MEMORANDUM
Activities: Before you read
This section consists primarily of discussion-type questions. We do not provide specific answers
for each question, because the aim of these activities is to encourage discussion and make
learners excited about reading the stories. Learners should share their opinions and experiences.
The following are some suggestions of answers where they are not discussion-based.
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“All About the Money”
2
A chef is a professional cook OR someone who earns a living by being a cook,
usually at a hotel or a restaurant. Some internationally famous chefs are: Jamie
Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson. Well-known South African chefs are
Reuben Riffel, Justin Bonello and Benny Masekwameng (who was a judge in the
Masterchef South Africa competition).
“The Foreign Teacher”
1
Learners will have different ideas and there are no right or wrong answers here. The
value of this activity lies in their making predictions based on what they have read
and their prior knowledge, and then being able to adjust their predications and/or
ideas as the story unfolds.
3
Teachers must handle this discussion with sensitivity. Be sure to intervene swiftly
but compassionately if learners become upset. Prepare learners for this discussion
by explaining that prejudices are negative and hurtful, and that they need to be
sensitive to one another and not cause further hurt.
3 a “Xeno-” is a combining form (a form of word that only occurs in combination with
another word form) – it relates to a foreigner/foreigners. “Phobia” can be used as a
noun to describe an extreme or irrational fear of something, and in the combing
form “-phobia” it relates to a specific fear/dislike – in this case, an intense or
irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.
3 c Prejudice is when you dislike or have a bad opinion of a person based on ideas you
have about them, and not on facts, experience or accurate information.
“Hearts and Hands”
1
A US marshal is an officer of the law. One job US marshals sometimes do is escort
prisoners or criminals from one state to another.
“Transforming Moments”
1 a The word “transforming” means completely changing something, often for the
better.
1 b Learners will have different ideas, but they should be able to identify that the story
will probably be about important moments in the narrator’s life that improved her
self-assurance and self-image.
“A Visit to Doctor Mamba”
1a&b
Learners will have different ideas. They will not have read the story, so their
descriptions will be based purely on their interpretation of the doctor’s name,
which is the name of a poisonous, dangerous snake. A mamba is either black
or green and usually long and slender. It will be interesting to see if learners
describe Doctor Mamba as tall and slim.
“Dream World”
2 a No, this will not be a realistic story because the dreams we dream when asleep do
not become reality, and swimming pools don’t disappear overnight.
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Memorandum for Activities for Dream World and other stories ISBN 9780195996517 and 9780195999518 (e-book)
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2b
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Learners will have different ideas. The important thing is that they should guess at
an ending that includes something surprising or unexpected disappearing as a result
of the narrator’s dream.
“A Second Look”
1
To take a “second look” means that you re-examine your initial opinion of
something or someone, usually because something has happened to make you
question your opinion.
“The Awakening of Katie Fortuin”
2 a District Six: This is an area close to the city centre of Cape Town. It used to be a
vibrant, but poor, multi-racial residential community. In 1966, under apartheid, the
Nationalist Government declared it a white group area and ordered the residents to
move out. The government destroyed all the buildings except the mosque and
churches. Between 1966 and 1980, about 60 000 people were forcibly removed
from District Six. Protestors have by and large managed to stop developers from
building on this land, so it is still mostly vacant, with only the original religious
buildings standing, the new Cape Town University of Technology (built under
protest) and a few new terraced houses.
2 b Forced removals: As a result of the Nationalist Government policy of segregation
and the Group Areas Act of 1950, the apartheid government forcibly removed
