Language

The language of the short story “They Sold My Sister” by Leteipa Ole Sunkuli is simple and easy to follow, because it conveys the perspective of a child. The choice of words reflects the Maasai culture, particularly customs and traditions of marriage and courtship (buying the future wife).

Language overview

The story is conveyed using both narration and dialogue. The narrative passages illustrate the narrator's perspective, while the dialogue passages help convey typical family and social interactions.

Imagery (mental images created through descriptive language) is used in connection to the characters and wedding rituals, like in the following example: “She was dressed in a loincloth, a lesso which went under her right arm and was knotted above her left shoulder. A beaded belt went round her waist. Around her neck she wore several strings of beads...” (ll. 70-73)

Similes, hyperboles, repetitions, rhetorical questions, and symbols give the story deeper meanings because they convey important details in a brief, creative manner.

Similes and hyperboles

Some notable similes from the text are “big eyes and dilated nostrils, like those of a chimpanzee” (l. 31), “multiply like a pumpkin” (l. 78), and “a white beard like one of my father's billy goats” (ll. 136-137).

The first simile compares Nyamalo’s future husband with a chimpanzee to suggest that the narrator finds him ugly but also his animalistic nature (further illustrated by t...