Mzee Owitti

Jacqui Nyangi Owitti is 12 years old. His five brothers and He travel with his mother on the overnight train from Nairobi to Kisumu because his grandfather has died. When they reach his ancestry town, they rent a car and go through the rural road. There are many people who come to honor his family when he gets to his grandfather’s land. Jacqui’s mother starts to cry in the way he has never seen her before. The wailing and mourning continue for a couple of days, and then they start to take his grandfather from the mortuary to his resting place. The funeral is held traditionally and a big bull is led toward to his grandfather. He enters the room. He sees his grandfather and feels that he is not dead, but he sees cotton stuffed into his mouth and realizes that he is dead. Now, he feels the pain and cries.

Response He didn’t feel it personally until he saw his grandfather. I think, because it was his first time losing someone he loved. I don’t know how he felt because no one that I love died has died. More than 10 years ago, my grandfather died, but I was never close to him. I didn’t know him well. Of course, I felt sad, but it wasn’t like how he felt in this narrative. Recently, my grandmother passed away and I knew my mom felt really sad, but she tried not to show it. I don’t know why. She said that it feels like she is still alive.

I wasn’t much sad this time either, but what made me sad was that my mom was sad.

Quotation         “He is smiling-a radiant, unforgettable smile.” I think this is well written. It offers really strong images about how he remembers and misses...