about 3.5 million black, coloured and Indian South Africans from their homes
between 1960 and 1983. Forced removals broke up homes, families and
communities. They were often accompanied by police violence, which resulted in
injury and sometimes death to the residents. People were forced to move to areas
far from their original homes and their places of work. They also got little or no
compensation for the homes they were forced to leave.
2 c The Group Areas Act: In April 1950, the South African Nationalist Government
extended the Land Act of 1913 by passing a law that declared certain areas open
only to certain races. They declared the majority of land, which was also the best
land, a white group area. People of other races were banned from living in those
areas or owning land there, and they could only work in those areas if they had a
permit to do so.
2 d The Cape Flats: This is the large, low-lying, flat expanse of land far from Cape
Town’s city centre to which many people were forced to move as a result of the
Group Areas Act. The area is known by local residents as “The Flats”.
2 e The Mixed Marriages Act: The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, passed in
1949, prohibited marriages between people of different race groups. It was repealed
in 1985.
2 f The Immorality Act: The first Immorality Act was passed in 1927 and prohibited
sexual relations between whites and blacks. In 1950 it was extended to make sexual
relations between whites and people of any other race illegal. This ban was lifted in
1985.
3
In 1994, South Africa held its first democratic election after the fall of apartheid.
Nelson Mandela became the president of the first democratically elected
government. With the fall of apartheid the apartheid laws, such as the Groups Areas
Act, were cancelled.
“The Apple of Miss BLAH’s Eye”
1
Learners should be able to express their ideas about inner beauty versus physical
beauty, and might touch upon sexism and the different values about beauty held for
men and women.
“The Coffin”
Teachers need to be sensitive in this discussion if a learner in your class has recently been
bereaved
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3
Something that is literal is factual, whereas something that is figurative is
imaginative or symbolic (representing something else).
Activities: After the story
All About the Money
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Firoz is seventeen.
He wants to be a chef.
They are shocked/surprised/disapproving/scornful/mocking. (Any one)
They want him to go to university so he can study for a career in
accountancy, law or engineering.
People who do accountancy, law or engineering earn a lot of money. The
family never had the opportunity to attend university, so they want him to
do something they couldn’t do.
Firoz’s grandmother supports him. She thinks he will be good at it
because he has already proved he is a good cook.
If he had siblings (brothers or sisters), he wouldn’t be the only one
expected to fulfil his parent’s dreams/expectations.
Firoz applies to a chef school in Durban.
His father sees an article in the newspaper about a well-known chef
who is a self-made multimillionaire.
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(3)
[16]
Thinking further
1
a
b
c
d
figurative
literal
literal
literal
2
“they let their ears wander to the other end”
a This is a metaphor. (Learners could also say this is personification.)
b Metaphor: The way their ears are straining to hear the conversation on the other side
of the room is compared to someone walking around.
Personification: The ears have a human quality separate from the body and can walk
off on their own to overhear the conversation.
c They strained to hear the conversation on the other side of the room.
3
Learners’ ideas will differ. This could be quite a tricky discussion as there might be
learners facing the same dilemma that Firoz does. Should they do what Firoz does and go
against their parents’ wishes? Firoz is fortunate that it turns out well for him, but this is
not always the case. Should they follow their parents’ wishes because their parents are
supporting them financially? How much say should they have, especially as they are
young and inexperienced, whereas their parents have the wisdom of hindsight. Monitor
the discussion carefully and sensitively.
4
Learners’ answers will differ, but they must be able to justify their opinion. They should
