College Essay on
Zenzele
Zenzele, a Letter for My Daughter' is a book full of artistic diversities. J.
Nozipo Maraire, debut novel, covers the entire life with novelty. The
non-conventional and most modern technique of first person narrative form has
added beauty to this true picture of life. It is a complete family story
treating the purity of love, blood and social relations, kinship, womanhood,
change and liberty, people and history with delicacy and highly artistic
touches. The stories in the novel are full of life that has been further
beautified with the color of folklore and traditional wisdom.
The book shows that the daughter Zenzele had planned to move to West from her
native Zimbabwe to get enrolled in a prestigious university. Although, it’s a
mother-daughter story as the motherhood is universal it is the message that
moves everybody. This beautifully written novel has also discussed the very
basic and spiritual question of self, ego and individual identity and
soul-searching. It also throws some light on Zimbabwe’s freedom struggle form
the British, thus unfolding history in the process. The advices to the daughter
on different aspects of life remain tender, effective and powerful right from
the beginning till the end. The strong family bond of Zimbabwean culture is
visible in the work. The familiar stories seem more refreshing, full of beans to
represent reality. In term of diction, it is certainly a trendsetter, very
different from the contemporary style. Every single chapter can be treated as a
single lesson on life ranging from love and hatred to respect and dignity. “Love
is a beautiful, mysterious event, don’t miss it. Be neither too cautious nor too
absorbed”. Look at the above reproduction to estimate the esthetics of the
expression. Dramatic events like not attending school on the persuasion of peer
group, climbing trees and then the guidance provided by the family elders to the
younger generation on their wrongdoings had added maturity to the text.
Amai Zenzele’s father narrates a chilling tale of a young woman who gets tired
of her husband and leaves him for a younger lover. With the support of the new
lover she poisoned her husband and killed her only child. After doing such a
brutish act, her lover rejected her by saying, "upon reaching their paradise,
after a few years she will not open her ears to another lover's charm and poison
him." After telling the story, the final advice from Zenzele’s father came as a
beautiful piece of wisdom “my daughter, you will meet many men in life. Allow
none to tempt you to abandon your principles. Follow what is right. You are a
strong girl; let no one break you. There is no man in the world that is worth
our dignity. Do not confuse self-sacrifice with love."
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