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    Home»English»ENGLISH – Novel – SPARED
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    ENGLISH – Novel – SPARED

    January 3, 202017 Mins Read
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    SPARED

    Author: Severine N. Ndunguru
    Setting: Tanzania and Sweden
    Publisher: Mkuki na Nyota

    Year: 2004


    INTRODUCTION

    Spared is a thriller. The story
    unfolds as two Tanzanian officials, Tom and Chris, discuss about an approaching
    official mission to Sweden. While in Sweden, Tom hangs out with Linda, the
    daughter of a Swedish multi-millionaire. The two are abducted by the thugs, but
    later Tom is set free. To rescue Linda, Chris tries and pleases two
    sharp-shooters hidden in Abisko National Parkand in control of powerful
    telescopic rifles.

    The story reveals how Tanzanian officials betray the majority of
    Tanzanians by working for the interests of European imperialists; and use their
    positions to accumulate wealth. Indeed this is unforgettable story, well
    crafted, well written and pleasure to read.

    CHARACTERIZATION

    Talking about a character we talk about a person in a story.
    Characters in this novel, Spared are not real but are there to
    demonstrate different roles played by different people in our society. Through
    the characters found in this novel, the author, S.N. Ndunguru has
    succeeded to uncover different evils done by some leaders to whom we gave our
    trust and let them represent us in different governmental issues.

    Together with Chris Mayesa and Tom Nyirenda who are the main
    characters, this novel incorporates many other characters who to their parts
    they have contributed successfully to make the entire thing.

    Some of these characters can be described as follows:

    Chris Mayesa (Chris)

    He is the principal of the Institute of Land Development (ILD) and
    the former professor at the University of Dar es Salaam.

    Chris is a brave and lucky man who believes in power of prayers
    whenever he is in a risky mission. Prayers make him rescue Linda from the hands
    of abductors at Abisko National Park; and also prayers makes him spared
    miraculously from bomb blast at Ngindo Hotel.

    Chris represents the group of people who feel pity when their
    friends are in difficulty situations; and who are ready to sacrifice their
    lives so as to save their friends from difficulty situations.

    Tom Nyirenda (Tom)

    He is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands and
    Environment and the former commissioner of mines, the position which he later
    reclaims after the mission in Sweden. He is also the chairman of the Institute
    of Land Development (ILD) Board Meeting.

    Tom represents the corrupt leaders who work for the interests of
    European imperialists; and who use their positions to accumulate as much wealth
    as possible while the majority they lead are living in extreme poverty.



    Hon. Peter Msokonde

    He is the Minister of Lands and Environment and the former student
    of Chris Mayesa at the University of Dar es Salaam. He later loses his position
    as the Minister of Lands and environment and become an ordinary ‘tax bubu’ driver
    although he regards himself as a tour operator, a title which carried a little
    more esteem.

    He collaborates with Van Meer and Claus Schuller to bomb down
    Ngindo Hotel, the act which led the three of them to face life sentence in
    prison.

    Msokonde represents the corrupt leaders who misuse their power by
    making different decisions unlawful so as to favor their friends.

    Professor David Chambakare

    He is a political refugee from Kondowe to Tanzania who works as a
    Chief Academic Officer at the Institute of Land Development (ILD); and the
    competent professor in mathematics department. His marital life and different
    political dangers he had gone through in Kondowe led him to the heavy drinking
    habit so as to reduce frustration. Chambakare lost his wife, Tsala in the hands
    of Mr. Mwampakati, one among the top officials of the ruling party – Kondowe
    People’s Party (KPP). He also lost his job as a professor at the University of
    Kondowe; and he sent to prison after being known to the authority that he is
    organizing a movement to overthrow the government.

    Tsala Chambakare

    She is the wife of Prof. David Chambakare. Tsala betrayed her
    husband, Prof. Chambakare by eloping with Mr. Mwampakati, one among the top
    officials of KPP.

    Tsala represents the women in the society who are not faithful to
    their husbands.

    Mr. Mwampakati

    He is one of the top officials of Kondowe ruling party, KPP. He
    eloped with Tsala, Chambakare’s wife when Chambakare was in prison.

    Mr. Martin Wickman

    He is a well known Swedish multi-millionaire who owns mining
    companies in Africa as well as in South America. Mr. Wickman uses Tom as a
    commissioner of mines to acquire and control mining companies in Tanzania.

    Mr. Martin Wickman represents some European imperialists who use
    corrupt leaders to exploit wealth in developing countries.

