CRITICAL ESSAY

Lauren Felasco
22 October 2013
Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Karl Marx: The Exploitation of Capitalism
Capitalism, an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are
controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state, is a very controversial
social system. Many philosophize that the idea of capitalism exploits the worker. This
revelation stems from Karl Marx, the founder of modern communism, and his work in the
late 1800s. A Grain of Wheat, a work of African literature, which tells a story of Kenya
on the verge of Uhuru- its Independence Day, is able to relate perfectly to Karl Marxs
scholarly texts, "Wage Labor and Capital", "Capital" and "The Communist Manifesto".
Ngugi wa Thiongo effectively illustrates the complexity of the issue of capitalism
through the act of colonization. The whole novel represents the value system discussed in
the scholarly sources. Based on both Ngugis novel and Marxs texts, both authors would
agree that capitalism is exploitative. Marxs scholarly texts act as guidelines when trying
to understand such an involved value system; however Ngugis literature, because of the
storyline and characters, drives home the representation of such value system like
capitalism. Pathos, evoking meaning, make the reader feel and are used to reference what
the system actually does to the human beings. Applying the effects of capitalism to
characters we come to learn so much about, only helps the reader understand the lifealtering degradation in a much clearer light. Although, the literary text has a more
effective message in conveying the issues of capitalism than the theoretical texts do, the
authors both complement each other being against capitalism. It is the hidden reality of

capitalism that propagates the social system. The hidden reality of workers being taken
advantage of is what needs to be exposed. Both colonialism and class capitalism work
together to allow oppression to prevail. In A Grain of Wheat, Europeans are seen as
colonial capitalists. Class struggle creates conflict in society and both Marx and Ngugi
would agree on this stance. Ngugi cares for the working class or, in this case, the people
of Kenya, and both he and Marx agree that change will only come from revolution.
The framework of the capitalist society includes the proletariat, or the working class and
the Bourgeoisie, or members of the property- owning class. Hence the social system
divides society into two classes, the workers and the capitalists. In A Grain of Wheat,
Ngugi makes it clear who represents who; its obvious that the Kenyans are the workers
and the British are the capitalists. The Proletariat sells their labor, while the Bourgeoisie
owns the means of production and buys the labor from the Proletariat. The problem that
occurs is when the value of the products being made exceeds the amount of money being
paid to the workers. The problem in the novel technically isn't even that. In A Grain of
Wheat, the Kenyans don't necessarily even "sell" their labor; their labor is striped from
them. Because of what is going on in Africa during the time the novel is written, it makes
it even easier to side with both Marx and Ngugi's stance on the matter. European powers
were dividing Africa. Pre- colonization, traditionalism prevailed. Kenya's ancient
traditional society, before colonization took place was an example of a communistic
society, where every worker had their own; everyone worked and had relatively equal
status. There was not one man sitting back and reaping all the benefits, like in capitalism.
During pre- colonization, benefits of work were shared equally, where everyone all got
food, clothes and shelter.

Ngugi wa Thiongo in A Grain of Wheat represents the issues of capitalism in a way that
is easily understood because its clear that the Kenyans are being stripped from their
rights and being taken advantage of. There is a vivid separation in classes between the
Kenyan characters and the European characters. The Mau Mau, a militant Kenyan
nationalist movement that originated in the 1950s among the Gikuyu people of Kenya,
represents not only a fight against colonialism, but also the worker, when speaking in
terms of the two antagonistic classes seen in capitalism. In October 1952, the British
government in Kenya declared a state of emergency and began four years of military
operations against the freedom fighters; Ngugi believed that colonialism had
indoctrinated the psyche of the colonized African and that in order to attain freedom, the
colonized African would need to be mentally decolonized (The Mau Mau, NgugiDis).
Colonialism involving a capitalist mentality is damaging. Ngugi expressed strong
reservations about missionary education and a system that brings up the child to value
and know about Europe when he does not know even the very simple facts about his own
country (The Mau Mau, NgugiDis). Capitalism, especially during colonialism, forced
Kenyans to become accustomed to European ways and wisdom.
Ngugis outlook captures a prominent sense of hope and positivity in never giving up.
Many capitalists want to exploit workers. Their goals include paying as low of wage as
possible and to get as much work done as possible in order to maximize profit. Are these
exchanges mutually beneficial? Capitalism under normal circumstances or in a free
market, the answer, though sometimes hard to see, is yes because the exchanges are
voluntary. Both parties could say no to the exchange. However when involving
capitalism under colonialism, these voluntary actions from the workers become

