Rites of Passage & "The Setting Sun and the Rolling World"

Poll

How are you feeling?

Understanding Vocabulary

rite (noun) - a ceremonial act that may also have religious affiliation

rites are also known to symbolize an initiation (the act of beginning/entering a new stage)

Understanding Vocabulary

A rite of passage is a ceremonial event that marks the passage from one social or religious status to another. It marks an important change in a person's life

Multiple Select

Using your prior knowledge | When reading a story about a rite of passage, which characteristics must be included? (select all that apply)

• Tells a story about maturity

• Reveals something new about the main character

• Shows growth and maturity

• Teaches a lesson about the past

Birth Rites

- Baptism (sprinkling the body or dipping the body in water to symbolize protection and purification)

- Baby showers

- Naming Ceremonies (Many Hindu parents decide on the first letter of the child’s name by reading the astrological signs at the time of the birth and choosing a name that matches these signs)

- Mother Roasting (In South Asia and Indonesia - the mother is placed near a fire for a few days for therapeutic value and to protect the mother from evil influences)

Marriage Rites

- Many African-American newlyweds celebrate participate in jumping the broom (the bride and groom join hands and jump over a broomstick symbolizing the newlyweds are defying evil together in their new marriage)

- Exchanging wedding rings

- For many Hindu newlyweds, the bride and groom place flower garlands around each other’s necks, symbolising an unbroken circle to show eternal union. 

Initiation Rites

- Graduating high school or college

- Moving out of one's childhood home

- Joining a fraternity or sorority

- Voting for the first time

- Joining the military

- Quinceanera

- Bat Mitzvah

- Earning a driver's liscence

Death Rites

- Funerals in Islam include dressing the deceased in white linen before burial

- In Judaism, Halakha is a rite that requires the deceased to be dressed in a kittel [white linen robe] and aa tallit [fringed shawl]

- In many Western [American] cultures, the deceased is dressed in their best clothes, and makeup is applied to replicate liveliness.

- Viewing (the deceased friends and family hold a prayer service where the deceased lay in an open or closed casket)

Multiple Choice

Why are rites of passage ceremonies so significant?

• They remind people of their past

• They help people express religious views

• They mark important changes in a person's life

• They give society laws and rules to follow

Multiple Choice

Which type of rite does the following demonstrate? Losing a tooth

• Birth Rite

• Initiation Rite

• Marriage Rite

• Death Rite

Multiple Choice

Which type of rite does the following demonstrate? Turning 21-years-old

• Birth Rite

• Initiation Rite

• Marriage Rite

• Death Rite

Multiple Choice

Which type of rite does the following demonstrate? Baptism

• Birth Rite

• Initiation Rite

• Marriage Rite

• Death Rite

Multiple Choice

Which type of rite does the following demonstrate? Having your first child with your new spouse

• Birth Rite

• Initiation Rite

• Marriage Rite

• Death Rite

Multiple Choice

Which type of rite does the following demonstrate? Graduating middle school

• Birth Rite

• Initiation Rite

• Marriage Rite

• Death Rite

Multiple Choice

Which type of rite does the following demonstrate? Writing a eulogy

• Birth Rite

• Initiation Rite

• Marriage Rite

• Death Rite

Charles Mungoshi, author of "The Setting Sun and the Rolling World"

Mungoshi (born 1947) is a Zimbabwean writer. He grew up working on his father's farm, where the time he spent alone inspired him to start creating stories. He writes in both English and Shona, one of the main languages spoken in Zimbabwe. His works have won the International PEN Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize.

Open Ended

What do you think - is it necessary for a young person to move out of their childhood home in order to fully mature?

Explain your opinion.

Proverbs in "The Setting Sun and the Rolling World"

• A proverb is a short saying that is often one sentence in length

• Proverbs are often metaphorical so as to create a visual and emotional appeal

• Proverbs can convey wisdom, truth, a discovery of ideas, and life lessons

Proverbs in African Literature

African authors often use many proverbs throughout their writing because they:

- are an integral part of African culture

- help dispel the belief that African people are barbaric and uneducated

Proverbs are not limited to African culture

All around the world, societies have used proverbs the same way Africans use them

Multiple Choice

What does the following proverb mean? Beggars can't be choosers

• If you are poor, you don't deserve to have good things

• If you are in a disadvantaged situation, and someone offers you help then you can't complain or expect more

• If you have money, you should be careful how you spend it so that you don't end up poor

Multiple Choice

What does the following proverb mean? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

• Beauty looks differently to different people

• You have to have two eyes in order to be considered beautiful

• Only those considered beautiful can judge others

Multiple Choice

What does the following proverb mean? Don't count your chickens before they hatch

• It is important to be watchful of which friends are loyal and disloyal

• If you are a farmer, you should wait until your chickens are hatched before selling them

• Don't make plans based on success before it even happens

Multiple Choice

What does the following proverb mean? If you play with fire, you'll get burned

• If you get involved with something dangerous, you'll probably experience negative consequences

• You should be careful in the kitchen when cooking over a hot stove

• If you don't work towards your goals, you will never reach your fullest potential

Multiple Choice

What does the following proverb mean? No man is an island

• No one is truly capable of becoming too overweight

• No one is truly capable of living alone; we need human connection to be healthy

• No one is truly as exotic as we perceive them to be; we're all the same on the inside

Task for reading "The Setting Sun and the Rolling World"

As we read, you will be tasked with making sense of the proverbs used throughout the story in order to:

- understand the characters

- understand the developing conflict

- identify the possible resolutions

-identify how the young protagonist will face a rite of passage