Memories we Lost and Other Stories Study Guide Notes (15)

MEMORIES WE LOST by Lidudumalingani Mqombofhi

This is the first short story in the book, "Memories We Lost and Other Stories." It is a bibliography written by Lidudumalingani that tells the harrowing story of mental illness and its effects.

It is narrated from the perspective of a younger sister who tells the tale of her older sister, whose mental illness overtime robs the older sister of her ability to speak and remember, hence the title, "Memories we Lost." It is a truly poignant tale of loss and regret.

A story set in South Africa. However, despite its discussion of a topic that most often has a sad ending this story is different in that it has a somewhat hopeful ending. 

Mental illness affects not only the person suffering from it, but also those around them. As can be seen from the story, different people deal differently when they encounter a person with mental illness, even close family.

One constant in the book is that major characters have no names because they symbolize or represent others like them who love and live with mentally ill relatives. 

For more insights on the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the book, download the Easy Elimu Study App and get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organized, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams.

Get the guide here.

HOW MUCH LAND DOES MAN NEED? by Leo Tolstoy

This short story was written by the leading Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy, and as can be seen from the title, it is a story asking a question. The question of land and how much land one man needs is answered by the end of the story.

This is a fun short moral story that warns against the corruption caused by greed and materialism, which eventually destroys the main character by the end of the story. The setting of this story is in the Russian countryside, and it tells the story of Pahom, though there are various other characters in the story.

The Easy Elimu Study Guide for the story, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" gives you a summary of the story of Pahom, a well-off person who is significantly wealthy and has land, though he is not content. He is offered a bargain, which he takes, but due to greed, he doesn't end up meeting the bargain and is instead destroyed by it.

For more insights on the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the book "How Much Land Does a Man Need?", download the Easy Elimu Study App and get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organised, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams.

Get the guide here.

  LIGHT By Lesley Nneka Arimah

The general and most common definition of light is that of a source that illuminates and makes it possible for humans and other animals to see. Without light, we would be left in the dark, stumbling around and hurting ourselves and others. The story , "Light" by Nneka Arimah, touches on various key issues revolving mostly around education and parenting.

Education enlightens us to unlimited possibilities beyond our environment and ourselves. Education is a light that enables individuals to build better futures and pursue their goals, whether that goal is something as minor as writing a love letter (it does happen in the story) or something especially huge, like getting a good job, which then translates to good pay and increased living standards.

As for parenting, parents are supposed to teach the best practices to their children. After all, parents are the first and most constant guide for children throughout their lives. In that way, parenting is like light. Good parenting shows children the best way to be for themselves and others.

Similar to light , education and good parenting illuminate the future for a child. To get a more thorough and in-depth insight on the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the book "Light," download the Easy Elimu Study App and get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organized, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams.

Get the guide here.

MY FATHER'S HEAD By Okwiri Oduor

"My Father's Head" is a fairly complex story set in Nairobi, Kenya. It is a story about death and mourning. The death of the narrator's father occurred a while ago, and as she is working one day, the memory of her father is triggered by a visiting priest who comes to visit the people in the home Simbi, the narrator, works in.

Though Simbi remembers certain instances with her father and the kind of man her father was, she cannot remember his face, which truly saddens her. This short story is Simbi's journey of mourning and remembrance of her father.

This is a very easy one to remember. The title gives the whole story away, and the Easy Elimu Guide helps you analyze and simplify it. Before you read the guide, read the story as you need to have context to understand and remember what you read.

Get more insights on the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the book from the Easy Elimu Study App. With the app, you get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organized, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams.

Get the guide here.

 THE UMBRELLA MAN by Sipphar Thagigoo

What comes to mind when you see an umbrella? If you are like most people, the image of an umbrella conjures up thoughts of rain in your mind. Umbrellas are cumbersome and carrying them everywhere can be quite annoying. However, in Thagigoo's story, "The Umbrella Man," that is what our main character, Patient Number 7, does.

Patient number 7 is a patient in a mental asylum. He suffered a mental breakdown and, thus, he, like many other patients in the asylum, is kept in isolation so that they can be treated to improve their health.

Patient number 7, though having suffered a mental breakdown, is allowed certain freedoms within the asylum compound, which he fully takes advantage of.

Everyday he wishes for rain, and as such, during his walks he always carries his umbrella with him, hence the moniker, "the umbrella man." The above description is a very generalized summation of Thagigoo's narrative.