involuntary. When a nation is being colonized, like Kenya during the mid-twentieth
century, these Kenyans, at first, had no choice but to "work" for and obey the colonizer.
In a society where there is a class separation and blatant as this, there is corruption.
Kenyans were given a little incentive and acted according to the British's satisfaction
instead of doing what was right.
Literature is very effective because the setting and the characters give emotion behind the
facts of history. With characters, readers can relate to emotions. It is so unbelievably
clear how wrong the total takeover of the Kenyan state by The Europeans was and can be
seen throughout the novel, A Grain of Wheat. The major narrative line which is most
closely associated with the scholarly text would be the experience of the Mau Mau
members, whom were held in various detention camps. The main character, Mugo,
becomes a hero of other prisoners while being detained in Rira Camp. He leads a hunger
strike in revolt against John Thompson, the camp commandant, for which he then pays
for with a public whipping. This in Marx perspective would be the use and abuse of an
innocent citizen. In general, it is the impact of the detentions on rural village life which
Ngugi stresses- villages which were once full of young men and characterized by a
vibrant social life become somber and lifeless(A Grain of Wheat (1967), NgugiGrain).
For example, Old Thabai village was completely destroyed after the attack on Mahee
Police Post. The capitalist society, in which the Europeans were on top, ruined traditional
Kenyan. Did the Kenyan people ask for this? In class we discussed the target audience for
which Ngugi aimed his novel at, and we came to a conclusion that it was aimed for
Westerns to read. Ngugi represents the negative ways in which Europeans colonized.
Medicine and education, both positive were not the only things brought by Europeans.

This novel opens the eyes of the Westerns. The Europeans thrived off an unfair
advantage of the Kenyans vulnerability and did what they had to do without a care in the
world for the feelings of people they were perpetrating.
Capitalism is dominating enough as is; adding colonization on top of a capitalistic state
means absolute power in the hands of the Europeans. These Kenyans became puppets,
where the British were the puppeteer, and in complete control of the show. The Kenyans
had to act accordingly under the rule. Their traditional values were striped and the ability
to think for themselves, along with having characteristics of uniqueness and creativity
could no longer be appreciated, let alone exist. Ngugis writing is so extremely didactic,
especially after reading the scholarly texts, "Wage Labor and Capital", "Capital" and
"The Communist Manifesto". Ngugi's motive in creating A Grain of Wheat was not for
literary or artistic purposes; Ngugi is the voice of the Kenyan people and his messagedriven novel screams the truth of capitalism and colonialism. When the people of Kenya
are able to fully grasp whats happening to them and are able to overcome vulnerability,
that is the very moment when revolution and rebuilding can start to take place.
Decolonization or the undoing of colonialism to achieve an independent status is the next
big thing. And because the reader has come to know and appreciate the country and the
countrys people before it was soiled by the big bad wolf, the reader is left envisioning
the best for Kenya as they rebuild their nation one step at a time.

Works Cited
"NgugiDis." NgugiDis. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
"NgugiGrain." NgugiGrain. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

WRITING PROJECT FROM: THE TEACHING AND TUTORING OF WRITING

CLASS
Lauren Felasco
11 December 2014
Process This
What is writing? What does writing mean to writers? At first thought, the question of
what writing is seems rather dim-witted. In a literal sense, everyone knows what writing
is. But, what writing is must be established before talking about writing and how writing
is.
I would conceptualize writing as a form of self-expression. No matter what the end result
or goal is for writers (because there always is one or many), to finish the short story that
has been worked on for three years for fun or to get an A on a research paper in
History, writing is always a depiction of the writer. No writer can write like another
writer. Writing is an experience; writing is a personal experience with an ideal end result.
Simply put, writers write to accomplish.
Before learning about how to write and the processes that go along with writing, it is
important to learn what writing is and what the goals for writing are. The
accomplishments of writing are skewed for the given circumstanceI guess depending
on the style of writing. Writing, in an educational context, usually involves a prompt with
the goal of understanding the prompt well enough to get an ideal grade. There are
requirements that must be met and guidelines that must be followed. Writing in this
sense, is strict and structured. The fate of a writers goal is in the hands of the grader.
Even though a prompt may be strictly present, the writers voice is still implemented.
Prompted assignments for writers are still a depiction of them.

Writing leisurely, another style of writing, is a bit different. The possibilities are
less bounded. In creative writing, the ability to produce characters is at the writers own
risk and plots can be as twisted as they are. This type of writing offers a more relaxed and
less committal mentality. Creative writing doesnt include deadlines or a rubric. Goals are
different for this type of writing because goals arent affected by time constraints or the
approval of others. (This approval being a grade given by someone higher than the
writer (student) on the academic ladder.) Considerably, writing leisurely is more
personal, but its undeniable that these two styles of writing (prompted and leisure)
include self-expression. Knowing that there are different styles of writing and being able
to identify and observe these types of writings are important elements when studying
writing.
The process of learning how to write and the processes of writing are very important
when talking about writing. Writing is so diverse and at that, the process for writing is not
concrete. Learning to write is not like learning to tie a pair of shoes or learning to ride a
bike. The process of learning how to write is not finite, because the process is neverending. Unlike learning to tie shoes, after a person learnsits over. Tying shows is
pretty much a standardized task. After several attempts or after a period of time, the
person that learned how to tie his/her shoes just gets it. The person will always remember
how to tie his/her shoes. People really cant get better at tying their shoes overtime
(sure, a person is better now than when the person first started as a child). The
expectation that comes with learning and becoming familiar with how to tie shoes is
different from the expectation of learning and becoming familiar with how to write, and
thats the exact point in which these processes differ. A proficient shoe tier pretty much

