Write about two stories from Opening Worlds in which older or traditional ways of life are affected by change.

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Alicia Brockington        English Coursework        04/05/07

Write about two stories from Opening Worlds in which older or traditional ways of life are affected by change.

In Dead Man’s Path the mission authorities appointed a ‘young and energetic man’ to take over the school.  This was to make the school progress more.  Mr Obi and his wife say how they shall make the school ‘modern and delightful.’  He shows disrespect for people who have been teaching for many years, the same type of people that gave him a ‘sound education,’ which ‘set him apart from other headmasters.’  Instead of respecting and showing gratitude towards them he just said, ‘these old and superannuated people in the teaching field who would be better employed in the Onitsha market.’

Mr Obi thinks that he can run a school properly and he implies it has not been run properly before, ‘ what a grand opportunity we’ve got at last to show these people how a school should be run.’  Mr Obi’s wife worked the school gardens and turned them into her own ‘dream-gardens.’  I think this shows some selfishness within Mrs Obi, as she does not appear to be interested in the pupil’s education, but only in fulfilling some of her dreams.  I think that the gardens were probably not perfect before, as the education standards of the school were more important.

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When Mr Obi saw a woman walking down the path to the place of burial he asked a teacher who had been at the school for three years about it.  Even though this teacher told the headmaster that the path was ‘very important’ to the villagers Mr Obi wanted to do things his way, without consideration for others or the consequences on the school.  Mr Obi was threatening towards the villagers when he put sticks across two places where the path entered and left the school, and the ‘strengthened with barbed wire.’

The village priest went to ...

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