Grace Ogot (b.1934-) is a Kenyan author, nurse, journalist, politician and diplomat^[1]. Ogot was born Grace Emily Akinyi in Asembo, in the district of Nyanza. She trained as a nurse inUganda and in England. She has worked as a midwife, a tutor, as journalist, as a BBC Overseas Service broadcaster, and in a managerial capacity for the Air India Corporation of East Africa. In 1984 she became one of only a handful of women to serve as a Member of Parliament and the only woman assistant minister in the cabinet of then President Daniel arap Moi. Ogot has since held various Ambassadorial posts, representing her country at the United Nations and UNESCO. Ogot was a founding member of the Writers' Association of Kenya. She married the historian Professor Bethwell Allan Ogot, a Luo from Gem Location, in 1959, and is the mother of four children.

Writin Career

Grace Ogot's first book was Land Without Thunder, a book of short stories. Her first novel was The Promised Land. Her other works include: The Strange Bride, The Graduate, The Other Woman and The Island of Tears.

Grace Ogot can be said to be one of Africa's finest writers. Her writing style is splendid in its evocation of vivid imagery; she captures the formalities of traditional African interpersonal exchanges, governed by protocol and symbolism.

Many of her stories are set against the scenic background of Lake Victoria and the traditions of the Luo people. Her prose is evocative of traditional folklore – such as in The Strange Bride, a novel about a mystical and provocative female character in ancient Luoland. Grace Ogot also tackles issues of emigration – as is the case in The Promised Land, a novel set in the 1930s, whereby her main protagonists emigrate from Nyanza to northern Tanzania, in search of fertile land and wealth. The Graduate is also a novel about the complexities of emigration; in it, the male protagonist returns from the United States to Kenya, after completing his studies. Many of the short stories in Land Without Thunder are set in ancient Luoland; Ogot's descriptions, literary tools, and storylines offer a valuable insight into Luo culture in pre-colonial East Africa. Ogot has published works in both English and Luo – some of her works were first published in the Dholuo language.

She was interviewed in 1974 by Lee Nichols for a Voice of America radio broadcast that was aired between 1975-1979 (Voice of America radio series Conversations with African writers, no. 23). The Library of Congress has a copy of the broadcast tape and the unedited original interview. The broadcast transcript appears in the book Conversations with African Writers(Washington, D.C.: Voice of America, 1981), p. 207-216.

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Short Story : The Rain Came AIT1 U2

Some of her other works such as ‘Island of Tears’ and ‘Land without Thunder’. Much of her stories are based on customs, history and traditions of the Luo tribe which is the second largestethnic group in the Kenya.

2.Character

Main Character: Oganda

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Daughter of Labong’O

Although Labong’O has fifth wife, but Oganda is only a daughter for him. Oganda is thedaughter of Labong’O when he married to fifth wife. (Par 5, line 7)

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Full of Imagination

When she is in her grandmother’s hut and waiting for the new, she thinks that the villagesoutside there are talking about her marriage. And at the same time, she is thinks about the manthat she could marriage with. She start thinks about the Kech and also thinks that he will be awonderful father. (Par 12, line 3)

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A Brave girl

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Short Story : The Rain Came AIT1 U2

Although the chief choose her to be sacrifice to get the rain, but her did not complaints aboutthat. She is also bravely to sacrifice to the lake monster. (Par 23, line 5)

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Believes in god

Oganda believed to god and her ancestors that if she was sacrifice to the lake monster, thevillages will get the rain. (Par 39, line 1)Main Character: Labong’O

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Believes in god

Labong’O is willing to sacrifice his only daughter, Oganda to the lake monster to get the rainafter hearing the words from Ndithi, the medicine man for the tribe. (Par 9, line 5)

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Worry about pester

From this story, we can know that Labong’O is worrying about the pester. Labong’O becamethinner and thinner because of the people are always keep pester him about the drought problem.(Par 2, line 5)

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Loves his daughter

Labong’O love to his daughter .When he knew the news about his daughter will sacrifice to thelake monster, he is sad and wept bitterly. When inside his hut, Labong’O is burst into tears whenhe is thinks back what the medicine man is talking that the girl that must sacrifice is his onlydaughter, Oganda. (Par 4, line 6)

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Selfish

Labong’O is a selfish person too. When he is in his hut, he thinks back what the medicine manhas told him, why ancestors need to sacrifice his only daughter, because there are so many homesand parents that have daughters. (Par 4, line 13)Minor Character: Osinda

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Willing to sacrifice for love

Osinda is person who is willing to sacrifice for love because he knew that when they areescaping from the sacrifice to lake monster, there may not came back to the village and thevillage might not getting the rain risk. He also might face the risk from wrath of ancestors andthe lake monster. (Par 40, line 1)

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Brave

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Short Story : The Rain Came AIT1 U2

Osinda is a brave man because he is dares to go inside the scared place to rescue Oganda fromthe lake monster. He risks his own life and goes to the scared place to recuse his belovedOganda. (Par 39)Minor Character: Ndithi

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Medicine man

Ndithi is a superstitious medicine man for the Labong’O tribe. He is a man that can communicatewith their god or the ancestor. He is also the middle man between the people and their God. Hetold the Labong’O that, the only way to help the village to have rain is by sacrificing the Oganda.(Par 7, line 2)Minor Character: Minya (Mother)

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Loves her daughter

Minya is Oganda’s mother. She is very love Oganda. We can see this when once she knows thenew that her lovely daughter is chosen to sacrifice to the lake monster to get the rain; she wasfainted down because of sad. (Par 10, line 2)