NAME: DEEPER LIFE HIGH SCHOOL

ADDRESS: IBTC AYOBO, IPAJA LAGOS.

WEBSITE: www.deeperlifehighschool.org

E- MAIL: [email protected]

SUBJECT: LITERATURE IN ENGLISH CLASS: SS2

THIRD TERM SCHEME OF WORK

WEEK TOPIC

1. Revision of last term’s work, Robert Frost’s Birches Background, Biography of the
Poet, Plot and Setting of the Poem ‘
2. Subject matter, themes, poetic devices, language and style of the poet.
3. Introduction to the Poem ‘Ambush’ by Gbemisola Adeoti and the Background, Plot,
Subject Matter, Theme, Setting and the Biography of the Poet.
4. Poetic Devices, Language and Style.
5. Kofi Awonoor’s The Anvil and the Hammer; Poet’s Biography, the Background, Plot,
Subject Matter, Theme,
6. Awonoor’s The Anvil and the Hammer; Poetic Devices, Language and Style.
7. MID-TERM BREAK
8. Background, Author, Setting and the Plot of the Non-African Drama ‘Othello’ by
William Shakespeare.
9. Plot analyses of Acts 1-3.
10. Plot analyses of Acts 4 and 5
11. Characterization and Character Study
12. Literary Devices, Language and Style
13. Revision
14. Examination

WEEK 1

TOPIC: Birches by Robert Frost

CONTENT: Author’s Biography, Background, Plot and Setting of the Poem

Sub- topic 1: Biography of the Poet

Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco where he lived till he was ten years old .On
the death of his father; he spent his early life with his grandfather in Lawrence Massachusetts.
After his high school education, Frost moved on to Dartmouth and later Harvard
University .He spent his early adult life as a farmer, teacher and journalist he later relocated
to England with his family and there he published his first two collections of poems; A
BOY’S WILL in 1913 and NORTH OF BOSTON in 1914.His other famous works includes
NEW HAMPSHIRE in 1933 and MOUNT INTERVAL in 1916.

Background of the Poem

Frost's writing of this poem was inspired by another similar poem "Swinging on a Birch-tree"
by American poet Lucy Larcom and his own experience of swinging birch trees at his
childhood. Frost once told "it was almost sacrilegious climbing a birch tree till it bent, till it
gave and swooped to the ground, but that's what boys did in those days". Written in 1913-
1914, "Birches" first appeared in Atlantic Monthly in the August issue of 1915, and was later
collected in Frost's third book Mountain Interval (1916). The poem "Birches", along with
other poems that deal with rural landscape and wildlife, shows Frost as a nature poet.

Sub-topic2: Plot

The poem centers on the narrator’s observance of the birch tree bent left and right across the
links of straighter darker trees. When the speaker (the poet himself) sees the birches being
bent to left and right sides in contrast to straight trees, he likes to think that some boys have
been swinging them. He then realizes that it is not the boys, rather the ice storms that bend
the birches. On a winter morning, freezing rain covers the branches with ice, which then
cracks and falls to the snow covered ground. The sunlight refracts on the ice crystals, making
a brilliant display.

When the Truth again strikes the speaker, he still prefers his imagination of the boys
swinging and bending the birches. In his imagination, the boy plays with the birches. The
speaker says he also was a swinger of birches when he was a boy, and wishes to be so now.
When he becomes weary of this world, and life becomes confused, he likes to go toward
heaven by climbing a birch tree and then come back again because earth is the right place for
love.

Sub-topic3: Setting of the Poem

The setting of "Birches" is not explicitly given. It's a cold New England morning and the
snow is almost up to your knee. The poem, a reminiscence of the writer’s child hood days
when he plays around climbing and swinging on a birch tree .The sun has melted the top
layer of the snow to the point where it holds your weight for only a second before breaking.
Most of the forest animals have either migrated or are hibernating, so you don't see any, you
only hear the sounds of the icy tree branches clicking in the wind.

Evaluation

1. Discuss the poem’s background and setting.

2. What do you think is the poet’s attitude to ‘Truth’ as explained in the poem?
3. Do you think the poet’s regret of not able to climb birches again is justified?

General Evaluation

1. The poem, ‘Birches‘, was written in --. (a) 1704 (b) 2012 (c) 1916 (d) 1423 (d) 1619
2. The author of the poem is (a) AndrewMarray (b) AlfredTennisson(c) Wole Soyinka
(d) Robert Frost (e) Gabriel Okara
3. The poem was probably set in (a) The Americans (b) London (c) New England (d)
Calabar (e) Spain
4. The term birches refers to (a) a kind of bird (b) a kind of tree (c) a living creature (d)
toys for children (e) an action

Essay Questions

1. What does the birch tree remind the writer of?

 2. How does the writer describe the birch tree bend from left to right?
3. How does the background of the writer reflect in the poem?

Weekend Assignment:

Read lines 1-30 of ‘Birches’ and pick out three figures of speech. Write out the lines that
contains them.

Pre-reading Assignment:

Read lines 44-59 of the poem noting the allusions in the passage.

