THE RAIN CAME by Grace Ogot
BACKGROUND OF AUTHOR The rain came written by Grace Ogot
who born at Kenya
in 1930. She was well known as the writer in African with varied career background. She had worked as nurse, midwife, tutor, journalist, BBC Overseas Service Broadcaster She get married with Professor Bethwell Alan Ogot in 1959 and became mother of five children. She was the first woman to have fiction published by the East African Publishing House Writing style is excellent with vivid imagery & about the formalities of traditional African interpersonal exchanges
MAIN CHARACTER-OGANDA
Round & static character
The only daughter of Labong’o out of 20 children with the fifth wives, Minya (para 5, line 7)
Fair skin, thin, tall and beautiful (para 5, line 6)
Brave Eg: She willing to cross over sacred land on her way to the lake alone (para 29, line 6)
A naiive girl -Eg: She thought that the village outside discussing about her own marriage while waiting at grandmother’s hut and though about who she would love more by compare Kech, Dimo and Osinda (para 11, line 5)
Caring daughter
Oganda trying to comforts her mother when she wants to leave the village to the lake to be sacrified. Eg: “Whenever you want to see me, always look at the sunset” (para 23, line 6).
Fussy girl Oganda dislike Kech although he was very handsome because he was short to be her husband. Oganda also dislike Dimo although he was tall young man that has brave warrior because she will always quarreling and fighting with Dimo after married. Oganda only like Osinda that had given her glittering chain long time ago and this could stay permanently with her (para 12, line 1).
MAIN CHARACTER-LABONG’O
Round and static character
The chief of Luo people
Father of Oganda
Married with five wives and had twenty children (para 5, line 7)
Selfish He did not want his own daughter to be sacrificed for rain monster Eg: “There are so many homes and so many parents who have daughters. Why choose this one? She is all I have.”
Superstitious He believed the words form Ndithi, medicine man which dreamed about the words passed from ancestor to sacrifice his daughter to have rain (Para 7, line 7)
Responsible Chief He remembered the promised on the day when enthroned as a chief although her own daughter need to be sacrificed Eg: “I will lay down life, if necessary, and life the life of my household, to save tribe from the hands of enemy” (para 4, line 16) He was a good chief that have the responsibility to announced the new for villagers about who going to sacrifice for lake monster (para 9, line 6).
Loving father He love his daughter very much and felt sad when knew that his lovely daughter, Oganda need to be sacrificed. Eg: Is is Oganda, Oganda, my only daughter, who must die so young.” Labong’o burst into tears before finishing the sentence (Para 4, line 5).
MINOR CHARACTERS
Osinda Round & static character Adored Oganda Eg: When Oganda was quite young, Osinda gave her a gliterring chain (para 12, line 11) Brave He went to sacred place in order to save Oganda from being sacrificed (para 39, line 1) Ndithi Round and static character Superstitious medicine man He was believed to has the ability communicate with God and ancestor He was the person told Labong’o that Oganda need to be offer for lake monster to make rain come (para 7, line 7)
Minya Round and static character Mother of Oganda Loving mother -She fainted down when she heard Oganda need to be sacrificed for lake monster (para 10, line 2) Selfish She did not want to lose the only daughter for scarification for lake monster but there were still many other woman in the land Eg: There were so many other woman in the land, why choose her daughter, her only child!
SETTING Setting is the time, place, atmosphere and social conditions of the events in the story.
PLACE AND TIME The story is set in a village that is near a lake in Africa among a people called "Luo" and they were suffering from drought.
ATMOSPHERE Atmosphere
is the mood or tone of the story. The atmosphere in the village at first was tense and confused. - Every villager was worried about the drought. When they knew that Oganda had to be sacrificed to save the village and solve the problem of drought, all the people in the village was so happy except her own family and Osinda. - However, the story is ended with happy ending where at the end Osinda had saved Oganda from the sacred land and finally the rain came down and solved the problem of drought.
SOCIAL CONDITIONS Presence
of polygamy The society was superstitious. - believed to the ancestors, - the words of the medicine man who dreamed the ancestor of the Luo, Podho that Oganda must be sacrificed to solve the problem of drought and - supernatural such as Lake Monster who control the weather.
