Anti-Social Behaviour
Senior 1 · English
Anti-Social Behaviour
Lesson 5 of 5
30 min
Let's begin
Across much of Africa, people and a small bird have worked together for thousands of years. The greater honeyguide leads honey-hunters to wild bees' nests with its chattering call; the people open the nest, and the bird eats the wax and the grubs that are left. This Zulu folktale asks what happens when one partner breaks the deal. It is a story about greed and ingratitude, two kinds of anti-social behaviour that damage trust, and it shows its characters so clearly that you can judge them without being told what to think.
Before you read: Have you ever helped someone who did not say thank you or share with you? How did it feel?
This is the story of Ngede, the Honeyguide, and a greedy young man named Gingile.
One day while Gingile was out hunting he heard the call of Ngede. Gingile’s mouth began to water at the thought of honey. He stopped and listened carefully, searching until he saw the bird in the branches above his head.
“Chitik-chitik-chitik,” the little bird rattled, as he flew to the next tree, and the next.
“Chitik, chitik, chitik,” he called, stopping from time to time to be sure that Gingile followed.
After half an hour, they reached a huge wild fig tree.
Ngede hopped about madly among the branches. He then settled on one branch and cocked his head at Gingile as if to say, “Here it is! Come now! What is taking you so long?”
Gingile couldn’t see any bees from under the tree, but he trusted Ngede.
So Gingile put down his hunting spear under the tree, gathered some dry twigs and made a small fire.
When the fire was burning well, he put a long dry stick into the heart of the fire. This wood was especially known to make lots of smoke while it burned.
He began climbing, holding the cool end of the smoking stick in his teeth.
Soon he could hear the loud buzzing of the busy bees. They were coming in and out of a hollow in the tree trunk – their hive.
When Gingile reached the hive he pushed the smoking end of the stick into the hollow.
The bees came rushing out, angry and mean. They flew away because they didn’t like the smoke – but not before they had given Gingile some painful stings!
When the bees were out, Gingile pushed his hands into the nest. He took out handfuls of the heavy comb, dripping with rich honey and full of fat, white grubs.
He put the comb carefully in the pouch he carried on his shoulder, and started to climb down the tree.
Ngede eagerly watched everything that Gingile was doing. He was waiting for him to leave a fat piece of honeycomb as a thank-you offering to the Honeyguide.
Ngede flittered from branch to branch, closer and closer to the ground. Finally Gingile reached the bottom of the tree.
Ngede perched on a rock near the boy and waited for his reward.
But, Gingile put out the fire, picked up his spear and started walking home, ignoring the bird.
Ngede called out angrily, “VIC-torr! VIC-torrr!”
Gingile stopped, stared at the little bird and laughed aloud. “You want some honey, do you, my friend? Ha! But I did all the work, and got all the stings. Why should I share any of this lovely honey with you?” Then he walked off.
Ngede was furious! This was no way to treat him! But he would get his revenge.
One day several weeks later Gingile again heard the honey call of Ngede. He remembered the delicious honey, and eagerly followed the bird once again.
After leading Gingile along the edge of the forest, Ngede stopped to rest in a great umbrella thorn. “Ahh,” thought Gingile. “The hive must be in this tree.” He quickly made his small fire and began to climb, the smoking branch in his teeth. Ngede sat and watched.
Gingile climbed, wondering why he didn’t hear the usual buzzing. “Perhaps the hive is deep in the tree,” he thought to himself. He pulled himself up another branch. But instead of the hive, he was staring into the face of a leopard!
Leopard was very angry at having her sleep so rudely interrupted. She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to reveal her very large and very sharp teeth.
Before Leopard could take a swipe at Gingile, he rushed down the tree.
In his hurry he missed a branch, and landed with a heavy thud on the ground twisting his ankle. He hobbled off as fast as he could. Luckily for him, Leopard was still too sleepy to chase him. Ngede, the Honeyguide, had his revenge.
And Gingile learned his lesson.