pick up on why the family thinks a career in law, accountancy or engineering is suitable
(“He earns so much of money too”). Firoz’s father also says that he wants Firoz to have
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Memorandum for Activities for Dream World and other stories ISBN 9780195996517 and 9780195999518 (e-book)
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what he couldn’t have – a university education. Learners should pick up on Firoz’s
father’s change of heart: when he reads about a famous chef who is a self-made
multimillionaire, he is happy to support his son’s choice because of the potential for chefs
to make a lot of money. So it is all about the money (the title): the father’s objections are
not because Firoz will be losing the opportunity to have a university degree, but because
he thinks he will not earn enough money as a chef.
The Foreign Teacher
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
Margaret is an English teacher from Ghana who started her own school
in South Africa after she retired.
(3)
She is a diabetic and she falls unconscious when her blood sugar
drops.
(3)
Nyeleti is one of Margaret’s students.
(1)
Nyeleti gives Margaret a sweet.
(1)
Mrs Makulele thinks Margaret is an excellent teacher because her daughter
Nyeleti has done very well at Margaret’s school.
(2)
Mr Maswanganyi. He says that there is something wrong and that
Margaret needs help or she might die.
(3)
[13]
Thinking further
1
a&b
Learners compare their expectations of how the story is going to turn
out with the way it actually does. Their answers will differ, but they
must be able to say what they based their predictions on. They should
also be able to reflect on how (if at all) their expectations were altered as they
were reading. Point out to learners that readers with good comprehension
constantly adjust their understanding and expectations of what they read as
new information comes to light.
2
Facts (any five)
1. Margaret is a teacher.
2. She is from Ghana.
3. She has started her own school.
4. She speaks English and Shangaan.
5. She teaches children to speak English
fluently.
Opinions
1. She is a witch.
2. She is mad.
3. She is possessed by an evil spirit.
4. She might be dangerous/she could kill
them.
5. She uses witchcraft/magic to teach
children to read and speak English
fluently within a year.
6. She lives alone.
7. She walks fast.
8. Her skin is very black.
7. She is having a fit of some sort/her life
is in danger.
3
a
The adults are quick to label the teacher mad and/or possessed by evil spirits
and they are afraid that she will kill them when they see her bent over with
her eyes rolling back in her head. They base their assumptions on their
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b
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incorrect opinions that she uses witchcraft and/or magic to teach their
children English.
Nyeleti knows her teacher well and she has also paid attention to Margaret’s
habit of eating a sweet when she feels unwell.
A discussion about xenophobia must be handled carefully and skilfully because it is
potentially explosive. However, this discussion gives an opportunity to explore possible
prejudice and get learners talking and thinking about what fuels xenophobia and how to
overcome it.
a&b
Learners’ opinions and solutions will differ. Most often people fear the
unknown, so getting to know people of different cultures and races is
one way to overcome xenophobia. In South Africa, where jobs are
scarce, another reason for people disliking or fearing foreigners is that
they might feel that foreigners will take away jobs that could be given
to South Africans.
Hearts and Hands
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
The train is coming from Denver.
Her name is Miss Fairchild.
She is from Washington.
Mr Easton and Miss Fairchild were friends in Washington and they mixed
in the same social circle.
The men are on their way to Leavenworth prison.
The prisoner is guilty of forgery.
She is confused and horrified.
She thinks he is a prisoner.
The sad-faced man tells her that Mr Easton is a marshal and is taking him
to prison.
He means that Mr Easton is a wily criminal and would easily escape if
he were not handcuffed.
She thinks he means Mr Easton is a good marshal and knows how to keep
his prisoner from escaping.
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(2)
[15]
Thinking further
1
a
Characteristics
What he looks like
How he behaves
The way he speaks
Easton
 handsome
 open face
 young




