2023_literature_in_enlish_alevel_nov_paper2

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ZIMBABWE SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

General Certificate of Education Advanced Level

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH 6039/2
PAPER 2 ZIMBABWEAN LITERATURE

NOVEMBER 2023 SESSION 3 hours

Additional materials:
Answer paper

TIME: 3 hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the spaces provided on the answer
paper/answer booklet.

Answer three questions on three texts.

The three questions must be from Sections A, B and C (Poetry, Drama and Prose).
Write your answers on the separate answer paper provided.

If you use more than one sheet of paper, fasten the sheets together.
INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

All questions in this paper carry 25 marks each.

You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.

This question paper consists of 14 printed pages and 2 blank pages.
Copyright: Zimbabwe School Examinations Council, N2023.

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1 Either (a)

Or

(b)

MN

2
SECTION A: POETRY

Answer one question from this section.

BVUMA S. THOMAS: EVERY STONE THAT TURNS

To what extent do you agree with the view that, the Independence period is

plagued by betrayal and frustration?

Analyse the poem, ‘How Can I Weep,’ commenting on the persona’s

thoughts and feelings.

How can I weep

at your death

I the boy you

roughed to make tough

I want to ride your motor-cycle

the mark of your toughness and status
rev and smoke it

tear around the anthill

ride over your grave

round the anthill

jump over your tomb

until drained I drop over your remains

Then
maybe
I will cry

You made me a star at seven

Every village knew me as

I rode a man’s bike, cycling at the side
like a crazed crab

buying and carrying food for pigs

Through valleys and villages I rode
around mountains and across plains
through graveyards and anthills

flashing with ghosts and fireflies

my tiny body clinging to the bicycle

my wirery hair scared straight behind me

How can I the tough boy

weep at news of your death

You made me work for my life
feeding the pigs in the morning
weeding fields or harvesting crops
after school

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On Sunday after church

I could not play with other children

I had to cut grass in the wild 35
for pigs to sleep in comfort

At seven years

I had to cook for myself

wash and iron my khaki uniform

at ten I castrated baby pigs with a razor 40

lalways sighed with relief whenever
you sent me to fetch a stick to beat me
for when you were really mad and angry
you pounded me with fist and foot

How can I weep 45
at news of your death

I did all the weeping when I was a boy
crying became my relief and comfort
my tear springs dried up long ago

I never forget Simba, the little puppy 50
I nurtured into a giant dog

my only friend and companion

at my side always in fields or on bike

his warm tongue caressing and licking

away my tears 5p)
You sold Simba miles away but he came back

and you sold my friend away again

How can I weep
at the news of your death

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Pe Either (a)

ANT WE

(b)

MHASVI ROLAND: THE FLOWERS OF YESTERDAY

‘Mhasvi bemoans the moral decadence associated with modernity’.
Comment on the truthfulness of the above statement using any two poems

from the collection.

Critically analyse the poem, ‘The Flowers of Yesterday,’ demonstrating
how Mhasvi successfully uses tone and style to explore the major issues.

The Flowers of Yesterday

Move over, Green Man, the war-made Heroes

Are returned from the shrapnel-chastened bush
Where children were planted in bomb-churned earth-
Ploughed down in mass graves of furrowed acres,
Where crosses matted the black earth like straws.
Watered in the blood spills of the bush war,

Children sprouted through the battle-worn soils,

And everywhere clamoured in flaming shoots.

When the children were war-forged into men,
Flowering upon the rocky outcrops

Of the war-torn lands, they crept down the hills,
Besieged the valley in blistering red

Blotting with blood the homely greens and browns
That basked in the yellow calm of the sun!

They flamed through the cold nights of their waking,
And shook the sleeping world to smoking dawns.

As the world woke up to the red war-men
Whose bullet voices cracked above the land,
And rang the changes of the new Order,

The Old World of high mountains and low vales,
Of old plains that nestled towns and cities,
Rolled away and was dissolved into Myth,

And uncovered levelled lands that stretched far
To the deadly Flats of re-built Futures.

