STUDY GUIDE NOTES ON Harvest of Thorns

(Classic: A play)
BY SHIMMER CHINODYA

(PREPARED BY CHANDO AARON, HIPPO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL 0772736551)

AUGUST 2018

Aspects to be covered:

 Characters
 Themes
 Style

Setting

Place: The opening stage directions, “Inside a small ‘high density’ house in a Zimbabwean
city” clearly point to the setting. The playwright makes the city anonymous
throughout the play but the reader infers that the city is Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital
city. By not giving a name to the city Shimmer Chinodya gives symbolic status to the
city by suggesting that the socio-economic problems that prevail in the city also exist
in all other cities in the country. The story is also set in many other places such as the
guerrilla training camp in Mozambique and the boarding school (Chikwaka High
School) where Benjamin and other students embark on violent demonstrations against
black call-up.

Time: The story in Harvest of Thorns covers three historical periods, namely before,
during and after the Second war of liberation in Zimbabwe. Such a long trajectory
enables Shimmer Chinodya to draw the reader’s attention to the disturbing fact that
the hardships that existed before independence have persisted in post-independence
Zimbabwe, hence the struggle was a harvest of thorns.

The play’s title

The title Harvest of Thorns is self-explanatory and revealing. The titular words “Harvest” and
“Thorns” are both used metaphorically.

Harvest – refers either to the process of gathering a ripened crop or the yield from plants in a
single growing season. In the play there are important events such as the liberation war and
Shamiso Mhaka and Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa’s marriage, which can be seen in agricultural
terms as processes of sowing or planting with expected yields.

Thorns – small sharp-pointed tips resembling spikes on a stem or leaf. Metaphorically, a

thorn is anything that causes pain, irritation or annoyance.

The events in the play show that the liberation struggle failed to deliver the majority of
Zimbabweans from economic hardships and poverty. The attainment of political
independence in 1980 raised hopes of prosperity for ordinary citizens who later painfully

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realise that nothing has indeed changed. Chinodya seems to suggest that human effort
generally results in failure. The play mirrors many social and economic problems which can
all be summed up by the term ‘thorns’. These include:

 Poverty in the high density township, the difficulties in having children (faced by
Clopas and Shamiso in the early years of their marriage).

 Disintegration of the Tichafa family. Esther runs off to Joburg with a man (p.20),
Benjamin deserts home and school in order to become a freedom fighter, while their
father (Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa) runs away with Muchaneta (wife to a Rhodesian
soldier who is away on duty). These problems are thorns in Shamiso’s flesh.

 Deaths of both fighters (such as Comrade Torai Zvombo and Ropa) and ordinary
people (such as Mai Tawanda and Msindo) during the liberation struggle.

 Benjamin fails to get his demobilization pay. This is painful considering that he had to
sacrifice his education and employment opportunities in order to fight for the
country’s liberation. The description of Benjamin in the opening scene shows that the
war has degraded him severely: “He is dressed carelessly like a returning EX-
COMBATANT; a bush green T-shirt, exhausted denims tucked into large, thick-soled,
unlaced war boots and red headband. Black Power armbands and copper bangles on
arms” (p.9). He looks broke, tired and unemployable.

 Racism continues to exist in the postcolonial era. The Indian girl in the supermarket
looks suspiciously at Benjamin and asks him, ‘Are you sure you can pay for all this,
boss?’ (p.12). The Indian girls doubts Benjamin’s capacity to pay for the groceries
because of racial prejudice; she does not think a black person (especially one who is
carelessly dressed like Benjamin!) can have much money.

 Shamiso’s motherhood is a harvest of thorns as she is tormented by her Benjamin’s

abusive statements and changed character. He answers her rudely and accuses her of
being too soft and allowing Clopas to run away with Muchaneta. Besides that,
Benjamin brings a pregnant Ndebele woman home, without even bothering to inform
her relatives. This behaviour makes Shamiso’s life miserable.

