ANTICIPATION

Mabel Dove - Danquah

ANALYSIS
(ABEL106: Afro-Asian Literature)
I. Plot
• Exposition
The Omanhene of Nkwabi, Akwasin, Nana Adaku II was celebrating his twentieth anniversary of accession.

• Complication / Rising Action

On the crowd of dancers, Nana threw a handful of cash but one dancer neglected him so, he commanded his linguist to investigate the
woman.

• Climax
Effua came to the Omanhene’s place for the bidding of the marriage dowry.

• Falling Action
Nana talked casually with Effua, and appreciated the beauty of the woman.

• Denouement / Resolution
Effua revealed the truth that Nana had paid a hundred pounds and married her two years ago.
II. Characters
• Nana Adaku II
The powerful chief of Nkwabi, Akwasin yet, described as a philanderer for having forty wives.

• Effua
One of the forty wives of Nana, portrayed a generous (for giving her mother a hundred pounds), honest woman (for telling Nana the
truth that they’re already married) but, she is also practical like the other women in their country.

• Linguist
Obedient and reliable linguist whom the Omanhene trust.

• Other Characters
Men and women of Nkwabi, Akwasin.
III. Point Of View

• Third-Person Limited
The narrator is not part of the story. He is in third-person limited point of view because he only given us the information about the
situation happened in the story, and some insight on a certain character’s thoughts and feelings.
IV. Theme

• “Expect nothing, appreciate everything”

The story is a realization for everyone that all the things we have can be vanish if we don’t appreciate them, and in the end regret wins.
It wasn’t stated in the story that Nana regretted in the end, but we can say that he was, because he expected that Effua is not yet married and he did
so much effort to win her without knowing that he already paid and married her two years ago.
V. Conflict

• Man vs. Himself

Nana was the victim of himself, due to his foolishness on getting the woman he already has.

• Man vs. Society

Because of the Akwasin’s culture (that a chief can marry many women), the wives of Nana had been forgotten and left behind just for
the woman he desires. In other case Nana was taken advantage of by these women, in a sense that they don’t mind Nana’s appearance, age, and
how many wives he has – wealth is important to them.
VI. Atmosphere / Mood

• The atmosphere or mood of the story was idyllic (as describe in the story, the people of Akwasin was having their blissful, loud, and bright
celebration), serious and suspenseful (Nana and Efffua talk casually and all of a sudden they got confused as Effua slowly revealed the
truth), and at the same time sympathetic (In Nana’s case, we feel some sort of sympathy because, despite of all his efforts he ended up
nothing due to that he already did the same thing two years ago to the woman he desires. The powerful chief of Nkwabi, Akwasin yet, described
as a philanderer for having forty wives.
VII. Irony

• Situational irony was applied in the story, wherein the situation is that Nana did a great effort to make Effua as his wife without knowing that
they’re already married a couple of years ago.
VIII. Flashback

• Effua reminded Nana their past that they were already married two years ago.
IX. Imagery

• The way author described the setting and the people in the story makes one think that they really have a rich culture – on how they present
celebrations that was described on a barbaric splendor, loud, and cheerful. And also the way its people dress up with their native attires which
were vibrant and eye-catchy.
X. Critical Approaches
• Formalism
The story was presented comprising with the literary elements and devices.

• Historical Approach
The time where the story presented was obviously in the past and already part of the history. The story is about the marriage customs
done in this time, where the man can marry a woman through its wealth. It was also said that a chief can marry many women as long as he can
support all of them.

• Marxism
This approach could be applied in the story where there was a clash among the class structure within the society. Effua’s
representation of the lower class and the Omanhene played the higher class who was prominent and wealthy man. The scene where Nana threw a
handful loose of cash on the crowd of dancers and, where Nana was captured by Effua and offered a hundred pounds in exchange of herself.