The Importance of Being Earnest<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2 Discuss two major themes of the play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CHARACTERISATION<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the generality of his characterization, Oscar Wilde, though using adults as his characters, has them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
acting as infants imitating playfully the behaviours of the adults they see around them everyday. Almost<\/p>\n\n\n\n
all his characters in their different ways exhibited this childlike or childish attitude, particularly in their<\/p>\n\n\n\n
utterances toward one another which are greatly affected by absurdity. Oscar Wilde\u2019s characterization<\/p>\n\n\n\n
can be classed into major and minor character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MAJOR CHARACTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JACK<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is a major character and the hero of the play. The whole story surrounds his life. He is also the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
protagonist in the play as he is seen to get antagonized by Lady Bracknell, who stopped him at the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
earlier part of the book from getting married to Gwendolen. Jack also gets attacks from Algy, who<\/p>\n\n\n\n
stabbed him in his back. Algy did this by traveling ahead of his friend, Jack, so that, he can have Cecily<\/p>\n\n\n\n
for his selfish gratification. At the age of twenty-nine, Jack is still a child who plays the game of being<\/p>\n\n\n\n
adult. He is seen to be deceitful and pretentious according to his attribute in the play where he possesses<\/p>\n\n\n\n
double identify in order for him to have pleasure trips to London. Apart from being deceitful and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pretentious, Jack is also seen to be repentant as he felt remorseful over his action of double identity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
when confronted by Gwendolen and others. He is seen to be innocent as he answers every question<\/p>\n\n\n\n
posed to him by Lady Bracknell with great innocence. This is not to reduce his responses to Algy and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gwendolen. He is also intelligent and meticulous with issues of facts, that is why he is left with the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
responsibility of being a guardian to Cecily Cardew, and being able to keep the hand-bag that<\/p>\n\n\n\n
comfirmed his identity, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ALGERNON<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is a major character and a pointed antagonist to Jack, his friend. Until the end of the play no one<\/p>\n\n\n\n
knows he is a brother to Jack. He is seriously influenced by his aunt, Lady Bracknell, but tells lies of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
going to be with a friend (Mr. Bunbury) in order to escape his aunt\u2019s influence over him. The story in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the play begins in his flat where he expects his aunt for a treat. Algy is always hungry in the play which<\/p>\n\n\n\n
led him to eat up all the cucumber sandwiches he specially ordered for his aunt, and struggles to eat the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
muffin left for Jack with Jack. He is very inquisitive as his questions over Jack\u2019s cigarette case brought <\/p>\n\n\n\n
about the conflict in the play. He is also deceitful and pretentious, and more so, seen to be a flirt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the play, we see him to be mischievous and cunning. He is seen to be very desperate, that<\/p>\n\n\n\n
he travelled ahead of Jack to Woolton in search of Cecily, not considering the risk of being caught by his<\/p>\n\n\n\n
friend, Jack. Algy is considered to be childlike and childish as his responses to serious issues show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This makes him seem like a child trying to act as adult. He shares a lot with Jack in the play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GWENDOLEN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is also known as Fair-fax. She is another grown-up baby, and also, gives the impression of living in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a world of childlike innocence despite the fact that she is a highly attractive young lady whose chief<\/p>\n\n\n\n
concern in the play is to marry Jack. She is the daughter of Lady Bracknell, and a cousin to Algy and at<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the end of the play, a cousin to Jack. She is gullible and innocent to a fault that she confesses to have<\/p>\n\n\n\n
fallen in love with Jack because he bears the name, \u2018Ernest\u2019. Gwendolen is seen to be truly in love with<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jack, and had to take the risk of going to him at his country home without the consent of her mother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She feels disappointed when she discovers that her lover, Jack does not truly go by the name \u2018Ernest\u2019,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but easily forgives when Jack promises to be christened Ernest by Dr. Chasuble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CECILY CARDEW<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the age of eighteen, Cecily, like Gwendolen is an innocent. Lady Bracknell and the others call her a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
