ENG1501 ASSIGNMENT 2 2026
DUE 19 JUNE 2026
Refer to Tutorial Letter 501 for a reminder of topic sentences, paragraphing,
argumentation, and incorporation of quotations. Write a paragraph in response to
each of the following questions: 1. The narrator of the story is nicknamed “Rock.”
Discuss her character by focusing on the significance of this name, and how
Danisile’s return influences her personal growth and sense of identity. Support
your answer with direct quotations and evidence from the story.
Question 1: Significance of the nickname "Rock" and Danisile's influence
The narrator's nickname "Rock" carries dual significance that reflects both her physical
reality and her resilient spirit. As she explains, the name derives partly from her love of
"rock and roll" music and her dream of "learning to play the guitar, just like [her] mother"
(Nkutha, 2013: 2). However, the darker origin lies in her experience as a disabled child
who has been "rocking and rolling all [her] life" in a "makeshift wheelchair" while
neighbourhood children whisper "Rock 'n Roll" mockingly (Nkutha, 2013: 2). Danisile's
return proves transformative for Zibusiso's identity. Unlike others who ignore her,
Danisile speaks directly to her, re-strings the neglected guitar, and teaches her "every
song she herself knew how to, plus the many new ones [they] made up together"
(Nkutha, 2013: 15). Through this mentorship, Zibusiso reinterprets her nickname
positively, concluding that "every rock star needed a stage name" and that "what better
name for a rock legend in the making to have than the name Rock?" (Nkutha, 2013: 16).
As the study guide explains, characterisation involves how an author represents a
character, and "round characters undergo a process of growth while flat characters do
not change as the story progresses" (Tutorial Letter 501, 2026: 45-47). Zibusiso evolves
from a lonely, disregarded child into someone who embraces her identity with pride.
DUE 19 JUNE 2026
Refer to Tutorial Letter 501 for a reminder of topic sentences, paragraphing,
argumentation, and incorporation of quotations. Write a paragraph in response to
each of the following questions: 1. The narrator of the story is nicknamed “Rock.”
Discuss her character by focusing on the significance of this name, and how
Danisile’s return influences her personal growth and sense of identity. Support
your answer with direct quotations and evidence from the story.
Question 1: Significance of the nickname "Rock" and Danisile's influence
The narrator's nickname "Rock" carries dual significance that reflects both her physical
reality and her resilient spirit. As she explains, the name derives partly from her love of
"rock and roll" music and her dream of "learning to play the guitar, just like [her] mother"
(Nkutha, 2013: 2). However, the darker origin lies in her experience as a disabled child
who has been "rocking and rolling all [her] life" in a "makeshift wheelchair" while
neighbourhood children whisper "Rock 'n Roll" mockingly (Nkutha, 2013: 2). Danisile's
return proves transformative for Zibusiso's identity. Unlike others who ignore her,
Danisile speaks directly to her, re-strings the neglected guitar, and teaches her "every
song she herself knew how to, plus the many new ones [they] made up together"
(Nkutha, 2013: 15). Through this mentorship, Zibusiso reinterprets her nickname
positively, concluding that "every rock star needed a stage name" and that "what better
name for a rock legend in the making to have than the name Rock?" (Nkutha, 2013: 16).
As the study guide explains, characterisation involves how an author represents a
character, and "round characters undergo a process of growth while flat characters do
not change as the story progresses" (Tutorial Letter 501, 2026: 45-47). Zibusiso evolves
from a lonely, disregarded child into someone who embraces her identity with pride.
