An Example of an Ogre Story
Read the story below and then answer the questions that follows. (20mks)
There was once a man who had a wife who was barren after giving birth to an only boy. After consulting a witch doctor, he went in search of an ogre’s tail as he had been instructed. After a long and hazardous journey through unknown lands he came into a country of the ogres. That day the ogres were celebrating the installation of a new chief. He joined in their beer party and the ogres welcomed him through they had difficulty in restraining their cannibalistic nature.
When all ogres went to bed, the man with his knife in his hand stealthily crept to the bed chamber of the new chief. Overcome with too much beer, the chief was sleeping too heavily to notice that his tail was being slashed off. When he woke up the following morning, he found the other ogres dancing and singing:
Omwamikenyalile - The chief has urinated
Khaneomwamikenyalanga - So the chief urinates
He looked about him and saw blood, then he noticed that his tail was missing. The visitor was also missing!
The chief then changed himself into a beautiful woman. After a long journey she came upon herds of boys playing lifundo with a ball made out of banana leaves. The beautiful woman asked each boy in turn what great thing his father had done. One said, “My father killed an elephant.”
Another said that his father had killed a company of ten Teso warriors. The third said, “My father cut off the tail of an ogre.” The woman rejoiced and asked the boy to take her to his father’s home. The man, struck by her great beauty, made her his wife the same day.
That night the woman tried to change into an ogre but the man’s two dogs, Kutubi and Mulikho, barked at her fiercely and she gave up the attempt. The following day she told the man that she wanted some firewood from the forest. She told him to tie the dogs in heavy chains. She then ledhim deep into the forest, and then asked him to climb one of the trees that were dry. “I will hand the axe to you when you are up,” she said.
But as soon as the man was up the tree, she turned into an ogre, “Now I have got you,” the ogre said and started cutting down the tree. The man started calling for his dogs:
“Asa, asa, mbwa change KutubinaMulikho.” (“Come, come, my dogs Kutubi and Mulikho.”)
Each time the tree showed signs of falling, a dove on a nearby tree said,
“KurrMurongorokwaseyililisia.” (“Kurr, my tree. Regain your former state.”) The ogre in a fury chased away the dove, which returned almost immediately.
In the meantime, the dogs after the struggle had cut their chains and came at breakneck speed as their master kept calling. When they arrived, the ogre threw away the axe, turned into the same beautiful woman and begged for mercy. But the dogs did not stop their onslaught until she was completely dead.
QUESTIONS
a) State two characteristics of ogre stories evident in the above narrative. (2marks)
The story involves ogres/monsters as characters
- The ogres have extraordinary bodily features e.g. have a tail
- The ogres can change into human beings
- Once in the human form they can trick the targeted people with their intention of
eating them
b) Identify any three social activities mentioned in the passage. (3marks)
Celebrations – “the ogres were celebrating the installation of a new chief
- Playing – the herds boys were playing when the ‘woman’ approached them
War – ‘my father had killed ten Teso warriors’
- Marriage – ‘the man, struck by her great beauty made her his wife the same day’
c) From the story, do you think the wife was cured of her illness? Explain your answer. (2marks)
Yes she did, because the man does not complain again about his wife’s barrenness
d) Identify and illustrate two character traits of the man? (4marks)
Persevering – persevered through the long and hazardous journey
- Courageous – he was courageous enough to attend the ogres party and later on cut
one of the ogre’s tail
- Loving – he risked his life for the sake of his wife’s good health
- Decisive – made the woman his second wife the same day
- Hasty/rash – made the woman his second wife the same day
e) With an illustration, identify one way in which the narrator has achieved the use of suspense in the above narrative. (2marks)
created suspense through manipulation of the plot because some parts of the plot have been omitted e.g. the man’s journey back after cutting tail, how the woman got healed e.t.c.
f) State features of oral narrative evident in the above narrative (3marks)
Opening formula – ‘There was once ……’
- Use of idiophones – Kurr
- Use of songs – the ogres sang ‘the chief has urinated’
- Personification – the bird was able to speak
g) State any two functions of the song used in the narrative. (2marks)
Helps in development of the plot
- Breaks monotony of narration/makes the story interesting
- Separates episodes
- Relieves tension
h) What moral lesson do you learn from the above narrative? (2marks)
Through determination, one can succeed in his or her endeavors – through the man’s determination, the wife was able to get healed (Mark any other relevant moral lesson well illustrated