Welcome to the SS3 Literature-in-English lesson notes for the second term. This guide provides a comprehensive review of key topics covered in the curriculum, designed to help students master these subjects while preparing for exams. The topics include works from African and Non-African writers, covering plays, prose, and poems. Let’s dive deep into each section, explaining the concepts in a clear and straightforward way, ideal for novice learners.
1. Revision of William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Overview: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous comedies. The play explores themes of love, magic, and the complexity of relationships. It is set in an enchanted forest where fairies manipulate the lives of humans, causing confusion and chaos.
Key Themes and Plot:
- Love and its complexities: The play demonstrates the irrational nature of love through the characters’ tangled relationships. For instance, Hermia and Lysander’s love faces opposition from Egeus, Hermia’s father, who insists she marry Demetrius. However, love in the play often proves to be unpredictable, as seen when magic is used to alter romantic affections.
- Magic and fantasy: The fairy king Oberon and his servant Puck use magical powers to cause confusion among the characters, including making characters fall in love with the wrong person.
- The blurred line between reality and illusion: The play frequently shifts between the real world and the fantasy world of the forest, showing how love can distort reality.
Examples:
- Quote: “The course of true love never did run smooth.” – Lysander
- Character: Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, uses magic to cause confusion among the lovers.
Reading Assignment:
Read Act 1, Scene 1 to Act 2, Scene 2 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Focus on the conflicts and the role magic plays in these events.
Evaluation Questions:
- What are the consequences of love being manipulated by magic in the play?
- Discuss how the theme of love is portrayed through the character of Lysander.
2. Revision of African Prose: Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta, Unexpected Joy by Alex Agyei-Agyiri (2018 Edition)
Overview of Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta: Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen is a powerful narrative about Adah, a young Nigerian woman who moves to England with her husband, only to face the harsh realities of racism, sexism, and alienation. The book explores themes of identity, resilience, and the desire for empowerment.
Themes and Key Plot Points:
- Struggle for identity: Adah faces numerous challenges as a woman of African descent in a foreign land. She grapples with societal expectations and the oppressive nature of her husband’s behavior.
- Gender and societal expectations: Adah must navigate the complex dynamics of being a woman in both African and Western societies.
Examples:
- Quote: “I will not remain a second-class citizen forever.”
- Character: Adah, who fights against all odds to find her own voice.
Overview of Unexpected Joy by Alex Agyei-Agyiri: This novel deals with the complex issue of immigrant life and the pursuit of happiness in a foreign land. Joy, the protagonist, faces the challenges of balancing her dreams with the cultural expectations placed upon her.
Reading Assignment:
Read Chapter 1 to Chapter 3 of Second Class Citizen. Focus on the main character’s experiences and emotional journey in the new environment.
Evaluation Questions:
- How does Adah’s experience in England represent the broader theme of immigrant life?
- Compare the challenges faced by Joy in Unexpected Joy and Adah in Second Class Citizen.
3. Revision of Non-African Prose: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Overview of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a profound exploration of race, identity, and social invisibility in 20th-century America. The narrator, an unnamed Black man, struggles to find his identity amidst racism and prejudice.
Key Themes and Plot:
- Racism and invisibility: The narrator’s struggle with being marginalized and disregarded by society. His journey explores the psychological toll of racism.
- Identity and self-awareness: Throughout the novel, the narrator seeks to define himself in a world that refuses to see him for who he is.
Example:
- Quote: “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”
Overview of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights is a tragic tale of passion and revenge set on the Yorkshire moors. It explores the destructive power of love through the characters of Heathcliff and Catherine.
Key Themes:
- Love and obsession: Heathcliff and Catherine’s love is intense, but it is also destructive, leading to both emotional and physical harm.
- Revenge and its consequences: Heathcliff’s obsession with revenge leads him to ruin his own life and the lives of others.
Examples:
- Quote: “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
- Character: Heathcliff, whose love for Catherine becomes obsessive and destructive.
Reading Assignment:
Read Chapter 1 to Chapter 5 of Invisible Man. Focus on the protagonist’s internal struggles.
Evaluation Questions:
- Discuss how Ellison portrays racial discrimination in Invisible Man.
- In Wuthering Heights, how does Catherine’s love for Heathcliff shape their destiny?
4. Revision of African Drama: The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka, Let Me Die Alone by John Kargbo
Overview of The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka: In this play, Wole Soyinka examines the conflict between tradition and modernity through the character of Sidi, a young woman caught between the traditional ways of her village and the advances of the modern world.
Key Themes:
- Tradition vs. modernity: The play showcases the tension between the older, traditional ways and the new influences of the modern world.
- Gender and power dynamics: Sidi’s relationship with the men in the play highlights gender roles and power struggles.
Example:
- Character: Sidi, who is caught in the tension between two worlds: her traditional village and the world of modernity.
Overview of Let Me Die Alone by John Kargbo: This play delves into themes of political oppression and the human desire for freedom. It follows a political prisoner’s journey and his deep philosophical reflections on society.
Reading Assignment:
Read Act 1 to Act 2 of The Lion and the Jewel. Focus on the key conflicts between the traditionalist characters and the modernist characters.
Evaluation Questions:
- How do Sidi’s actions in The Lion and the Jewel reflect the tension between traditionalism and modernity?
- What role does political oppression play in Let Me Die Alone?
5. Revision of Non-African Drama: Look Back in Anger by John Osborne, Fences by August Wilson
Overview of Look Back in Anger by John Osborne: This play centers on the volatile emotions of Jimmy Porter, a disillusioned young man who expresses frustration and anger toward his wife, Alison. His bitterness stems from a sense of frustration with the stagnation of his life and the world around him.
Themes:
- Alienation and frustration: Jimmy’s anger and bitterness reflect the emotional alienation many young people feel.
- Relationships and communication: The play explores how poor communication can destroy relationships.
Overview of Fences by August Wilson: Fences is about Troy Maxson, a former baseball player who struggles with his past and attempts to prevent his son from facing the same disappointments he endured. The play explores family dynamics, race relations, and the search for personal fulfillment.
Themes:
- Race and opportunity: Troy’s struggles reflect the racial inequalities in 20th-century America.
- Father-son relationships: The play explores the complex relationship between Troy and his son, Cory.
Reading Assignment:
Read Act 1 of Fences. Focus on Troy’s relationship with his son Cory.
Evaluation Questions:
- In Look Back in Anger, how does Jimmy’s anger affect his relationship with Alison?
- In Fences, how does Troy’s past influence his decisions regarding his son?
6. Revision of Poems
African Poems:
- Raider of the Treasure Trove by Lade Qosnu
Explores themes of exploitation and the search for truth. - Black Woman by Leopold Sedar Senghor
A celebration of African womanhood and strength.
Non-African Poems:
- The Good Morrow by John Donne
A poem about the awakening of love and the idealization of a relationship.
Reading Assignment:
Read the poem Black Woman by Leopold Senghor. Reflect on the imagery and symbolism.
Evaluation Questions:
- How does Raider of the Treasure Trove reflect on the themes of African identity?
- What message does Senghor convey about the African woman in his poem?