WAEC Literature in English 2019 Theory — Question 8

Model answer

Points to develop: Background of Mr. Dalton; His relationship with the blacks; His employment of black people in his mansion; His short-sightedness; Mr. Dalton's demonstration of hypocrisy. Mr. Dalton is a wealthy capitalist. He is husband to Mrs. Dalton and father to Mary Dalton. He owns property in Southside Chicago. Evidently, the Biggers are tenants in his estate. Mr. Dalton professes to be a lover of blacks. The ping pong game played by Bigger and his friends at Mr. Docs is one of his establishments. Mr. Dalton rents kitchenettes to the blacks at higher prices than apartments rented to the whites. He is indeed a capitalist. He donates large amounts of money to 'uplift' black citizens, yet he fleeces them with exorbitant house rent. This portrays him as a hypocrite. Mr. Dalton employs Peggy, the Irish as cook. He had earlier employed Green, a black as a chauffeur. Green is said to have spent ten years with the Daltons and he was able to further his education. All these are cover-ups for Mr. Daltons ills. Bigger is employed as chauffeur in replacement of Mr. Green. Mr. Dalton is wary of Communists and for this he has to interrogate Bigger. Mr. Dalton is oblivious of certain things that happen around him. He is not sensitive to the fact that Mary, his daughter moves with a Communist, Jan Erlone. He also undermines Bigger, not having imagined that Bigger could have the temerity to abduct Mary. Despite his material and financial success, he is outsmarted by Bigger that he almost pays off the boy ten thousand dollars after killing his daughter. Over Mary's movements, he interrogates Bigger. Not satisfied, he invites a private investigator (Mr. Britten) to help out. At the court scene, Boris Max confronts Mr. Dalton and argues that Mr. Dalton is a hypocrite. His philanthropic acts are meant to clear his conscience of the injustices he has done to the blacks. He extorts the blacks and offers poolroom games in return. The death of Mary serves as a lesson to Mr. Dalton and other whites on the adverse effect of racism. Mr. Dalton is used as a scapegoat for the racist whites.