Your understanding of the authors views in " Weep not child" Ngugi Wa Thiong'o was born on the 5th of January in 1938, in Kenya, at the time when Kenya was under British rule

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Your understanding of the authors views in “ Weep not child”

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o was born on the 5th of January in 1938, in Kenya, at the time when Kenya was under British rule. He was educated at Makerere University in Kampala and the university of Leeds. He has written three novels: “Weep not child” (1962), “The River Between”(1964) and “A grain of wheat”(1967). He has also written one play called “The Black Hermit”

As a novelist Ngugi made his debut with “Weep not child”, which was the first novel in English to be published by an East African author.

     The novel “Weep not child” represents the conflict of cultures and the role of Christianity, English education and the increasingly cruel treatment of the Africans, whose land had been taken by the colonists.

“Weep not child” is a story about a young boy called Njoroge as he grows up amidst the Mau Mau war and the conflict between the African natives and the British colonial rules. The book essence is about, the hopes and dreams of a young boy being affected by the society and the country he is living in.

     The author includes different themes like: education, the roles in the family and conflicts. Education parallels the life of the Kenyan people, in Kenya; those who receive education are looked upon as saviours of the land. The ironic aspect of the education is that it is being handed down from British rule. Njoroge wanted nothing more than to receive an education and provide for the welfare of his family. The roles in the family are very strict. Men, had the leading position, everybody feared and honoured them. Women should stay home and raise children. Children were very respectful towards their parents, children feared they father and they believed in their parents, if the parents said something the children knew it is true.

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     However it changed, Ngothos sons in order to go to war they join Mau Mau and one of the sons called Boro has a totally different view than his father, which leads them to a conflict. Boro thinks that they have to fight for their land not just, and wait that maybe the prophecy will be fulfilled, and get their land back. Conflict is one of the main themes the author includes. In the novel, conflicts have come in a variety of forms like political, cultural and class struggles. The novel addresses the political conflict that was occurring ...

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