ENG2603
ASSIGNMENT 1
MEMO | DUE
MAY 2025
NO PLAGIARISM
[DATE]
[COMPANY NAME]
[Company address]
, Exam (elaborations)
ENG2603 Assignment 1 Memo | Due May
2025
Course
Colonial and Postcolonial African Literatures (ENG2603)
Institution
University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Book
Nervous Conditions
ENG2603 Assignment 1 Memo | Due May 2025. 2 Essays provided for both
questions.
Question 1 Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga 1. In the first
paragraph of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, the main character
Tambu states that the novel is about her “escape”. In the same paragraph
she goes on to use the word “entrapment”. She uses these words because
they refer to patriarchy, oppression and freedom which are central in the plot
of the novel. Write an essay in which you discuss the idea of women’s
‘entrapment’ and ‘escape’ within the context of the novel’s incidents. In your
essay, refer closely to the following women: (i) Tambu (ii) Maiguru (iii) Lucia
(iv) Nyasha
In Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions, the opening paragraph immediately introduces the
central themes of entrapment and the desire for escape, particularly as they relate to the
experiences of women within a patriarchal and colonial society. Tambu's declaration that the
novel is about her "escape" is quickly juxtaposed with the implied "entrapment" she and other
women face. This essay will explore the multifaceted nature of women's entrapment and their
various attempts at escape within the novel, focusing on the experiences of Tambu, Maiguru,
Lucia, and Nyasha.
Tambu's initial entrapment is defined by poverty and the limitations placed upon her as a girl in a
traditional Shona society. Her lack of access to education, in contrast to her brother Nhamo,
epitomizes this confinement. Nhamo's death, a seemingly callous event for Tambu, becomes her
first opportunity for "escape" – an escape into the privileged world of education at her uncle
Babamukuru's mission. However, this escape is not absolute. While she gains intellectual
freedom, she finds herself navigating a new form of entrapment within Babamukuru's patriarchal
household, where expectations of proper feminine behavior and gratitude subtly restrict her
autonomy. Her eventual move to the convent school can be seen as a further attempt to escape
the constraints of her family and the pervasive patriarchy, yet even there, she is shaped by
colonial and patriarchal structures.
ASSIGNMENT 1
MEMO | DUE
MAY 2025
NO PLAGIARISM
[DATE]
[COMPANY NAME]
[Company address]
, Exam (elaborations)
ENG2603 Assignment 1 Memo | Due May
2025
Course
Colonial and Postcolonial African Literatures (ENG2603)
Institution
University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Book
Nervous Conditions
ENG2603 Assignment 1 Memo | Due May 2025. 2 Essays provided for both
questions.
Question 1 Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga 1. In the first
paragraph of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, the main character
Tambu states that the novel is about her “escape”. In the same paragraph
she goes on to use the word “entrapment”. She uses these words because
they refer to patriarchy, oppression and freedom which are central in the plot
of the novel. Write an essay in which you discuss the idea of women’s
‘entrapment’ and ‘escape’ within the context of the novel’s incidents. In your
essay, refer closely to the following women: (i) Tambu (ii) Maiguru (iii) Lucia
(iv) Nyasha
In Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions, the opening paragraph immediately introduces the
central themes of entrapment and the desire for escape, particularly as they relate to the
experiences of women within a patriarchal and colonial society. Tambu's declaration that the
novel is about her "escape" is quickly juxtaposed with the implied "entrapment" she and other
women face. This essay will explore the multifaceted nature of women's entrapment and their
various attempts at escape within the novel, focusing on the experiences of Tambu, Maiguru,
Lucia, and Nyasha.
Tambu's initial entrapment is defined by poverty and the limitations placed upon her as a girl in a
traditional Shona society. Her lack of access to education, in contrast to her brother Nhamo,
epitomizes this confinement. Nhamo's death, a seemingly callous event for Tambu, becomes her
first opportunity for "escape" – an escape into the privileged world of education at her uncle
Babamukuru's mission. However, this escape is not absolute. While she gains intellectual
freedom, she finds herself navigating a new form of entrapment within Babamukuru's patriarchal
household, where expectations of proper feminine behavior and gratitude subtly restrict her
autonomy. Her eventual move to the convent school can be seen as a further attempt to escape
the constraints of her family and the pervasive patriarchy, yet even there, she is shaped by
colonial and patriarchal structures.