And so, when the children of Gingile hear the story of Ngede they have respect for the little bird. Whenever they harvest honey, they make sure to leave the biggest part of the comb for Honeyguide!
| Word | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| greedy | wanting more than your fair share | Gingile was a greedy young man. |
| revenge | harm done to someone because they harmed you | Ngede got his revenge. |
| hive | a place where bees live and make honey | The hive was in a hollow in the trunk. |
| honeycomb | the wax cells in which bees store honey | He took out handfuls of honeycomb. |
| sting | a painful wound from a bee's sharp tail | Gingile got some painful stings. |
| reward | something given in return for help | Ngede waited for his reward. |
| ignore | pay no attention to someone | He walked home, ignoring the bird. |
| furious | extremely angry | Ngede was furious! |
| eagerly | with great wanting or excitement | He eagerly followed the bird again. |
| hobble | walk with difficulty because of a pain in the leg | He hobbled off as fast as he could. |
Definition
Characterisation: the ways a writer shows what a character is like.
For indirect characterisation, remember STEAL: Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, Looks.
| STEAL | Gingile | Ngede |
|---|---|---|
| Speech | "Why should I share any of this lovely honey with you?" (selfish, mocking) | "VIC-torr! VIC-torrr!" (angry protest) |
| Thoughts | "The hive must be in this tree." (quick to believe what he wants) | "This was no way to treat him! But he would get his revenge." (proud, determined) |
| Effect on others | makes Ngede furious; his children must repair the damage by respecting the bird | makes Gingile's family respect honeyguides for ever |
| Actions | takes all the comb, laughs at the bird, walks off | leads him patiently the first time; plans a trap the second time |
| Looks (and how he moves) | at the end: twisted ankle, hobbling away | small, hopping "madly", cocking his head |
| Character | Traits (with the evidence type) |
|---|---|
| Gingile | greedy (direct: the narrator tells us); ungrateful and disrespectful (actions and speech); careless (he climbs without checking) |
| Ngede | patient and helpful (actions); proud and clever (thoughts, and the plan with the leopard); unforgiving (he takes revenge rather than asking again) |
Worked example
Prove a trait with indirect characterisation: Gingile is ungrateful.
Definition
Intonation: the rise and fall of your voice as you speak. It shows whether you are telling, asking or checking, and how you feel.
| Type of sentence | Voice at the end | Examples from the story |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | falls ↘ | Ngede was furious. ↘ Gingile learned his lesson. ↘ |
| Wh-question | falls ↘ | What is taking you so long? ↘ Why should I share any of this honey? ↘ |
| Yes-no question | rises ↗ | You want some honey, do you? ↗ Is the hive in this tree? ↗ |
The fall or rise starts on the last stressed word, the most important word in the sentence: Why did Gingile LAUGH? Your voice goes high on LAUGH and drops as the sentence ends.
Tip
Hum it. Close your mouth and hum a sentence without the words. A yes-no question hums like a door that opens upwards (hmm-hmm-HMM ↗); a statement or a wh-question hums like a door closing (HMM-hmm ↘).
Warning
A wh-question with a rising voice can sound surprised or unfriendly: WHERE did you go? ↗ may mean "I can't believe you went there!" For a normal question, let the voice fall.
Questions and intonation: up or down?, from Rachel's English (3 minutes). Rachel uses American English, but the rule is the same: listen for the yes-no questions going up and the wh-questions coming down.
In pairs, one student is a radio reporter and the other is Gingile, the day after he met the leopard. The reporter asks three yes-no questions and three wh-questions with the correct intonation; Gingile answers in character. Then swap, with Ngede as the guest.
Reporter: Good morning, Gingile. How is your ankle? ↘
Gingile: It still hurts. I can hardly walk. ↘
Reporter: Did you share the honey the first time? ↗
Gingile: No, I didn't. I thought I had done all the work. ↘
Reporter: Why do you think Ngede took you to the leopard? ↘
Gingile: Because I was ungrateful. Next time I'll leave him the biggest piece. ↘
Reporter: Will you tell your children this story? ↗
Gingile: Yes, every one of them. ↘
Write a character profile of Gingile or Ngede in 100 to 120 words. Name two traits. For each trait, give one piece of direct or indirect evidence, say which kind of characterisation it is (speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions or looks), and explain what it shows. End with one sentence about what the story teaches.
Ngede, the honeyguide, is patient and clever. His patience is shown through his actions: he leads Gingile from tree to tree, "stopping from time to time to be sure that Gingile followed." He does his part of the work carefully. His cleverness is shown through his actions and thoughts. After Gingile cheats him, Ngede does not attack him; instead he thinks, "he would get his revenge," and later leads the greedy man to a sleeping leopard. However, Ngede is also unforgiving, because he does not give Gingile a second chance. The story teaches that a partnership only works when both partners are treated fairly.
Practice
Further reading
Sources and credits
