This question requires the candidates to examine Ras as a representation of how blacks are perceived and treated by the whites in the novel.

Candidates were expected to discuss the following:

• The themes of racism, violent, identity, black history, innocence etc.
• Character identification of Ras.
• The whiteman’s perceptions: blacks are perceived and treated as people without a history or an identity, who are violent and invisible, as people without moral values and undeserving of anything progressive.
• Ras as a representative of the whiteman’s perceptions: he is violent, unaccommodating of other people’s views, insensitive, unprogressive and is crude in his approach to race issues.
• The portrayal of Ras: it justifies the extent of alienation suffered by the blackman in the novel. It also demonstrates the major concern for black unity in the novel. It enhances the theme of violence.

Candidates presented shallow answers due to poor understanding of the text.