Ngugi wa Thiong'o was born in Limuru, Kenya in 1938. He went on to become one of the most acclaimed novelists in East Africa. His story "The Martyr" is a tale of the conflicting perspectives and resulting tragedy inherent in the European colonization of African nations.

"The Martyr" is written in the third person limited point-of-view, which means that it conveys the thoughts and perspectives of a limited number of characters. The perspective of the story switches between two characters: Mrs. Hill, who represents the white settlers, and Njoroge, who represents the native people. Through exploring each of these people's thoughts, the author is able to show the cultural blindness that leads to racism and conflict.

Mrs. Hill wants to be kind and humane, but she has no perspective on the native people and their lives. She thinks of natives only as "boys" and not as...