child, and she is indeed a child in her playful, irresponsible attitude towards life as is evident from her<\/p>\n\n\n\n
first appearance as a pupil of Miss Prism. She is a grand daughter to Mr. Cardew and is left in the care<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of Jacks by her grandfather\u2019s will, as her guardian. Cecily is also gullible and expresses excess emotion<\/p>\n\n\n\n
even to an \u2018Ernest\u2019 she has never seen physically before. From the argument that erupted between Lady<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bracknell and Jack over Algy marrying Cecily, it was revealed that Cecily worth \u20a4100,000 in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
investment and has to get to 35 years of age for her to come of age in order to decide for herself. Cecily<\/p>\n\n\n\n
is seen as a blind lover who gets herself engaged to a man on behalf of the man without his consent and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
records it in her dairy. She is seen to be the reason for double identity by both Jack and Algy. Jack does<\/p>\n\n\n\n
it to be free from her un-interesting influence while Algy does it to be able to clinch to her. Cecily\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n
disposition and experiences in the play teach the need for keeping records. The character display from<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cecily in the play betrays the lives of girls of the Victorian age, especially as it relates love and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
marriage. She has a forgiving heart as she easily forgives Algy for having double identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LADY BRACKNELL<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lady Bracknell also known as Aunt Augusta, is the perfect embodiment of the attitudes and rule of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
conduct of the British aristocracy. Snobbish and superior in her behaviour, she is mainly interested in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
finding a suitable husband for Gwendolen, her only daughter, although she also seeks to dominate her<\/p>\n\n\n\n
nephew, Algernon. She is seen to be obsessing to both her daughter and her nephew, Algy. She is a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
lover of cucumber sandwiches and enjoys the company of family or relatives around her especially at<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the dinner table. She is so stereotyped that Jack finds it difficult to sway her into accepting him as a son-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in-law. This nature, and her being inquisitive makes it possible for Jack to know his true identity and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
family. She is considered to be materialistic but prudent as she prefers investment to land. She is a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pedant who takes her time to get all information she needs about a person and situation. This is seen in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the way she quizzes Jack over his family and Dr. Chasuble concerning Miss Prism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MISS PRISM<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miss Prism is the embodiment of the Victorian middle-class code of morality and duty. A stiff and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
intellectual person, she expects Cecily to behave seriously and study hard, and she strongly disapproves<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of the immoral character of Jack\u2019s fictitious brother, \u2018Ernest\u2019. In the realm of Literature, Miss Prism<\/p>\n\n\n\n
insists that fiction should preach morality-an attitude that especially irritated Wilde. Miss Prism<\/p>\n\n\n\n
declares that she once wrote a three-volume novel, and that in it the good ended happily, and the bad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
unhappily. That is what fiction means. She is the one responsible for the fate of Jack not knowing his<\/p>\n\n\n\n
family as she forgot him in a handbag at the train-station. She is also pretentious as she tries to hide her<\/p>\n\n\n\n
true affection or feelings towards Dr. Chasuble. She is also gullible that she believed Jack to have a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
brother called \u2018Ernest\u2019. She is a tempter who tempts Dr. Chasuble into the marriage institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DR. CHASUBLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is the Rector of the parish, and also represents John the Baptist in the book, whose most constant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
duties in the parish is to christen people. He is seen to be metaphorical in his speech and lives as a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
celibate all his life time. He was also easily deceived by Jack who claimed to have a brother in the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
town, named \u2018Ernest\u2019. He also could be said to be pretentious as he nurses secret feelings and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
admiration for Miss Prism. At the end of the play, he is seen to be in love with Miss Prism where he<\/p>\n\n\n\n
hugs her. He can be considered a round character that changed in his nature of being a celibate without<\/p>\n\n\n\n
