It shows that she, even as young as she is, is aware of the divides that will soon endanger her life.

Moreover, Akpan can show the sheer absurdity in the extreme oppression and racism exhibited between the two tribes from this very naive childlike perspective. Monique serves as a catalyst for which criticism on the nature of the situation and the reasoning behind the African genocide. The hatred between the members of the family is exposed as being so unnecessary and confusing from Monique's perspective. This confusion really helps expose the genocide for how unnecessary it was. Rather than being bogged down by the biases and prejudices of an adult narrator, the child narrator here really exaggerates the sense of absurdity and ridiculousness involving the foundation behind the genocide. This coincides with the notion that Monique recognizes some of the attackers from her very church. The fact that churchgoers and...
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