The Samaritan Excerpt 4 Questions and Answers
The Samaritan Excerpt 4 (Page 46 - Page 47)
Read the following extract from the play "The Samaritan" by John Lara and then answer the questions after. (25 marks)
Mossi:(Turning to Bembe) Oh, yes. And remember to get your undercover officers to shoot in the
air now and then. You know. they must know that I leave thunder and smoke in my wake!
Bembe: Consider that done. But the land? Are you sure about it?
Mossi: Consider it done, too. (After some interval of silence) So those are two problems solved, your hotel and tomorrow's vote of no confidence meeting But we still need to figure out how to deal with The Samaritan
Mossi: I liked the idea of talking to that teacher at Sagada Secondary School.
Harvester: Yes, it would be good if we secured an understanding that she will edit or filter some of the information coming out about us.
Mossi: That would solve the whole problem! Very well I will go there first thing tomorrow morning and talk to her.
Harvester: You never know, she might oblige.
Mossi: But I seriously doubt she will She struck me as a very difficult person, an enemy of the progress of our Municipality.
Bembe: Let's just try. If she doesn't yield, I will visit her. I have a way of making people switch allegiances.
Mossi: I doubt it is advisable for you to go there. You might make things worse. You know sometimes when I think about your approach to problems, I am reminded of what they call the law of the instrument.
Bembe: What is it about?
Mossi: That if all you have is the hammer, you tend to think of every problem as a nail.
Bembe: In times such as these, every instrument must be put to good use. In fact, I have been thinking that we should accuse her of some crime, like stealing school furniture or let's say, a computer, or even a generator and then pin it on her! Then we can tell the judge to put her in!
Harvester: I don't think that will work certainly the judge will not oblige.
Mossi: I think so too. (There is silence. Mossi scratches his head thoughtfully) I think our next step will be to talk to the Judge. If he can imprison Ramdaye and his team we will have killed two birds with one stone: we will have aborted. The no confidence vote and we will have responded to the people's demand for the imprisonment of corrupt leaders! I will talk to him.
Questions and Answers on The Samaritan by John Lara Excerpt 4
(a) Place this excerpt in its immediate context. (4 marks)
Before:
• Mayor Messi suggests mobilising his Red Eagle network of young supporters to make the
Municipal Headquarters a no go zone for Hon Ramdaye and his team
• Inspector Bembe promises to get the Ghettoboyz and some undercover police to support the
Mayor's Youth Network
• Mayor Messi asks Mr. Harvester to give the Black Man, the leader of 'the Red Eagle gang
enough money to fund the exercise of blocking Hon Ramdaye's team from holding a meeting at the Municipal Headquarters.
After:
• Mayor Messi promises to talk to Justice Jaden after talking to Nicole, on the possibility of
imprisoning Hen. Ramdaye and his team
• Mr Harvester proposes they give Hon Basdeo a dose of his own medicine by looking for some
damaging information about him and have it uploaded on The Samaritan.
(b) What two character traits of Inspector Bembe and one of Mavor Mossi come out in the excerpt? (6 marks)
Inspector Bembe
Inspector Bembe is:
• Doubtful/suspicious/disbelieving: He doubts if the Mayor will get the university an alternative land so as to save his hotel and home.
• Dishonest/deceitful/deceptive: He tells Mayor Messi they could accuse Nicole of some crime, like stealing a school property.
• Evil/villainous/fiendish: He plans to get someone to steal the school generator and then pin it on Nicole.
• Impelling/blackjacking/compelling/coercing: The Mayor observes that he uses the law of the instrument and, thus, he could make matters worse if allowed to deal with Nicole.
Mayor Mossi:
Mayor Mossi is:
• Threatening/intimidating/blackmailing: He reminds Inspector Bembe to get his undercover police officers to shoot in their often, emphasizing that Hon Ramdaye and his team must know that he leaves thunder and smoke in his wake.
• Doubtful'pessimistic/sceptical: He seriously doubts if Nicole could oblige to editing or filtering some of the information coming out of The Samaritan about the Council leaders.
• Humourous/amusing funny: He elicits humour when he tells Inspector Bembe that he uses the law of the instrument, explaining that if all you have is a hammer, you tend to think of every problem as a nail.
• Scheming/plotting/sly: He schemes to persuade Justice Jaden to imprison Ramdaye and his team in order to abort the no confidence vote and fulfill the people's demand for the imprisonment of corrupt leaders
(b) (i) Certainly the judge will not oblige. (Rewrite by adding a question tag) (1 mark)
• Certainly the judge will not oblige, will he?
(ii)Yes, in fact, we will get someone to steal the school generator and then pin it on her. (Rewrite in the reported speech) (1 mark)
• Bembe agreed that they would, in fact, get someone to steal the school generator and then pin it on her.
(ii) But we still need to figure out how to deal with The Samaritan. (Rewrite replacing phrasal verb in bold with one word) (1 mark)
But we still need to figure out how to handle The Samaritan.
(iv) If she doesn't yield, I will visit her. (Rewrite replacing "if" with "unless") (l mark)
• Unless she yields, I will visit her/I will visit her unless she yields.
(c) Identify two features of style used in the excerpt. (4 marks)
• Use of irony: Messi refers to Nicole as an enemy of the progress of their Municipality because of the disclosures made in The Samaritan Ironically, Nicole is a fiend of the progress of the Municipality since the corruption disclosures made in The Samaritan will eventually help cleanse the Municipal Council of corruption and general rot.
• Use of humour: Mayor Mossi elicits humour when he tells Inspector Bembe that he uses the law of the instrument in his approach to problems, explaining that if all you have is the hammer, you tend to think of every problem as a nail.
• Intimidation/Blackmail: Mayor Mossi tells Inspector Bembe to get his undercover police officers to shoot in the air often, insisting that Ramdaye and his team must know that leaves thunder and smoke in his wake
(e) Discuss two themes raised in the excerpt. (4 marks).
• Dishonesty/Deception/Deceit
Inspector Bembe is dishonest in that he plans to get someone to steal the school generator and then pin it on Nicole.
Corruption: Mayor Mossi hints at the existence of corruption in their Municipality when he says that imprisoning Ramdaye and the members of his team will help in fulfilling the people's demand for the imprisonment of corrupt lenders.
(l) Explain the meanings of the following words used in the excerpt. (4 marks)
Filter - refine/clean/screen
Allegiance - devotion/loyalty/fidelity
Oblige - yield/bind/give in/conform
Aborted -cancelled/dropped/abandoned/called off