emotional feelings into a man with strong emotional feelings that it was impossible for him to hide it any<\/p>\n\n\n\n
longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MINOR CHARACTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LANE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is a manservant of Algernon, and a humble one for that matter, who is ready to tell lies just to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
vindicate his boss. He is seen to have introduced Jack, Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen into Algy\u2019s flat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is very respectful and doesn\u2019t poke nose other people\u2019s affairs. He is seen to appear only in the first Act of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MERRIMAN (BUTLER)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is a manservant in the Manor house of Jack and Cecily, in the country. He is first seen in the book when he announces the presence of Algernon in Woolton as Mr. Ernest to Cecily. He takes his luggage into the house. He is the second to announce the presence of Algy as Ernest, to Jack, revealing all he came with. Jack orders him to prepare Algy\u2019s cart for him to leave immediately. He lacks wit compared with Lane who shows a lot of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LANGUAGE AND STYLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The language and style of Oscar Wilde is a plus to him as it attains a lot of credits for his work, The<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Importance of Being Earnest. In the above work, Oscar Wilde employs some styles that make his<\/p>\n\n\n\n
dramatic techniques a unique one. One of the dramatic techniques employed is dramatic irony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DRAMATIC IRONY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is ironic that Algernon becomes the true brother of Jack (Ernest) that Jack pretends to visit in the town<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any time he wants pleasure trip. It is also ironic that the \u2018Ernest\u2019 which Jack vows to kill immediately<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gwendolen accepts his proposal turns out to be himself at the end of the day when he finally realizes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that he is truly \u2018Ernest\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SATIRE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The playwright tries to ridicule the sensibility of the upper and middle class of the Victorian age. The<\/p>\n\n\n\n
list presented by Lady Bracknell which contains criteria for who ever would pass as a qualified husband<\/p>\n\n\n\n
for her only daughter, Gwendolen, ridicules the attitudes of mothers in the Victorian age, who would<\/p>\n\n\n\n
embarrassingly assess a man before accepting him as a son-in-law. The uncritical minds of the girls or<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ladies of the Victorian age is also betrayed by the characters of both Gwendolen and Cecily, who both<\/p>\n\n\n\n
fell in love because of the name, \u2018Ernest\u2019. This technique is also applied in the book by the playwright<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to expose the high negative consciousness of the upper class of the Victorian age on financial and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
material wealth. This is supported by the questions asked by Lady Bracknell concerning the status of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jack and Cecily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HUMOUR<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technique runs through in the text. Each character in the play, in his\/her bid, tries to be funny. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The playwright did this by involving each and everyone of his character in nonsensical speeches or<\/p>\n\n\n\n
dialogue. Each character is known for one trail of absurdity in speeches or actions. Algernon, having<\/p>\n\n\n\n
an invalid friend and Jack, having an imaginary brother is also humorous. The case of Gwendolen and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cecily is also humorous. They both fall in love because of the name, \u2018Ernest\u2019, and also, have their<\/p>\n\n\n\n
dairies where funny information are kept. Also, the way Algernon quizzed Jack over the mystery called<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Cecily\u2019 is humorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SUSPENSE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suspense is first seen in the play where Algy asked Jack to tell who bears the name \u2018Cecily\u2019. One<\/p>\n\n\n\n
would think that Cecily is his love, also as Algy has called Jack a flirt. Also, the moment Algy over heard<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the address of Jack\u2019s country home, and the mischievous smile that came on his face starts a beat in the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
minds of the readers. It continues with his arrival at the Manor house as \u2018Ernest\u2019 and heightens when<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jack also returns to his country home. Suspense is also seen when clarification over the true identity of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miss Prism between Lady Bracknell and Dr. Chasuble who were involved in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SHARED CHARACTER<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This as a technique has been dexterously employed by the playwright to bring about uniqueness in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
