CHAPTER 15 MOTHER KITE STORY

“Never kill a man who says nothing”, this is how Uchendu starts telling the story. The story is about an eagle called Mother Kite, who one day sent its daughter to bring some food; the daughter came back with a ducking. Its mother said it was fine but she wanted to know what did the duckling´s mother said when she took the duckling away from her. The daughter answered that it said nothing and just walked away. Then, Eagle Mother Kite told her that it most returned the duckling, because there was something hidden behind the silence, so the daughter went back and returned the duckling and took a chick instead. When she came back her mother asked again what did the mother of the chick did and the eagle daughter answered that it cried, raved and cursed her. After that, Mother Kite said that there was nothing to fear because it shouted, and “There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts”, so they could eat the chick.

After reading this story I could understand that the message that Uchendu wanted to give is that we most fear or be careful with people that doesn’t speak or doesn’t express feelings, that to the ones that are always yelling, screaming or preventing us about their acts. Because when someone is going to do something bad to you he or she will do it, without preventing or telling you. For example, a robber will not prevent you when he is going to robe you, he will just go and do it. On the other hand, people who will be telling you that he or she will be doing something bad to you; they will probably never do it.  There is a Mexican proverb that says “Perro que ladra no muerde”, this means that “dog that barks will not bites”.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe