Essay: Stories from the Congo

Stories from the Congo unit was filled with interesting topics like supernatural spirits and stories about animals. But what was the most surprising thing I found in the readings, which separated this unit from the others I have read thus far, is there is a lot of death. Not only did a husband kill his wife in The Wicked Husband but a turtle in The Turtle and The Man killed animals. The reasons for the murders seemed rather miniscule in The Wicked Husband. The husband and wife in the story got into a small fight over how much plum-nuts he had cut for her. After bickering back and fourth, the husband took her to the woods and cut off her legs and arms and left her there to die. I know these are short stories, but I wish there was more information to understand why he would go to such extremes. Maybe he had a drinking problem or anger problem? It was a good story, I just wish the story provided more information on the husband. The other story I wish I had information on was The Three Brothers. In the story, there is a woman who gives birth to three boys but decides she does not want them and decides to leave them. What confused me about the story was the lack of information provided in the beginning. It describes that a family lived on the grass and one of the women had three children. Where I get confused is the second paragraph. It does not specify why the woman did not want the children or even where she placed them. In the paragraph, it says she laid them in the grass but where is that? How far from their village where they placed? It also said they got hungry so the children walked across a river. I thought the woman just had the children and they were still newly born. In the entire unit was good but I wish the author provided some important information.

Afrotemperate Forest by Abu Shawka (2010).