    Linda Wickman

    She is the daughter of the Swedish multi-millionaire, Martin
    Wickman. She is also the chairperson of Wickman’s company meetings.

    Linda was kidnapped with Tom by the people who betrayed by her
    father, Mr. Wickman; but she later rescued by Chris.

    Hon. Shedrick Yalomba
    He is the Member of Parliament representing Uyanja in Mbinga
    district who later appointed to be the Minister of Lands, Water and Minerals.
    He is very vocal Member of Parliament before he becomes a minister and he
    probably given the ministry so as to silence him from his continuous criticism
    to the government.
    Gustav Hanson

    He is Wickman’s Land Surveyor who helped Mr. Wickman to open gold
    mines in Lukalasi and Mpepo.

    He collaborates with Goran Frisk and Peter Lindberg to kidnap
    Linda Wickman so as to make Mr.

    Wickman pay for the betrayal he made to them by throwing them out
    of the company.

    Van Meer

    He is a South African Businessman. He collaborated with Peter
    Msokonde and Claus Schuller to bomb Ngindo hotel so that for the immediate
    future the Ngindo Island might be abandoned as a dangerous place, thus leaving
    room for them to try and acquire it easily.

    THEMES

    Corruption

    Corruption  is  an 
    act  of  being dishonest  in  operations  which 
    affect  interests  of  the  public.

    Corruption also includes exploitation of power for personal gain.

    In the novel, Tom is seen as corrupt because he
    makes decisions in the government without considering the welfare of the
    majority he leads. This can be clearly shown when he gives mining contracts to
    the Wickmans for his personal gains.

    Hon Peter Msokonde is also corrupt as he uses his
    power to influence his subordinates issue land tittles to his friends while he
    knows quite well that the plots are either in open spaces in city master plan
    or are already issued to other people. As he says, “Don’t mind what they say
    about double
     allocation. Give him a plot and we can advise the
    President to revoke the other man’s title….” 
    (Page 79) Also he is
    corrupt because he wants to sell illegally Ngindo Island to his friend, Van
    Meer.

    Mr. Oswald Mkangama is also corrupt because he
    accepts the offer by Tom and therefore he persuades the President to favor Tom
    and make him a commissioner of mines.

    Betrayal

    Betrayal may simply means “going
    against promise”. It may also refers to harm or being unfaithful to
    a country or another person by helping an enemy or giving information that is
    confidential. In this novel we see betrayal in the following ways:

    Betrayal committed by Tom Nyirenda to
    his country, Tanzania, by working for the interest of European
    imperialist, Martin Wickman for his own benefit. We see how Tom betrays his
    country by signing fake mining contracts with Mr. Wickman the thing which
    enables Mr. Wickman to acquire mining companies in Tanzania especially gold
    mines at Mpepo and Lukalasi in Mbinga district; and ruby mines at Matombo and
    Mahenge in Morogoro and Ulanga districts. Also Tom betrays his
    country as he uses public funds to travel to Sweden to finalize his connections
    with Wickman.

    Betrayal also had shown by Tsala to her
    huband Chambakare when she left him and elopes with Mwampakati the
    thing which frustrates Mr. Chambakare and make him drink heavily.

    Claus Schuller also betrayed his colleagues
    Msokonde and Meer when he revealed their bombing mission and mentioned their
    names to the police officers.

    Mr. Martin Wickman also betrayed workers, the
    land surveyor, Gustav Hanson and mining engineers, Peter Lindberg and Goran
    Frisk by buying their shares and throw them out of the company. This thing
    makes them angry; and they abducts Linda so as to make Mr. Wickman pay.

    Nepotism

    Nepotism is favoritism shown by somebody in power to relatives and
    friends, especially in appointing them to good positions or by giving them some
    privileges whether they deserve or not. In the novel, the appointment of Peter
    Msokonde and Shedrick Yalomba as ministers has some sort of favoritism because
    they both lacked qualities of being ministers; and instead Shedrick Yalomba is
    appointed in order to silence him form his continuous criticism to the
    government; and Peter Msokonde is appointed simply because he had been noticed
    by ruling party bosses as a political activist among University students.
    Msokonde’s appointment does not regard either his age, education or his
    experience.

    Also we see how Msokonde orders his subordinates to give plots to
    his friends although they do not deserve. We can see this when Msokonde orders
    Tom by saying, “Ensure he gets the plot. He’s my close friend….”
    (Page 79)

    In the novel also we see how Mr. Oswald Mkangama favors Tom by
    persuading the President to post Tom as a commissioner of mines simply because
    Tom had promised to

    include Mr. Mkangama in the board of Wickman’s company.

    Hypocrisy

    In question, hypocrisy is the act of pretending
    to have some moral standards or beliefs that you do not really have.

    In the novel, Spared, Tom is hypocrite as
    he pretends to serve the government while he is actually works for the
    interests of European imperialist; and also he is there to enrich himself with
    the posts entrusted to him.

    Peter Msokonde is also hypocrite as he pretends
    to feel sorry for the removal of Tom from the Ministry of Lands and Environment
    while he is the one who told the President to punish Tom for what he did in
    Sweden.

    Tsala Chambakare is also hypocrite as she
    pretends to love her husband David Chambakare while she is eloping with Mr.
    Mwampakati.

    Exploitation

    We can define the term exploitation as the practice of taking
    selfish or unfair advantage of a person or situation, usually for personal gain
    and without paying proper benefit for it.

    Martin Wickman is seen as an exploiter since he exploits the
    people who work for him. We see how he exploits Gregesen by using his man power
    without raising his salary; also we see how Mr. Wickman exploits Gustav and his
    colleagues in his mining companies, the thing which makes them decide to kidnap
    Linda so as to get their due.

    We see also how Mr. Wickman takes advantage of poverty in the
    country to exploit the available resources, especially in Tanzania.

    Love
    Love can be defined as the feeling of tender affection for
    somebody such as a close relative or friend, or for something such as a place,
    an ideal, or even to an animal. When showing love one may be sincere (true) or
    insincere (hypocritical).
    In this novel we can see both sincere and insincere love.

    Sincere love is shown by Chris
    Mayesa when he is ready to sacrifice his life so as to save life of his
    friends. We can see how Chris sacrifices his life so as to rescue Linda from
    the hands of abductors at Abisko National Park. Also we can see how Chris
    fights with all his heart so as to save the life of his friend, Tom when he was
    attacked by lung cancer. In this novel, Spared we can see how
    Chris feels sympathy and sorrow for the misfortune of others; something which
    makes him act out of love and compassion.

    Sincere love is also shown by
    Prof. David Chambakare to his wife Tsala as he forgives her and forgets
    all the pain she caused to him; and agrees to take her as his wife again.

    Insincere love in this novel has
    shown by Tsala Chambakare to her husband David Chambakare as she
    leaves him alone and elopes with another man, Mwampakati.

    Also insincere love is shown by Tom Nyirenda as
    he betrays his country by pretending to serve the government while he is
    actually working for the interest of the European imperialists; and enrich
    himself.

    Religious belief

    Shortly, belief refers to a vague idea in which some confidence is
    placed. In this novel we see how Chris places his confidence in prayers
    especially when he is in a risky mission. Chris prays to his God to protect him
    and make him strong before and when he is about to rescue Linda from the hands
    of abductors by reciting Psalm 121 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the
    hills…. from whence
    comes my help? My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and
    earth”……. “The Lord shall

    preserve thee from all evils; he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord
    shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in form this time forth, and even
    for evermore.” 
    (Page 51) Prayer makes Chris strong and
    successful to every mission he commits.

    Patriotism

    Patriotism is simply means love of country and willingness to
    sacrifice for it. One is considered to be a patriot as he is a proud supporter
    or defender of his/her country and its way of life.

    In the novel we see how Prof. David Chambakare fight with all his
    heart so as to make sure his country, Kondowe is having a democratically
    installed government. We see how Chambakare passes through different political
    dangers by organizing a movement to overthrow the dictatorial government in
    Kondowe the thing which makes him sent to prison, loose his job and his wife.
    Chambakare is doing all these out of love for his country. On other side of the
    coin we see how Tanzanian leaders lack patriotism and use their positions for
    their own gain.

    Sacrifice

    If you like you may refer sacrifice as an act of
    giving up of something valuable (even life) for somebody or something else
    considered being of more value or importance.

    In the novel we see how Chris sacrifices his life
    so as to rescue Linda from the hands of abductors at Abisko National Park inSweden.
    Chris knows well that the assignment of rescuing Linda may cost his life; but
    accompanied by prayers he is ready to undertake the risk so as to arescue Linda;

    as he says “I
    have made up my mind to carry out this assignment. I have an inner certitude
    that he
     who
    made heaven and earth will preserve me.” 
    (Page 51)
    Also we see how Prof. David Chambakare sacrifices his
    life as he endangers his life by organizing a movement to overthrow the
    dictatorial government in his country. Although his acts lead him to lose his
    job, his wife, send him to prison and later become a political refugee in
    Tanzania, someday Chambakare returns to Kondowe, and ensures that the
    democratic government is installed in Kondowe.

    Conflict

    Conflict is a disagreement between people
    which leads to some sort of misunderstanding.

    As we can see in this novel conflict occurs
    between the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands and Environment, Tom
    Nyirenda and his minister, Hon. Peter Msokonde as the result of their
    differences in interests.

    Also there is conflict between Mr. Wickman and
    his workers, Gustav, Goran and Lindberg which resulted to the abduction of
    Linda.

    We can see also political conflicts at Kondowe
    where David Chambakare had a quarrel with the authority, the thing which makes
    him become a political refugee in Tanzania.

    Terrorism

    Terrorism may simply refer to an act of using force in order to
    achieve a certain desired goal.

    Terrorism may include bombing, kidnapping, and assassination.

    In this novel terrorism is witnessed when Gustav and his
    colleagues force payment from Mr.

    Wickman by kidnapping her daughter, Linda at Abisko National Park
    in Sweden.

    Also terrorism is witnessed when Msokonde collaborated with Van
    Meer, the South African investor and Claus Schuller so as to bomb Ngindo Hotel
    in Ngindo Island.

    The position of woman

    The author of this novel has portrayed a woman in different ways
    as follows:

    First, the author has described a woman as a good family keeper;
    as we can see how Susan treated her husband Tom; and how she took care of him
    when he was sick.

    Second, the author has shown us the strength of woman on
    supervising different projects successfully; as we can see how Linda Wickman
    chaired Wickman’s Company meetings successfully; and through her good
    supervision, the company operates profitably.

    Third, the author has portrayed a woman as weak creature who
    controlled by men. This can be clearly shown by Tsala Chambakare who is first
    married to Chambakare, and then to Mwampakati, then she comes back to
    Chambakare. This act of changing men shows us how Tsala lacks a stand and leave
    a room for men to control her life.

    Use of Literary
    Devices in Spared

    The major literary devices appeared in this novel are point of view, dialogue
    and

    exclamation.


    (i) Point of View

    The author uses the first person point of view techniques in this
    novel, wherein the story is told by the narrator from his or her
    standpoint. For example, the following sentence in the story is built by
    the first person pronoun:
    “I dutifully obeyed and re-entered the cabin.
    This, of course, was

    a step I had not anticipated in the scenario I
    had committed to

    memory” (p. 55).
    The point of view manipulates the reader’s understanding of the
    narrative and determines the angle or perception of the unfolding story,
    and thus influences the tone under which the story takes place.

    (ii) Dialogue

    In this story dialogue is commonly used:

    “Did you once tell me you taught him?” Tom
    asked.
    “Yeah, for three years during his undergraduate
    Course”
    “How did you rate him?” (p. 3).
    “You say he called you by your first name?”
    Tom asked incredulously.
    “Yes, I was surprised beyond measure”
    “And he said he was the one who gave me the
    money?”
    “Yes”
    “And he said you should say “Hallo” to me?”
    “That is exactly what he said”
    “Couldn’t you tell who he was from his voice?”
    (p. 62).
    “His boss”, she said, “How did you like that?”
    “That what?”
    “Me being fondled by that while man”
    “Which white man?” (p. 118).

    The use of dialogue in this story help the reader to embrace the
    characters. Ndunguru uses a lot of dialogue at least in each chapter. For
    example on (p. 62) Tom Nyirenda narrates the story of his adventure to
    Chris so as to horrify him.

    (iii) Exclamation

    Exclamations such as Good Lord, no! (p. 26), are
    used by Chris when he narrates the story of the woman who is with Tom, and
    how she was kidnapped before him, so Peter worried that Tom might have
    died. More over “Good
    gracious
    !” on (p. 60) said by Chris to show sympathy to Tom that he is
    not praying. But due to problem he prayed. “Damn
    you!” 
    on (p. 136) is used by Mr. Van Meer when lamenting to Claus after
    having caught at the airport for his terrorism against Tom and Chris’ hotel.
    Exclamation words one used by the author impress the action which
    has happened, hence the reader’s interest is around.
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