PLOT Plot
is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows the/a casual arrangement of events and actions within a story. The writer had created a woven plot structure with the addition of special effects plots like foreshadowing and flashbacks for this story.
FREYTAG‟S PYRAMID
Climax
Exposition
Resolution
WOVEN PLOT STRUCTURE
Freytag‟s pyramid
Components: - Exposition – The start of the story. - Rising Action – The series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax. - Climax – The turning point. The most intense moment (either mentally or in action). - Falling Action – All of the action which follows the climax. - Resolution – The conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads.
WOVEN PLOT STRUCTURE Exposition Luo village experienced a prolonged drought. Labong‟o
went to consult Ndithi, the medicine man to get solution for the crisis they faced.
Labong‟o
found out that his only daughter, Oganda had to be sacrified in order to get rain.
WOVEN PLOT STRUCTURE Rising action The villagers were happy with the immolation of Oganda. They thought that it was a great honour for her to be selected. Her
mother and father, Labong‟o were too upset.
Oganda
was sad because there were nobody made an attempt to save her. Yet, she needed to obey the words of the ancestor.
WOVEN PLOT STRUCTURE Climax Oganda was terrified as she felt something was following her on her way to the lake which she had to reach at sunset. She
was too afraid that she thought that some kind of monster was going to catch up her. She decided to drown herself into the lake before sunset but something grabbed her back.
WOVEN PLOT STRUCTURE Falling action Osinda saved Oganda. He managed to persuade Oganda to run away with him. He
covered Oganda and himself with two leafy attires claimed to be able to avoid from the eyes of the ancestors and the rage of the monster.
WOVEN PLOT STRUCTURE Resolution Oganda
The
and Osinda managed to escape.
rain came down.
FORESHADOWING Foreshadowing provides the clues about what is going to happen in the story. Example 1: “Labong’o held out his hands for his daughter but he did not say a word. Puzzled by her father’s cold attitude Oganda ran back to the village to warn the others that the chief was back.”(Paragraph 1, Line 4-7) Example 2: Instead of calling the family together and giving them news immediately, Labong’o went to his own hut, assign that he was not to be disturbed. Having replaced the shutter, he sat in the dimly lit hut to contemplate. (Paragraph 3, Line 14)
FLASHBACKS
Flashbacks take the reader backwards in time from the current action, to reveal to the reader something important from the character‟s past that helps to explain the present situation or the character‟s present action. Example 1: When Labong‟o was consecrated chief he was only a young man. Unlike his father, he ruled for many years with only one wife. But people rebuked him because his only wife did not bear him a daughter. He married a second, a third, and a fourth wife. But they all gave birth to male children. When Labong‟o married a fifth wife she bore him a daughter. They called her Oganda, meaning “beans,” because her skin was very fair. Out of Labong‟o‟s twenty children, Oganda was the only girl. Though she was the chief‟s favorite, her mother‟s co-wives swallowed their jealous feeling and showered her with love. (Paragraph 5, Line 1-9)
Example 2: The words of Ndithi, the medicine man, still echoed in his ears. “Podho, the ancestor of the Luo, appeared to me in a dream last night, and he asked me to speak to the chief and the people,” Ndithi had said to the gathering of tribesmen. “A young woman who has not known a man must die so that the country may have rain. While Podho was still talking to me, I saw a young woman standing at the lakeside, her hands raised, above her head. Her skin was as fair as the skin of a young deer in the wilderness. Her tall slender figure stood as a lonely reed at the river bank. Her sleepy eyes wore a sad look like that of a bereaved mother. She wore a gold ring on her left ear, and a glittering brass chain around her waist. As I still marveled at the beauty of this young woman, Podho told me, „Out of all the women in this land, we have chosen this one. Let her offer herself a sacrifice to the lake monster! And on that day, the rain will come down in torrents. Let everyone stay at home on that day, lest he be carried away by the floods.‟” (Paragraph 7, Line 1-15)
THEME
Theme is the meaning or concept we are left with after reading a piece of fiction.
