ENG2603 Assignment 1 2025
Unique Number:
Due Date: May 2025
QUESTION 1: NERVOUS CONDITIONS BY TSITSI DANGAREMBGA
2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
Tsitsi Dangarembga‘s Nervous Conditions (1988) opens with a powerful statement by the
protagonist, Tambudzai: ―I was not sorry when my brother died.‖ This startling line
introduces a novel that explores the deep-rooted societal and familial conditions that shape
the lives of Zimbabwean women.
QUESTION 2: THE NEW CENTURY OF SOUTH AFRICAN POETRY EDITED BY
MICHAEL CHAPMAN
2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
Alan Paton‘s “Could you not Write Otherwise?” is a compelling poetic reflection on the
responsibility of the writer in a society troubled by racial inequality and political injustice. The
poem responds to a question posed by a woman who challenges the poet‘s choice of
themes, wondering why he does not write about more pleasant or conventionally "poetical"
subjects. Paton‘s answer is clear and heartfelt: he cannot ignore the voice that urges him to
speak of the painful realities that shape his country.
DISCLAIMER & TERMS OF USE
Educational Aid: These study notes are intended to be used as educational resources and should not be seen as a
replacement for individual research, critical analysis, or professional consultation. Students are encouraged to perform
their own research and seek advice from their instructors or academic advisors for specific assignment guidelines.
Personal Responsibility: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information in
these study notes, the seller does not guarantee the completeness or correctness of all content. The buyer is
responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information and exercising their own judgment when applying it to their
assignments.
Academic Integrity: It is essential for students to maintain academic integrity and follow their institution's policies
regarding plagiarism, citation, and referencing. These study notes should be used as learning tools and sources of
inspiration. Any direct reproduction of the content without proper citation and acknowledgment may be considered
academic misconduct.
Limited Liability: The seller shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, losses, or consequences arising from
the use of these notes. This includes, but is not limited to, poor academic performance, penalties, or any other negative
consequences resulting from the application or misuse of the information provided.
, For additional support +27 81 278 3372
QUESTION 1: NERVOUS CONDITIONS BY TSITSI DANGAREMBGA
2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
Tsitsi Dangarembga‘s Nervous Conditions (1988) opens with a powerful statement
by the protagonist, Tambudzai: ―I was not sorry when my brother died.‖ This startling
line introduces a novel that explores the deep-rooted societal and familial conditions
that shape the lives of Zimbabwean women. Tambu‘s reference to ―escape‖ and
―entrapment‖ in the opening paragraph sets the thematic tone for the entire narrative,
which closely interrogates how patriarchy, colonialism, and tradition intersect to limit
women‘s freedom. Through the experiences of Tambu, Maiguru, Lucia, and Nyasha,
Dangarembga highlights different forms of entrapment—economic, intellectual,
cultural—and the various strategies of resistance and escape that women pursue.
This essay explores how each of these women navigates the structures that bind
them, showing that escape is complex, sometimes partial, and often fraught with
contradiction.
Tambu, the narrator of the novel, is perhaps the most compelling representation of
both entrapment and the desire to escape. As a young girl growing up in a rural
environment, she is confined by poverty and the belief that education is a privilege
reserved for boys. Her father openly asserts that educating a girl is ―a waste‖
because she will ultimately marry and benefit another family (Dangarembga,
1988:15). Tambu‘s first act of rebellion is to grow and sell maize to pay for her own
school fees, demonstrating both initiative and a refusal to accept the limitations
placed on her due to her gender. Her opportunity to attend the missionary school at
the mission, and later the convent, offers her a path toward intellectual and personal
liberation. However, Dangarembga complicates this escape by showing that
education itself is entangled with colonial ideology, which alienates Tambu from her
roots and encourages assimilation into Western norms. Tambu‘s escape, then, is not
total; while she resists domestic entrapment, she enters another system that controls
her in more subtle ways.
