HOW PLOT IS SHOWN IN THE PLAY OF THIS TIME TOMORROW

PLOT 

Is a literary term defined as the events that make up a story, particularly as they relate to one another in a pattern, in a sequence, through cause and effect, how the reader views the story, or simply by coincidence.(Obstfeld, 2002) 

Plot is the deliberately sequence organized and arrangement of scenes and episodes so as to yield logical flow of events in Drama.It is a literary term that is used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of the story, these events relate to each other in a pattern or sequence.

There are two types of plot which are simple plot and double plot whereby simple plot is the plot in which a straight forward situation is presented without complication means direct chain of events. Whereas double plot is the plot whereby two stories or more precede together throught out the play where one is major and other sub plot.( Polkaing,1990) 

CONFLICT

Conflict is what makes up the story, it refers to the misunderstanding, clashes, quarrels between people due to some differences in interest or ideas, conflict can lead into negative changes such as disunity, enmity and underdevelopment. It can also lead to positive changes like nature of treatment examples the government.(Nikolajeva,2005) .see more

Is an inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces. Conflict creates tension and interest in a story by adding doubt as to the outcome.

1. HOW PLOT IS SHOWN IN THE PLAY OF THIS TIME TOMORROW

In the play of “This Time Tomorrow” written by Ngugi Wathiong’o in 1970, at Uhuru Market in Kenya, the plot used is simple plot as the event are straight forward and presented without complication. The play also is a three act play whereby it has exposition, turning point and resolution.

The play starts in act one the exposition were the Journalist is seen writing an article about the life after independence in Kenya where the freedom fighters are seen to have hopes that after getting independence they should get jobs, land and a better life. But after independence tings change the new government of their fellow black leaders betrays the masses especially the freedom fighters such as Njango’s husband, Stranger, Shoe maker and others. The minorities took the opportunity and begin to enjoy the national cake and those who fought for freedom like the shoe maker and Stranger are left to suffer and hence living a poor life. The Shoe maker is earning his living by repairing shoes and stays in the slums, we also see the family of heroes who died in the forest like Njango and her daughter Wanjiro suffer terribly. They are living in the slums and engage in petty business of selling soup so as to be able to survive. The playwright goes on showing the living condition of the people in shanty town or slums. The people in the slums at Uhuru market are in poor condition, the environment is filthy and the government has forgotten them despite the important role they played in fighting for Uhuru.

In the act two which is a turning point the government wants to demolish or destroy the slums were they say that the place is dirty and looks filthy in the eyes of the visitors who came from metropolitan countries such as America. Inspector Kiongo is heard saying “Clean the City Campaign Starts, by twelve o’clock today this slums must be demolished. They are great shame on our city tourist from America, Britain and West Germany is disgusted”. The playwright continue to show that the government goes on with the move to demolish the slums without show the slum dwellers were to go to settle Kiongo says that “this is Inspector Kiongo of the city council health department. I remind all those that dwell in this place that today was the date I gave your last delegation. A month is now over” at the same time the dwellers are sitting in gathering trying to figure what to do so as their slums will not be demolished. Stranger organizes meetings with the slum dwellers and start to organize demonstration whereby it becomes that no one is able to fight against the city council, the Shoe maker says “it is not that I don’t want to move, but the government should give me the place to go”, in the same act things between Njango and her daughter Wanjiro are not in a good state as Wanjiro is tired of the slums and the poor living condition she wants better life, she wants to dress decently like other rich girls she is in conflict with her mother and also has an intrapersonal conflict also the city is full of people who cheat other people especially young men cheating girls and abandoning them and later they throw them in the trenches and live them to die like animals. In the slums there are informal activities like food vending such as selling soup by Njango’s and Wanjiro as they heard saying “soup for twenty cents. Soup to build bones” making jembes and pangas by tinsmith and repairing shoes by the Shoe maker. Unemployment and poor living caused by poverty like that of Njango and her daughter Wanjiro are sharing the floor as bed. And also Wanjiro is seen having an affair with a man called Asinjo, Asinjo advices Wanjiro to come with him in the city and leave her mother in the slums she is in hesitations as she says;

Wanjiro: Oh Asinjo! I would like that very much. But my mother!

