Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Senior Secondary School 2

SUBJECT: LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH

CLASS:  SS2

DATE:

TERM: 3RD TERM

REFERENCES

• She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith.
• Exam Reflection Literature- in-English by Sunday OlatejuFaniyi.
• Exam Reflection Literature-in-English (Prose and Drama) by Sunday OlatejuFaniyi.  
• The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. 

WEEK SEVEN

TOPIC: THEMES AND POETIC TECHNIQUES IN THE POEM

1. Abandonment of traditionalways or values: The poem comments on the tendency of African educated elites and other Westernized Africans to abandon African wisdom, values and general traditional ways of life because many of these people have led Africans to believe that African ways of life is primitive and barbaric.
2. Wisdom of the ancestors is invaluable: The poem presents ancestors as reservoir of sound teaching and wisdom, which are sufficient to guide their offspring through the challenges of life.
3. Warning to renegades: The entire poem can be seen as warning to renegades. The poem warns those who have chosen not to listen the voice of the elders, voice of wisdom and voice of the ancestors.
4. Pain and misery.
5. The reality of human suffering and predicaments

POETIC TECHNIQUES

1. Rhetorical question: This device is used in lines 5, 8, 10,11, 14 and30.
2. Humour/sarcasm: There is certain humour or sarcastic tone to the poet’s reference to ‘large mouths’, ‘sad voice’, ‘beggars’ etc.
3. Synecdoche : Examples of this device are ‘ears’, ‘eyes’ ‘hearts’  as used in the poem.
4. Simile: Examples of simile can be seen in line 13: “which grows in us like a tumour”.
5. Metaphor: This is used in line four. Black Africa is seen as beggars.
6. Enjambment: Most of the lines in the poem run into one another.

GENERAL EVALUATIONS/REVISION QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the poetic devices in the poem.
2. Examine the main theme of the poem.

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENTSECTION A

INSTRUCTION: Answer all questions

1. A literary work whose mode of narration is the letter is a(n)  (a) letter prose (b) romantic work (c) letter narration (d) epistolary work
2. When a work of art attempts to imitate the style of another work in a mocking manner, we describe the newer work as a(n) (a) pun (b) farce (c) innuendo (d) parody
3. ‘How can he compare our church outing with theirs? After all millions of people attended ours while very few people were seen at theirs,’ The speaker is likely to be accused of the use of (a) oxymoron (b) paradox (c) comparison (d) hyperbole
4. A novel is a  (a) long story involving human character (b) long prose narrative fiction (c) prose writing about various people (d) prose writing about great people
5. When a poem has no regular rhyme scheme, it is called: (a) a blank verse (b) a dramatic verse (c) a prose verse (d) a lyrical verse

SECTION B

Discuss the poetic devices in the work.

READING ASSINGMENT

Read up the devices of the poem “Vanity” in Exam Focus.