Essay prompts Cursed Daughters Oyinkan Braithwaite

Cursed Daughters – 12 Analytical Essay Prompts

How Do the Falodun Family Curse Interstitials Shape Narrative Structure and Thematic Meaning?

Why this prompt matters
The seven curse chapters (8, 17, 35, 39, 61, 75, 98) interrupt the linear story to present ancestor vignettes. Analysing their placement and content reveals how the novel uses a fragmented timeline to treat the curse as both a literal burden and a metaphor for cyclical patriarchal oppression.

Sample thesis direction
The curse interstitials function as a choral commentary that frames the personal tragedies of Monife, Ebun, and Eniiyi within a multigenerational pattern, suggesting that the “curse” reflects systemic misogyny and economic dependency rather than supernatural inevitability.

Evidence leads

Chapter 8 (Feranmi’s origin) – the curse is uttered by a first wife after a physical fight; the patriarch leaves both women.
Chapter 35 (Kemi’s story) – three failed marriages, each shaped by poverty, abuse, or infidelity; she returns to the ancestral house.
Chapter 98 (Monife’s chapter) – the curse is reframed as a fairy tale with a “wicked queen” (Kalu’s mother) destroying the romance, linking supernatural and social forces.
Compare the absence of a curse chapter for Ebun (she is never given a dedicated curse history) – does this signal a break in the pattern?

What Is the Dual Role of Water Symbolism in Monife’s Death and Eniiyi’s Life?

Why this prompt matters
Water appears as both threat and salvation: Monife drowns herself, yet Eniiyi rescues a drowning man and later swims defiantly. Tracing the symbol across the novel illuminates how the next generation can reclaim the element that destroyed the previous one.

Sample thesis direction
Water in Cursed Daughters oscillates between a site of inherited trauma (Monife’s suicide, the prohibition on swimming) and a space of agency (Eniiyi’s rescue, her underwater battle), dramatising the protagonist’s struggle to transform a legacy of death into a source of self-possession.

Evidence leads

Prologue: Monife’s suicide at Elegushi Beach – “the cold ocean” strips her of former joy.
Chapter 2 (dream): Mo drops water on the baby’s forehead, linking birth and the supernatural.
Chapter 6 (Ed.) chapter 31: Eniiyi rescues a drowning man at the same beach, ignoring the gateman’s order to leave.
Chapter 112 (epilogue): Eniiyi fights the curse underwater as a “mermaid” and wins, then takes flight in an airplane – water is mastered, left behind.
Chapter 29 (Ed.) chapter 56: Eniiyi teaches Zubby to swim, turning water into intimacy rather than fear.

How Does the Dog Sango Function as a Symbol of Continuity and Loyalty Across Generations?

Why this prompt matters
Sango appears from Monife’s era (bought in Chapter 13) and lives into Eniiyi’s adulthood, outlasting nearly every human bond. The dog’s longevity and stubborn presence provides a non-human anchor that witnesses the family’s cycles without judgment.

Sample thesis direction
Sango the dog embodies the stubborn endurance of love and loyalty that the Falodun women struggle to find in men, serving as both a silent witness to trauma and a comforting constant that outlasts the curse’s active phase.

Evidence leads

Chapter 13 (Ed.) chapter 13: Monife buys Sango impulsively, defying her mother – the dog is an act of rebellion.
Chapter 23 (Ed.) chapter 23: Eleven years later, Sango is still alive; Ebun jokes that “spite” keeps him going.
Chapter 60 (Ed.) chapter 60: Eniiyi finds Sango when returning to the room unchanged – the dog connects her to the past.
Chapter 111 (Ed.) chapter 111: Sango dies peacefully within 24 hours of Eniiyi’s departure, as if his purpose is bookended by her presence.
The dog never speaks, but his physical warmth and presence are contrasted with male absence (fathers, lovers).

How Does the Motif of Resemblance and Mistaken Identity Drive Eniiyi’s Identity Crisis?

Why this prompt matters
Multiple characters confuse Eniiyi with Monife – from Grandma West to Kalu. This physical doubling forces Eniiyi to ask whether she is her own person or a reincarnation. The motif raises questions about individual identity versus inherited fate.

Sample thesis direction
Eniiyi’s quest for selfhood is continually undermined by the family’s insistence that she is the atunwa (reincarnation) of Monife; her eventual shaving of her head and tattoo (black kite) are deliberate acts of differentiation that reclaim her body as her own.

Evidence leads

Chapter 25 (Ed.) chapter 25: Grandma West mistakes Eniiyi for Monife, calling her “Monife” and demanding water.
Chapter 59 (Ed.) chapter 59: Eniiyi finds a photograph proving she is an exact replica; she steals Monife’s notebook.
Chapter 79 (Ed.) chapter 79: Eniiyi gets a black kite tattoo to set herself apart, after Zubby says a permanent mark will differentiate her.
Chapter 101 (Ed.) chapter 101: Eniiyi shaves her head after confronting her mother at the beach, a visible break from Monife’s long hair.
Chapter 99 (Ed.) chapter 99: Kalu (Golden Boy) mistakes her for Monife upon first sight, triggering the catastrophe of the meeting.

