is uneasy and doubtful about his next course of action. The
poor man finds no justice even in his death. All and sundry conclude that a thief is a thief. The
twisted garbage-strewn dark alleyways are lawlessly governed by one savage unwritten law
concerning the fate of apprehended thieves. Ironically, the man is killed before his identity is
established. Sadly, he can only be identified by his grieving wife and children in a cold room. An
innocent life is cut short due to the heartless nature of idle, uncaring city dwellers and the inept
police department.

In conclusion, any society that lacks benevolence disintegrates into an abyss of lawlessness and
immorality.

A SILENT SONG ESSAY QUESTION

Lack of sound judgment results in regret. Making reference to A Man of Awesome Power,
write an essay to justify this claim.

Lack of good sense results in misguided decisions which may torment us eternally. In A Man of
Awesome Power Tayyib al-Mahdi misuses and in turn loses his awesome power due to
moments of rash imprudence.

Tayyib al-Mahdi uses his awesome power to punish the taxi driver who ignores him when he
hails it. Tayyib al-Mahdi tries to flag down the taxi but the driver ignores him disdainfully. Unlike
when this happened in the past, now Tayyib al-Mahdi is filled with greater irritation. In this
moment of anger, he makes an impulsive decision to punish the man. He considers that he
could make the driver suffer an accident. He decides to shatter the taxi's rear wheels instead.
He knows that he should use his powers only for good but his anger results in his recklessness.
As he walks by the helpless man, Tayyib al-Mahdi stares at him, resentful and enraged. He feels
like he had taught the man a much needed lesson .

Tayyib al-Mahdi hastily punishes the radio announcer only because he is irritated with his
views. The announcer was expounding on promising developments expected in the future this
is after Tayyib al-Mahdi's memorable services were mistaken for an awakening of the state or
outright renaissance. Tayyib al-Mahdi fills a gaping pothole, locks a dangerously hanging
electrical box, removes a pile of rubbish and drains a sewer using his awesome power. Tayyib
al-Mahdi is irked by the announcer’s promises who talks about the future instead of talking
about what has been accomplished. Tayyib al-Mahdy is overcome with fury and thoughtlessly
punishes the man with a bout of incessant sneezing. He sneezes uncontrollably until he cannot
speak and instead plays a recorded song “Walk Around and See”. Al-Mahdi plans to censor
mass media by stopping any talk that annoys him. He would make speakers that displease him
to sneeze spontaneously, emit shrill cries like women at a wedding, or suffer uncontrollable
diarrhoea. Tayyib al-Mahdi is drunk with happiness and joy.

Tayyib al-Mahdi also misuses his awesome power when he uses it to chase the gorgeous
woman at the zoo at the expense of the righteous plans he has. Tayyib al-Mahdi visits the tea
garden at the zoo purposely to properly plan how to put his new powers to greater use.
However, he instead uses it to seduce a gorgeous and enticing woman that catches his eye.
Tayyib al-Mahdi is filled with an inexplicable desire - one that is not ordinary and his
inappropriate since he has a tremendous burden of proper planning and awareness of need.
This woman does not take notice of Tayyib al-Mahdi until he sends her a hidden message using
his awesome powers, instantly setting her head-over-heels. He decides to heal himself instead
of repairing the world. This ill-advised move results in the loss of his powers and his vibrant
mood. The miracle disappears like a dream because of his selfish imprudence. He will be
haunted eternally by an awesome sadness.

Tayyib al-Mahdi also makes the unwise decision of applying his power before properly planning
how to use it. First, he performs random miracles. Some are memorable services like removing
a pile of rubbish and draining an open sewer. Others are born out of sheer resentment and
unwise personal vendetta for example shattering the taxi wheels. He later realizes that he had
to consciously plan how to best utilize the powers. He obtains guides to the department of
government, factories and private companies coastal among the things he plans to fix our
prisons schools and universities commercial markets, then the press etc. He plans to map out
every phase deliberately. He intends to quell any clamor, and deter any digression. He plans to
fix his country then later the world. However, he fails to remain focused on the plan and is
distracted by the beautiful woman at the zoo. He puts his plans on hold as he instead chooses
to use the powers to pursue the woman. This imprudent resolve results in the loss of his power
end he is forlornly tormented by an eternal sadness.

Truly, poor decisions are preceded by lack of good judgment and Tayyib al-Mahdi learns this the
hard way.