confident
lightly
“with a smile”
calmly
The other man
 sharp, clever eyes
 shabby
 sad-faced
 heavy build
 rough clothing
 rough
 growled
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Memorandum for Activities for Dream World and other stories ISBN 9780195996517 and 9780195999518 (e-book)
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b
c
d
The sad-faced man fits the stereotype of a criminal. His rough manner,
scruffy appearance and sad face match our expectations of how a criminal
would look. On the other hand, Easton appears to be charming and elegant,
confident and well-mannered and he socialised in elegant, wealthy circles in
Washington. When the sad-faced man speaks, he also seems more
threatening (he growled) than Easton who speaks “lightly” and “with a
smile”.
Learners will have different responses, but it is most likely that they will
have assumed that Easton was the marshal because he is young, handsome
and well groomed.
This is a good opportunity to discuss stereotypes and how they can be
misleading. Some common stereotypes: people who are overweight are lazy;
blondes are stupid; girls are not good at sports; men are untidy; women are not as
good as men at running a business; teenagers are disobedient and selfish; people
who read a lot are boring. Accepting or believing stereotypes fuels prejudices,
which in turn prevent us from healthy wholesome relationships. We need to base
our opinions and judgements on what we know to be true, and not on what we
assume through stereotypes.
2
Four clues are listed below. Learners must identify any three and give reasons why they
point to Easton as the criminal.
 At first when Easton realises that Miss Fairchild has recognised him, he is
embarrassed and uncomfortable. They are old friends so this seems odd, but makes
sense when you know that he is in fact on his way to prison.
 His right hand is handcuffed to the other man’s left hand. At the time the story was
written, very few people were left-handed – as it was frowned upon, people were
often forced to be right-handed. It would be expected that an officer of the law would
leave his right hand free and handcuff his prisoner to his left hand.
 Easton tells Miss Fairchild that she won’t be seeing him soon because his “butterfly
days are over”. This means that he is no longer free.
 When he is invited to go for a smoke, Easton says that he can’t turn down a request to
smoke because tobacco is “the one friend of the unfortunate”. Although we don’t
realise it on our first reading, Easton is in fact referring to himself as the unfortunate
one.
3
Learners write a dialogue, following the correct format. Their dialogues will differ, but
they should include some reference to the conversation that took place between Easton
and Miss Fairchild. Assess their dialogues according to their use of the correct format,
their language, the authenticity of the conversation and their insight.
Transforming Moments
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
It is set in the Eastern Cape.
(1)
She is unsure of herself and thinks she is ugly.
(2)
“top-of-the-class”
(1)
She likes Bulelwa’s beautiful singing voice.
(1)
Bulelwa sometimes goes and studies with the narrator and she supports the
narrator/doesn’t join in when they tease her about boys.
(3)
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They are only friends with her some of the time OR when they need help
with their school work.
(1)
His name is Sizwe.
(1)
She thinks she is too ugly for a good-looking boy like him to want to spend
time with her. She says she came to school to study not to sleep
with boys.
(2)
They say her voice is too deep.
(1)
He invites her to sing in the choir because he likes her strong, resonant
voice. He invites her to spend the weekend with his family. He takes her
to see a praise poet and introduces her to him.
(3)
“That was the day I fell in love with myself.” OR “Everything about me was
just perfect.”
(1)
[17]
Thinking further
1
Class discussions will differ, but the main points learners should identify are:
 There are three people who play a significant part in transforming the narrator’s life –
Bulelwa, Sizwe and Father Finkeni.
 Bulelwa’s part seems small, but by choosing to study with the narrator and standing
by her when the others tease her about boys, she is being a friend and this sows the
first seeds of self-worth in the narrator (although she doesn’t verbalise this).
 The handsome rugby star, Sizwe, the boy from the city, doesn’t give up in his quest to
have as his girlfriend the girl who describes herself as “ugly and awkward” and
“unsuitable”. His determination eventually pays off and when she eventually gives in
she discovers a great guy and a good friendship.
 Father Fikeni is the first one to believe in the power of her voice. Because he
recognises her potential and takes her to see and meet an imbongi, he unlocks the key
to her finding her voice as a writer (poet) and a praise poet.
2
Learners’ discussions will differ. They should identify these key points:
 We believe this story to be true (autobiographical) and not fiction.
 The first person central narrative voice makes the story authentic (true and believable)
because the story is about her from her own point of view.
 It allows the narrator to express her emotions, thoughts, judgements and
understanding of the events she describes. This helps the reader to be part of and
understand of the narrator’s world, and to identify with what the narrator experienced.
 The first person narrative voice makes the storytelling personal and intimate – we feel
as if she is speaking to us directly.
 The first person narrative voice also allows the narrator to be selective in what she
shares with the reader and what she leaves out.
3
Learners’ answers will differ. Assess their stories according to their language use, their
consistent use of the first person narrative voice, and how realistic the story is. The stories
do not have to be true, however, some learners might write very personal stories.
Teachers need to be sensitive in their assessment.
A Visit to Doctor Mamba
Quick questions
1
It is set in Maputo.
(1)
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2
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5
Doctor Mamba is a traditional healer.
Doctor Mamba claims that he can help people who have been bewitched
and/or are under the spell of a tokoloshe.
Someone sent it to him and he has brought it to show the doctor.
He is implying that Doctor Mamba is the person who supplied the
tokoloshe.
(1)
(3)
(2)
(2)
[9]
Thinking further
1
a
b
c
d
e
simile
The receptionists’ long false nails are compared to claws.
Animals (usually of the cat family)
The comparison implies that she is like an animal (maybe like a cat with claws that
can scratch) that can attack if she is challenged.
“dragged”
2
No, it is not: “disorderly row of garage-sale chairs”.
3
a
b
4
a
b
5
a
b
Learners’ answers will differ. They should be able to identify the following
about Doctor Mamba:

