adminMorris Mtisi Literature Corner
I travelled safely back to Mutare. Thanks to God for travelling mercies.
Thank you once again all for my four great days at your wonderful school.
Now, don’t forget the following matters arising:
1.Use the Literature tree with its 11 roots to guide you read far ahead of your teacher: (a) The Title which encapsulates / introduces the novel, play, dialogue, poem etc. (b) The Setting which is the framework of time and place. Understand the story and characters in these contexts. (c)Characters which the writer uses to push / to drive the story (plot) and bring out his or her themes. (d) The Plot which is the story or The Narrative which carries the characters with it together with The Purpose of writing ( the author’s Intention). This plot is tightly interwoven with the characters. There is no story without the two (characters and plot) running side by side or better still, one in each other. (e) The Style which is the writer’s method of expression or presentation to achieve his or her purpose. The style may be literal or figurative, formal or informal (colloquial), detailed or concise (summarized), simple or verbose. It is diction (choice of words) and language usage that create the style. All writers develop individual styles. (f) Themes and Sub-Themes which are the main ideas, morals, lessons of literary works. Themes, please note, may be conveyed figuratively or symbolically and can only be identified and understood with in-depth study (the onion approach of uncovering meaning). (g) Tone which is the manner in which author expresses his or her emotions, underlying feelings and attitude. The tone may be friendly, sharp, sarcastic, ironic, angry, humorous etc. It is the tone that helps to create the desired atmosphere. (h) The Atmosphere/Mood which is the pervading feeling the reader experiences on reading. It is various language devices that create this mood. (i) Register which is the appropriateness of style, tone and word choice. If you don’t’ have a high command of English Language, this is not your subject. But you can put effort to improve command of language, up your level of expression. It’s not painful. You simply need to love the subject and read not only widely but wildly. Lawyers and all leaders are readers. (j) Intention or Purpose which may be to entertain, educate or inform. A combination of these is not unusual. The success of a writer or piece of writing depends on whether this intention has been met. Finally, the 11th root which is Comparative Literature, also known as Intertextual Reading or External Evidence. The comparison may be within one piece of work or across several literary works. Allusion and Appropriation are examples of external evidence. This root stretches your ability to think laterally, deeply, intelligently and widely.
2.Add value to the popular SIFT or SIFTO methods and use the 7 notch key to unlock the meaning of any unseen passages: Follow the following stages of analysis by examining the: 1. Title 2. Form 3. Situation (what the piece is about in summary) 4. Development which is the movement / progression of the story from point to point to the end. 5. Literary techniques 6. Intention /Purpose and 7. Judgment. One stage leads to another, easing the unlocking process. The SIFT or SIFTO methods ladies and gentlemen with all due respect leave out a lot of practical criticism or literary appreciation. They miss the bus. They are limited in ability to unlock meaning. I call them ‘the pop-corn method’ because they are haphazard / not systematic / not in logical stages of unlocking. I’m glad you agreed with me after painstakingly illustrating their weaknesses / limitation.
3.Remember every Literature essay is a response to the examiner’s statement. You must give or form your own personal evaluations, conclusions and opinions. Do not simply retell the story the marker knows very well or simply describe the characters.
4.All Literature responses / answers must be written in the Present Tense. This helps to depict the timelessness of the literary work. Give a strong introduction which may require you to agree or disagree with the statement. Develop logical, persuasive argument supported by references and quotations. Use linking words like However, In addition, Nonetheless etc. Conclude with a persuasive style or point.
5.Don’t forget to engage the marker / to involve him or her eg. by resorting to rhetorical questions and to show that your are enjoying your work or thinking game. For example, ‘It is interesting to note that. . . Another fascinating observation is that…Is it not interesting that cousin Macbeth kills King Duncan who made him Thane (Governor) of Glamis and Cawdor provinces? One observes with interest that….etc. etc.
I wish you Regina Coeli Literature class, 100 percent pass rate in the 2016 final examinations? Why not? You have a wonderful teacher in Prosper Mutengo and are students at a great school. I hope I demonstrated how useless spoon feeding and depending entirely on the teacher’s own commentaries is. He or she can only guide your reflection and thoughts. Students, you earn marks for independent conclusions, evaluations and opinions argued or discussed persuasively, logically and intelligently.
You earn marks for personal depth of analysis and understanding, not, plagiarizing commentaries or teacher’s opinions. Teacher Mutengo, spoon feeding in the long run teaches nothing, but the shape of the spoon.
‘‘ The teacher who is wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind,” said Kahlil Gibran.’
I hope I have established a permanent intellectual relationship with your school and will always be available if called upon for more sharing and distillation of wisdom in the teaching and learning of English Language and Literature in English.
God bless Regina Coeli (Latin) -The Queen of Heavens (English).
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