Weekend Activity:

4. Write out 5 uses of metaphor in Birches

References:

The poem Birches by Robert Frost

Alagbe Tunde et al, 2015, New Millennium Examination Solution for Literature-in-English.

WEEK 2

TOPIC: Non-African Poem: Birches by Robert Frost

CONTENT 1: Theme, Poetic Devices,

2: Language and Style

Sub-topic 1: Theme, Poetic Devices

The poem centers on various themes of balance, youth, spirituality, and natural world. The
poem deals with the issue of how to reconcile between impulse and carefulness, between
spontaneity and structure. This act of balancing remains a crucial theme in Frost's thought,
and Frost's typical suggestion to this is to execute things in a way that requires control and
skill – be it a question of climbing and swinging a Birch tree or an act of writing or any other
issue of real-life. The themes can be grouped as follow

Nature

The poet places so much importance on nature. He focuses on the dramatic struggles that
occur within the natural world, such as the conflict of the changing of seasons. He presents
the natural world as one that inspires deep metaphysical thought in the individuals that are
exposed to it.

Rationality and Imagination

In ‘Birches’, the narrator wishes that he could climb a birch tree as he did in his childhood
and leave the rational world behind, if only for a moment. This ability to escape rationality
and indulge in the liberation of imagination is limited to the years of childhood.

Death
Shattering and avalanching on the snow such heaps of broken glass to be swept away is a
representation of the final stage in life and that is death.

Endurance

The poet is about trees that grow in temperate regions and are noted for their resilience.

The poet describes a situation in which the trees are bent either by a boy swinging them or by
nature through the effect of snow and ice storms.

The emphasis through the poem is in resilience of the trees either they are bend by human or
by nature itself. And in spite of the fact that they never right themselves to their former
height, they never fall never to rise from ‘years afterwards’ as their trunks arch in the wood
attractively, like girls’ hair tossed ‘before them over their heads to dry.’

The poet even records a memorable incidents of some boy that had taken to swinging birches,
and taking care not to swing too low to loose ahold as the trees swing back. He remembers
his own childhood experience too.

Sub- topic 2: Poetic Devices

A poem so richly endowed as Birches has a number of interpretations. The devices applied in
the poem also helped to express the main thought.

Structure

This poem is written in blank verse with a particular emphasis on the “sound of sense.” For
example, when Frost describes the cracking of the ice on the branches, his selections of
syllables create a visceral sense of the action taking place: “Soon the sun’s warmth makes
them shed crystal shells / Shattering and avalanching on the snow crust — / Such heaps of
broken glass to sweep away…”

Enjambment

This run-on- line is seen in lines 1,2 and 3. This style is chosen deliberately by the poet to
create a rhythmic sequence.

Metaphor

The poet uses metaphor of a boy swinging the limbs of the birch tree for what nature really
does –line 4-6.

Simile

This can be seen in lines 19 and 45 where the poet uses the word ‘like’ to make comparison.

Repetition

This can be seen in line 29, 38

Alliteration

This can be seen in line 36, 9.

Personification
This is when human qualities is attributed to abstract, animals or objects. Human attribute is
given to the birches in lines 16 and 18.

Evaluation

1. What universal truth does the poem try to explain?

2. List three poetic devices employed by the poet.
3. How is truth explained in the poem?

Sub Topic 3: Language and style in the Birches

The simplicity of the poem makes it easy to comprehend despite the usage of metaphoric and
symbolic language. There is no rhyme scheme, and the meter is blank verse with variations.
The poem is rhythmic and conveys a sense of realistic optimism.

Analysis of the Poem

Originally, this poem was called “Swinging Birches,” a title that perhaps provides a more
accurate depiction of the subject. In writing this poem, Frost was inspired by his childhood
experience with swinging on birches, which was a popular game for children in rural areas of
New England during the time. Frost’s own children were avid “birch swingers,” as
demonstrated by a selection from his daughter Lesley’s journal: “On the way home, i climbed
up a high birch and came down with it and i stopped in the air about three feet and pap cout
me.”

In the poem, the act of swinging on birches is presented as a way to escape the hard
rationality or “Truth” of the adult world, if only for a moment. As the boy climbs up the tree,
he is climbing toward “heaven” and a place where his imagination can be free. The narrator
explains that climbing a birch is an opportunity to “get away from earth awhile / And then
come back to it and begin over.” A swinger is still grounded in the earth through the roots of
the tree as he climbs, but he is able to reach beyond his normal life on the earth and reach for
a higher plane of existence.

Frost highlights the narrator’s regret that he can no longer find this peace of mind from
swinging on birches. Because he is an adult, he is unable to leave his responsibilities behind
and climb toward heaven until he can start fresh on the earth. In fact, the narrator is not even
able to enjoy the imagined view of a boy swinging in the birches. In the fourth line of the
poem, he is forced to acknowledge the “Truth” of the birches: the bends are caused by winter
storms, not by a boy swinging on them.

Significantly, the narrator’s desire to escape from the rational world is inconclusive. He
wants to escape as a boy climbing toward heaven, but he also wants to return to the earth:
both “going and coming back.” The freedom of imagination is appealing and wondrous, but
the narrator still cannot avoid returning to “Truth” and his responsibilities on the ground; the
escape is only a temporary one.

