The Sunday News
Charles Dube
LEARNERS are preoccupied with many questions as they do their coursework or prepare for their examinations. The latter is the one prominent in their minds. Yet, the best way of preparing for the examination is to make sure that they read their prose text or novel carefully and understand it fully. Understanding it fully means finding out what happens and what the main characters do. Read it for the second time paying more attention to the details. Check the meanings of words and phrases that you are not sure of.
In the past week we mainly focused on how learners can tackle passage-based questions in literature examinations. Today we move on to discuss ways of tackling questions on prose texts, paying particular attention to the following three key terms: comment, criticism and analysis. For instance, learners may be asked to comment on how the author shows the development of a character or a theme.
Learners may need to critically evaluate how effectively an author creates a sympathetic character or an exciting conflict. They may need to analyse how particular episodes are made more significant by the structure or language used. As indicated earlier learners cannot address these issues well unless they understand what these terms mean.
To comment is to give your views on a subject. Criticism is from the verb criticise which means to evaluate, appraise, analyse or critique something. Analysis is a noun derived from the verb analyse which in simpler terms means to examine, scrutinise or evaluate a statement. Every time learners read and study a literary text they are trying to interpret the author’s mind. When they are interpreting any text, they need to show that they understand what the author is saying.
This means not just understanding the direct meaning, but also what the writer implies. “This skill is sometimes known as ‘reading between the lines’.” Any literature learner worth his salt should be able to master this skill. Learners armed with this skill are very good in class discussions and present balanced arguments and answers. Learners should also be able to interpret an author’s purpose. We are told that most good story writers have something important to say about life or society.
This is the purpose of the story. The extract I am reading cites an example in Animal Farm where George Orwell shows how power corrupts and that ‘‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’’. Learners need to identify key events in the novel and go on and draw up a story board — a summary of the story shown through pictures and captions. Creating a story board can remind learners of the key events in the story and help them understand the plot, which is the layout of the story.
This leads us to talk about analysing the plot structure in the novel. There are two main plot structures: linear — where the story moves from the beginning to the end, with events described in the same order in which they happen. Then we have the non-linear plot structure — where events in the story are not arranged in the order in which they happen, but are shown through flashbacks or through clues that hint at what is to come.
However, authors may also use parallels in their narratives — where some events in the story echo other events. For an example, Animal Farm includes a parallel in which the ending echoes the beginning. At the beginning of the novel the animals are oppressed by humans; at the end of the novel they are oppressed by the pigs. “Orwell uses this parallel to make a point about all the people in power being tempted into corruption.”
At the end of the novel, Animal Farm, we read that the animals looked from pig to man. And from man to pig there was no difference. The pigs had adopted human vices. The question to ask is; “Did the revolution succeed?”
Learners also need to understand the context. Experts will tell you that the novel you are studying was chosen not only because of its literary worth, but also because it requires understanding of a different culture and perhaps a different historical period. For example, The Sun Will Rise Again, took place during the war of liberation, that is the reason there is talk of Rhodesians, sell-outs like the notorious Nyati, responsible for the massacre of many freedom fighters in Mozambique. It is talking about a certain historical period.
They should also explore the text’s setting, the characters’ beliefs and the expectations of their communities. Characters in various texts do not exist in isolation; they are affected by the concerns, priorities and events that surround them. A good novel enables the learner to bring the characters to life in their minds. Perhaps they can imagine what they look like, how they sound and even what they are thinking. When analysing characters, consider how they are described, their dialogue, how they interact with other characters and their importance to the plot.
On this note we have a typical example whereby often the main character in a novel will go on an emotional journey. He or she may begin the novel in a state of innocence or ignorance and then, through a series of events, gain experience and knowledge. Setting and culture — where a novel is set is important to our understanding of the characters and their behaviour. Characters a product of their environment.
They have absorbed the traditions, priorities and values of the country in which they were raised. Learners cannot go through all these stated issues without exploring themes. A theme is a significant idea that the author explores in his or her work; sometimes there a number of themes in a novel. Commonly occurring themes as state in previous articles are: loneliness, isolation and uncertainty about personal identity, friendship, education, childhood, prejudice, injustice, racism, male and female relationships.
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