Themes for the story “The Rain Came”
1)
2)
“Selfishness”. The Luo people only care about their own survival even though Oganda, the only daughter of their chief had to be sacrificed. “Loyalty and Obedience”. Although Oganda is Labong‟o only daughter, he needed to keep his promise to protect the Luo people no matter what happen. This proves that Labong‟o is loyal and obedient to the god or ancestors.
THEME 3)
4)
“Some beliefs are unfounded and superstitious”. They believed to the ancestor‟s words and the medicine man who dreamed their ancestor. The Luo people belived that weather is controlled by the Lake Monster and immolation of Oganda would solve the drought problem. However, in the end, the rain still came even though Oganda was not sacrificed. “Power of Romance”. Osinda and Oganda were loving each other. It was Osinda love for Oganda that rescued Oganda from being sacrificed.
CONFLICTS
(i) Human versus self
Protagonist struggles with his own short comings and internal problems
Labong‟o as the chief of Luo village facing dilemma whether needs to sacrifice his own daughter, Oganda for lake monster to have rain.
For example: “He loved his people, the Luo, but what were the Luo for him without Oganda? Her life had brought a new life in Labong‟o‟s world and what were the Luo for him without Oganda?” (Para 4, line 9)
(ii) Human versus human
Protagonist is in conflicts with other character
conflict occurs between Oganda and Luo people. Oganda was disappointed with villagers that celebrated farewell for her when she needs to be sacrificed without showings sympathy to her.
Example: “All these years she had been with her people she thought she understood them. But now she discovered that she was stranger among them. If they loved her as they had always professed why were they not making any attempt to save her?” (Para 19, line 4)
(iii) Human versus nature
Protagonist battles with the forces of nature
Luo people were struggling about the rain problem in the village and they have found the way to solve this problem by sacrifice Oganda for lake monster to have rain.
Example: “If they have not solved this rain business today, the chief will crack.” (Para 2, line 3)
(iv) Displacement
Protagonist enters a situation that she is uncomfortable with
Oganda was scared when she was walked in the sacred land because she could feel that something was followed her.
Example: As she moved on, she had a strange feeling that something was followed her. Was it the monster? Her hair stood erect, and a cold paralyzing feeling ran along her spine. She looked behind, sideways and in front, but there was nothing, except a cloud of dust. (Para 33, line 6)
(v) Desire
protagonist unable fulfilled someone wants and needs
Oganda unable to fulfilled the need of ancestor, Podho to sacrifice herself for lake monster to have rain because she was saved by Osinda and ran away with him from sacred land.
Example: He held Oganda‟s hand and they ran away from the sacred land, avoiding the path that Oganda had followed (Para 44, line 5).
POINT OF VIEW
was used when the writer presented the story through different perspectives
In this story, the writer used third person point of view to describe whole story.
third person omniscient point of view to tell the reader every important things that happening and also what the character thinking or feeling.
The reader able to know Labong‟o was so sad when her only daughter needs to be sacrificed for lake monster.
Example, It is Oganda, Oganda, my only daughter, who must die so young.” Labong‟o burst into tears before finishing the sentence.
Writer allowed reader to feel, worry, listen and see the situation when Oganda passed through sacred land. Example, As she moved on, she had a strange feeling that something was followed her. Was it the monster? Her hair stood erect, and a cold paralyzing feeling ran along her spine. She looked behind, sideways and in front, but there was nothing, except a cloud of dust (Para 33, line 6).