Maiguru, Tambu‘s aunt and the wife of Babamukuru, is an educated woman with a
master‘s degree—an uncommon achievement for African women of her time. Yet,
despite her education, Maiguru is economically and socially dependent on her
husband, who embodies patriarchal authority in the family. Though she teaches at
Unique Number:
Due Date: May 2025
QUESTION 1: NERVOUS CONDITIONS BY TSITSI DANGAREMBGA
2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
Tsitsi Dangarembga‘s Nervous Conditions (1988) opens with a powerful statement by the
protagonist, Tambudzai: ―I was not sorry when my brother died.‖ This startling line
introduces a novel that explores the deep-rooted societal and familial conditions that shape
the lives of Zimbabwean women.
QUESTION 2: THE NEW CENTURY OF SOUTH AFRICAN POETRY EDITED BY
MICHAEL CHAPMAN
2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
Alan Paton‘s “Could you not Write Otherwise?” is a compelling poetic reflection on the
responsibility of the writer in a society troubled by racial inequality and political injustice. The
poem responds to a question posed by a woman who challenges the poet‘s choice of
themes, wondering why he does not write about more pleasant or conventionally "poetical"
subjects. Paton‘s answer is clear and heartfelt: he cannot ignore the voice that urges him to
speak of the painful realities that shape his country.
DISCLAIMER & TERMS OF USE
Educational Aid: These study notes are intended to be used as educational resources and should not be seen as a
replacement for individual research, critical analysis, or professional consultation. Students are encouraged to perform
their own research and seek advice from their instructors or academic advisors for specific assignment guidelines.
Personal Responsibility: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information in
these study notes, the seller does not guarantee the completeness or correctness of all content. The buyer is
responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information and exercising their own judgment when applying it to their
assignments.
Academic Integrity: It is essential for students to maintain academic integrity and follow their institution's policies
regarding plagiarism, citation, and referencing. These study notes should be used as learning tools and sources of
inspiration. Any direct reproduction of the content without proper citation and acknowledgment may be considered
academic misconduct.
Limited Liability: The seller shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, losses, or consequences arising from
the use of these notes. This includes, but is not limited to, poor academic performance, penalties, or any other negative
consequences resulting from the application or misuse of the information provided.
, For additional support +27 81 278 3372
QUESTION 1: NERVOUS CONDITIONS BY TSITSI DANGAREMBGA
2 ESSAYS PROVIDED
Tsitsi Dangarembga‘s Nervous Conditions (1988) opens with a powerful statement
by the protagonist, Tambudzai: ―I was not sorry when my brother died.‖ This startling
line introduces a novel that explores the deep-rooted societal and familial conditions
that shape the lives of Zimbabwean women. Tambu‘s reference to ―escape‖ and
―entrapment‖ in the opening paragraph sets the thematic tone for the entire narrative,
which closely interrogates how patriarchy, colonialism, and tradition intersect to limit
women‘s freedom. Through the experiences of Tambu, Maiguru, Lucia, and Nyasha,
Dangarembga highlights different forms of entrapment—economic, intellectual,
cultural—and the various strategies of resistance and escape that women pursue.
This essay explores how each of these women navigates the structures that bind
them, showing that escape is complex, sometimes partial, and often fraught with
contradiction.
Tambu, the narrator of the novel, is perhaps the most compelling representation of
both entrapment and the desire to escape. As a young girl growing up in a rural
environment, she is confined by poverty and the belief that education is a privilege
reserved for boys. Her father openly asserts that educating a girl is ―a waste‖
because she will ultimately marry and benefit another family (Dangarembga,
1988:15). Tambu‘s first act of rebellion is to grow and sell maize to pay for her own
school fees, demonstrating both initiative and a refusal to accept the limitations
placed on her due to her gender. Her opportunity to attend the missionary school at
the mission, and later the convent, offers her a path toward intellectual and personal
liberation. However, Dangarembga complicates this escape by showing that
education itself is entangled with colonial ideology, which alienates Tambu from her
roots and encourages assimilation into Western norms. Tambu‘s escape, then, is not
total; while she resists domestic entrapment, she enters another system that controls
her in more subtle ways.
Maiguru, Tambu‘s aunt and the wife of Babamukuru, is an educated woman with a
master‘s degree—an uncommon achievement for African women of her time. Yet,
despite her education, Maiguru is economically and socially dependent on her
husband, who embodies patriarchal authority in the family. Though she teaches at
