The ManicaPost
Morris Mtisi Literature Corner
Certainly there is not one reason for the poor performance in Literature at both ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels.
First, there is the issue of general lack of communicative skills amongst Literature learners. Literature demands a high command of English language to fathom and navigate through required depths of analysis, criticism or general comprehension of issues, learner by learner.
Second, the set books are too many for the learners. Simple! One wonders if only two or three cannot develop adequate skills to satisfy the examiners that a learner has mastered basic literature skills to proceed to the next level. After all the study of literature is and must be a continuous process in a learner’s life. Remember a learner has other areas of study to concentrate on.
Third, the selections of students to specialise in Literature, school by school, are most unwisely done. A school head and his or her Science and Commercial departmental heads take all the best students into the Maths, Chemistry, Biology classes and ‘‘Stematise’’ them hard. Then the Commerce and Accounts ones are carefully and securely settled in Economics and Business Studies classes. Those escaped by the elite choices are finally frog-marched into Literature classes . . . if they are lucky. Otherwise the head simply declares that Literature is a costly gamble in ‘‘his’’ school. It will compromise the school pass rate. So he or she declares ‘‘No Literature at my school.’’
We could go on exploring more reasons Literature is the black sheep in the family of learning areas.
This week I want to reveal (expose?) another absurd factor that makes Literature examination results miserable even amongst fairly smart literature students . . . the reason critics with a sense of humour call Literature ‘‘The Physics of the Arts’’. I am referring to the use of ‘‘Greek’’ to set Literature questions. I have a feeling that teachers of Literature, like lawyers, believe that alluding to ‘‘the fulcrum or pith of the matter’’ language makes Literature unique and sophisticated. The problem of learned people who think not being understood is a mark of intellectual sophistication is very common in Africa. Worst in Zimbabwe!
Examine the following questions and see whether my submission has substance or not:
Explore the ways in which Dickens explores the issue of crime and criminality, law and justice with reference to characters like Orlick, Jaggers, Magwitch and Compeyson.
Nikolai Gogol is a male chauvinist who desires to paint women as opportunistic and destructive. How far true is this statement?
Government Inspector is more of a satirical comedy than a farce. Discuss.
Government Inspector is a comedy of errors or manners. Discuss.
Gogol satirises Russian bureaucracy. How successful is he in doing so?
It is the quest for material wealth that makes men truly monstrous. Discuss the assertion in relation to Government Inspector.
Gogol’s Government Inspector is not only a biting satire on officialdom but also a criticism of a range of other patterns of behaviour. Discuss.
Hlestakov is not a professional fraud or deliberate imposter. In the light of the above statement, discuss Gogol’s presentation of the character of Hlestakov.
Hlestakov is neither a scheming nor a conscious liar. He is a nonentity seizing the first opportunity of displaying his imaginary importance. In this, he finds a compensation for his actual insignificance. Do you agree?
Evaluate the effectiveness of symbolism and representation in the government inspector.
Stereotyping and Religion are nightmares that completely dehumanise and socially affect indigenous women in Zimbabwe. Discuss Dangarembga’s ideas in relation to the assertion in the play ‘‘She no longer weeps.’’
In Great Expectations, most characters are haunted by the past. Discuss.
What is the role of the convict, Abel Magwitch in the narrative ‘‘Great Expectations’’?
Conscience is a dreadful thing when it accuses man or boy. How does the writer present Pip’s feelings in Great Expectations?
We can go on until all the chickens come to roost. What is your general comment about these questions? I hear fundis in the above questions trying to prove that Literature is not a walk in the park. I hear intellectual bullies throwing verbal missiles at poor Form 6 boys and girls. I hear English Mchoucumchilds who know literally everything in this world verbally harassing innocent learners to believe that there is no mercy in academics . . . and Literature is not for intellectual cry-babies. I hear examiners who have forgotten the calibre of their own candidates. They have forgotten that most of the learners pushed and shoved into this area are not the cream, but mediocre achievers who struggle with simple ‘‘is’’ and ‘‘was’’ in English.
A lot of students at university would struggle to comprehend the linguistic mumbo-jumbo that coats the above questions, let alone present an accurate, relevant answer to most of these questions. I hear pompous examiners intellectually vandalising poor learners making them believe that the more a question is not understood the more relevant and appropriate it is for Advanced level. The advancement is literally in the verbal complexity of the wording of a question, and not in its genuine simplicity?
The examiners have forgotten they are the ones who discourage verbosity or being pompous with language. They discourage the learners from a habit they are addicted to. What an irony! The wording of their questions is more difficult than the issues they are trying to solicit or unpack from their learners in each question. I tell you a ‘‘sober’’ examiner, in the context of examination language and purpose, could effortlessly rephrase these questions to allow sanity, painless and trouble-free gist for candidates.
I know academic Know-it-Alls, bullies and die-hards will think I am crazy and uneducated. They will put up a fierce and pompous argument to refute what they know is true. But honest, clear-headed and listening academics will have something serious to think about.
My articles now are deep and searching. Our children are sitting examinations. Let us stop bothering them with controversy and new perceptions of learning. They are busy revising their work in preparation for examinations. None of them has time to read a newspaper. We wish them luck and all the best! You and I can engage on The Radio Teacher every Thursday night between 9 and 10 o’clock to share knowledge and wisdom. I am on radio from 8 o’clock every Thursday. Be my guest on air or live in the studio if you live around Mutare. Make a date with me! Until then, Enjoy!
