Left to Tell

by

Immaculée Ilibagiza

Marie Rose Kankindi Character Analysis

Marie Rose, known as Rose, is Immaculée’s mother. She is a teacher and, like her husband, is someone to whom others in the community turn for support. She is known for her exceptional kindness and her inability to turn away anyone in need, which leads her to spend most of her time and energy helping others. She always worries about the safety of her family, and she expresses the hope that she dies before any of them. Ultimately, this wish is granted, though in extraordinarily sad circumstances—she is killed toward the beginning of the genocide, after unsuccessfully asking her Hutu friend Murenge for help.

Marie Rose Kankindi Quotes in Left to Tell

The Left to Tell quotes below are all either spoken by Marie Rose Kankindi or refer to Marie Rose Kankindi . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
God, Faith, and Miracles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Both of my parents were teachers, and adamant believers that the only defense against poverty and hunger was a good education… Mom and Dad were the first high school graduates in their families, and they were determined that their children would go even further than they had in school. Dad led by example, working hard and studying throughout his life. He received many honors and promotions during his career, rising steadily through the ranks from primary teacher to junior high school principal. He was eventually appointed chief administrator for all of the Catholic schools in our district.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:

My parents were devout Roman Catholics and passed on their beliefs to us. Mass was mandatory on Sundays, as were evening prayers with the family at home. I loved praying, going to church, and everything else to do with God. I especially loved the Virgin Mary, believing that she was my second mom, watching out for me from heaven.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 6
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

But our parents didn't teach us about our own history. We didn't know that Rwanda was made up of three tribes: a Hutu majority; a Tutsi minority; and a very small number of Twa, a pygmy-like tribe of forest dwellers. We weren't taught that the German colonialists, and the Belgian ones that followed, converted Rwanda's existing social structure—a monarchy that under a Tutsi king had provided Rwanda with centuries of peace and harmony—into a discriminatory, race-based class system. The Belgians favored the minority Tutsi aristocracy and promoted its status as the ruling class; therefore, Tutsis were ensured a better education to better manage the country and generate greater profits for the Belgian overlords. The Belgians introduced an ethnic identity card to more easily distinguish the two tribes, deepening the rift they'd created between Hutu and Tutsi. Those reckless blunders created a lingering resentment among Hutus that helped lay the groundwork for genocide.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza , Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 14-15
Explanation and Analysis:

Mom and Dad ignored the social and political reality they lived in, and instead taught that everyone was born equal. They didn't want their children growing up feeling paranoid or inferior because they were born Tutsi.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
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Marie Rose Kankindi Quotes in Left to Tell

The Left to Tell quotes below are all either spoken by Marie Rose Kankindi or refer to Marie Rose Kankindi . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
God, Faith, and Miracles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Both of my parents were teachers, and adamant believers that the only defense against poverty and hunger was a good education… Mom and Dad were the first high school graduates in their families, and they were determined that their children would go even further than they had in school. Dad led by example, working hard and studying throughout his life. He received many honors and promotions during his career, rising steadily through the ranks from primary teacher to junior high school principal. He was eventually appointed chief administrator for all of the Catholic schools in our district.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:

My parents were devout Roman Catholics and passed on their beliefs to us. Mass was mandatory on Sundays, as were evening prayers with the family at home. I loved praying, going to church, and everything else to do with God. I especially loved the Virgin Mary, believing that she was my second mom, watching out for me from heaven.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 6
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

But our parents didn't teach us about our own history. We didn't know that Rwanda was made up of three tribes: a Hutu majority; a Tutsi minority; and a very small number of Twa, a pygmy-like tribe of forest dwellers. We weren't taught that the German colonialists, and the Belgian ones that followed, converted Rwanda's existing social structure—a monarchy that under a Tutsi king had provided Rwanda with centuries of peace and harmony—into a discriminatory, race-based class system. The Belgians favored the minority Tutsi aristocracy and promoted its status as the ruling class; therefore, Tutsis were ensured a better education to better manage the country and generate greater profits for the Belgian overlords. The Belgians introduced an ethnic identity card to more easily distinguish the two tribes, deepening the rift they'd created between Hutu and Tutsi. Those reckless blunders created a lingering resentment among Hutus that helped lay the groundwork for genocide.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza , Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 14-15
Explanation and Analysis:

Mom and Dad ignored the social and political reality they lived in, and instead taught that everyone was born equal. They didn't want their children growing up feeling paranoid or inferior because they were born Tutsi.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), Leonard Ukulikiyinkindi, Marie Rose Kankindi
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis: