Uwen Akpan's Say You Re One Of Them

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Maxwell Aubrey Professor Cebulski ENGL 2110 March 10, 2015 Say You’re One of Them Uwen Akpan’s Say You’re One of Them is a brilliant collection of five unique short stories that follow the lives of unsuspecting children as they cope with the ever-changing adult world. In “My Parent’s Bedroom” Akpan puts the reader directly into the Rwandan genocide experienced through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl. She is tricked into trusting both her Papa and her “wise” Uncle who end up causing her more pain. “Fattening for Gabon” is a story of and young boy and his sister who are being looked after by their uncle who tricks them by selling them into slavery. Like in the story of Ajapa and Elede the Pig where the kind pig is tricked into loaning money …show more content…

The narrator, Kotchikpa is a ten-year-old boy who lives with his sister Yewa and his uncle Fofo. Kotchikpa like and trusts his uncle because he buys them clothes, food but mostly because he looks after him and his sister for his parents have AIDS. Kotchikpa knows that Fofo takes people across the border so when he brings home a brand new bike he isn’t surprised. Fofo says the bike will “boost our family income” and Kotchikpa trusts him. Fofo reviles he gets all of these things because of a wealthy benefactor. This very same man is supplying money so that Kotchikpa and Yewa can go to school. Fofo tells the children to trust him when meeting these new strange people called Mama and Papa or “Godparents” and when learning about their “new life”. Kotchikpa and Yewa trust Fofo and are enjoying their new lives filled with education, church and massive feasts. Fofo then begins to prepare them to go live a better life with the “Godparents” by sleeping in uncomfortable places and drinking seawater. Fofo then begins to have a change of heart and even try’s to escape with the children, but is caught and killed. The children are caged up and Kotchikpa manages to escape, but is forced to leave his sister behind. Kotchikpa trusted Fofo as if he was his father and he was betrayed. Just like in “My Parents Bedroom” and Ajapa and Elede the Pig the protagonist put trust in someone only to be …show more content…

The story Ajapa and Elede the Pig is no different as is shows the notorious trickster Ajapa as he convinces Elede the pig to loan him money. Elede is hesitant to trust the well know thief, but he ends up loaning him the money under the principal “…friends must win out.” Elede trusts him at first, but after missing payments Elede begins to become quite angry with Ajapa. Ajapa then comes up with one last plan to manipulate Elede and dodge paying him back. Ajapas uses his wife to help trick Elede, his plan works and the Pig is stuck “rooting in the mud.” Like in Akpan’s short stories this story shows the reliance of the trickster throughout West African

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