He is a traditional healer who claims to be able to help people overcome a
number of different problems, ranging from work-related matters, to interpersonal problems, to being bewitched or being bothered by a tokoloshe.

He is a very large overweight man with a shiny bald head.

Although he seems confident and in charge at the beginning of the story, he is
less confident when he is caught out by Ernest, who identifies him as the
person who supplied the tokoloshe.

His confidence fades further when he realises that Ernest is well informed
about the habits of tokoloshes and threatens to see him every day if Doctor
Mamba doesn’t give him what he wants.
Learners’ answers will differ. Point out that their predictions about Doctor
Mamba were made purely on the basis of his name and so it is unlikely that
they will have too many matching qualities. The important thing is to be able to
reflect on how their expectations about Doctor Mamba were similar or
different from the character we read about in the story, and why they made
those judgements based on his name.
He is an “outsider by nature” OR has a “shy manner”, and is a
“foreigner” and a “good teacher”.
“outsider by nature”/“shy manner”: He keeps himself separate from others
so people don’t get to know him. It might seem that he thinks he is better than
they are.
“foreigner”: some people distrust strangers/don’t like people who are
different from them.
“good teacher”: his colleagues might feel threatened because he is good at
what he does and that makes them feel insecure or as if they have to prove
they are as good as he is.
There are no right or wrong answers here. Learners must be able to
substantiate their opinions by offering good reasons for them.
Again, there are no right or wrong answers. Knowing that Doctor Mamba has
supplied the tokoloshe, Ernest might be hoping that Doctor Mamba will get the
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Memorandum for Activities for Dream World and other stories ISBN 9780195996517 and 9780195999518 (e-book)
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c
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word out to Ernest’s colleagues that he is not threatened by the tokoloshes, but in
fact has a supply of his own that he could use against them. That might make them
wary to threaten Ernest again.
This is an open question, but learners must supply a reason for why they would
react in a particular way.
Learners’ stories will differ. Assess their stories according to their use of language as well
as descriptive detail and insight into the characters.
Dream World
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mr de Klerk’s swimming pool
Squiggles the cat
Mrs Smit the Maths teacher
the president of the country
the South African cricket team
the café on the street corner
the narrator of the story
He thinks the water has turned green and thick, or the pump has
exploded, or the pool is filled with electric eels.
It would not have been possible for the pool to be filled with electric eels
because they are found in rivers and there isn’t one flowing into the
swimming pool.
He thinks that aliens have taken it.
Squiggles the cat is missing.
The narrator remembers that he had dreamt about all the things that had
gone missing.
C
horrified
B
slightly mocking
(7)
(3)
(3)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(1)
(1)
[19]
Thinking further
1
a
b
2
a
b
c
d
Learners discuss whose guess is closest to the real ending of the story, although it is
possible that no learner guessed that the narrator would disappear. The important
thing is that they had an expectation and they would have been wondering about
whether or not their expectation would be met. Good readers make guesses all the
time about how a story will continue and they adjust their guesses according to how
the story unfolds.
Learners share their ideas for other ways the story could have ended.
The narrator is the central or main character.
The story is set in a Johannesburg suburb (because there are houses, one with a
swimming pool, there is a corner café, the narrator mentions Sandton City, O.R.
Tambo International Airport and the road between Johannesburg and Pretoria).
The conflict is that each time the narrator dreams about something, it disappears.
The narrator has no control over what is in the dream, so cannot control what
disappears and is afraid that he could cause some serious trouble.
The climax is when we find out that the narrator disappears.
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e
The conflict is resolved by the narrator disappearing. Because he disappears, he
can’t dream about anything so nothing more can disappear. In this story the conflict
and the denouement happen simultaneously.
a
Learners need to think about how they want to resolve the problem in their own
story ending and then write it according to the instructions.
Learners should assess each other’s story endings according to how well they have
followed the instructions: Has the writer included a climax and resolved the conflict