A SILENT SONG ESSAY QUESTION

Write a composition showing how war ruins communities making reference to Boyi by Gloria
Mwaniga

When conflict thrives, it destroys family ties and communal bonds. Family members are
separated from one another, some are traumatized and others killed as a result of the crisis. In
Gloria Mwaniga's Boyi,the militia meant to protect community land from strangers turns out to
be the enemy within, wreaking untold havoc on the same community they had vowed to
protect.

First, as a result of the war some family members are disunited from the rest of the family. The
militia demands 40,000 land protection tax - 10,000 land protection tax and 30,000 betrayal tax
which Baba cannot raise. Baba had lent a panga and makonge ropes to the government
surveyors. Matwa Kei and his thugs deemed this betrayal. In his desperation, Baba hands over
everything he owns - his savings, precious radio and hunting gun. He promises to sell his bull
Mtambakaki to raise the cash the militia leader was demanding. His pleas fall on deaf ears. He is
forced to buy the safety of his family by handing over his 15 year old son to the militia. This
pushes his mother to the precipice of lunacy. Tearing off her kitenge headscarf she shouts at
her husband - a child is not a match or a dress that one can give away rather casually. Baba's
action caused a rift between him and Mama. He justifies his actions and says that the
aggressors would have tortured or even killed them had he not given Boyi away. He is,
however, saddened that the boys who had vowed to protect their land had turned on them like
a hungry chameleon that eats its intestines. Indeed, conflict ruins communities.

Conflict causes devastation that pushes some people to the brink of insanity. Boyi’s sister finds
her mother seated alone on a kitimoto in the kitchen. She neither looks up nor responds to
greetings. She screams at the girl to leave some tea for her brother who will return from the
caves hungry. The screaming goes on for weeks. “Stupid girl, you want to finish tea and your
brother will come from the caves hungry,” she bawls. She would sit stunned gazing at the wall,
declaring she envisions her son returning home after escaping from the snare of the militia.
After her monologues, she would sit sadly and silently. When her madness takes a walk, they
would brew tea together with a girl and she would nostalgically reminisce stories about Boyi;
about how he saved her marriage, his shiny ebony skin and eloquence in English. This is a clear
testament of a mother’s agony, anguish and disconnection from reality. War really causes
devastation to families.

The war drives Baba, a Christian, to partake in a strange cultural practice to escort Boyi’s spirit
away. Together with his cousin Kimutai, he digs a shallow grave and buries a banana stem
wrapped in a green cotton sheet. He asks death to take that body and never bother his family
again. Boyi’s sister is taken aback that her pious father had turned his back on religion. Her
mother refuses to play a part in the mock burial. Mama’s voice bears manic vibrancy when she
declares that she would not participate in escorting her son’s spirit away. She has lost touch
with reality and lives in denial. This is as a result of the pointless conflict.

In her anguish, Mama is too despondent to eat. She sits muttering to herself without touching
her food. The food would be thrown away to the chicken coop. She sits and talks to herself for
hours on end lamenting about her suffering. She asks God to tie a rope around her stomach - to
help her bear the anguish of losing her son to the ruthless militia. She asks Boyi’s sister if she
remembers his perfect teeth. War really causes suffering of family members.

Also, war disrupts work in the village. That December the farmers do not clear their shambas
for the second planting of maize. The militia steals young crops from the fields and goats from
the pens. Instead of working, men and women sit and exchange dreadful tales of the
horrendous cruelty of the militia. The militia cut up people and throw their bodies in rivers, pit
latrines and wells. They recruit boys as young as ten who are forced to kill their own relatives.
Instead of protecting the land, the militia goes on an indiscriminate killing spree, and their kin
are victims of the aggression instead of beneficiaries. Boyi’s sister has a terrible dream that her
brother attacks her and chops her into “small-small” pieces. The thought is traumatizing.

Moreover, the war causes displacement of people who leave their homes en masse. The family
of the narrator’s friend, Chemtai, moves away to Chwele. The villages of Kopsiro, Saromet,
Chepyuk and Chelebei are engulfed in a thick yellow fog of fear. They did not understand the
militia’s motive anymore. The thugs take away girls to cook for them. They decapitate people
and throw their heads in Cheptap-burbur river. They also rape their own relatives. The abused
women and girls end up giving birth to transparent “plastic bag” babies. The narrator imagines
the horror of seeing Boyi’s “plastic bag” baby playing childhood games. Since school is
disrupted by the war, such thoughts haunt the young girl as she spends her idle days under a
flame tree at home.

Because of the war, innocent children turn into savages. Apart from the boys who were forced
to murder or rape their own kinsmen, Boyi has also gone from a God-fearing young man to a
wanted criminal. Chesaina tells his parents that he is now a marked man. He says: “This war has
taken with it the mind of your son.” The distressing news crashes Boyi’s parents and reduces
both of them to tears. They cannot wrap their heads around the fact that their good son who
recited his psalms devotedly is now a Matwa Kei right hand man and an enemy of the state.
War really ruins families.

Lastly, Boyi’s family is devastated by the news of his killing. The Nation newspaper headline
screams coldly, “Ragtag Militia Leaders Killed by Army Forces.” Baba crumples like an old coat
due to shock. Mama is too stunned to cry. She simply laughs. Boyi’s sister is too gutted to weep.
War has robbed them of their kin in the prime of his youth. Boyi is murdered brutally after
being flung out of a helicopter which was mid-air. There was no body to bury or for Mama to
slap for that matter. She does not roll on the ground as is the custom. She is neither bitter nor
sad. She only has the eyes of lunacy and a voice of death. She is truly devastated. She sits on
Boyi’s bed together with her daughter who weeps uncontrollably, her tears soaking her clothes.
War indeed destroys families.

In summary, it is evident that conflict or crisis has no positive outcome. They instead destroy
families and communities.

A SILENT SONG ESSAY QUESTION

People living on the streets apply wisdom in order to survive the difficult conditions. Write an
essay to qualify this statement citing illustrations from Rem'y Ngamije’s The Neighbourhood
Watch.

Living conditions on the streets are difficult. To survive, one needs not only determination and
effort but also experience, knowledge and good judgment. Members of the Neighbourhood
Watch apply wisdom to survive the arduous conditions on the streets.

First, the crew is judicious enough to secure territory-a safe haven for sleeping or just to lay low
when they weren’t out on a foraging mission. The bridge’s underside is precious real estate to
the Neighbourhood Watch. It is an important shelter when it rains and during cold winter
nights. The letters NW sprayed on the columns have the same effect as musty pee at the edge
of a leopard’s territory. Other crews know better than to encroach it lest they face bloody
retaliation. It is also a safe place to hide their stash so that they don’t have to lug their scant
possessions everywhere they go. More luggage would slow them down as they rummage their
neighbourhoods for food and other essentials. Elias calls their territory headquarters. In the
morning, he wakes up the rest of the crew and they share a can of water for washing their
faces. To a street family a safe territory is indispensable.
Secondly, they are wise enough to rise early to go searching for food. Elias, Lazarus and
Omagano set out before the light of day is full born. They leave early so that they can score the
real prizes-that is the overflowing bins behind restaurants. In the early morning one can get
edible semi-fresh morsels. In the late morning, the food starts rotting. The neighborhood watch
knows: “the early bird does not catch the worms”. In order to get there in good time Elias,
Lazarus and Omagano lengthen they are strides. They know that time is of the essence on the
streets.

The crew knows that they have to maintain a good bond with other people in order to survive.
Elias has a good rapport with most of the kitchen staff in the city. They refer to him by the
monikers ‘Soldier’ or ‘Captain’. Sometimes, they leave out almost decaying produce for him and
his group. Because of the good relationship, Elias would sometimes be lucky to get potatoes
with broken skins, rotting mangoes, and wrinkled carrots. The staff would be generous enough
to give them smushed leftovers from the previous night for instance half eaten burgers, chips
drowning in sauce or salads. Most of the kitchen staff are poor and many a time they would
need to take the leftovers to their own families. It is amazing that Elias manages to get some
food from them.