Asinjo: “My mother! My mother! You are not a child any longer. You can’t let an old woman go on shutting you away from the good things of life…….” (pg 45)

All this happens because Njango the mother of Wanjiro do not want Asinjo to marry her daughter because of his tribe so the only way Asinjo thinks of having Wanjiro is to take her without the approval of her mother.

The playwright shows us of resolution this is seen in demolition of the slums despite the protest staged by the slum dwellers the government goes on with plan to demolish the shanty houses. It sends the police and bulldozers to pull down the shanty houses at Uhuru market. The Stranger is protesting the demolition of slums he tells the crowd who are the slum dwellers that “we want our homes, we love them. Unless the City Council shows us another place to go, where we can earn our bread we shall not lift a finger to demolish our homes! I go further, we must defend our own!” (pg 47), the Police officer gives order for Stranger to be arrested Police officer says; “Come! Take him away. Men!” the Stranger is arrested and set to detention camp that is shot dead, because he was trying to explain how they struggled for independence. Back to Njango and Wanjiro, Wanjiro is approaching her mother and tell her she is going away with Asinjo with becomes very hard for Njango to accept and they start quarrelling but despites of everything Wanjiro leaves and left her mother alone. Wanjiro says; “I am old enough to look after myself. I am going now. Asinjo is waiting for me. Goodbye mother” after Wanjiro left Kiongo enters but Njango does not hear him, he tells her to hurry up as the slums are demolished and he goes out still shouting orders, then we hear Njango lamenting in disillusionment “they are heading us out like cattle where shall I go now, tonight? Where shall I be, this time tomorrow? If only we had stood up against them! If only we could stand together!” the government has shown brutality against the people by implementing the discussion so fast without giving time to people to organize themselves so that they can move comfortably, the playwright tell us that “ then bulldozer whine to crescendo, and resultant crash as hut is pushed down. Then silence”.

2. CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY

In this play “This Time Tomorrow” conflict has been depicted or portrayed through various characters who take actions which has made the play to take three plot stages

Conflict between the Youths and the Elders

There is a misunderstanding between the young people who after the modern life and people like Njango who are still conservative. The differences in interests’ leads to misunderstanding, for example Njango dislikes dressing like white people while her daughter does. Another conflict that rises among Wanjiro and Njango is about school, clothes and bad language used by Wanjiro to her mother. Wanjiro tells her mother; “mother you mock me with your talk of clothes and school, where is my brother? You sent him to my uncle so that he might attend school, where are the clothes that you buy me?”

Another conflict occurs when Wanjiro tells her mother that she wants to marry Asinjo, a man from another tribe this annoys her and Wanjiro is not happy for her mother for preventing her, also Asinjo and Njango, Asinjo wants to marry Wanjiro but Njango refuses this and chase him away with her wild tongue. Njango tells her daughter; “A man from another tribe? Do you know what men of the city are, have you not heard o women left in the gutter? Women stabbed and left to die in the streets?”

Conflict between the Slum Dwellers and the City Council

The Slum Dwellers and the City Council are in conflict because of differences in their interests and make misunderstanding. The Slum Dwellers want to stay in the slum while the city council wants the slum to be demolished so as to clean the city. The slum dwellers are saying “I didn’t know they were so determined to punish us, they cannot destroy our homes” and Kiongo from city council says that “Clean the City, Campaign begins today”

Conflict between the Police Officers and the Stranger.

The police are in bad term with the stranger because he makes people to be involved violence and civil disobedience. Hence the police officer arrest him by saying in the name of our new Republic, you are arrested.The Stranger was organizing people to demonstrate the demolishing of the slums he says “we want our homes, we love them. Unless the City Council shows us another place to go, where we can earn our bread we shall not lift a finger to demolish our homes! I go further, we must defend our own!” (pg 47), and the police officer arrests him.