However, the play presents a few good things, demonstrating that post-independence urban
life is not merely a harvest of thorns. For example,

 Peter observes that some blacks (the Mubis and the Tauyas) managed to move from
the township to the suburbs and that there is a new black mayor (p.12).

 Although the liberation struggle did not bring economic independence for ordinary
citizens, it brought an end to many colonial injustices such as the black call-up and the
harassment of blacks by Rhodesian police, which at times amounted to violation of
people’s right to privacy.

 At the end of the play most of the members of Tichafa’s family are reunited through a
family gathering.

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  Despite her suffering Shamiso does not lose hope. She maintains her motherly love
and concern and still respects her husband although he has betrayed her.

 The birth of Zvenyika (Benjamin and Nkazana’s son) symbolises hope and
regeneration. This gives the play a happy ending.

 Although Benjamin’s parents are against his inter-tribal marriage to Nkazana,

Shimmer Chinodya uses the marriage to preach the message of love and unity among
the many tribes of Zimbabwe.

Characters
Benjamin:

 The first child of Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa and Shamiso. He is a bold young man
(about twenty) who has been hardened by home, school and war circumstances. He
angrily tells a white supermarket manager, “If you don’t like Zimbabwe, go to South
Africa!” (p.12). His war experience continues to shape his character in the post war
period.

 He speaks with a disillusioned voice. There is both worry and disillusionment in his
voice when he tells Nkazana, “Look at these streets. Nothing has changed. Nothing.”
(p.12). His disillusionment is also seen when he philosophizes (before Shamiso and
Peter) about the need to be careful with money: “You shouldn’t always throw money
to the crocodiles, and Zimbabwean crocs come in all colours – white, black,
chocolate, yellow. Even green. And there are more sharks breeding in the murky
waters of this bloody country, you wait and see” (p.13).

 His character has been shaped by the war experience. He brings home the war front
‘bush’ mentality which is evident in his utterances. Responding to his mother’s
statement that Nkazana’s people should be informed about her whereabouts,
especially because she is pregnant, Benjamin rudely answers her, “What difference
would that make?” He also remarks, “In the bush we had dozens of babies without
anybody batting and eyelid” (13).

 He is acutely against his parents’ Christian faith or Pentecostalism. This attitude is

clear in his description of the church leader: “that blasted Overseer of your Holy
Church who preached honesty every Sunday morning but stole all your pious little
pennies” (P.14).

Benjamin’s role in the play:

 He contributes to the development of many themes in the play. These include

disillusionment (he is the most disillusioned character as he demonstrates a full
awareness of the prevailing economic and political circumstances), betrayal, war, love
and family disintegration.

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  Contributes to our understanding of many other characters such as Shamiso, Clopas
and Nkazana.

 Contributes to the development of the plot. He is at the centre of almost all the major
events in the play. These include the students’ demonstration against black call-up (in
which he is at the forefront), the killing of Mai Tawanda and his home coming at the
beginning of the play.

 He is used by the playwright to demonstrate the devastating and long-lasting effects

of the war on one’s mind. Benjamin is traumatized by his involvement in the brutal
killing of Mai Tawanda.

 His marriage to a Ndebele woman is used to call for national unity among the many
ethnic groups of Zimbabwe, such as the Shona and the Ndebele.

 He contributes to the creation of atmosphere. He creates much of the tension that

prevails in the play, especially between him and his mother. The birth of his son
Zvenyika at the end of the play lends a happy and celebratory atmosphere to the play.

Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa

 He is the head of the Tichafa family (Shamiso’s husband and father to Benjamin,
Esther and Peter). He betrays his family when he runs away, showing his lack of
fatherly love.

 Clopas demonstrates the colonial mentality of blacks who worked for/under whites
during the colonial period. He sees it as fashionable to speak and write in English,
which becomes very humorous as he breaks grammatical rules and misspells words:
“This hear is Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa from Makonde DC office penning with my
nyu quink Hifra founten and to say how are you Shami?” (p.24).

