EXCERPT:11 Fathers of Nations Questions
Read the excerpt below and answer the questions that follow. (25 marks)
As she was removing her head veil the next morning, readying for
laboratory work that it would have impeded, he went and slapped her. What made
this assault seem "reasonable' was that it happened during Heritage Week,
a period that the leader of Libya had set aside to give his people time to
celebrate their renowned history.
Apparently, then, Engineer Tahir slapped Ms Mahmoud to administer
discipline on a female subordinate for shedding her head veil in public, in
violation of Libyan culture. In truth, he did it to take revenge against
someone who, he thought, had rejected his advances. Discipline, revenge, or
whatever it in fact was, she did not take it lying down. She struck back. Had
she stopped to think of the chain of events her reaction might set off, she
would have restrained herself.
Yet, in the heat of anger, when no one thinks logically, who has
not reacted by reflex and hit back on being hit first"? Who has not so
reacted even if, in the light of likely future consequences, turning the other
cheek would have been a better response? Ms Mahmoud hit back by reflex. A
letter opener, obeying her hand, sliced through a semicircle of air and found a
soft target. Its tip, sharp on the day of purchase but sharper and sharper each
day from use, caught Engineer Tahir's right in his left eye and slit it open. That
was 'the accident.'
A month later, he came out of hospital. His left eye, cut open by
a mundane office instrument, was gone. Turned bitter and vengeful now, Engineer
Tahir took Ms Mahmoud to court the day he came out of the hospital. Why, the court
enquired of him, had he slapped her in the first place? To stop her from
imitating Americans by shedding the head veil in violation of Libya's culture,
he said. Then why, wondered the court, had she hit back? To defy not him but
Libya, he replied.
She pleaded innocent, citing, as her defence, temporary insanity
caused by extreme provocation. The court returned a Hammurabic verdict-an eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
Questions on Fathers of Nations Excerpt 11
a)
What
happened immediately before this excerpt? (2 marks)
b)
Discuss
one theme evident in this excerpt. Give two illustrations from the excerpt. (3
marks)
c)
"Had
she stopped to think about the chain of events her reaction might set
off.." explain the events that came as a result of her action. (4 marks)
d)
Identify
and illustrate two styles used in the excerpt. (4 marks)
e)
Using
information from this excerpt, discuss the character traits of Seif Tahir. (4
marks)
f)
What
reason did Seif give the court for slapping Ms Mahmoud? (2 marks)
g)
Ms
Mahmoud pleaded innocent. Is she innocent? Support your answer. (2 marks)
h)
What
happens immediately after this excerpt? (2 marks)
i)
Explain
the meaning of the following statement. (2 marks)
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.