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Read the excerpt and
answer questions that follow. (25
marks)
GRUSHA: Yes.
LAVRENTI:(eagerly):
I’ll tell you what we’ll do. You need a place to go, and, because of the
child (he sighs), you have to have a husband, so people won’t talk. Now
I’ve made cautious inquiries to see if we can find you a husband.
Grusha, I have one. I talked to a peasant woman who has a son. Just the other
side of the mountain. A small farm. And she’s willing.
GRUSHA: But I can’t marry! I must wait for
Simon Shashava.
LAVRENTI:Of
course. That’s all been taken care of. You don’t need a man in bed- you need a
man on paper. And I’ve found you one. The son of this peasant woman is going to
die. Isn’t that wonderful? He’s at his last gasp. And all in line with our
story - a husband from the other side of the mountain! And when you met him he
was at the last gasp. So you’re a widow. What do you say?
GRUSHA: It’s true I could use a document
with stamps on it for Michael.
LAVRENTI:Stamps
make all the difference. Without something in writing the Shah couldn’t prove
he’s a Shah.
And
you’ll have a place to live.
GRUSHA: How much does the peasant woman
want?
LAVRENTI: Four hundred piasters.
GRUSHA: Where
will you find it?
LAVRENTI: (Guiltily!): Aniko’s milk money.
GRUSHA: No
one would know us there. I’ll do it.
LAVRENTI: (getting up): I’ll let the
peasant woman know.
Quick
exit.
GRUSHA: Michael you cause alot of fuss.
I came by you as the peer tree comes by sparrows. And because a Christian bends
down and picks up a crust of bread so nothing will go to waste. Michael, it
would have been better had I walked quickly away on that Easter Sunday in Nuka
in the second courtyard. Now I am a fool
SINGER: The bridegroom was on his deathbed when the
bride arrived.
The bridegroom’s mother was
waiting at the door, telling her to hurry.
The bride brought a child
along.
The witness hid it during the
wedding.
On the side the bed. Under the mosquito net lies a
very sick man. GRUSHA is pulled in at a run by her future mother-in-law. They
are followed by LAVRENTI and the CHILD.
MOTHER-IN-LAW: Quick! Quick! or he’ll die on us before
the wedding. (To LAVRENTI :) I was never told she
had
a child already.
LAVRENTI:
What difference does it make? (Pointing toward the dying man) it can’t
matter to him - in his
condition.
MOTHER-IN-LAW: To him? But I’ll never survive the
shame! We are honest people. (she begins to weep.) my Jussup doesn’t
have to marry a girl with a child!
LAVRENTI :All right, make it another two hundred piasters. You
will have it in writing that the farm will go to
you:
but she’ll have the right to live here for two years.
MOTHER IN LAW:(drying her tears): It’ll hardly cover the
funeral expenses. I hope she’ll really lend a
hand with the work. And what’s happened to the monk ? He
must have slipped out through the kitchen window. We’ll have the whole village
on our necks when they hear. Jussup’s end is come! On dear! I’ll go get the
monk. But he mustn’t see the child!
a) Place this excerpt in its
immediate context. (4
marks)
b) In your opinion, why is
'Mother-in-law' so anxious in this excerpt? (4
marks)
c) Describe the character of :
i) Lavrenti (2
marks)
ii) Grusha (2
marks)
d) Explain the effectiveness of
the song used in this extract. (2
marks)
e) Briefly explain TWO main
themes portrayed in the passage. (4
marks)
f) Stamps make all the difference
(Supply an appropriate question tag.)
g) Apart from song, identify any
other two stylistic devices used in the extract. (4 marks
h) Explain the meaning of the
following words and phrase as used in the passage. (3 marks)
i) Cautious.
ii) fuss .
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