WAEC Literature in English 2019 Theory — Question 3

Model answer

Points to develop: Background; Deprivation; Misery; Decadence; Lawlessness; Positive side of Agbogbloshie Market. Agbogbloshie Market came into being after the destruction of Makola Market in 1979. It started as a market for floating traders. The first chapter of the novel records Fofo's new job, which is washing vegetables and carrots in Agbogbloshie Market. Agbogbloshie becomes a haven for street children and all kinds of homeless folks who have lost the trace of home or who are business wanderers. The first chapter also captures the sorry situation of street children who sleep together in a cramped shack. The market lacks security, facilities and amenities, and it is located in Sodom and Gomorrah, which is a ghetto inhabited by street children. The name Sodom and Gomorrah emanates from 'vices' and anomalies that characterize the place. In Agbogbloshie, people live in misery. Exploitation of characters like Maa Tsuru and Baby T by Kpakpo is an attestation to this. Baby T is portrayed to have suffered such suffering warrants her being a sex worker. Fofo's poverty leads her to dressing like a boy to rob Kabria. Fofo eats bread for breakfast, lunch and supper and Odarley cannot go back home for the fact that she is not wanted. The interview conducted by Harvest FM on the street children also reveals the abject poverty that characterises Agbogbloshie market. Macho also takes Fofo's saving for a week. This reveals the plight and oppression in Agbogbloshie Market. Agbogbloshie Market is characterized by lawlessness, lewdness, sexual immorality, bullying, drinking, theft, extortion, filth and lack of facilities and many immoral acts. An example of sexual abuse or rape is Poison's attempt to rape Fofo at the opening of the novel. Another example is an attempt by the shoe shine boy to have sexual intercourse with Odarley whom he takes for the ice water girl. Youths are exposed to adult lives. Also, in Agbogbloshie Market, there are cases of murder. The corpse of Baby T that lies for days behind the Blue Rasta kiosk is an example. The criminal acts in Agbogbloshie Market are unchecked. The police can do nothing to arrest or prosecute Poison for killing Baby T. Macho oppresses without scruples and goes unchecked. There is breakdown of law and order in Agbogbloshie Market. Despite the negative sides of Agbogbloshie Market, it has its own positive side. Agbogbloshie Market is a business centre for traders and buyers of all kinds. Particularly, it is the place where Kabria encounters Fofo, which leads to Fofo's rehabilitation and the resolution of mystery surrounding Baby T's death.