The Neighbourhood Watch crew is so astute that they have organized themselves into
specialised units. Elias, Lazarus and Omagano are always on full duty whereas Silas and Martin
are tasked with searching for other essentials. Before, Elias was in on his own so when he met
Lazarus he suggested that they form an alliance because it was taxing to rummage for food and
other paraphernalia necessary for survival in the streets. At first, Lazarus was resistant. Cold
winter nights forced him to comply. It worked for them since two people could cover more
ground. One searches for food and the other for other essentials and thus they could do more
in a day. Now, they know that children and women are valuable recruits. Some obstinate
guards demand for a 10 or 20 dollar bribe to let them scavenge through fenced off bins. Elias
usually pays them but when he has no money Omagano goes behind the dumpster with a guard
and does what needs to be done. The valuables crew on the other hand provide discarded
blankets, mattresses, clothing, reusable shoes, trolleys etc. Trolleys are useful but they can also
be traded for better necessities. The two teams work separately and meet in the late afternoon.
They share the food that is bread, mashed potatoes, grapes and water. The valuables crew
brings newspapers, plastic piping and poorboy caps.

The Neighbourhood Watch also understands the city and its neighbourhoods. Elias asks the
crew to sleep since they plan to go foraging in Ausblick tonight. It is too hot to be on the streets
now. Night is better and more lucrative for the Neighbourhood Watch. The crew knows that if
they hit the bins early, they may score some good things in Ausblick for instance broken
toasters, blenders, water bottles, teflon pots or pans, flat screen TV cardboard boxes and even
some food. People in Ausblick still know how to throw away things. Elias, Lazarus and Silas will
scout ahead rummaging for valuables while Martin and Omagano push the trolley. They know
that soon Ausblick will be overcrowded like Olympia and Suiderhof. Pionierspark used to be
worthwhile but not anymore. Now, the Neighbourhood Watch are deterred by peeking heads,
barking dogs and patrolling vehicles with angry shouting men. They know that the earlier they
get to Ausblick the better.

The Neighborhood Watch understands that in order to survive on the streets one must focus on
the present, not the past or the future. Everyone brings a past to the streets. Lazarus’s tattoos
are evidence of his prison stint. Elias is not scared of him since he faced gunfire against the
South African Defence Forces. Because of hunger or need for food on the streets, they have no
time to think about the past. Elias shares some street smartness with Lazarus. He says the
streets has no future, there is only today. “Today you need food. Today you need shelter. Today
you need to take care of today”. On Fridays and Saturdays, the crew avoids the streets and
retreats safely to Headquarters. They do this to avoid clashing with patrolling police. Silas wants
to leave but is forbidden from taking Martin with him. Elias and Lazarus mock the fools who sit
on the roadside in Klein Windhoek and Eros waiting to paint a room, fix a window, install a sink
or lay some tiles because they are too proud to forage for food. They end up going home
hungry. Martin thinks that sometimes those “fools” can get a job and maybe things will be
better. Elias insists that “maybe is tomorrow” and there is only today. On the street one needs
to focus on the present to survive. “Every day is today.”

Elias and Lazarus share what they have learned on the streets with the rest of the crew
including how they decided to change tack. The crew learned that you cannot survive by being
around people trying to survive. When foraging in the poor neighbourhoods, you only get what
they don’t need to survive. The Neighbourhood Watch realise that poor people only throw
away garbage which is disgusting and babies which are useless. In the poor neighborhoods you
had to be ready to find shit: old food, used condoms, women’s things with blood, and broken
things. When looking for newspapers to light a fire once, Elias and Lazarus was shocked when
they found a dead baby. They knew it was time to upgrade. They only went there because they
needed to survive. To survive you go everywhere and do everything. You cannot be picky. But
now they know that they should upgrade and go to places where people have enough to throw
away. Neighbourhoods with white people and black people trying to be white people have such
people. They finally get smart and decide to move away from poor people who have nothing to
throw away by themselves.

Lastly the Neighbourhood Watch is wise enough to know that there are some neighbourhoods
you have to avoid. They avoid Khomsadal which is overcrowded and people drink too much
there. They lost their friend Amos there due to his pride end alcohol. He used to curse people,
use ugly swear words and always refused to apologize. He was then stabbed to death. The
Neighbourhood Watch knows that on the streets dead bodies are bad. Police would roughly
demand explanations from witnesses. They used baton bashes, frustrating paperwork and
throwing innocent people in holding cells. When Amos died, everyone including Elias and
Lazarus knew they had to run away. They were also wise enough to stick to the initial story that
they had nothing to do with the murder when the police caught up with them. They were
beaten, bruised, bleeding, with swollen eyes broken ribs and injured limbs but that was better
than losing life. They are smart enough to completely avoid Khomsadal.

In conclusion, difficult experiences make people wise enough to cope and survive. Acuity is
essential for survival.