Answer to Question #206535 in English for Lesego Bogosing

Question

The different set of beliefs of mamkhulu Maguire and her mother is Central to the main conflict in the story write a paragraph in which you discuss the conflict and how it is resolved

Answer 1

In Sindiwe Maghona’s “Man Lands on The Moon”, the dominant conflict in the story manifests in the different set of beliefs between Makhulu Mamkwayi and her mother. Makhulu’s beliefs are rooted in culture and she dismisses the white man’s standpoint on many issues such as Christianity. She holds the belief that whole villages exist below the rivers and dams and has even experienced the marvels of the underworld in an encounter with her dead cousin, Yolisa, as she crossed the river towards home one evening. Her dead cousin had appeared to her by the river and requested her to bring her clothes and more importantly, save her from the spiritual ritual, isithunzela, which converts the dead into zombies, thus silencing them forever. Makhulu considers the white man’s news that a man had successfully walked on the moon a hoax. Contrastingly, her mother trusts the white man’s narratives and was in fact a new convert, locally named igqobhoka. She believes the narrative fronted that a man had walked on the moon and disapproves Makhulu’s beliefs, including her story about her encounter with Yolisa, claiming Yolisa is dead and buried. In the story's end, Makhulu, in her old age, still regrets not being able to save her cousin and presumes she was eventually turned into a zombie. She outrageously blames her mother for not being able to redeem Yolisa and for believing without proof that a man had indeed walked on the moon. She still holds her notion that the narrative of a man walking on the moon is untrue.