creativity. In the book, we see some characters having identical attributes that make it impossible to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
detach one from the other. This style helps to show the affinity that exist among the characters in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
attitude and sensibility, and concentration is made on Algy and Jack, and Gwendolen and Cecily as they<\/p>\n\n\n\n
are seen as pairs of shared characters. Algy pairs with Jack while Gwendolen pairs with Cecily. The<\/p>\n\n\n\n
same quality of deceit and pretence is found in both Jack and Algy in the same degree as they both<\/p>\n\n\n\n
deceive the hearts of two young lady to be named Ernest. They both developed imaginary brother and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
invalid friend, respectively, in order to have pleasure trips to their place of choice. The irony of it all is<\/p>\n\n\n\n
that at the end of the play, they found themselves to be brother. For Gwendolen and Cecily, there is a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
great display of innocence and gullibility that they both fall in love with their individual man because of<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the name \u2018Ernest\u2019, and having to write all their thoughts and impressions in their separate diaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of the similarities they share, they both called themselves \u2018sisters\u2019 at a point in the book. The<\/p>\n\n\n\n
playwright uses this style to tell the general sensibility of young men and young ladies of the Victorian<\/p>\n\n\n\n
age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DOUBLE IDENTITY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This technique is particularly used on Algernon and Jack. They both assume double identity in order to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
have pleasure trips. Jack\u2019s other identity is \u2018Ernest\u2019 in order to be in London while Algy\u2019s other identity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
is \u2018Mr. Bunbury\u2019 in order to escape his aunt\u2019s influence and \u2018Ernest\u2019 in order to be accepted in the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manor house and be loved by Cecily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EVALUATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Discuss the narrative techniques of the book, The Importance of Being Earnest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n2 Discuss the significance of \u2018Ernest\u2019 in the play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1. A narrative in the oral tradition that may include legends and fables is a (A) Ballad (B) Folktale (C) Pastoral (D) Romance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. A short poem written on a tomb is a\/an (A) Dirge (B) Panegyric (C) Epigram (D) Epitaph<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Pick the odd item (A) Lord of the Flies (B) A Woman in Her Prime (C) Joys of Motherhood (D) Women of Owu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. A short speech at the beginning of a literary work which serves as commentary is a\/an (A) Monologue (B) Prologue (C) Dialogue (D) Epilogue<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. One of the following is not an African Poet (A) Lenrie Peters (B) Thomas Gray (C) J.P Clark (D) Syl Cheney-Coker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THEORY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Discuss the role of Lady Bracknell and Miss Prism in the play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Using the play, The Importance of Being Earnest,<\/em> discuss the issues of the Victorian age.<\/p>\n\n\n\nREADING ASSIGNMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Exam Reflection Literature-in-English (Drama & Prose) by Sunday Olateju Faniyi, pgs 84-101.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WEEK SEVEN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTOPIC: READING AND CONTENT ANALYSIS OF NON-AFRICAN POETRY-<\/strong> \u2018THE SOUL\u2019S<\/em> ERRAND\u2019<\/em> by Waiter Raleigh<\/p>\n\n\n\n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CONTENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON THE POET<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THEME<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POETIC DEVICES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON THE POET<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sir, Walter Raleigh, an English navigator, was born in Hayes, Devonshire, England in 1552 and died in Westminster, England on October 29, 1618. He most likely attended the University of France in 1569 but left the same year to join a troop rose in aid of the French Huguenots. He was a determined foe to Roman Catholicism. On his return to England, he found that his half brother, sir Humphrey Elbert, had just obtained a patent for establishing a plantation in America, and he entered into the scheme. He was later charged with a plot to place Lady Arabella Stuart on the throne, and was sentence to be beheaded but was reprieved. He was an accomplished poet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ANALYSIS OF THE POEM<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The poem is all about the soul on a mission. The