 Together with his wife Shamiso, Clopas demonstrates the role of religion among the
poor urban residents. When Shamiso fails to conceive (be pregnant) Clopas turns to
traditional medicines, showing great faith in them (p.32) and in the next moment he is
ready to turn to Christianity. The two finally become members of the Church of the
Holy Spirit (Clopas even becomes a deacon). Through Clopas and Shamiso, Chinodya
suggests that people turn to religion when they face problems. When the problem of
barrenness is over, Clopas gets involved in an adulterous relationship with
Muchaneta.

 Clopas is presented as a liar, attention-seeking and overzealous church member who

makes wrong confessions in order to impress the congregation: “I did anything for
money. I lied, I cheated, I stole. I gambled at cards and if I lost I slashed my rivals
with knives and cast them into wells – (p.35).

Clopas’ role in the play

 He contributes to the development of the play’s themes. These include betrayal,

poverty, hypocrisy, religion and family disintegration.

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  Contributes to our understanding of many other characters such as Shamiso (whose
motherly love contrasts sharply with his irresponsible behavior) and Benjamin.

 Contributes to the development of the plot as he is the head of the family which is
presented as a case study in the play. He is a character on whom the play depends for
its meaning, vision and purpose.

 He contributes to the creation of atmosphere. He contributes to the tension and lack of

social well-being that prevails at his home when he goes off to live with Muchaneta.
He also contributes to the humour prevails in the play, especially through his comic
love and abuse of the English language.

 His car, which Shamiso describes as a “wretched mugweje Zephyr Zodiac” (p.75) is a
symbol of post-independence Zimbabwean life which still all the signs of the old
colonial system. The car, like the country’s economy, needs a push for it to go.

Shamiso

 Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa’s wife and mother to Benjamin, Esther and Peter. She is
about forty.

 She is a loving, meek, resilient and religious mother. She never leaves home, thereby
confirming the traditional view that the place of a woman is in the home. She remains
cool and composed despite having lost her husband to Muchaneta.

 She is a symbol of motherly love. She is traumatized by the disintegration of her

family and is overjoyed to see Benjamin back: “Benjamin! … Is it you, Benjamin, my
son? (groping at his limbs and arms, feeling him) Wadzoka mwanangu?” (p.9). She
also shows a lot of concern towards Peter who is crippled and becomes very angry
when she thinks Benjamin has made him drink beer (p.19).

 Shamiso is presented as a victim of the patriarchal ideology in which only the woman
is accused of barrenness. Clopas, who represents this patriarchal mentality, forces
Shamiso to swallow traditional herbs which have been prepared by “Sekuru” as a
remedy for the barrenness. Clopas naturally believes it is Shamiso who is barren
(p.32).

Shamiso’s role in the play

 She contributes to the development of many of the play’s themes. These include
poverty, betrayal, gender imbalance, religion and love.

 Contributes to our understanding of other characters, such as Clopas and Benjamin.

Her motherly love and strong sense of responsibility points to Clopas’s irresponsible
behaviour.

 Contributes to the development of the plot as she is the mother figure of the Tichafa
family which is at the centre of the play.

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  She is used by the playwright to illustrate the importance of love and resilience. She
does not give up in spite of her social and economic challenges.

 She contributes to the creation of atmosphere. Her conflicts with Benjamin create a
tense atmosphere while her hardships create a sorrowful atmosphere. Her brief
happiness when Benjamin comes back home from the war results in a jovial
atmosphere.

 She gives meaning and relevance to the title of the play. The description of her
“kitchen-cum-living room and bedroom” in the opening scene (p.9) serves to
reinforce the idea the liberation war and the political independence that it brought
were a mere harvest of thorns. The signs of poverty in Shamiso’s house show that
political independence was not accompanied by economic independence.

Minor Characters:

Nkazana

 A sixteen year old Ndebele girl who has been impregnated by Benjamin. She has
come together with Benjamin to become his wife.

 Despite her inability to speak proper Shona, she easily fits into her new role as
Shamiso’s daughter-in-law.

 Shamiso and Clopas are a bit unsettled that Benjamin has married a Ndebele person
but Benjamin’s love for her demonstrates the playwright’s call for Zimbabwean
people to transcend ethnic borders and live in solidarity/unity.

 She has lost her parents in the war, which shows that the war brought a lot of losses
and irreparable damage. Her situation draws the reader’s sympathy.

 She contributes to the happy ending of the play by giving birth to a baby boy,
‘Zwenyika Nhlanhla’ (Zvenyika) (p.75).

Peter

 Clopas and Shamiso’s third child.

 He gets injured by his brother Benjamin and lives the life of a cripple. As a cripple he
becomes a symbol of the country’s crippled post-independence urban life.

 Shamiso’s concern for him helps to reinforce the theme of love.

 He is the one who points out the few positive changes that have come with political
independence (p.12).

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Themes
Aspects to be considered when writing an essay on a given theme:

1. Definition of the theme or key terms.

2. Illustration of the theme (reference to textual evidence).
3. The writer’s own views about the theme.
4. Techniques used to develop the theme.

Poverty:
Poverty may be defined as an undesirable condition characterised by a lack of the means
necessary to meet basic personal needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

Shimmer Chinodya uses the opening stage directions to paint a bleak situation of poverty in a
black township. Chinodya chooses “a high density house in a Zimbabwean city” as the
story’s setting in order to illuminate the theme of urban poverty in the postcolonial period.

Evidence of poverty in Shamiso’s house:

 Shortage of space: “kitchen-cum-living room and bedroom divided by sheet acting as

curtain (p.9).

 “small wooden table with two chairs, an old electric two-plate stove on a stand, a
small cupboard, pots and plates on bare shelves” (p.9).

 “Three small, battered sofas, a transistor radio, a rickety book shelf with old Bibles
and hymn books, school books and old magazines” (p.9).

 In the bedroom there is a “single bed with cheap blankets” (p.14).

The poster on the wall in Shamiso’s house reads: “HAPPY INDEPENDENCE ZIMBABWE
18 APRIL 1980”. The message on the poster is ironic as it contrasts sharply with the grinding
poverty in the house.

Shamiso’s excitement when Benjamin buys groceries shows that she is living marginally.
Amazed by the groceries, she remarks: “Zvairi Christmas chaiyo. We haven’t had this for
months, isu tsuro zveduwo” (p.12).

The description of Benjamin’s appearance (p.9) evokes a picture of poverty (evidence given
earlier).

Clopas’ second hand Zephyr Zodiac which cannot start by itself serves as testimony of his
limited financial resources.

Clopas’ desertion of his wife and children in order to live adulterously with Muchaneta
amounts to spiritual poverty.

The poverty that is pervasive in the play makes Harvest of Thorns a tragic-comedy.

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War
 The play portrays war and its various effects. It is presented as both positive and
negative – that is it is capable of liberating an oppressed or colonized society, on one
hand. On the other hand, war can destroy lives and cause irreparable emotional
suffering.

 The war is presented as a background to the present situation in Harvest of Thorns. It

constitutes the historical context without which may not fully understand characters
such as Benjamin. The war is depicted through flashback since the play opens with
the arrival of Benjamin from the war.

 The title of the play is derived from the realization that liberation war ideals and
promises have not been fulfilled. Poverty is still rife in the high density locations.

 The war is a harvest of thorns because it has left painful memories which cause
psychological damage. Benjamin is haunted by the memories of Mai Tawanda who he
is forced by his commander Baas Die to kill for being a sellout. Benjamin complains,
“Now I have terrible dreams about her, and can’t sleep” (p.64). Comrade Mabunu also
complains that Baas Die forced him to cut Mellecker’s throat (p.64).

