1. Read the book reviews of the New Vision (March to June 2015) a) Summarize any two critical literary articles b) Show how they promote or demote the literary text in which they analyze NANYONGA GLORIA, KIRABO ROBINAH. KAISAGARA RACHEAL ANDGULOBA IRENE MELVIN

THE LIVING GODDESS, A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF KATHANDU by Isabella Tree This was reviewed by Christine Tommy, a journalist and the author of the Saffron Road ; a journey with Buddha daughters. In this book, Tree deftly interlaces myth, religious belief, modern history and court gossip to tell the story of how a girl known as Kumari became so central to the rule of successive kings of Nepal not only conferring on them legitimacy by making the forehead of a favored incoming royal leader with a dab of a scared powder but also acting as their divine protector. At the heart of her narrative are the terrible events that unfold at the royal Narayanhiti palace on the evening of 1st June 2001 when the crown prince Dipendra went on a bloody rampage, shooting dead nine members of his family including his parentsand brother before turning the gun on himself. Amongst the many beliefs surrounding the Kumari, there is an assumption that the young girl temporarily enthroned as a living goddess only retains her divine power as lons as she remains physically unblemished and shows no sign of blood loss either through injury or through reaching puberty. Several weeks before the royal massacre in 2001, Tree heard from different sources that the Kumari at that time had developed a skin disease and then started menstruating signaling that her power had been dwindled and she should have been replaced by another young girl or “Kumari in waiting.” The living goddess reveals some of the sacrificial rituals rumoured to sound the enthroned of a Kumari. This includes the leading of a young girl along with a white cloth through a courtyard where hours before the throat of goats and buffaloes have been pierced so that blood jotted out in gigantic fountains. This initiation is said to be carried out by the tantric priests as a ritual of empowerment with blood symbolizing the energy of life, the reason custom demands. The Kumari dress in red gowns with the jewellery and make-up of a bride rather than the white, yellow or saffron robes traditionally worn by priests, monks and ascetics. b) Basically, in The Wisdom of Trees, Val Hennessy, the reviewer promotes the text for example the phrase “…and he suggests that by studying trees we can learn about survival, defence, sustainability, conservation and the endless creative possibilities of nature.” Through this phrase the reader gets to know more information about the trees thus playing an informative role. We also discover that “wilting may blossom” emits a corpse-like odour, that the traditional name for a pole- lathe turner is bodger. To keep readers on their toes, Adams sometimes introduces exciting unfamiliar words like phloem, cambium, skeuomorphism and crucks which make the reader more interested in reading the text. When we read the text, we are actually encouraged to plant more trees. “Trees are amazing and it’s a staggering fact that we now plant our planet saving gifts for our grandchildren,” thus promoting the text. When we read the text, it opens our world to understanding of trees for example, “ like all living things, trees breathe and reproduce, but having no brain or nervous system they can neither think nor feel pain as we know it but brain or not, trees are biological marvels. As we read on, his prose becomes gloriously lyrical for example “There is a musk in the dense, unmoving air where flies dangle as if on invisible strings” and “every shade and hue in nature’s paintbox is on display, all saturated by low sun…” This introduces us to the contents of the forest and what actually goes on there thus promoting the text. Finally, the ecological theme is brought out because we see the interrelation of trees with their surroundings. This is shown through the various information we get to know about the trees. In The Living Goddess, the selection of the Kumari who is entitled to sit on the pedestal for worship as the Living Goddess is an elaborate affair. According to the traditions of Vajirayana sect of Mahayana Buddhism girls in the age group of 4-7, who belong to the Sakya community and have an appropriate horoscope, are screened on the basis of their 32 attributes. They are then taken to meet the deities in a dark room where terrifying tantric rituals are performed. The real goddess is one who stays calm and collected throughout the rituals. Religious beliefs shown are how the initiation is carried out by tantric priests as a ritual of empowerment with blood symbolizing the energy of life. The Kumari assume that a young girl temporarily enthroned as a living goddess only retains her divine power as long as she remains physically unblemished as shows no sign of blood loss, either through injury or reaching the stage of puberty which portrays the theme of religion. The text is demoted as seen in a way that tradition has a way of disrespecting kings/leaders for example the Kumari is believed to have divine powers. She leaves her abode only to attend certain festivals such as the Indian Jatra where the King of Nepal would bow at the feet of his little child. If she refused to bless the King, his reign was considered doomed. In conclusion, the critical articles analyzed are wisdom of trees by Max Adams which portrays the theme of ecology and the living Goddess by Isabella Tree which reveals the themes of religion and culture in Buddism. REFERENCES www.newvision.com www.the guardian.com www.independent.co.uk www.historytoday.com