This is a fairly simple but somewhat complex story as the author incorporates various stylistic devices into the story. One such stylistic device is symbolism. What do the rain and umbrella symbolise in the story? Find the answer in our guide.

The story has further meaning besides the literal meaning one perceives from an initial reading. All the analysis needed for you to fully comprehend the story, its setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices has already been done, so all you need to do is read The Umbrella Man so that you can have context, then go over the whole story again using the Easy Elimu Study Guide. It will be the easiest A+ grade you ever get. That's a guarantee.

Get the guide here.

THE PRESIDENT By Mariatu Kamara

The President by Kamara is a first-person narrative of Kamara's real life experience. The narrative is set in Sierra Leonne in a time where there is a civil war. The war is as a result of corruption in the country, where the rebels wanted to overthrow the government because it was corrupt.

In a bid to 'punish' the president, the rebels kidnap, torture, sexually assault, and kill people they believe voted the president into office. This is done indescriminately, as really, how could they know that a specific individual voted the president in? The rebels really could not know.

One especially popular way to punish those who the rebels believe voted for the corrupt president is by amputating both arms. All this political violence and unrest results in dire living conditions for everyone. Not only are adults punished, but also children who are recruited to be child soldiers. There are many dire consequences of violence and civil strife described in this story.

Despite the topic being about political unrest and war, which is a dire story, it is also a story about resilience and friendship. The resilience of various characters in the story, who undergo different horrors and have to live in undignified conditions but ultimately survive and thrive.

Kamara especially thrives despite having had both her hands amputated. She learns English, which is not her first language, and later attends high school, where she manages to get Cs. Though Kamara is resilient, she doesn't get there all by herself as she has help from other characters.

The President is a cautionary tale about political instability and violence and how they can breed misery. Get the complete guide, which provides in-depth insights on the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the story on the Easy Elimu Study App.

Download the Easy Elimu Study App here to get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organized, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams.

Get the guide here.

WINDOW SEAT By Benjamin Branoff

Benjamin Branoff's story Window Seat is quite a humorous story about a "Mzungu" riding what Tanzanians call a "daladala" and later a bus as he travels around Dar es Salaam.

The Mzungu is using the various means of public transport, what we here in Kenya call "matatus", and as he is riding in the PSVs (public service vehicles), he has quite an experience. Though this story is humorous, it covers various issues that are prevalent in many African countries. Some of these issues include povery, corruption, and racism.

Though the prevailing conditions are responsible for what happens to the main character in the story, the Mzungu is not faultless in what happens to him (read the book to know what happens).

He is somewhat complicit as the way he approaches relationships with women ultimately becomes what leaves him without a wallet. (Are you curious yet? (Go read the full story?)

Get the full analysis of Window Seat on the Easy Elimu Study App. Using the guide, you will get insights into the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the book.

Download the Easy Elimu Study App now and get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organized, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams. 

Get the guide here.

NO NEED TO LIE By Rolf Schmid

What would you do if you were diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease? Well, the protagonist, Rolf Schmid, fought to survive and thrive, as he narrates in his biographical story, No Need to Lie.

The story is one that showcases Schmid's fears, worries, suffering, hopes, perseverance, and strength. It is a no hold's barred tell all that does not minimize his suffering.

We are told in vivid detail of Schmid's struggle to survive; the burden the sickness has on him and his family; and of the love and friendship that ultimately guide him through his suffering. Get the guide to this short story on the Easy Elimu Study App for free. Quality notes to get that A+ grade.

Get the guide here.

THE HANDSOMEST DROWNED MAN IN THE WORLD By Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" is a short story written by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1968.

Originally written in Spanish, the story was translated into English in 1972 and was published with a collection of Marquez's short stories entitled Leaf Storm and Other Stories.

The Latin American writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, presents a true masterpiece, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World," with events occurring in a small fishing village. It's a coastal, cliff-side town; a desert-like cape with no flowers and so little land that the inhabitants have to throw their dead over the cliffs and into the sea rather than bury them in the ground.

The inhabitants are a simple group of people who believe in myths as strongly as what they see with their eyes. It's such a small village that all the men combined fit into seven boats, and there are only about twenty houses.

Get the full analysis of The Handsomest Drowned Man on the Easy Elimu Study App. Using the guide, you will get insights into the setting, the plot, characters and characterization, themes, and stylistic devices used in the book.

Download the Easy Elimu Study App now and get FREE access to this guide. It is simplified, well organized, and illuminating on all the concepts that you need to know regarding this short story to pass your KCSE exams.

Get the guide here.