 The war also led to large scale loss of lives. Nkazana lost her parents during the war
(p.14). Comrade Ropa and many others (including children) die in the bombing at a
guerrilla training camp in Mozambique. The white farmer Mellecker and his black
servant Msindo are among many other casualties of the war. Comrade Torai Zvombo
dies due to chemical spray, an unethical war strategy (p.65).

 Confirming that the war was a harvest of thorns, Shamiso accuses Benjamin of
leaving school in order to join the war. She complains that Benjamin will never catch
up with his friends who finished school and started working and, also, that the family
is “damned by all the blood” on Benjamin’s hands (p.21).

 Shamiso notes that the war experience has negatively transformed Benjamin’s
character. She complains, “I can’t understand your bitterness, why are you so
hardened?” (p.21). Benjamin’s new character causes tension between him and
Shamiso. On one occasion he bangs the door and storms out of the house during a
heated argument with his mother (p.21).

 Chinodya demonstrates that people joined the war for various reasons, (other than the
love for the country). For example, Benjamin crosses the border to Mozambique to
join the war to escape from persecution after burning down a beer hall during a
violent demonstration against black call-up at Chikwaka High School (p.52). Ropa
and twenty other girls joined the war out of “teenage excitement” after a group of
comrades came to talk with them at St Albert High (p.55).

 The war is presented as a tough experience for those who were at the war front.
Benjamin goes through a harrowing “Chinese torture” before he could be accepted at
the training camp (p.51). Ropa, the camp school teacher, also reports of her subjection

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 to severe beating (being accused of being a spy) during her first days at the camp
(p.55). Later the female comrades are subjected to sexual abuse by the commanders.

 Teaching at the camp school is also a difficult experience as Ropa has to do without
necessary facilities and books. She complains that the “little ones write with their
fingers in the dust and the older ones share exercise books” (p.54). The camp is also
infested with dysentery and diarrhoea and there is shortage of medicines (pp.53-54).
A camp woman reports that three babies and two women died the previous night and
“four comrades are very sick” (p.53).

 Benjamin’s imaginary letter to his mother after his traumatic experience of the camp
bombing (in which Ropa dies) clearly shows some of the devastating consequences of
the war. He writes in his heart:

“if you saw those little children dead under the trees with their arms eaten away and
those naked mothers running through the bush you’d know … if you saw her lying
with her eyes open like glass, clutching a child in each arm, you’d know there’s no
other way but this” (p.57).

 The villagers attending the ‘pungwe’ look “worn and haggard” while some “limp”
and “one has a bloodied bandage on the forehead” and “another has an arm in a
sling” (p.61). This description shows that the villagers are miserable and have a
difficult time because of the war. They villagers, together with their headman, are
forced by Baas Die to witness Comrade Pasi NemaSellout (Benjamin) beat up Mai
Tawanda to death: “Pururudzai vabereki! Womberai!”(p.62).

 Shimmer Chinodya also compels the reader to rethink the concepts of heroism and
patriotism of those who were at the war front. Apart from having fierce quarrels
among themselves, the comrades and their commanders are presented as ruthless
lawbreakers – rapists and terrorists – who indulge in sex with civilians and kill
civilians like beasts. When Baas Die accuses Mabunu of having raped a village girl,
the latter retaliates: “What about you, Baas Die? What about you all? Don’t you have
secret girlfriends among the chimbwidos” (p.63). These faults among the comrades
prompts Comrade Shungu Dzangu to ask the million dollar question: “So who’s a
hero?” (p.64). When the remaining comrades consult a spirit medium they are
reminded of the different ways in which they have behaved improperly, including
leaving the body of their fellow Comrade Torai Zvombo to be eaten by hyenas (p.65),
denying Mai Tawanda a decent burial, sexually abusing young girls, as well as
fighting among themselves. The spirit medium warns that “Mbuya Nehanda says it
unleashes ill winds on your plans and operations” (p.66).