Forged in the foreign climes of wrong ideals,
Little green man cringed in the darkest nooks

Of the new Garden, like a thing forbid.

The Flowers of Yesterday had become

The Weeds of Tomorrow, and the war-men
Lingered in the fields, whetting their blood shot
To blast in the burst of a new assault,

The star-born weeds that palled night-found fields.

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You Flowers of Yesterday bloomed faintly

In the dead-level glare of the West sun:

On shrinking hills you shrivelled in silence, 35
Whilst all round you the plains seethed and howled,

Warring *gainst your hills in the spreading gloom.

As the plains darkened into the Future,

The Old Sun kissed your sinking hills farewell,

And, soon, you were but twinkles in the gloom. 40

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: 6 SECTION B: DRAMA

Answer one question from this section,
RAISEDON BAYA; TOMORROW'S PEOPLE AND OTHER PLAYS

3 Either (a) | Comment on Baya’s presentation of the character, The Super Patriot, in the
play ‘Super Patriots and Morons.’

Or (b) Write aclose analysis of the following passage, showing in what ways it aids
to an understanding of the major issues in the play, ‘The Moments.’

A street corner. A mpostori woman in white appears. She moves about, looking
strangely about before she takes out a ward of notes and starts counting them. She
stops and calls,

WOMAN 2: Siyanishintsha imali. US dollars, Rands, Pulas at good rates. Better than the
bank rate. (Then she goes back to counting her money. Then stops again.) 5
Amarands, amapula lama USA at good rates. Yebo bhudi, usiphatheleni?
Change that money today because tomorrow it will be useless.

She sees a cop coming and hides her money. She stands still, as if waiting for someone. The
police officer appears, stops and looks about.

OFFICER: What are you standing here for? 10
WOMAN 2: Waiting for some relatives from the rural areas.

OFFICER; This is not a bus terminal. And I am not stupid. I know why you are here.
WOMAN 2: [haven’t done anything illegal. Iam waiting for my relatives,

OFFICER: Can I see what is in your bag.

The woman bolts and runs away. The officer watches her run away and then putsona 15
neon reflector and transforms himself into a traffic officer. He suddenly jumps into action.
He stands erect in the middle of the road. He has a file on his one hand and is using the
other to direct traffic. He waves a few cars through and directs a couple to pull over.

He runs to the imaginary cars he has Stopped and starts inspecting them. He runs to the
front of the car and peeps through the window, and then runs back to confront the 20
imaginary driver.

OFFICER: Where to, sir? Driver’s licence? (He gets them and inspects and returns it
before returning it.) Car papers, please? (He gets them and inspects and
returns them.) Thank you drive safely.

He waves the car on and rushes to the next car. He does almost the same. 25

OFFICER: Number plate? O.K. Road tax? (He runs to the driver.) Licence and car
papers, please. Thank you. (He gets them and inspects and returns them.)
Thank you and safe journey.

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He waves the car on. Vicky appears.

VICKY: Excuse me officer. 30

OFFICER: — Stay in your car. I will be with you in a moment.

VICKY: What’s the problem?

OFFICER: There is no problem. Just stay in your car. Where is your car?

VICKY: The metallic Benz over there. I’m in a hurry, officer.

OFFICER: Everyone is in a hurry. Go back to your car and stay inside. Make sure 35
everything is in order. Your licence, car papers, road tax and other things,
all must be in order. If those are not in order then you'll be here for a longer
time.

She takes a fat envelope from her handbag and hands it to the officer.

OFFICER: What’s this? 40

VICKY: My car papers, drivers licence, everything. These are critical moments,
officer just look inside.

The officer looks inside the envelope, looks at the woman and smiles.

OFFICER: I can see you are really in hurry, madam. Go back to your car and drive on.
VICKY: Thank you, officer. May the grace of God be on you. 45
The officer laughs, happy. Vicky exits. He pockets the envelope.

OFFICER: She is surely in a hurry.

He starts waving most of the cars on. He stops one car and runs off for the obvious routine.
Exits.

