Sample activity of integration – Prose

The book, The Queen of Katwe, explores a few problems in our society, such as poverty and inequality.

1. Read the summary below of the book

‘The Queen of Katwe’.

Write brief notes on the setting, theme and structure from this summary. The Queen of Katwe Phiona lives in poverty with her mother and siblings in Katwe, a slum in Kampala. Instead of going to school, Phiona helps her mother at the market and she looks after her baby brother. One day, she meets Robert Katende, a war refugee turned missionary. He teaches chess at a local centre. Phiona learns how to play chess and becomes the top player in the group. Katende decides she should enter chess competitions.

The local chess authorities do not think that girls should compete in chess tournaments, and oppose this plan. However, Katende and Phiona are determined and soon she and the team enter a national school level tournament at a prestigious local school. At first the team feel uneasy but Phiona wins the tournament.

Phiona achieves great success at chess competitions. By the age of 11 Phiona is her country’s junior champion, and at 15, the national champion. Life in Katwe is still a struggle, and Phiona hopes that a successful chess career will allow her family to escape their life of poverty. Eventually she leads the Ugandan chess team to the Chess Olympiad in Russia. The competition is too tough, however, and she is eliminated in the final round, Phiona returns home in despair but Coach Katende and her community encourage her. Eventually she regains her confidence and succeeds in her career, allowing her to help the family.

2. Refer to your notes. Write three paragraphs about the setting, theme and structure.

3. Write a fourth paragraph, explaining how prose can help address societal problems. Give examples related to The Queen of Katwe