Love:
Love is a strong feeling of attraction towards somebody or something. The following types of
love can be discerned in Harvest of Thorns:

a) Parental love – Shamiso has motherly love for all her children, including her
daughter-in-law Nkazana.

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 b) True/Unconditional love – Benjamin and Nkazana’s love is true and thrives against
feelings of tribalism from Benjamin’s parents (they are not comfortable with
Benjamin’s choice of a wife of Ndebele origin). Benjamin has transgressed ethnic
borders by marrying Nkazana, which brings in the theme of identity. The love is
displayed through both words and actions.

c) Clopas’ love for Muchaneta is presented in a negative light as an attack of both

patriarchy and religion. It is a perverted and destructive form of love.

d) Benjamin and Ropa fall in love with each other at the guerrilla training camp in
Mozambique. The affair ends when Ropa tragically loses her life in a bomb attack.

e) The guerrilla fighters show love for their country (patriotism) by sacrificing their
comfort and (sometimes) lives in order to free the country from colonial rule.

f) Msindo demonstrates an unusual form of love by committing suicide when his white
master Farmer Mellecker is killed by freedom fighters. Msindo therefore shows the
close connection between love and sacrifice.

Family disintegration:
One of the major themes of Harvest of Thorns is the disintegration of the family unit. Clopas
Wandai J. Tichafa’s home becomes a site of dispersal as members of the family desert home
for different reasons, thereby weakening the family bond. Benjamin leaves home in order to
become a freedom fighter, Esther runs to Joburg with a man and Clopas deserts home to live
with a second wife, Muchaneta. This disintegration has affected family relations in many
ways:

 The bond of brotherhood between Peter and Benjamin has weakened. When Benjamin
comes back from the war Peter stiffly extends his greeting to him though they have
not seen each other for years (p.9).

 Benjamin now lacks respect for his parents. He “defiantly puffs smoke” in Shamiso’s
direction when she accuses him of having made Peter drunk (p.19). He also blames
Shamiso for Clopas’ running off with Muchaneta: “You drove him out. You knew
about that woman Muchaneta long before she lured him away. But you didn’t put up a
fight. You made him think you didn’t care” (p.20). He causes emotional pain to his
mother who reacts by bursting into tears (p.11).

 Benjamin shows lack of respect to his father by mocking him, saying “Where is this
man who called himself (derisively) Mr Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa, Deacon of the
Church of the Holy Spirit?” (p.11).

 Shamiso complains that she has not been able to engage Benjamin in a “single decent
conversation” since he came back home (p.19).

 The coming together of the members of the family (with the exception of Esther) at
the end of the play shows the family’s potential for a reunion.

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Betrayal:
To betray is to be disloyal to someone you know, or to your country or belief. It also includes
revealing hidden information to the wrong person or people. There is also self-betrayal when
one does something that puts him/herself on a position of disadvantages.

Clopas Wandai J. Tichafa betrays his family by neglecting his fatherly duties while
spending his time with Muchaneta. In that way he also betrays his newly found
religion where he has the post of a deacon.

Benjamin feels betrayed by the Demobilization Office when it denies him his pay for
not having proper papers. For all the sacrifice and psychological torture he went
through he gets nothing. The Demobilization Officer insults and threatens Benjamin:
“Take your baboon arse out of here and don’t ever show up again or I will have you
locked up” (p.17).

Benjamin betrays his parents by marrying outside his society, which is against
societal expectations.

Muchaneta betrays Shamiso’s trust by snatching Clopas.

The black policemen betray their fellow blacks by harassing them. In one of their
midnight inspections they rouse Benjamin and Nkazana from their sleep, asking a lot
of questions (they even ask where the two had obtained the big fish in their pot)
(pp.30-31). Clopas displays the same attitude towards fellow blacks who come to get
birth certificates at Makonde District Office: “Shut up, all of you! Baas is heving tea.
Imwi, nyararai mhani! Mazibhoyi” (p.22).

