The Hyena who Ate a Whole Elephant
Read the narrative below and then answer the questions that follow:
For very many years, there was no rain. All the land became dry, and trees withered and died. Both domestic and wild animals died due to lack of water and grass to eat.
Hyena had gone for many days without food. He was hungry and weak. One morning, he rose early to look for food. He scavenged through the entire forest and the sun moved towards the hills in the West, and it dawned on Hyena that it would soon be nightfall. That night, Hyena could not sleep a wink. His stomach rumbled throughout the night. He fell into a light troubled sleep after midnight, but this was not sufficient.
He woke up at dawn and began to scavenge for food once again. He walked slowly and circumspectly, lest he missed a carcass in the woods. Feeling helpless, he walked slowly and circumspectly, lest he missed a carcass in the woods. Feeling helpless, he walked to the great valley overlooking a bushy hill where he glanced up and saw the sun which was then above his head. Walking on through the bush, he came upon a huge tree with spreading branches. Under the tree lay a dead elephant which must have died of hunger.
Hyena could not believe his eyes. He opened and closed them, to make sure that what he saw was true. ―It is Elephant! He‘s dead! he said. He was so pleased with himself that he gave a faint excited scream. He leapt and made to jump over the mammoth carcass of the Elephant.
Poor Hyena fell on the Elephant‘s stomach and nearly broke his back. He rolled to the other side of the carcass and lay there. Finally, he managed to get up, and ate ravenously.
He ate quickly because he feared other Hyenas would come to share the carcass with him.He did not want to share his good fortune. He ate and ate for nearly two hours without even pausing to look up to see if anyone might be coming.
He stopped and looked up to see the sun. It was moving across the sky and making for the West. He walked farther away from his great feed and jumped up onto low hanging branch to see how much he had eaten. He made a quick jump to the ground again, and went back to the carcass to resume his feed. He ate and ate until he disappeared into the Elephant‘s stomach through the channel he had cut. He walked a little away from the Elephant, looking for a branch. He found one, rushed and made a high jump towards the branch. This time he jumped carefully but still missed narrowly, hurting himself.
He went back and continued with his feed, this time slowly and forcing himself, but being fully satisfied, he could not eat anymore.
He looked for yet another branch with which to satisfy himself that he was fully fed. He walked backwards, stomach protruding outwards from both sides. He sped painfully for the final jump,with much difficulty. He gathered momentum, and threw his trunk up determinedly with all his might.
Whilst flying through mid-air heard a deafening explosion.
Gugugukuruuuuuuit! He cried out, saying, ―God, come to my rescue.
He somersaulted in the air and dropped down dead with all intestines jutting out.
Questions and answers
a. Why would this story be called a fable? (2mks)
It‟s an animal story. It has a moral lesson
b. Identify and illustrate two traits of Hyena in this narrative. (4mks)
Greedy – he ate ravenously
Mean/selfish- he did not want to share the carcass with other hyenas
c. State one economic activity practised by the community from which this narrative is taken. (2mks)
Pastoralism/animal rearing- domestic animals died
d. Identify and illustrate any three features of oral narratives used. (6mks)
Repetition- He ate and ate
Personification- Hyena talking in the story
Ideophone- gugugukuruuuuuit!
e. What moral lesson do you learn from this narrative? (2mks)
We should learn the art of satisfaction
Hyena died because of discontent
f. He stopped and looked up to see the sun. (Rewrite as a question beginning’ Did …….
(1mk)
Did he stop and look up to see the sun?
f. Explain the meaning of the following expressions as used in the oral narrative:
(3mks)
a. Scavenge
searched for/looked for
b. Not sleep a wink
never slept at all
c. Ravenously
hungrily