Observation

An unpopular question. Candidates did not understand the demand of the question. They rather narrated Mama’s objectives for tending the plant and did not meet the requirements of the questions.

Candidates were expected to discuss the following points:

• • Mam’s strategies for coping with the hardship by tending her plants.
• • Relation of the plant to Mama and the dreams of the Younger family.
• • Significance of the plant in relation to Mama’s view of parenting.
• • Symbolism of Travis as the future of the Younger family in relation to the way Mama nurtured the plant.
• • Symbolism as the ever-present vulnerability of the stigmatised African American.

Candidates’ performance in this question was poor.