Reading Notes: Stories from Congo, Reading A

Notes. In How Wives Restored Their Husband, the third wife knew how to bring her husband back, but why did she and the other wives wait on him to kill food? Perhaps, it was probably their gender roles at the time.

In How Nsassi (Gazelle) Got Married, I was amazed at the dog’s and Nsassi’s forgetfulness. Figuring out the girls’ names in order to marry them was an interesting idea. My grandma has said that people named their girls “Forget it” in my language, so that when boys ask for their names, they’ll say “forget it.” And then, they won’t be able to ‘know’ their name and perhaps forget about them.

The Vanishing Wife was an interesting read, and it was unfortunate. I could write a story about the wife’s background. She could be a fish who fell in love with him, which is why she didn’t want to see a fish’s head. And then in the end, she would return just as Buite’s brother, Swarmi, was talking to Buite. Then, Buite will treat his brother the same way he was treated.

The Wicked Husband was gruesome like the story before it. What they did is surreal. They used the husband as fuel to a fire that dried the wife. It is quite unbelievable. This could be a story that I write. I could go into depth of the song the wife sang, and change some details. 

 (Blades of grass: Web Source)

In Twin Brothers, I liked how the blades of grass could be changed into different objects. I could probably use this idea with another story. Also, I liked how the charm was able to aid him. I loved how the twin brother who didn’t die, Luemba, did not do anything to Mavungu’s, his brother, wife, but instead he had his charm take her out and return her later. As I read, I thought his brother died and would never come back to life, but he saved him! And then, the twist, brother killing each other, was exciting and surprising!

Bibliography. Stories from Congo by R. E. Dennett; link to reading online.