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4 Either (a)

Or

ANNI

MUJAJATI GEORGE: THE RAIN OF MY BLOOD

the play, The Rain of My Blood.

Explore the dramatist’s presentation of the theme of disillusionment in

(b) Write a critical appreciation of the following extract, focusing on the

thoughts and feelings of the audience as the passage unfolds.

Soldier I: Woman, I am giving you a very good piece
of advice. I have dealt with very educated
politicians. Gonakudzingwa, Connemara,
Hwa-Hwa (pointing) I have been there, and I
have never been known to fail in my
endeavours. I have cracked some of the

toughest nationalists in my career. Where is

your son hiding?
Munjai: (Stony-faced) Today you must kill me!
Soldier I: (angrily) Bring the bucket of water.
(Munjai is viciously grabbed by the neck. Her head is forcibly
shoved into the bucket of water a number of times, During
the process Soldier I shouts angrily, repeatedly
Where is your son? Tell me! A
(On being released Munjai gasps for breath, wipes off the
water from her face and says):
I will tell you nothing.
Soldier I: (Commanding)
Bring the pliers. (grabs Munjai's hand and
pinches one of the fingers with the pliers, he
pulls the pliers forward).
(Munjai screams in agony) _
Soldier I; Where is your son hiding?
(Munjai does not answer)
(Soldier I releases the pliers and shouts)
Bring the electric equipment.
(The terminal of an electric cord is tied onto Munjai’s toe)
Soldier I: Switch on the current! —
(Munjai screams)
Switch off the current.
(to Munjai)
Where is your son?
Munjai: I will tell you nothing!
(Then soldier I shouts): Switch on the current. (This is
repeated a number of times).
(A song off the stage).
Song: Ruzhinji rweAfrica
(The song dies down, electric cord is remo: 2d from her toe).
Munjai: Enjoy yourself while you can!_ You shameless
cowards. My screams and anguish shall fatten
your depraved souls! But today I have decided.
I shall suffer no more.

Today you must kill me!
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10

SECTION C: PROSE
Answer one question from this section.
CHIDAVAENZI P. KUNDENI: THE TIES THAT BIND

5 Either (a) _—- Discuss the validity of the quotation, ‘The setting sun is after all not so bad
for it is not the end,’ in light of what happens in the novel.

Or (b) Using the following passage as a starting point, write an analysis of it,
showing the significance of the family unit in the novel, The Ties that Bind.

“This is my cousin, Vimbiso,” Jackie introduced her. “We call
her Mother Theresa around here.”
“Sisi Jacqueline!” Vimbiso protested with laughter before Jackie
introduced Chiedza.
The six children, aged between 6 and 12, helped carry the 5
groceries into the house from the boot of Jackie’s car. “You see
all these children? We don’t know their fathers. I had to use my
connections at the Registrar General’s Office to sidestep all the
bureaucracy and get them birth certificates,” Jackie said. “I had
no choice too but to make them use the surname Masosa for the 10
sake of legitimacy.”
Chiedza slowly shook her head. Jackie closed the car boot. A
middle-aged man in greasy blue overalls that had seen better
days hurried along the street from Gazaland Shopping Centre
with a carton of 2-kilogramme packs of brown sugar lovingly [55
thrown over his shoulder like a hard-won trophy.
They went with Shelter in her room, which was perfectly clean,
with plenty of fresh air and light filtering in. Chiedza almost
gasped, but held herself still. This was not what she had expected.
From what Jackie had told her about growing up with Shelter and 20
others, the small, bony woman with wasps of wavy hair peeping
out of her headscarf, could not have been the sister whose childhood
escapades Jackie had often told her about.
“Muri kunzwa sei, sisi?” Jackie asked, holding Shelter’s skeletal
hand. 25
“Zviri nani nhasi,” she responded ina faint whisper. There
were dark rings around her sunken, colourless eyes.
Chiedza felt ill-at-ease in Shelter’s presence. She was only able
to relax after they had left the room to tour the house, looking at
the rooms and cottage in which some of Jackie’s nieces slept. 30
Afterwards, they sat and talked in the dining room. Vimbiso served
them tea with scones. Everyone loved her rich, milky tea.
Vimbiso went to feed Shelter some porridge. “She’s an angel,”
Chiedza remarked thoughtfully. “The way she looks after Shelter
and the children is so touching. I think God chooses his angels 35
very carefully.”