Does the Novel Ultimately Endorse a Supernatural or a Psychological Explanation for the Family “Curse”?

Why this prompt matters
The text oscillates between literal curse history and more secular explanations (epigenetics, generational trauma, social conditioning). The essay prompt asks students to weigh the evidence and decide which reading the ending privileges.

Sample thesis direction
While the curse chapters present a supernatural origin, the novel’s resolution – Eniiyi’s symbolic underwater combat and her departure to the UK – favours a psychological reading: the “curse” is internalised oppression that can be consciously rejected through self-awareness and bodily autonomy.

Evidence leads

Chapter 78 (Ed.) chapter 78: Eniiyi researches online and finds a blog about epigenetics; she wonders if the curse is inherited chemical changes from trauma.
Chapter 8 (Ed.) chapter 8: Twelve-year-old Ebun says she doesn’t believe in curses; Monife replies “what if the curse believes in you?” – leaving belief ambiguous.
Chapter 112 (epilogue): Eniiyi defeats the curse by wrestling it in water, then walks through the airplane; the shadow remains underwater, suggesting the threat is not eradicated but transcended.
Contrast the concrete social structures (poverty, patriarchy, class prejudice) in the curse chapters with the vague supernatural language – the real cause may be material.

How Does Ebun’s Role as Mother Evolve Between the Birth Chapters and the Later Timeline?

Why this prompt matters
Ebun appears as a young mother overwhelmed by family interference and later as the guarded, car-fixing mother of an adult Eniiyi. Tracking her character arc illuminates the novel’s commentary on maternal love, protection, and the limits of control.

Sample thesis direction
Ebun moves from passive compliance (allowing Aunty Bunmi to name the baby) to active resistance (insisting on boundaries, forcing swimming lessons, finally supporting Eniiyi’s departure), demonstrating that breaking the curse requires mothers to assert authority over their daughters’ upbringing.

Evidence leads

Chapter 10: Ebun names her daughter Eniiyi (“woman of integrity”) over the family’s desired “Motitunde” – an early act of defiance.
Chapter 67: Ebun forces Eniiyi into swimming lessons with an abusive coach, hardening her heart to protect her from water danger (Mami Wata).
Chapter 71: Ebun calls a family meeting to impose boundaries when she discovers the grandmothers encouraging reincarnation beliefs; Eniiyi rebels.
Chapter 72: Ebun agrees to let Eniiyi go to boarding school, realising the home is toxic.
Chapter 111: At Eniiyi’s departure, Ebun apologises for “how things turned out,” hinting at remorse but also at a final release of control.

What Is the Significance of the Iroko Tree as a Space for Ritual, Burial, and Confrontation?

Why this prompt matters
The iroko tree in the family courtyard recurs as a site where characters perform secret rituals (Monife buries Golden Boy’s handkerchief, Eniiyi buries Zubby’s bracelet). It functions as a porous boundary between the domestic world and the supernatural, and as a repository for forbidden acts.

Sample thesis direction
The iroko tree serves as the Falodun women’s alternative altar – a place outside the Christianized living room where they negotiate with the curse through burial, prayer, and discovery, making visible the hidden labour of coping with inherited trauma.

Evidence leads

Chapter 38 (Ed.) chapter 38: Monife buries Golden Boy’s handkerchief as an “antidote against the curse”; Ebun dismisses it as superstition.
Chapter 91 (Ed.) chapter 91: Mo buries a dead lizard under the iroko tree opposite the handkerchief spot, mourning a creature.
Chapter 101 (Ed.) chapter 101: Eniiyi digs under the tree to bury Zubby’s bracelet and uncovers a Royal Dansk biscuit tin containing family secrets.
Chapter 37 (Ed.) chapter 37: Four-year-old Eniiyi sleepwalks to the iroko tree, sits on a root, and stares into the void – the tree is a trance-threshold.

How Does the Novel’s Two-Timeline Structure Create Causality Between Monife’s Tragedy and Eniiyi’s Story?

Why this prompt matters
The novel jumps between Monife’s past (chapters 11–98) and Eniiyi’s present (chapters 23–111). This non-linear structure forces readers to constantly compare the two cousins, testing whether Eniiyi is doomed to repeat Monife’s fate.

Sample thesis direction
By presenting Monife’s story as a completed arc and Eniiyi’s as one in progress, Braithwaite uses a dual timeline to shift the central question from “will Eniiyi die like Monife?” to “what choices does Eniiyi have that Monife didn’t?”, ultimately arguing that awareness of the curse (and the support of a father figure) can break the cycle.

Evidence leads

Chapter 2 (prologue): Monife’s suicide opens the novel, establishing the endpoint before the rest of her story.
Chapter 23: Eniiyi returns home – her arc begins after Monife’s tragedy is already known, creating dramatic irony.
Parallel scenes: Both women love a man associated with water (Golden Boy, Zubby). Both women confront an disapproving mother (Mrs. K, Ebun).
Chapter 109: Eniiyi confesses infidelity to Zubby, whereas Monife had an affair with Golden Boy after his marriage – similar betrayal but different context and consequences.
Chapter 112 (epilogue): Eniiyi survives and leaves Nigeria; Monife died on the same beach. The structure emphasises divergence.

