Supported by relevant scholarly sources: Referencing
included, Reference List, adherence to given instructions and
answers thoroughly researched to ensure 100% accuracy,
and alternative answers provided for extra help!
ENG1501 Assignment 2
Memo and extra guidance
Due 19 June 2026
THE ASSIGNMENT
Instructions:
1. Sections A, B & C should be in the same word document.
2. Upload the combined sections under assessment 04.
3. Confirm that the assignment file files are uploaded before
you submit and verify again you can seyour assignment is
uploaded.
Supported by relevant scholarly sources: Referencing included,
Reference List, adherence to given instructions and answers thoroughly
researched to ensure 100% accuracy, and alternative answers provided
for extra help!
, ENG1501 Assignment 2 (2026)
Improved Memo Responses
Story: Makgano Nkutha, "Rock" (2013) | Due: 19 June 2026
How to Read This Document (For Learners)
Each answer below is one paragraph (as the assignment requires), but this version is written to show
you how to build a strong literary paragraph. Every paragraph follows this pattern:
Step What it does Look for it in the answer
Topic sentence States your main argument in First sentence of each
one clear sentence paragraph
Evidence Quotes or paraphrases from the Quotation marks + page
story numbers
Explanation Shows why the evidence Sentences after each quote
supports your point
Link Connects back to the question Usually the final sentence
or a literary concept
Tutorial Letter 501 reminds you that good paragraphs need a focused topic sentence, logical
development, argumentation (not just summary), and smoothly incorporated quotations. The notes
labelled "Learner note" below are extra teaching comments—they are not part of what you submit
unless your lecturer asks for them.
Question 1: The nickname "Rock" and Danisile's influence on identity
Zibusiso's nickname, "Rock," operates on two interconnected levels—musical aspiration and social
mockery—and Danisile's return transforms it from a label of ridicule into a badge of self-acceptance,
marking Zibusiso's growth as a round character who develops a stronger sense of identity. On one level,
the name reflects her passion for rock and roll and her dream of mastering the guitar like her mother
Ncedi, who once played "like a rock star" (Nkutha, 2013: 2); on another, it cruelly puns on her disability,
as neighbourhood children chant "Rock 'n Roll" while she propels herself through the streets in her
makeshift "Rockmobile" (Nkutha, 2013: 2). Initially, the nickname traps her in shame: it fuses her body
with a genre of music she loves but cannot yet claim as her own. Danisile's arrival disrupts this pattern
because she is one of the few people who speaks to Zibusiso directly, repairs and restrings the neglected
guitar, and patiently teaches her "every song she herself knew how to" (Nkutha, 2013: 15). Through this
mentorship, Zibusiso reclaims the name on her own terms, reasoning that "every rock star needed a
stage name" and that "Rock" is therefore "the perfect name for a future music star" (Nkutha, 2013: 16).
According to Tutorial Letter 501 (2026: 45–47), a round character undergoes meaningful change during
a narrative, whereas a flat character remains static; Zibusiso clearly belongs to the first category, moving