Divide Mandisa's lines into rhythms and give reasons

Question

MANDISA: Amen! Amen! Akusemnandi! yhi! hayi lanto! (It must be nice! Wow! My goodness!)
***NQOBA: Haw sthandwa (Oh my love)
MANDISA: Baby! Yeyona soccer le ubuzoyibukela, ngoba undizishiya pha endlini? (Is this the soccer match you were going to watch when you left me back home?)
Kudlala bani dali? AmaZulu? (Which team is playing? AmaZulu?)
So sithi aba ngoku baby, singaba bantu siyaqhathana thina soyi2, andisabizwa ngoku xa kukhona amtheku apha? (So this is what we’ve become now, we’re now this couple that lie to each other, I’m no longer called to join family gatherings)
***NQOBA: Bengisazokufonela dali (I was about to call you my love)
MANDISA: Hayi wethu. Nawe bhuti? nawe ukulento? Futhi ayikufaneli. Kwenzeka ntoni apha? KuCelebrate’wa ntoni? (Argh please. You too brother? Are you in this too? And it’s unlike you. What’s going on here? What are we celebrating?)
***NQOBA: Ayikho into esiyiCelebrate’ayo sthandwa besidla… (We’re not celebrating anything my love, we were just eating…)
MANDISA: And then? Ngubani lo? (Who’s this?)
K***NQOBA: Sthandwa yehlisa umoya (Come down my love)
MANDISA: Andifuni uhlisa…sunditshela uba mandihlise umoya wena ngomlomo wam, unomlomo obolileyo ngoluhlobo wena uxoka kum, ude uthandaze ukwazelaphi uthandaza? (I don’t want to come… don’t you tell me to come down with that lying mouth of yours. You’re even praying, do you know how to pray?)
K***NQOBA: Asiyo khuluma ngaphandle. (Let’s go talk outside)
MANDISA: Andifuni ukhuluma ngaphandle ndifuna ukukhuluma apha, phambi kwale Pavi yakho uyabathanda mos aba bantu. Ngicela nithi Hooray!, may Pav, ngicela nithi Hooray!, yitshoni. (I don’t want to talk outside, I want to talk here in front of your favorite people that you love so much. Can everyone say Hooray! Can everyone say Hooray! Say it.)
Ikhona man enyinto endiqond'uba mandinibose yona yazi (There is something that I want to show you)

Hlala phantsi (Sit down)

Yibirth certificate because ndiye ndazixelela into yoba yaz yintoni Mandisa, khawuthathe umntana wakho umbuyisele kulefani ifan'uba yiyo (It's a birth certificate because I told myself that, you know what Mandisa, take your child and put him back to his rightful surname)

Madubela. NguMadubela lo ayixoxisi Madubela. (He is a Madubela, it is not negotiable)

K***NQOBA: Mandisa usuyahlanya yin? (Mandisa are you crazy?)

Khawuyeke lento yokuthi ndiyahlanya wena! Andihlanyi (Stop saying I'm crazy! I'm not crazy)

Andikho right, ndingekho right nje kungenxa yakho naleFamily yakho idibene. Niyakwazi umphatha kakubi umntu ndiniqhwabela izandla (I'm not okay and it's only because of you and your family together. You guys can mistreat someone, I applaud you)

Minyaka le yonke nindiphethe kakubi, ingathi mna andinazo iFeelings (All these years you treat me badly like I don't have feelings)

And then kukho lento le, asimazi nomazi nide niyamthandazela. Niyamthandazela? (And then there is this thing that we don't even know but you're praying for her. You're praying for her?)

Khawume ndiziqoqoshe mna nesdima sam ndihambe apha. Ndihambe nembeko yam (Let me take care of myself and my dignity and leave here)

Awumazi nobawo wasezulwini (You don’t even know the Lord’s Prayer)

Answer 1

Certainly! Let's break Mandisa's lines down into rhythms, focusing on structure, pacing, and emotional cadence within the dialogue.

