Thinking Activity : Petals of blood

Hello Readers,

This blog is a part of my classroom thinking activity and this activity given by Yesha Mam.In this blog i would like to talk about one African novel Petals of blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o. In this we will try to ponder anyone point which is given by our teacher.I would talk about novel's chapter-1 summary. 

First of all throw some light on Author's Introduction ;

Ngugi wa Thiong'o :

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o ;born James Ngugi; 5 January 1938 is a Kenyan writer and academic who writes primarily in Gikuyu and who formerly wrote in English. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri. His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright, is translated into 100 languages from around the world.Ngũgĩ has frequently been regarded as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.He won the 2001 International Nonino Prize in Italy, and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize. Among his children are the authors Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ and Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ.

Text Introduction :

Petals of Blood is a novel written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and first published in 1977. Set in Kenya just after independence, the story follows four characters – Munira, Abdulla, Wanja, and Karega – whose lives are intertwined due to the Mau Mau rebellion. In order to escape city life, each retreats to the small, pastoral village of Ilmorog. As the novel progresses, the characters deal with the repercussions of the Mau Mau rebellion as well as with a new, rapidly westernizing Kenya.

The novel largely deals with the scepticism of change after Kenya's independence from colonial rule, questioning to what extent free Kenya merely emulates, and subsequently perpetuates, the oppression found during its time as a colony. Other themes include the challenges of capitalism, politics, and the effects of westernization. Education, schools, and the Mau Mau rebellion are also used to unite the characters, who share a common history with one another.( wikipedia )

Chapter -1

The novel begins with a murder investigation, and two police officers visit the homes of all suspects. They arrived in Munira first. Munira was invited to accompany them to the police station. Munira readily agreed with them, and he carried one holy book with him, discussing the end of the world and Christ's second coming. The officer shifted the subject and inquired about his residence in this city. Munira responded to him twelve years later. Abdulla is the subject of the second scene. The police arrived at Abdulla's home and told him to accompany them because they wanted to question him about the murder that occurred the day before.The third scene took place in a hospital.Wanja had been admitted to the hospital. She is lying down on the bed. The doctor informs the officer that she is unable to communicate and is still in a state of delirium as a result of the incident.The fourth scene takes place at Karega's house. He had only barely awoken when he was taken into custody by a police officer. They want to question him about the murder at Ilmorog. As word spread, workers marched to the police station, demanding Karega's release. Because they had all planned a strike before this night, and they believed that it was because of this choice that the police had arrested him. However, the police officer informed them that they were being investigated for murder.The fifth point of interest is that the Daily Mouthpiece newspaper published the headline,

"MZIGO, CHUI, AND KIMERIA WERE KILLED"

As a result, the news was disseminated widely. These five sequences are included in the first chapter. We learned about the personalities and their interrogation in this way.

Thank You