What Is the Role of Mama G (the Mamalawo) in the Family’s Relationship with the Supernatural?

Why this prompt matters
Mama G appears in multiple generations, selling rituals and exploiting fears. She represents the institutionalization of the curse and highlights how the family’s desperation fuels a pseudo-religious economy.

Sample thesis direction
Mama G functions as a parasitic figure who profits from the curse’s mythology, yet her constant failure (refunds not given, rituals ineffective) exposes the curse as a self-perpetuating story that the family could theoretically walk away from, but doesn’t because of shame and hope.

Evidence leads

Chapter 12: Mo and Ebun confront Mama G at her shanty town; she refuses to refund money for a failed husband-retrieval ritual.
Chapter 52: Mo visits Mama G for a love-binding ritual; Mama G prescribes a pad with Golden Boy’s name, costing seventy naira.
Chapter 53: Mo laces Golden Boy’s drink with the powder from Mama G – the start of the end of trust.
Chapter 104: At Grandma West’s funeral, Mama G arrives and comments on Eniiyi’s resemblance to Monife, warning about “returning spirits.”
Contrast with Chapter 8 (the original curse): no mamalawo appears – the curse is uttered by a wronged wife. Mama G is a later addition, suggesting the commercialisation of trauma.

How Does the Naming Ceremony in Chapter 10 Foreshadow Eniiyi’s Struggle for Identity?

Why this prompt matters
The naming ceremony is a key ritual where three generations contest the baby’s identity: Aunty Bunmi wants “Motitunde” (reincarnation), Ebun’s mother suggests “Abidemi” (born without father), and Ebun insists on “Eniiyi” (woman of integrity). The choice is her first assertion of autonomy.

Sample thesis direction
The naming ceremony stages the central conflict of the novel: the family tries to inscribe Monife’s fate onto Eniiyi through the name “Motitunde,” while Ebun’s choice of “Eniiyi” plants the seed of self-definition that Eniiyi must later cultivate through her own acts of separation.

Evidence leads

Chapter 10: Bunmi declares the baby “the spitting image of Monife” and calls her “our daughter”; Ebun points out a different birthmark.
Chapter 10: The ceremony uses symbolic foods (honey, kola, alligator pepper) – each item is a blessing, but Ebun’s final naming overrides them.
Chapter 60 (Ed.) chapter 60: Eniiyi reads Monife’s notebook and finds the curse stories; she begins to question her identity.
Chapter 99: Kalu mistakes her for Monife, confirming the family’s inability to see her as separate.
Chapter 112 (epilogue): Eniiyi states “I alone am the owner of my body,” a direct echo of the autonomy Ebun tried to give her.

How Does the Revelation of Eniiyi’s Paternity (Osagie) Reframe the Curse Narrative?

Why this prompt matters
For most of the novel, Eniiyi’s father is unknown; Ebun refuses to name him. When Osagie is revealed and he argues with Ebun about the curse, the novel introduces a potential alternative: a loving, present father who was excluded by the family’s belief system.

Sample thesis direction
The late revelation that Eniiyi’s biological father is alive and willing to claim her subverts the curse’s premise (that Falodun women will always be abandoned by men), suggesting that the curse operates through belief and secrecy rather than supernatural law.

Evidence leads

Chapter 105: Osagie shouts that Eniiyi is his daughter; Ebun admits she never told him about the pregnancy because of the curse.
Chapter 108: Osagie visits Eniiyi, offers support for her UK move, and suggests the nickname “Oba” – building a tentative father-daughter relationship.
Chapter 111: Osagie proposes to Ebun, and she moves out with Grandma East, leaving the cursed house behind.
Chapter 7 (Ed.) chapter 7: Ebun’s childhood was marked by an absent father; Osagie’s presence for Eniiyi breaks that pattern.
The curse chapters repeatedly show women abandoned by husbands/lovers; Osagie’s return contradicts the template.

In What Ways Does the Epilogue (Chapter 112) Resolve or Leave Open the Question of the Curse?

Why this prompt matters
The epilogue is a surreal, highly symbolic sequence. It can be read as Eniiyi’s literal victory over a monster or as a psychological metaphor. Its open-endedness invites debate about whether the curse is truly broken or simply transvalued.

Sample thesis direction
The epilogue presents a triumph that is simultaneously literal and psychological: Eniiyi kills the curse in a physical struggle that blends into an airplane departure, but the shadow of the curse remains underwater – suggesting that while the curse can be resisted, it can never be completely erased, only consciously rejected by each generation.

Evidence leads

Chapter 112: Eniiyi wrestles the curse “for an indeterminate period” until it expires in her arms; it is described as a beast.
Simultaneously, she walks through an airplane to seat 52A; the plane takes off, “skimming the ocean.”
The curse’s shadow remains underwater – it does not vanish, implying it still threatens future women.
The final line: “Eniiyi alone is the owner of her body” – a claim of autonomy rather than a guarantee of safety.
Compare to the curse’s origin in Chapter 8: the phrase “your daughters’ daughters” suggests it must be actively broken, not passively ended.