assignment from the creator of the soul is to go and tell the world that their actions do not represent the intention of the creator, as a result, they must change their ways of doing things. Their plans, machinations and conduct must tally with what God has in mind when the soul was first designed and infused into human body and man thereafter became a living being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Christian religion, particularly, the Catholic Church\u2019s teaching (catechism), the main and central idea or reason why God created man is for man to know God, love him and worship him in this world, so as to live with him in the next world to come. Therefore to accomplish this aim, man must live in accordance with God\u2019s standard in order to meet him face to face, after earthly exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So in this poem, Sir Waiter Raleigh recaptures the mission of the soul and the various groups the message should go to. Note that to give the lie to something idiomatically means to show something is not true. The word \u2018the lie\u2019 almost appears in every stanza of the poem. The first stanza opens up with the command to the soul, thus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go, soul, the body\u2019s guest,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon a thankless arrant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mission is thankless because not everybody would appreciate the message of hope. It is charge not to fear to \u2018touch the best\u2019. The \u2018best\u2019 the world can boast of still need the truth, because it is only the truth that can set man free indeed, as the biblical Jesus would say. The soul should not drift, rather should be focused and wear \u2018truth\u2019 as dress at all times. And because every soul that sin must die, therefore, he should give the world \u2018the lie\u2019 it should be able to tell the inhabitant of the earth that the way they do their things is not the truth way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soul should also remember to \u2018say to the court\u2019, that it \u2018glows\u2019 and \u2018shines like rotten wood\u2019. The court and the church begin the very harbinger and custodian of truth and also being two institutes so vital in this process of purification, they should do right at all times. Unfortunately, these bodies are not helping matters according to the poet, because, they know what is good but fail to do same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soul should also tell potentate (princesses) that \u2018they live\/acting by others\u2019 action\u2019; meaning that they sit in such a position as to take decisions affecting several people, so should not be biased or seen, favouring a \u2018fraction\u2019 of the populace. The soul should give the potentates the lie. The searchlight beams on estate managers that their interest is not on the welfare of their client but on their own selfish gains. They are busy maximizing profit, while their subjects are dying. Well accordingly, they should be told eyeball-to-eyeball that they should turn a new leaf. The insatiable groups are the next who asked to be contented with what they have, instead of their usual spending and wasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The eighth stanza begs to tell \u2018zeal\u2019, \u2018love\u2019, \u2018time\u2019 and \u2018flesh\u2019 what they represent and lack in the material plane, that is, in the world. For instance, \u2018love\u2019 is abused to mean \u2018lust\u2019, \u2018time\u2019 is in motion and wait for no one, while \u2018flesh\u2019 is nothing but \u2018dust\u2019. \u2018Age\u2019 in stanza nine, has to do with time which also signifies nothing, as it \u2018wasteth\u2019. On the other hand, \u2018honour\u2019 itself \u2018alters\u2019 while \u2018beauty\u2019 \u2018blasteth\u2019, \u2018favour\u2019 also \u2018falters\u2019, if these qualities which represent individual are to reply, than truth should be revealed to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, \u2018wit\u2019 should be told also that \u2018it wrangles\/in tickle points of \u2018niceness\u2019. For \u2018wisdom\u2019, her own palaver is that \u2018she entangles\/herself in over-wiseness\u2019, and so should be told straight away that their conduct falls short of minimum requirement. Therefore they should be advised appropriately. The poetic message of vanity upon vanity all is vanity, enters the ninth stanza with the poet proving the falsity and vanity inherent in the field of physics, arts, science and medicine by posturing science is king\u2019s \u2018boldness\u2019 and sees the so called expert knowledge (skill) as nothing but one full of \u2018pretension\u2019. In the same vain, there are persons who are suppose to show love to their follow human being but fail to do so, rather exhibit lukewarmness and coldness. For \u2018law\u2019 which ordinarily should be a vehicle for settlement of dispute, it is now being used to fan the embers of contention. They should therefore declare their innocence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who consider themselves as being fortunate, they should be told of how blind they are; after all, you cannot be taller than me and at the same time shorter than me. The temporariness of things on \u2018nature\u2019, just as unkindness is often exhibited by those in friendship, including delays occasioned by those dispensing justice, are all pointer to the fact that the world is full of thorns and therefore no person