No Sweetness Here

How does family structure impact the society and the story? How do family expectations shape and limit possibilities for both the story and its characters?

What is the significance of the fees? Why won’t Maami claim the ejection fee? Why is it significant that her family has to claim them?

“It was six o’clock; but this time, I did not run” (74). Why does Ama Ata Aidoo end the story here? What is the significance of this line?

Consider the implications of the title and of the line that echoes it within the story: “We do not understand it. Life is not sweet!” (71). Has life lost its sweetness because of Kwesi’s death, or does the lack of sweetness precede and in some ways cause his death?

What is the significance of snakebite as a cause of death? What is the story suggesting about the role of chance or fate in life?

Ahobaada is a traditional festival of blessings and rejoicing. This story takes place on Ahobaada and the day before. Why is it significant that Aidoo sets the action of the story on this holiday?

By 1914, all of West Africa has been colonized. Ghana was held by the British, although most of surrounding West Africa was held by the French. In what ways has small, rural Bamso been influenced by colonization? What evidence of Ghana’s colonial history exists in the story?

Why is Chicha surprised that her face is “bathed in unconscious tears?” (74). In the context of the rest of the story, what does this expression of emotion say about her character and personality?