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NDHLALA GEOFFREY: JIKINYA

Either (a) _ Discuss the role and significance of the character, Jikinya, in the novel

Jikinya.

Or (b) Critically analyse the following passage, commenting on the character,

Chedu, here and elsewhere in the novel.

He raised his spear from the ground, but it hung in mid-air.

His ears craned to catch the sound.

His heart increased its beat.

Veins swelled his neck.

His muscles stood out rigid and tense all over his body and
creases furrowed his forehead as he narrowed his eyes to scan the
surroundings. For a moment, which was as long as oblivion, he
stood still. Then again — the sound. A faint cough that seemed
to come from everywhere all at once, ethereal in the silence.

The man stood where he was, rooted to the ground and
praying to his god to save him, for he was sure that the hand
which had caused the ruins he had seen had returned to deal the
same punishment to whoever was present. Time passed and the
man still stood still, waiting for the hand to strike, for he was sure
he would never run far enough. Then a faint wail sounded,
stopped, began again and stopped again.

The man was undecided whether to run or not for he could not
tell whether the sound was human. However, the pity in his soul
decided for him. He advanced cautiously towards where the sound
seemed to come from, around the ruins of the house. As he crept
forward, the sound began again. He bent down on his knees as he
approached the comer of the house and peered round.

What he saw puzzled him immensely. He could tell that the
sound resembled that of a baby crying, but he was not sure what
the white thing which was thrusting its limbs was. Moreover, the
thing was floating in the wind when a gust arose, and he had
never seen anything like it before. The baby’s cry was too much
for him. He could not go until he was certain that the thing did
not cover a child.

Warily, he went towards the thing that was dazzling white in the
sun. As he approached it, the baby stopped crying and his face
beamed with delight and relief on seeing it. Its head protruded
from the white shaw] and little streams of water raced down its
cheeks, coursed round its ears and wetted the ground below. Little
silky hairs shone in the sunlight and vacant blue eyes gazed into
the hazy blue sky. Its little knuckles twitched underneath the
shawl and the little plump feet kicked vigorously.

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A light wind began to blow and the little hairs and the edges of
the shawl waved slightly in the wind. Little harmless specks of
dust were lifted and whirled around, settling on the child’s head 40
and shawl. The little orchard trees and the gum trees edging the
forest waved lightly in the wind. Fluffy white clouds shut out the
fierceness of the sun and embraced the earth in a mellow glow.
The man stood his spear in the ground and picked up the baby.
His head cocked to one side, he looked at the child with a mixture 45
of joy and sorrow. His heart warmed toward the child. The child
fixed its eyes on the man’s face and seemed to search and implore
it for pity. The man saw the eyes which boldly looked up at him
and seemed to unfold all their trust to him. The baby smiled.
Bare little gums were exposed to the sunshine and rejoiced in the 50
eyes of the man. The man smiled back and caressed its little
head. Tenderly, quietly, he began to talk to it.
‘How are you, little one? Are you alright, little one? Don’t cry
any more, little one. Don’t cry. You are safe now, little one, safe.
Ti-ti-ti-ti! Huh! Ti-ti-ti-ti...! 55

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GS ——————<strong>———</strong>—_—___L>n Ee

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Question 1(b)

Question 2(b)

Question 3(b)

Question 4(b)

Question 5(b)

Question 6(b)

AH

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COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Bvuma S. Thomas:

Mhasvi Roland E.:

Raisedon Baya:

Mujajati George:

Chidavaenzi P_Kundeni:

Ndhiala Geoffrey:

Every Stone That Turns

The Flowers of Yesterday

Tomorrow’s People And Other Plays

The Rain of My Blood

The Ties That Bind

Jikinya

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