Intra – Personal conflict (Inner- Person conflict)

Wanjiro is unhappy with the state of not going to school while her brother has gone. She is also unhappy with the poor life in the slums, whereby she does not have good clothes unlike other girls in the city. She wants to be with Asinjo but her mother is preventing her. So poverty in the slums makes Wanjiro hate living there and she wants to move from that place. And at the end o act three she decides and leave with Asinjo as she tell her mother ““I am old enough to look after myself. I am going now. Asinjo is waiting for me. Goodbye mother” and she left.

2. MAIN DRAMATIC FUNCTIONS OF DIALOGUE.

Dialogue is the conversation between the characters as they talk to one another in a drama. Dialogue contains the main dramatic functions as follow;

a) Dialogue in drama helps to reveal character;

In this dramatic function through the dialogue the character can reveal or show how she or he behaves from other character. Example; from the play “This Time Tomorrow” Wanjiro reveals herself as a person who admires western and modern way of dressing as in the following dialogue ;

“Wanjiro; two days ago I saw a dress in the city I wanted it, so much, I almost stole it.

Njango; you want to dress like white people?

Wanjiro; black people wear clothes like those I saw.”

b) Dialogue in drama used to convey information

In this function dialogue between different characters can be used to deliver and convey the intended information. Example; The information from the government about the demolition of slums as in the following dialogue in page 44 between Kiongo and Njango

“Kiongo; Clean the city campaign starts today at twelve o’clock, the police will act. Show the harambee spirit, and move!

Njango; I never Heard such cheek. Show the harambee spirit by destroying our home?

Also dialogue used to convey information about unity as in the following dialogue in page 47

Stanger; but there is magic! The magic is within you. The witchcraft with which to blind the city is within our heart, in our hands. Let us stand together let us with one voice tell the new government; we want our homes, we love our home, we shall not lift a finger to demolish our home.

Crowd; Long live Uhuru market! Long live Uhuru market.

c) Dialogue in drama helps to clarify conflicts

In this function we can analyze different conflicts aroused in the play between different characters through their dialogue made. Example; conflict between Njango and Wanjiro when Njango tried to wake up Wanjiro as in the following dialogue in page 32 to 33

“Njango; wake up! Wake up. I tell you! What a heavy load of fresh

Wanjiro; what! What water? Who is talking of water? Water everywhere. Floods and floods that destroy and washed away the slums.

Njango; you dwell in dreams. When will you wake up?”

1. Dialogue in drama helps to complicate conflicts;

In this we can identify how the conflicts become more serious between different characters. The misunderstanding still goes up. Example when Wanjiro confronted as well as her mother as in the dialogue at page 36

Wanjiro: you always silence me with such talk. That is how you persuade me to forget Asinjo. I never asked to be born.

Njango; and your father would help. Just sat there with other men from the ridge, taking snuff and talking about the stolen land.

2. Dialogue in drama helps to promote action

In this function we can analyse how dialogue can produce or culminate to action such as fights or other activities. Example the dialogue between the police and the society which by the end lead to demolition of the slums as in page 48

‘Police officer: friends!

Crowd; run! Run! Run! Quickly!

Out of my way police are coming.’

REFFERENCES

Foster-Harris (1960). The Basic Formulas of Fiction. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press

Thiong’o, G. (2007).This time tomorrow. Nairobi. Kenya literature Bureau.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 8^th Edition(2010). Oxford university press.

Obstfeld, R. (2002). Fiction First Aid: Instant Remedies for Novels, Stories and Scripts. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books

Polkaing, K. (1990). Writing A to Z. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books. 

Nikolajeva, Maria (12 May 2005). Aesthetic Approaches to Children’s Literature: An Introduction. Scarecrow