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FLIGHT
Sindiwe Magona—South Africa
PREPARING TO READ
Story Preview:
The narrator of this story is remembering a time when she was a young girl in
her home village. Idioms & Expressions:
She is outside playing with other children when a commotion distracts them here and there: in different
from their dolls. An old man is yelling 'catch her.' The narrator can see a womanplaces
hide and seek: a children's game
attempting to elude a group of male pursuers over a mountain covered in clouds. in which a group of children hide
The woman is the new wife of the narrator's uncle. The narrator just watches her in secret places and then one
aunt scurry over the mountain and hopes that she will not be captured. child has to go to look for them
no idle players: important par-
Words to Know: ticipants
Fill in the blanks with the underlined vocabulary from the Story Preview. third party: a third person or
1. The antelope _______________ the hunters and disappeared into the forest. organization less directly involved
2. Park officials found a warthog that was _______________ by a poacher's trap. in a matter than the main people
3. He looked up to see what all the _______________ was about. or organizations that are involved
4. She sped up on her bicycle to escape her _______________. not to be outdone: not wanting
5. The mouse _______________ quickly across the floor. someone else to do better

Making Predictions:
From the Preview, try to predict what will happen next in the story. Which
of the following predictions do you think is most probable?
 The woman will escape over the mountain and the narrator
will feel sad that her aunt has gone.
 The woman will escape over the mountain and the narrator
will feel excited for her.
 The woman will be captured by the men and brought back
quietly to the community.
 The woman will be captured by the men and punished in
front of the whole community.

WHILE READING
Literary term: Imagery
Imagery consists of descriptive words and phrases that re-create
sensory experiences for the reader. The majority of images are
visual, but imagery may also appeal to the other senses.
Focus: Usually images are a only a small part of a story, but
“Flight” consists almost entirely of the narrator's images as she remembers Key Vocabulary:
the events from her childhood. As you read, try to see the scene that is de- (nestling pr. part.) nestle (v): to
scribed. Are there instances of imagery appealing to senses other than sight? be in a protected/sheltered posi-
Comprehension Questions: tion, with bigger things around it
As you read the story, try to answer the following questions. scrub dotted (adj): (an area of
land with) short trees and bushes
1. When the story begins, what is the narrator doing?
(clashed p.) clash (v): when two
2. What is the old man shouting? Why? events happen at the same time
3. How does the narrator feel as she watches the scene described? in a way that is not convenient
4. What helps the woman escape her pursuers? mid-air (n): a point in the air,
5. How is the narrator related to the woman escaping over the mountains? not on the ground
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6. Has the woman been living in the narrator's community for a long time? (ricocheted p.) ricochet (v): If a
7. Is the narrator a child or an adult when the story takes place? something ricochets, it hits a sur-
face and moves away at an angle
8. Where is the woman's husband?
(invading pr. part.) invade (v): to
enter an area of activity in a
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY forceful and noticeable way
Guessing Meaning from Context: (jamming p.) jam (v): to push
The words in the word bank below are all from the story. Find them in the story and see if you can something forcefully or with diffi-
understand their meaning. Then fill in the spaces in the sentenced below with the correct word. culty into something else
magnet (n): an object that is
WORD BANK able both to attract iron and steel
earnest jumbled bony distress capture glimpse flitting rearranged objects and also push them away
(clasped p.) clasp (v): to hold
1. After I ran all the way to the stage, I could __glimpse the bus as it turned the someone or something firmly in
your hands or arms
corner and sped away. toga (n): a piece of clothing worn
2. Did the man eventually ___________ his runaway goat? by people in ancient Rome, con-
3. Because their child was malnourished, he looked very ___________. sisting of a long piece of cloth
4. As he sat for the exam, the boy felt ____________ since he had not studied. wrapped around the body and
5. When I came home, I could not find anything because it had all been hanging loosely from the shoul-
___________ by my sister. ders
(accelerated p.) accelerate (v):
6. The club wants someone who is ___________ to step up and be a leader. When a vehicle or its driver ac-
7. Birds were ___________ across the sky. celerates, the speed of the vehicle
8. My thoughts were ___________ and I could not think clearly. increases
Suggested Answers for Comprehension Questions: (shrunk p.) shrink (v): to be-
come smaller, or to make some-
1. The narrator is playing with dolls.
thing smaller
2. The old man is shouting 'catch her' because a woman is trying to run away (witnessed p.) witness (v): to
from the community. see something happen, especially
3. The narrator is nervous for the woman and hopeful that she escapes. an accident or crime
4. There is a lot of mist on the mountain. spray (n): a mass of very small
5. The woman is married to the narrator's uncle. drops of liquid carried in the air
insides (n): a person's or animal's
6. No. The woman was a new wife.
internal organs, especially their
7. The narrator is a child when the story takes place, but she is telling the story stomach or bowels
as an adult. (churned p.) churn (v): to mix
8. The woman's husband is working in mines far away from the community. something, especially a liquid,
Analysing the Story: Imagery with great force
(enveloped (adj)) envelope (n):
Look back at the explanation of imagery. “Flight” includes many instances of imagery despite
a flat, usually square or rectangu-
its short length. In fact, there are instances of visual (seeing), tactile (feeling), and auditory
lar, paper container for a letter
(hearing) imagery. Find at least 2 of each and fill in the chart below.
boulders (n): very large rocks
Seeing Feeling Hearing (plodded p.) plod (v): to walk
taking slow steps, as if your feet
Anyway, half the mountain My insides churned. A hot Cries of 'Khawulele! are heavy
disappeared. ball of fear curled inside my 'Wen'umntu!' shattered the waft (v): to (cause to) move gen-
stomach. stillness tly through the air
(gliding pr. part.) glide (v): to
move easily without stopping and
without effort or noise
(slicing p.) slice (v): to cut some-
thing into thin, flat pieces
(harried p.) harry (v): to repeat-
edly demand something from
someone, often causing them to
Thinking Critically: feel worried or angry
(tarried p.) tarry (v): to stay
 The old man cries 'Mbambeni' which we are told means 'catch her.' He also somewhere for longer than ex-
yells ‘Khawelele' and 'Wen'umntu.' What do you think these mean? Why? pected and delay leaving