Breakdown of Mandisa's Lines

Rhythm 1: Exclamatory and Frustrated

• Lines:
  • Amen! Amen! Akusemnandi! yhi! hayi lanto!
    • (It must be nice! Wow! My goodness!)

Reason: The use of punctuated exclamations creates a rhythmic pattern that conveys Mandisa’s initial excitement mixed with sarcasm and frustration. The staccato rhythm mirrors her emotional volatility.

Rhythm 2: Direct Inquiry

• Lines:
  • Baby! Yeyona soccer le ubuzoyibukela, ngoba undizishiya pha endlini?
    • (Is this the soccer match you were going to watch when you left me back home?)
  • Kudlala bani dali? AmaZulu?
    • (Which team is playing? AmaZulu?)

Reason: This section has a more straightforward rhythm as Mandisa directly interrogates Nqoba. The use of short, direct sentences increases urgency and reflects her confusion and disappointment.

Rhythm 3: Assertive and Confrontational

• Lines:
  • So sithi aba ngoku baby, singaba bantu siyaqhathana thina soyi2, andisabizwa ngoku xa kukhona amtheku apha?
    • (So this is what we’ve become now, we’re now this couple that lie to each other, I’m no longer called to join family gatherings)

Reason: This line builds momentum and incorporates a longer sentence filled with clauses, which reflects frustration and the weight of the accusations. The rhythm shifts to a more serious tone as she confronts the nature of their relationship.

Rhythm 4: Denial and Realization

• Lines:
  • Hayi wethu. Nawe bhuti? nawe ukulento? Futhi ayikufaneli.
    • (Argh please. You too brother? Are you in this too? And it’s unlike you.)
  • Kwenzeka ntoni apha? KuCelebrate’wa ntoni?
    • (What’s going on here? What are we celebrating?)

Reason: The sharp pauses illustrated here enhance the rhythm of disbelief and betrayal. Each rhetorical question serves as an emotional beat, showing an internal conflict.

Rhythm 5: Emotional Outburst

• Lines:
  • Andifuni uhlisa…sunditshela uba mandihlise umoya wena ngomlomo wam, unomlomo obolileyo ngoluhlobo wena uxoka kum, ude uthandaze ukwazelaphi uthandaza?
    • (I don’t want to come… don’t you tell me to come down with that lying mouth of yours. You’re even praying, do you know how to pray?)

Reason: This section has a more chaotic, rapid rhythm that illustrates rising anger and emotional overload. The interspersing of questions shows vulnerability wrapped in rage.

Rhythm 6: Assertion of Dignity

• Lines:
  • Andifuni ukhuluma ngaphandle ndifuna ukuthuluma apha, phambi kwale Pavi yakho uyabathanda mos aba bantu.
    • (I don’t want to talk outside, I want to talk here in front of your favorite people that you love so much.)
  • Ikhona man enyinto endiqond'uba mandinibose yona yazi
    • (There is something that I want to show you)

Reason: The commanding tone here, along with emphatic phrases, creates a rhythm of defiance. It marks her reclaiming of space and addressing grievances openly.

Rhythm 7: Conclusion and Emotional Climax

• Lines:
  • Yibirth certificate because ndiye ndazixelela into yoba yaz yintoni Mandisa, khawuthathe umntana wakho umbuyisele kulefani ifan'uba yiyo.
    • (It's a birth certificate because I told myself that, you know what Mandisa, take your child and put him back to his rightful surname)
  • Madubela. NguMadubela lo ayixoxisi Madubela.
    • (He is a Madubela, it is not negotiable)

Reason: This shift to the revelation about the child introduces a new rhythm — it slows down, building emotional weight and finality. Mandisa’s insistence on her child's surname indicates a pivotal moment of claiming her identity and asserting her rights.

Overall Rhythm Patterns:

Throughout Mandisa's speech, the contrasting rhythms convey her emotional journey — from excitement to confrontation, to anger, and finally to a place of assertion regarding her identity and dignity. Each rhythmic segment reveals layers of her feelings, constructing a rich emotional landscape in the dialogue.