Genre
Fiction / Young Adult
Setting and Context
Modern-day in a fictional African city, Bonang
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Chanda;
Point of View: First-person
Tone and Mood
Hopeful, heartbreaking but also mildly joyful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Chanda; Antagonist: The AIDS epidemic and its stigma in society.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is the secrets in the family that Chanda has to bear while her respect and love for those close to her are tested at every turn. The HIV epidemic is at the root of the conflict as it is the basis for the stigma and prejudice in this society.
Climax
The climax in the story reaches when Chanda finds out that her mother Lilian is suffering from AIDS.
Foreshadowing
Esther contracting HIV is foreshadowed in the conversations she has with Chanda about warning her against the risks in her line of work.
Understatement
“Suppose I do get AIDS. Suppose I die. So what? It can’t be worse than this. Now get out of my way. I have work to do.”
Allusions
The narrative alludes to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in developing countries and the stigma that surrounds the illness and its victims.
Imagery
“But I also remember how the rains came in summer, the rivers ran, and overnight the reeds and grasses would spring up over our heads, and the cattle would graze untended while we played hide-and-seek. The cattle always knew when it was time to return to the enclosure, and how to get there. Us kids weren’t so lucky. Getting lost in the grass was easy, so we learned how to recognize the top of each tree for miles around; they were our street signs.”
Paradox
n/a
Parallelism
n/a
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“And best of all, reggae and hip-hop from the Lesoles’ boom box.”
Personification
“I yanked the chain, the waterfall roared”