should cling to it as representing permanence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the eleventh stanza, the poet shows the folly found in the discipline of \u2018arts\u2019 and the hollowness of schools set-up. And the 12th<\/sup> stanza has it that people \u2018preferreth\u2019 vices to virtues and even \u2018faith\u2019 has \u2018fled the city\u2019. The assignment of the blabber is not a simple one as exemplified by the enabling statement thus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stab at thee he that will<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No stab the soul can kill<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In summary, one big lesson to learn from the whole poetic piece is that the world and everything in it is nothing but vanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EVALUATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Give a detailed content analysis of the poem, \u2018The Soul\u2019s Errand\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2 Using the poem, \u2018The Soul\u2019s Errand\u2019,<\/em> discuss the statement \u2018vanity upon vanity is vanity\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTHEME<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1 Message of hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 A word of advice for the soul bearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POETIC DEVICES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DICTION: the language is a bit philosophical and therefore, an average reader would still need a guide to understand the words in the various contexts. The following words \u2018arrant\u2019 (word used to emphasize how bad something is ), warrant, ( an acceptable reason for doing something), \u2018potentates\u2019 ( a prince or rule who has a lot of power), \u2018give them all the lie\u2019 ( to show that something is not true), \u2018entangles\u2019 (got caught or twisted), \u2018wrangles\u2019 ( an argument that is complicated and continues for a period of time) etc. should be read between the lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TONE\/ MOOD: the poem carries a tone of criticism and blasting tone, while it captures a mood of hope and preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RHYME: the poem is rhythmical, having been arranged in alternative rhymes, with each stanza ending with the phrase \u2018give them the lie\u2019. The poem is one form of music expressed in poetic form. Even the assonances and consonances are musical in themselves (e.g.) in \u2018go, soul, the body\u2019s …\u2019 (\u2018o\u2019 assonates), \u2018\u2026good, and doth no good\u2019 (\u2018o\u2019 assonates), \u2018in tickle point of niceness\u2019 (\u2018i\u2019 assonates).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EUPHEMISM: the following expression sound euphemistic in the poem (e.g. \u2018\u2026 Give them both the lie\u2019 and \u2018the truth shall be thy warrant\u2019 and also, \u2018tell wisdom she entangles\u2019). In all these examples, serious issue are presented in a mild form, and therefore makes the serious assignment of the soul look or sound unserious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IRONY: life is one big durable asset. It alters and falters at a point. It is therefore ironic that \u2018Age\u2019 \u2018wasteth\u2019, \u2018favour\u2019 \u2018falters\u2019 and \u2018wisdom\u2019 \u2018entangles\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
EVALUATION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Discuss the major theme of the poem, \u2018The Soul\u2019s Errand\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2 Discuss the diction of the poem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nProvide the right answers for each of these questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The epilogue in a play refers to the _____________<\/li>
- A short story of everyday life used to teach a moral by comparison is called a__________<\/li>
- The character that create humour in a play is ______________<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
4 The literary term that describe the year of a novel is written is______________<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5 FIFA\u2019s visit is geared towards \u201cpackaging Nigeria overseas for international acceptance\u201d. The above quotation contain a figure of speech known as _______________<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THEORY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Explain any five literary device used in the poem, \u2018The Soul\u2019s Errand\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2 What is the dominant mood of \u2018The Soul\u2019s Errand\u2019 and how is mood conveyed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
READING ASSIGNMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n1 Exam Reflection Vol. IV, Literature- in-English by Sunday Olateju Faniyi, pgs31-42.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 The Mastery of Literature by Chinweikpe Iwuchukwu Esq, pgs 90-97.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3 Essential Literature-in-English for SSS by Ibitola A. O., pgs 175-180.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WEEK EIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTOPIC: READING AND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF AFRICAN DRAMA- <\/strong>THE BLINKARDS<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nby Kobina Sekyi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n