goes unnoticed, but a proficient writer (or maybe a non-proficient writer) usually does not
go unnoticed.
With writing, you can see writers become better writers overtime. Producers, people who
produce writing, are constantly getting better by exploring new ways to write. There is no
end point for writers. With more experience, writers get better. Writing more, reading
more and speaking moreaverage human routinesmake for better writers. Writers
works can be compared overtime. Because of the many varieties of writing, writers are
constantly learning about writing and can experience and engage in new ways to write.
Whereas with shoe tying, there arent that many ways to tie a shoe; its hard to
experience new shoe tying techniques, therefore the process of tying shoes can be learned
and finalized in such a meager amount of time.
For me, Im not exactly sure how old I was when I first learned how to write. At probably
age 6, in Kindergarten, (give or take a year) I learned the absolute basics of writing like
tracing letters and eventually forming those letters into words. Ironically enough, this is
probably the same time I learned how to tie my shoes (give or take a year). With that
being said, Ive known how to tie my shoes ever since age 6; Ive known how to write
ever since age 6 too, but Im still learning.
We will forever, as long as we live, learn about writing. Every day we write, read,
speak, and listenfor every day we livewe become better writers. All writers works
reflect who they are and what they are capable of doing. What writers are capable of
writing doesnt necessarily come down to how they were taught, but comes down to who
they are as individuals. This is something I learned in my creative writing class last
semester. Everyone in the class (I believe) was able to tie shoes. I dont think anyone was

better than anyone else at tying shoes. Im not saying that any one person was a better
writer than another, but the ways people wrote were so varied. The writers processes for
producing their writing were different as well. In one class, we talked about drafting, and
for the most part everyone had a different antic for producing his or her own kind of
work. So, processes for writing differ for writers after they initially learn how to write.
What writing is must be established before talking about writing. To do this,
looking at different styles of writing to compare them is effective. To understand writing
better, the processes of writing must be looked at and understood, from first learning how
to trace letters to drafting stories. To understand the process of writing better, writing can
be analyzed by putting it side by side with another early-learned task. Talking about
writing is learning about writing and by completing these steps we learn that the process
of writing is complicated, has immeasurable room for growth and is never-ending. As
aforementioned, what writing is must be established before talking about writing and how
writing is. These ideas, although mentioned separately, are the two parts of writing as a
whole; these ideas work together to define writing.

FICTION PIECE
2015
Unmatched
I wiped the smudge on my computer screen with my flannel sleeve. I went back to my
posting online, a ritual I did every Sunday or Monday night. When I finished my post, I
tossed my computer to the end of my bed and situated myself so that my back was
completely flat against the wall where my bed met the purple paint. I sat up straight, so
that my back would crack, tiny pops shot down my spine. After opening my eyes, I
pushed them towards my floor. Cluttered, I felt myself starting to breathe heavy. THE
GIRL WITH THIS BAG HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED, read the retail bag in the
plastic bin. Along with the reality-claimed bag, was a laptop case that didnt fit my new
computer, old books Ive only spark-noted and a few journals I bought because I liked
their covers and they were $3.99 each.
To the left of the plastic bin filled with the bag that spoke and other hopeless junk was
my comforter.
I havent unpacked.
I moved in with my father three days after she passed. The worst kind of relationship is
one that you foresee will never pick up where it left off. We went out for pasta that night
at Nicos, a restaurant he hadnt been to since long before I was born. An hour before
closing time, we sat at a table with four chairs that was against the window. His first
words to me since we left the house were, Will I be too cold over here? as he placed his
new navy work coat on the back of his chair, hugging the glossy, polished wood. The
restaurant was dim, and I was glad. Everything always seemed less awkward in darkness.

The waitress came over when he was in the bathroom; I thought about ordering him a
Pepsi with two lemons because I remember it being his favorite, but I also knew he
should probably be drinking water because of his kidney stones.
I ordered riggies with shrimp, medium, because the waitress assured me with her
eyebrows raised spicy was spicy. The food came quick and he commented on how fast,
complementing our waitress as if she whipped up the dishes herself. He didnt speak the
whole meal. Nothing, until he was scooping the last thin piece of crispy bite into his
mouth, Mom loved shrimp. I was scraping my pasta around, scooping it from one side
of the deep dish to the other, when I looked up at him. Our eyes met and then unmatched.
I sat, waiting for the waitress to realize we needed boxes. The giddy Italian boxed up half
my meal and his left over rigatoni. He and the waitress conversed about another Italian
restaurant she worked at that was one of his frequent favorites. He mentioned the poor
atmosphere at the other restaurant because it was, as he described it a hole in the wall
though he praised the food.
Yeah, but you have this. She motioned her big hands towards me, If you think you
need atmosphere, youre doing something wrong. She looked at him and then smiled at
me.
After paying, we put our coats on and pushed in our chairs. The place was empty now.
The robotically happy shiny-headed guy in the front behind the desk, who was not placed
there when we entered the restaurant, wished us a happy evening. I opened the left door
to exit. As I turned to see if he was following me, our eyes met again. Thanks for
remembering the lemons, my father said as I held the door for him.