(problem) of having things the narrator dreams about disappear? Has the writer
used the first person narrative voice? Is there a twist in the tail?
b
A Second Look
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Malome Tšitso
“symbol of perfection”
His name means “help” or “guidance”.
It means “my grandmother”.
She is so special to each of the grandchildren that they each want to claim
ownership of her.
Maleboheng and her mother used to be the only women in the family and
they understand and share the difficulties of being a woman (like being
taken for granted, suffering in silence, serving others without thanks).
She works as a domestic servant for white families.
She is twelve years old.
She makes sounds and uses gestures.
money bag
D
with suspicion
Malome (Uncle) Tšitso
It restores her original admiration for him.
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
[18]
Thinking further
1
Yes, the title is appropriate. At the beginning of the story, the narrator has a positive
opinion of her uncles. When her grandmother implies that her uncles will be after her
money when she dies, the narrator is forced to take a second look at her original judgment
of her uncles. Her suspicion of them becomes very disturbing to her. But then her beloved
Malome Tšitso shows that her original view of him was not wrong and so, once again, she
takes a second look. (Learners may argue that the title is not appropriate, but they would
need to supply very good substantiation to make the argument credible.)
2
a
b
3
She asks her to remove some feathers from her special pillow that no one is allowed
to touch, and then to hide her money-bag in it. When she is finished
doing that, she has to replace the feathers and sew the opening closed
before replacing the pillow under Nkono’s head.
Nkhono says that when she dies, her sons (the narrator’s uncles) will
search everywhere for her money and that is why she must hide it.
Learners’ answers will differ. Ideas they could offer are suggested below.
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a
b
c
d
4
“Koala lemati u le notlele!” – Nkono is telling the narrator to close the door and
lock it.
“Ntša senotlolo u bule lekase.” – Nkono is telling the narrator to get the key out of
the chest.
“Bula mokotlana oo u bale chelete eo!” – Nkono is telling the narrator to open the
moneybag and count the money.
It makes the writing more interesting.
By using Sesotho words, the author places the story directly in a South African
context, which makes it more authentic (real). It makes the story richer by giving it
a local flavour.
Learners’ answers will differ. They must give reasons for their opinions.
Assess learners’ letters according to their use of language, coherence and attention to the
details of the instruction. They should follow the format of a friendly letter.
The Awakening of Katie Fortuin
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
She wakes up in 1994.
(1)
Desirée has got very fat / put on a lot of weight.
(1)
She was a cook at Groote Schuur Hospital.
(2)
The narrator’s name is Ricky.
(1)
Katie is his mother’s sister./Katie is his aunt.
(1)
She got more and more tired and then one day fell asleep and slept for
twenty-five years.
(3)
They said it was her way of showing resistance to the Group Areas and
forced removals.
(2)
They believed she would wake up when there was justice.
(1)
They were living in District Six.
(1)
There weren’t enough rooms for Katie to have her own room so Ricky and
his two brothers shared a room with their aunt, Katie. There were no
cupboards for them to store their clothes in, so they kept them in stacked
metal boxes.
(2)
At first she is angry and resentful, believing that Katie is deliberately
trying to make her life miserable. Gradually, however, Desirée’s attitude
towards Katie changes, and she becomes tender and kind in the way she
cares for her. She even tells her to continue sleeping when the family is
forced to leave District Six and move to the Cape Flats.
(3)
He hides in her bed when he is on the run from the government.
(2)
Ricky has married a white girl and he is a coloured man. Katie still thinks
that the laws of the Mixed Marriages Act applies, which prohibited people
of different races from marrying. She thinks that he is breaking this law, and
could get arrested.
(3)
[23]
Thinking further
1
The apartheid laws, such as the Group Areas Act, the Immortality Act and Mixed
Marriages Act, are so deeply offensive to Katie Fortuin that she refuses to accept them or
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Memorandum for Activities for Dream World and other stories ISBN 9780195996517 and 9780195999518 (e-book)
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live according to them. Her long sleep could be seen as passive resistance (refusal to
cooperate) to apartheid. Only when those laws are cancelled (repealed) does she wake up.
2
a
b
Learners’ answers will differ. They need to first list their ideas with a partner and
then discuss with the class whether or not people’s expectations have been met.
Some possible expectations are listed below.

People of all races would be free to socialise and marry.

People would be free to live where they wanted (there would be no
designated group areas).

South Africa would become a just society free of prejudice, racial intolerance
and discrimination.

Everyone would have decent housing and services.

Everyone would have equal access to education.

South Africans will live in peace, building what Archbishop Emeritus
Desmond Tutu calls “the Rainbow Nation”.
It is important to not only identify our successes and failures, but to offer solutions
to our mistakes. The class can discuss citizens’ roles in helping to make democracy
work. Ideas will range from practising tolerance to our neighbours and volunteering
in community initiatives to the importance of voting in a democracy, and might
include specific references to service delivery, and the necessity of ensuring media
freedom. The discussion can be enriched by topical issues from the media.
The Apple of Miss BLAH’s Eye
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Miss Botswana League of Auxiliary Hostesses
(1)
They thought it would be an easy task for her because she wasn’t good at
telling the difference between important and unimportant things any more,
and in their view it didn’t matter who the judges were.
(3)
She had insisted on having sand of a particular colour in the table
arrangements. The right colour sand was so difficult to find that the table
arrangement were not ready an hour before the pageant started.
(2)
The judges needed to have clean fingernails.
(1)
They are confused/baffled/not certain.  “Why this became an issue, no one
could say…”
(2)
She is not slender. She is quite short. Unlike the other girls, who straighten
their hair, she leaves her hair to grow naturally. She doesn’t wear stylish,
fashionable clothes. She doesn’t wear high-heeled shoes. Instead of
wearing a swimsuit in the competition, she wears a traditional
leteise. (Any four)
(4)
She has a beautiful smile that draws people in and makes them feel she is
their friend.
(3)
[16]
Thinking further
1
Unpacking the word “blah” should reveal some insights about literary games and give
learners an appreciation of the fun to be had in exploring clever double meanings.
a
Learners should come up with colloquial sentences, which will probably indicate
boredom at someone talking too much (or something similar) and might include
things like “blahdy blahdy blah” or “blah blah fishcakes”.
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b
c
d
e
f
g
2
a
b
c
d
e
It is more likely to be used when talking to a friend because it is an
informal/colloquial expression.
blah: “used to substitute for actual words where they are felt to be too tedious or
lengthy to give in full” (from Oxford South African Concise Dictionary)
Yes, because the abbreviation BLAH is both an abbreviation of long and boring
words and a substitution of the words “felt to be too tedious or lengthy to give in
full”.
Yes, it is effective because it is funny. The unabbreviated title sounds important,
but the abbreviation has the unintended effect of sounding unimportant and boring.
boring
informal
substitute
tedious
important/unimportant
The theme is about what is important and what is not, and what people value and
whether or not those things are worth valuing. In the story there are repeated
references to things being important or unimportant. There are also many hints that
the things that the organisers regard as important (such as the lack of flowers on the
table being enough to ruin the pageant) are not really so, and that the things they
decide are unimportant (such as who judges the competition) are possibly more
important than they think. In the end, the theme is also about how inner beauty
(represented by Mosetsanagape’s smile) is more important than physical beauty
(the willowy women).
The idiom is “the apple of my eye”. It means something or someone that you
cherish above all others.
Mosetsanagape’s figure
They mean that Mosetsanagape has something to be cherished.
Yes, it is. It means that people can be valued for things other than their physical
beauty.
Learners need to understand that the narrator and the author are not necessarily the
same person and that the narrator’s view is not necessarily the author’s view. The
author chooses who is going to tell or narrate the story and then chooses the
narrator’s tone of voice, the information the narrator gives the reader, the narrator’s
comments and interpretation of events and actions in order to influence the way the
reader understands the story. In other word, through these choices the author
manipulates the reader or positions the reader to think about the story in a certain
way. In this story, the way the narrator says things and the information the narrator
gives us, makes us realise that the author is questioning the accepted view of
beauty. She does that by exploring:

who should be judged as beautiful (Mosetsanagape doesn’t fit the stereotype
of a beauty queen);

who judges whether someone is beautiful or not (“the committee accepted
[the judges] as they knew it made little difference to the success of the event
anyway”);

whose standards of beauty apply (“Today it is decided by a curved thigh,
tomorrow by extra-white teeth…”);

how people’s ideas of beauty change (“Beauty is an odd, changeable thing”);

whether beauty is something that we judge on external appearance or whether
it is something that shines from inside (“people’s conscious minds didn’t
notice the smile. People felt attracted to Mosetsanagape and they decided that
is must be because she was beautiful”);
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Memorandum for Activities for Dream World and other stories ISBN 9780195996517 and 9780195999518 (e-book)
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
f
3
how beauty is an individual quality (“Beauty is…a certain unnoticed smile
that turns everyone it meets into friends”);

how people follow trends (“The next year the willowy girls stayed home and
only the apples crowded the stage”).
This is a class discussion and there are no wrong answers.
Assess learners’ writing on their use of language, organisation of thought and attention to
detail.
The Coffin
Quick questions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Kane Kwei; the coffin maker is Kane Kwei’s grandson.
(2)
“The skin is as soft as a rose petal…” OR “His hand has taken on the look
of the wood over the years, like mahogany with a deep grain.”
(1)
“The skin is as soft as a rose petal…”: Her skin is being compared to a rose
petal. OR “His hand has taken on the look of the wood over the years, like
mahogany with a deep grain”: His hand is being compared to a kind of
wood called mahogany.
(1)
“The skin is as soft as a rose petal…”: The author is suggesting that her skin
is as delicate as a rose petal. [This can also suggest that she has not had to
do manual work.] OR “His hand has taken on the look of the wood over the
years, like mahogany with a deep grain”: The author is suggesting that his
hand is rough and wrinkled and the skin is a reddish-brown colour. [This
can also suggest that he has worked hard with this hands.]
(1)
a chicken
a watch
a jewel box
a string of pearls
(4)
She finally decides to bury him in a pig because he liked bacon, ham and
pork very much.
(1)
He is a jeweller. He is regarded as the best jeweller in the city and
possibly even the country.
(1)
The coffin maker finds the widow very attractive/beautiful and is planning
to visit her. He hopes to marry her/become her lover and have children
with her.
(3)
This is a metaphor.
(1)
The size/body of the woman is being compared to the tiny hole a pin makes
in fabric.
(1)
The image suggests that the coffin maker watches her for a long time, until
she is just a tiny spot in the distance.
(1)
He is daydreaming about the widow and isn’t paying attention to where he
is going, so he turns into a road he has never been down before.
(2)
The jeweller is the woman’s husband. She described to the coffin maker
how he strokes his pocket watch.
(2)
No. His wife has short hair and this woman has long hair.
(2)
[23]
Thinking further
1
She is planning to kill him/have him killed.
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2
This is a slip of the tongue, because her husband is still alive.
3
She is probably crying because her husband has been unfaithful to her.
4
The coffin maker suggests that people should have coffins about the things they loved the
most. By choosing a pig coffin, the woman is implying that he loved pigs – so she is
insulting the female customers who might have had affairs with her husband. Her choice
of a pig is also a way of implying that her husband himself is a pig, and that she does not
respect him.
5
a
b
Adjective
Learners will offer their own opinions, but one would hope that they decide this is
an effective description because a “fat tear” creates a vivid image of the size, shape
and weight of the tears rolling down her cheeks. It also contrasts effectively with
the other descriptions of the woman, which imply how tiny/thin she is – perhaps to
emphasise the extent of her sadness.
6
a
b
c
d
The main characters are the woman and the coffin maker.
The story is set in a coffin maker’s workshop and a city in Ghana.
The conflict is about choosing a suitable coffin for the woman’s late husband.
The climax of the story is when the reader discovers that the woman’s husband is
not dead.
The conflict is not really resolved, because we don’t know if the husband dies or
not. OR The conflict is resolved by the fact that a pig coffin would be a suitable
choice for an unfaithful husband, if he was dead.
e
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