From a far distance, Kadzo’s neighbor, Charles Ruringu, a casual worker in a local tea factory, would be heard singing his exceedingly wicked song as usual, after a drinking spree. “Education for the lion,…Conjugation for the lamb,…iiiiih! Iih! Rum for the flag bearer, Oxygen for the skirt wearer.” His drunken hoarse voice was somewhat of a noisy parrot nature, rough but pitchy, accompanied with some hissing as he breathed in the same oxygen that he claimed belonged to the lambs. The new turn of events did not seem to move Kadzo even for a second, instead Charles’s hoarse voice only motivated her to brainstorm more points from her book. She clutched her pen tightly and jolted some items down.
As she heard her grandmother turn on their creaky bed, she remembered how the 82 year old woman had fought for her, from being married off by her uncle, like most of her peers. Kadzo was an orphan and the only people she knew were her grandmother and the distant uncle. Anxiety had always been a part of her since she knew that the moment her grand mum passed on, her beast-like uncle would be more than willing to marry her off, out of greed.
Even so Kadzo was a real fighter and amidst all the anxiety, she managed to close her eyes and chanted a Hail Mary and in seconds she was back to her books. The only thing that was clicking in her mind was Ruringu’s song, “Education for the lion, Conjugation for the lamb”. Kadzo shook her head bitterly and uttered some words in whispers, “I am no lamb, I am a lioness, and no lion dares to mess with me nor my future.” Now she was guaranteed that one day she will become a surgeon if she continued fighting for her future. Luckily, her grandmother was still alive to fight for her at least till she had completed elementary school.
Symbolism in my short story
In my short story I have used two main symbols, the Lion and the Lamb. A lion is strong with massive jaws, whereas a lamb is weak and feeble, apparently, no lamb can threaten a lion. In this short story, the lion is used to symbolize the men who have been enjoying all the good fruits of the land without much resentment from the women. Men in Kamiti are the only ones who are allowed to get an education without much interference. They are allowed to own wives and drink at night. The women on the other hand are symbolized by the lamb since they are weak when compared to the lions. Kadzo also claims that she is a lioness and not a lamb. This symbolizes the coming of a new generation that is willing to fight against the oppressors (men), since lionesses are able to oppose lions.
