Famine was once great in the land. Now in those days a certain man and his wife were living in their village, they two. For them their life there at home was difficult, because they did not get on with each other on account of the famine. While the one said: ‘You are finishing the food for me’, the other said: ‘It is you, you always eat a lot.’
This man was a great hunter of guinea-fowl. In his wife’s cooking-hut there were placed hanging-poles which were hung full of bodies of guinea-fowls. In those days they were living on guinea-fowl meat. But though the meat was plentiful, they continually kept on not getting on with each other.
It happened that, one day, the man took down one guinea-fowl from the platform, and gave it to his wife so that she might cook it, and it would be their supper.
Well, the guinea-fowl was put on to the hearth, and the man went out, and went to hunt.
When the man had gone away, and the hearth had started roaring, the woman, taking the lid off that pot which was on the hearth, found the meat already done, and she spoke, and said: ‘Seeing that the day is still so much in the midday, let me take this guinea-fowl out of the water, and let mwwe put in another. My husband, since I know that he has gone to hunt, will not come back soon: he will find this other one already done, and will not know that it is not the same.’
Right then that woman took that guinea-fowl out of the water, and put in another one there into the pot.
Now there in the cooking-hut there was a large clay grain-bin into which, when the land was peaceful, they regularly poured eleusine3. It was then that the woman said ‘Let me hide carefully behind it, so that even if the man comes back while I am still busy eating he may not quickly see me.’ So things were, and she hid herself behind the grain-bin.
Right then the man arrived, looking about in the courtyard and in the cooking-hut, saw that the woman was not to be seen, spoke in his heart, and said: ‘My wife has gone to the river: let me take that guinea-fowl out of the water, eat it, and put another one into the pot, since a good deal of the day is still there; and also since my wife, when going to the river or to gather wood, does not return soon. She will find this other one already done, and will not know that it is not the same.’ He also said further: ‘On the other hand, perhaps she may have been gone a long time, she may already be coming back; and if she finds me eating, she will scold me. Let me hide behind the grain-bin, so that she shall not find me.’
Now when he says: ‘I am going to squat down behind the grain-bin to hide’, he finds his wife squatting right there behind the grain-bin, and eating another guinea-fowl.
Right then those people, both of them, the man and the woman, began a new life. They no longer troubled each other, they diligently searched for food during that famine, and the land was again at peace.
Post-reading
1.Explain why the man and woman have problems in their relationship.(2)
2.Give a brief outline of the plot.(10)
3.Compare the actions of the woman with those of her husband.(4)
4.What does the woman’s attitude towards her husband reveal about her character?(2)
5.Do you empathise with one particular character? What would you have done if you had been in the same situation?(3)
The man in the moon
a myth from West Africa retold by Dianne Stewart
A note about the story
A myth is an untrue, fictional story that has to do with creation, explaining how something came into being. It portrays characters who are not mere human beings; they are more-than-human and embody an idea and a feeling one associates with that idea. In this story a disagreement between the man in the moon and the stars about his wife’s so-called equal brilliance to his, has disastrous consequences for the people on earth. To punish Atai, his wife, and the stars for their pride, the man in the moon stops shining and enlists the help of the elements, creating chaos on sea and land. The stars eventually come to their senses and the three participants in the conflict, the man in the moon, the stars and the elements, settle the matter by changing the role each one plays in future. The result is a waxing and waning moon, allowing the stars to shine more brightly at times and less brightly when the moon’s brilliance increases.
The elements in turn will vary weather conditions so that people and the earth can survive. The story, then, provides a fanciful explanation of how these things came about. It also suggests a message about pride and vengefulness.
Pre-reading
•What are the weather patterns like where you live?
•Why is a leaking roof a serious problem for many people?
During reading
•Jot down words and/or phrases that mention or describe human traits revealed by the different characters.
•Try to identify how the plot develops: the introduction, several stages of what happens next, and then how the story ends, and why.
The man in the moon
The man in the moon and his wife, Atai, ruled the sky when the sun disappeared and night replaced day.
Atai was the most visible of the stars that were scattered across the night sky. When the other stars took their positions around her, they marvelled at her brightness and commented that she was as brilliant as the moon. They also thought that she was more useful, because ships and travellers on land could set their course by her position and that of the other stars.
They thought that the moon was less useful as he only gave light to the earth below and travelled through the sky. When the man in the moon heard their views he was jealous as he had been in the sky long before ships were built and travellers roamed the lands. Then he became angry and decided that he would not shine at all or even allow the stars to brighten in the night sky. But he couldn’t do this on his own, so he enlisted4 the help of rain, thunder and lightning.
‘The stars have become too proud!’ he told them. ‘They think that they rule the night sky and they deserve to be taught a lesson! Please, will you help me to do this?’
After much persuasion, the moon won the cooperation5 of the elements6. Thunder roared in the heavens, streaks of lightning lit up the sky and the rain pelted down onto the land. Darkness covered the land and the rivers flooded, causing havoc7 on the earth. Trees, birds and animals were swept away and people sought refuge8 in caves and on mountain tops, experiencing great hardship and they wondered what had happened to the weather.
Many days went by. Because of the climate change, the people on earth were without food and they were cold because of the darkened skies and absence of the sun to warm them and make their crops grow. The man in the moon was not upset by what he saw happening down on the ground. He was pleased because his wife, Atai, and the stars could not shine and he gloated9 over them.
Meanwhile Atai became angry as she watched the flooding continue. Although she couldn’t shine, she was pleased with the fact that her husband couldn’t give light either. But they were both frustrated because they could not do what they were created to do. Meanwhile, the elements were overjoyed because never before had they exerted such influence.
But on the earth, man suffered as a result. Although
