Literature-In-English Paper 2 WASSCE (PC), 2023

Question 3  ALEX AGYEI-AGYIRI: Unexpected Joy at Dawn

How did Mama Orojo’s journeys advance the plot of the novel?

Observation

This question is about how Mama Orojo’s journeys contribute to the advancement of the plot of the novel.
Candidates were expected to discuss the following:

  • Relation to the theme of social dysfunction. Other sub-themes include corruption, illicit dealings, trickery, opportunism, xenophobia, etc.
  • The character identification of Mama Orojo.
  • Mama Orojo’s major journeys
  • She journeys from Ghana with her grandfather and father to Nigeria. Her father unfortunately dies on the way during the aliens’ deportation decree by Ghana.
  • Mama Orojo journeys back to Ghana in search of her separated brother, Moses Nii Tackie.
  • Mama Orojo returns to Nigeria from Ghana without finding Moses Nii Tackie.

 

  • Mama Orojo’s encounters/experiences during her journeys:
  • She meets I-Put-it-to-me and gets swindled by him. She goes to the police station at Accra and reports her misfortune.
  • She deceives the security agents at the airport by concealing her money inside her Bible.
  • At the Airport, she is told to be careful of xenophobia in Ghana.
  • She ventures into gold business when she meets Joe.
  • She learns of Nii’s wife’s illness from other tenants on her visit to his former apartment.
  • Mama Orojo laments Nii’s loss and the way the nurses portray him as irresponsible.
  • Significance of the Journeys: the journeys end in a family reunion between Mama Orojo and Moses Nii Tackie. The journeys serve as a vehicle of transformation in the life of Joe. He decides after meeting Orojo, to leave the world of crime and find a responsible business. The journeys reveal the courage of Mama Orojo and her shrewdness in business.

Candidates’ efforts here were commendable.