The ManicaPost
Morris Mtisi
IF YOU want to be a smart learner of Literature and enjoy the uniqueness of this beautiful subject, there are fundamental truths about it that you must know and understand.
And if you want to find this seemingly complicated learning area easy, there are basics you must go by.
We do not read all the texts, passages, plays (drama), poems . . . what-have-you we read in order to remember the stories, but to test and enhance our thinking, not, I repeat, our memory. How many Literature students know or remember the stories of Literature left, right and centre but always get surprised when their mark does not impress them? Many I am sure. And that is not a surprise! The purpose of studying Literature is not that we add a few more stories on top of those we were told by mbuya or sekuru around the fire when we were little children.
Literature is a thinking game, I always say. It trains you to think . . . to be analytical in your thinking . . . to be observant . . . to be imaginative and at the end of it all to intelligently judge writers, poets, dramatists; to judge what has been written, to judge characters . . . to make intelligent conclusions about the Language used, the Tones and Moods created. There is so much to be critical or thinking about that the whole process of studying Literature becomes, or at least must be. There is so much that makes it deeply intellectual and fascinating. If there is no pleasure realised or enjoyed along the way, something is terribly wrong somewhere. The pleasure of Literature is not in our ability to remember these stories in whatever form, but in our ability to recreate thought and ideas . . . in relating to real human beings going through their loves and romances, their trials and tribulations, their joys and heartbreaks, their strengths and weaknesses, their fears, challenges and problems . . . ALL OF IT! In that Literature becomes a deep and complex exploration of real life.
When a student of literature sees a word in isolation, the first reaction is “I know what it means or I do not.” But the moment the word is placed against another or others and in a special arrangement or context then several possible interpretations or meanings arise. Is this word denotative or connotative? You begin to think. This word, in the way it is used, implies or insinuates something else for personal, emotional, cultural or political reasons. It is not used in its strict dictionary or obvious meaning. It must be connotative. There are emotional and figurative associations around this word. The use of this or that word appeals to emotions, not intellect. This is subjective. That is objective. This is fact and that is opinion. This shows bias or prejudice . . . this is pure propaganda and that is sensationalism to excite, horrify or to capture interest or admiration. As a student of literature you are able to identify techniques such as emotive language, exaggeration, generalisations and rhetorical questions. If all this is not part of the fascination of Literature, nothing will ever be. Go to Maths where sense is derived from figures, not words!
Another fundamental of Literature is how it demands evidence of how you come to certain opinions and conclusions. Everything boils down to intelligent arrival at such conclusions. Why do you say what you are saying or feeling the way you feel? Literature students do not guess or prophesy. You state your fact or opinion and drive sense into it by supporting it with evidence from the text . . . from the poem . . . from the story . . . from the Act or Scene (in Drama) . . . all genres of Literature.
Did I say “knowing the story is not important?” No I did not. It is the narrative, the story itself that supplies the background of all that is happening. All your intellectual analysis or dissection of matter is dependent upon the story. It is important. You cannot do without it. It operates in juxtaposition with the pith of any given literature. But listen, you earn marks from your personal understanding and response supported all the way by shreds of intelligent and convincing evidence. Why did you think Literature is said to be a background requisite of the study of Law? It is a precursor to the world of intelligent thinking supported by evidence. Without clean intelligent and convincing evidence laid on the table, you have not proved anything beyond reasonable doubt . . . no matter how much truth you are telling and no matter how beautiful your story is . . . if there is no support evidence, you will not impress or move any magistrate or judge in court. The same with Literature. You may have the story right on point from beginning to end, but if you are not identifying or bringing out issues and support yourself, you are as good as a story-teller, not a student of Literature.
Finally, all this cannot happen if your English language is fragile, weak, frail, tired and anaemic. It simply cannot happen! Never! You need to be on point with your English. If your English is limping, drained and floppy, your chances of missing the bus are great. Your points, facts, opinions and points of view, including the matter of evidence here so loudly emphasised, all get shrouded in a cloud of weedy waffling.
Those with a high command of English language propel to the top saying things clearly, easily and beautifully and making notable impression with the marker. Insubstantial, flimsy and fragile attempts convince no one.
First and foremost, a Literature essay must be a fluent flow of thoughts and ideas. The rest will follow.
Normally these two walk and work hand in glove.
Even if you are lost, it is better to get lost in beautiful English than to go astray in obnoxious language. The proverb “Half a miss is as good as a mile,” does not apply in examinations.