The postcolonial government betrays the ordinary people who still live in poverty
after the attainment of independence.

Other themes explored in the play are Religion, Identity, Colonialism, as well as Choice and
Heroism.

Style
Style refers to the way the writer uses language in order to develop the story. In other words
style refers to the techniques or methods that are used by the writer. Each stylistic feature has
its own effect that should be explained in terms of its effectiveness in achieving an intended
effect.

1) Flashback – this is important because events that took place before the story begins
are thrown right in front of the reader to see. Historical events help the reader to
interpret present situations and behaviour. The story begins with the coming back of
Benjamin from the war in independent Zimbabwe, so the events that took place before
independence (such as the first meeting of Clopas and Shamiso and the war) are told
through flashback.

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 2) Stage directions – help to establish setting and aid the reader’s understanding by
providing important information such as the manner in which characters say and do
things, both on and off stage. They also summarize otherwise long events such as the
war by reducing them to a few statements.

3) Symbolism – helps to make the story rich or deeper and, therefore, more appealing.
Examples of symbols in the play are:

a. The birth of Zvenyika at the end of the play symbolizes a new beginning and
restoration of hope.

b. Clopas’s old Zephyr Zodiac car which cannot start by itself symbolizes the
post-independence Zimbabwean economy that cannot promote good living
among ordinary citizens.

c. The cripple, Peter, also symbolizes the crippled hope and economy.
d. Benjamin’s careless dressing (p.9), like the sign on the wall of the
Demobilization Office, with bad spelling, also symbolize post-independence
disharmony.

4) Use of vernacular (native spoken languages such as Shona and Ndebele) – helps to
simplify the story to the targeted audience. Also, it enables the playwright to
effectively express ideas about cultural phenomena and such lobola –
“makandihwanani, matekenyandebvu and rugaba” (p.30).

5) Apt naming – use of names that have logically connected to the person or thing that
bears the name. Examples of such names in the play are: Zvenyika and all the war
names (nom de guerre) such as Torai Zvombo, Baas Die, Mabunu and Pasi
NemaSellout.

6) Humour – reference to things that make the audience/readers laugh. Clopas Wandai
J. Tichafa’s comic letters, with their highly broken English are an important source of
humour. The humour in turn creates light-hearted moments in an otherwise painful
and serious drama.

7) Conflicts – help to advance the story. There are numerous conflicts in Harvest of
Thorns, which include the following: Shamiso versus Benjamin; Shamiso versus
Muchaneta; Shamiso versus Clopas; Benjamin versus his parents (when he marries
Nkazana who is Ndebele); tradition versus Christianity; Rhodesian army versus
freedom fighters, students versus colonial government and comrades versus their
commander Baas Die.

Study guide questions

1. How appropriate is the title of the play?
2. What impressions of the liberation struggle do you get from your reading of the
play?
3. Narrate the incidents that led Benjamin to leave school and join the war.

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 4. How does Shimmer Chinodya create a tense atmosphere in Harvest of Thorns?
5. What is the dramatic significance of the following characters: (a) Peter (b)
Nkazana (c) Ropa
6. Discuss the devastating effects of the war in Harvest of Thorns.
7. Discuss any two major themes in Harvest of Thorns.
8. Which character do you like/dislike most in Harvest of Thorns? What are the
reasons?
9. Discuss the importance of setting in Harvest of Thorns.
10. Explore the use of symbolism and apt naming in Harvest of Thorns.
11. Discuss the dramatic significance of the use of flashback in the play.
12. Examine Shimmer Chinodya’s use of humour in Harvest of Thorns?

The end … Good Luck

Chando Aaron, Hippo Valley High School, 0772 736 551 Page 13