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Simile:
“Her skin was as fair as the skin of young deer in the wildness.” (Paragraph 7, Line 7), “Her tall slender figure stood like a lonely reed at the riverbank.” (Paragraph 7, Line 8), and “Her sleepy eyes wore a sad look like that of a bereaved mother.” (Paragraph 7, Line 9) “panicky like a mouse cornered by a hungry cat.”(Paragraph 14, Line 10) “Leapt like a wild tiger” (Paragraph 15, Line 1) “they have been like three cooking stones” (Paragraph 16, Line 3) “She felt like a flower nipped in the bud never to enjoy the dew again” (Paragraph 23, Line 4) “she looked like a burning candle in the wilderness” (Paragraph 26, Line 1-2)
Irony:
“Tell me, is it my marriage you were discussing? You can take it from me that I won‟t marry any of them!” “A smile played on her lips again” (Paragraph 13, Line 2)
Metaphor: “two useless stones” (Paragraph 16, Line 5) “She was a stranger among them.”(Paragraph 19, Line 15) “Sending their love to their sweethearts” (Paragraph 30, Line 12) “Rain was the precious medicine”(Paragraph 31, Line 4) Personification: “swallowed the jealous” (Paragraph 5, Line 8) “Her sleepy eyes wore a sad look like that of a bereaved mother” (Paragraph 7, Line 9) “thirsty birds that sang lazily” (Paragraph 8, Line 1) “The blinding midday heat”(Paragraph 8, Line 2) “words refused to leave his lips”(Paragraph 9, Line 3) “A faint smile played on Oganda‟s lips”(Paragraph 11, Line 7) “thunder roared”(Paragraph 49, Line 3)
Imagery (a)Visual Imagery “Our cattle lie dying in the field” (Paragraph 2, Line 6)“the thirsty birds that sang lazily on the dying trees” (Paragraph 8, Line 1) “Her skin was as fair as the skin of young deer in the wildness. Her tall slender figure stood like a lonely reed at the riverbank. Her sleepy eyes wore a sad look like that of a bereaved mother. She wore a gold ring on her left ear, and a gliterring brass chain around her waist.”(Paragraph 7) “Labong‟o‟s eyes were red, and they could see he had been weeping”(Paragraph 9, Line 4) “thin dry trees in the forest”(Paragraph 25, Line 1) “The bush was thick , and the long grass entangled their feet” “In the cloudless sky the moon shone brightly, and the numerous stars glittered with a bewitching beauty.”(Paragraph 19, Line 1)
(a)Visual Imagery “in the morning the sun was high in the sky”(Paragraph 29, Line 1) “The sun was going down fast”(Paragraph 35) “The sun was still up”(Paragraph 33, Line 4) “The sun was almost touching the surface of the water” (Paragraph 44, Line 3) “the sinking sun”(Paragraph 44, Line 5) “There was a bright lightning”, “Above them black furious clouds started to gather”, “the rain came down in torrents”(Paragraph 49) (b)Auditory Imagery “roaring laughter”(Paragraph 12, Line 2) “strange noises”(Paragraph 32, Line 2) “thunder roared”(Paragraph 49, Line 5)
(c)Gustatory Imagery “many different tasty dishes”(Paragraph 20, Line 2)
(d)Tactile Imagery “At midnight Oganda was tired and weary”(Paragraph 28, Line 1) “Her hair stood erect, and a cold paralyzing feeling ran along her spine.” “Her voice was now hoarse and painful”(Paragraph 30, Line 2) “sweaty hands”(Paragraph 30, Line 7) Symbolism crown and large eagle head (Paragraph 8, Line 4) medicine man (Paragraph 7,Line1) “the hand of enemy”(Paragraph 4, Line 23) “A young woman who has not known a man” (paragraph 7, Line 4)
Foreshadowing “Puzzled by her father‟s cold attitude”(Paragraph 1, Line 5) “Instead of calling his family together and giving them the news immediately”(Paragraph 3, Line 1) Flashback ”I will lay down life, if necessary, and the life of my household , to save the tribe”(Paragraph 4 ) “Unlike his father, he ruled for many years with only one wife “(Paragraph 5) “When Labong‟o married a fifth wife she bore him a daughter. They called her Oganda…she was the chief‟s favorite” (Paragraph 5) “Her skin was as fair as the skin of young deer in the wildness. Her tall slender figure stood like a lonely reed at the riverbank. Her sleepy eyes wore a sad look like that of a bereaved mother. She wore a gold ring on her left ear, and a glittering brass chain around her waist.”(Paragraph 7)
CONCLUSION Do
not be too superstitious
Life
is precious
Think
positively
Human
nature of selfishness