Evaluation

1. List five literary terms employed in the poem.

2. Discuss synecdoche as a poetic device in the poem.
3. What are the figurative words in the poem?
4. Pick out two words used as contrast from the poem.
General Evaluation

Objective Test

1. The poem ‘Birches’ has how many lines. (a) 50 (b) 65 (c) 62 (d) 59 (d) 60
2. The expression‘And life is too much like a pathurs wood’ in line 44 is an example of
_________ (a) oxymoron (b) metaphor (c) simile (d) figure of speech (d) Assonance
3. What did the poem refer to in line 5 when he says ‘often you must see them loaded
with ice a sunny winter morning’

Essay

1. How many lines do the poem ‘Birches’ have?

2. What is the main theme of the poem?
3. What is said to be ‘loaded with ice on a sunny winter
4. What impact does the use of figurative language have on the poem

Weekend Assignment:

Examine the theme of endurance in Birches. -WAEC

Pre-reading Assignment:

Read lines 44-59 of the poem noting the allusions in the passage.

Weekend Activity:

Write out 5 use of metaphor in Birches

Reference: References:

 The poem Birches by Robert Frost

 Alagbe Tunde et al, 2015, New Millennium Examination Solution for Literature-in-
English.

WEEK 3

TOPIC: Ambush by Gbemisola Adeoti

Sub-Topic 1: Author and Plot

Sub-Topic 2: Subject matter and Theme

Subtopic 1: Author

Gbemisola Adeoti attended Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and University of Ibadan
where he obtained PhD in English. He is a professor of Literature. He currently lecturers at
Obafemi Awolowo University. Before becoming an academic, he worked with as a journalist
with The News Magazine, Lagos, Nigeria. He is a poet and a critic writer that concerns
himself with socio-economic issues that tend to impede the growth of his dear country-
Nigeria. He is also the writer of the book-Naked Soles.

Subject Matter
During the colonial era, Nigerians longed and daily prayed for freedom. Like the children of
Israel at the mercy of the Egyptians, so were we to the colonial master. Then God looked
down from heaven and send Moses to His people in captivity and they were freed. Our Moses
never relented in fighting for our freedom. And on that faithful day – October 1st 1960, the
freedom was won and great was the jubilation that swept through the land.

But the joy of freedom was curtailed. Our leaders like devourers devour the land and its
inhabitants. There is no peace that the people had desperately longed for. What a pity, we on
us.

It is this scenario that creates in Gbemisola a great concern that makes him to pour out like
Hanna his pain and anguish to his fellow Nigerians, so that, we can say ‘no’ to social
injustice that has permeated through the land.

Themes

 Social Unrest
There is unrest in the country as the government formulate unfriendly policies.
‘The land is a giant hawk
That courts unceasing disaster
As it hovers and hoots in space’
 Government Irresponsibility
In stanza 1, the government irresponsibility comes to limelight. Instead of being the
nation’s shepherd, they make themselves wolves that devour the sheep of their
pasture.

 Masses’ Helplessness

The masses in stanza two are referred to as ‘infants’. This shows their helplessness to
alleviate the suffering impose on them by their cruel and selfish leaders.

 Hope
In the last stanza of the poem, Gbemisiola raises the hope of million hopeless
Nigerians.
‘The land lies patiently ahead
Awaiting in ambush
Those who point away from a direction
Where nothing happens
Toward the shore of possibilities’

Plot

Gbemisola did a good work in the arrangement of the poem-Ambush. He started by

telling us the cruelty of the ruling power in the country. ‘The land is a giant whale,
which swallows the sinker with hook, line and bait’ – lines 1-3. He went further to tell
us the effect of this cruelty on the masses. It makes them helpless. ‘The land is a
sabre-toothed tiger that cries deep in the glade’- lines 8, 9. He did not leave the
masses in this state of bitterness and hopelessness; he assures the masses that there is
hope for a bright and better future.

Evaluation
 1. What is the subject matter of the poem?
2. Describe Gbemisola Adeoti.
3. Identify three images used in the poem.
4. Name four figurative devices in the poem.
5. State the themes in the poem.
6. What message is Gbemisola passing to his readers in stanza one?

Weekend Assignment:

Read lines 1-30 of ‘Birches’ and pick out three figures of speech. Write out the lines
that contains them.

Pre-reading Assignment:

Study the poem and comment of Gbemisola’s style.

Weekend Activity:

Commit the poem to memory.

References:

 The poem Ambush by Gbemisola Adeoti

 Alagbe Tunde et al, 2015, New Millennium Examination Solution for Literature-in-
English.

WEEK 4

Topic: Ambush by Gbemisola Adeoti

Sub-topic 1: Poetic Devices

Sub-topic 2: Language and Style

Section 1: Poetic Devices

Poetic Devices

 Personification
In all the stanzas, the land is given different human abilities. In stanza one, it can
swallow and it can cry in stanza two. It is stated in stanza three that it can hover and
hoot. And stanza four states that it lies in wait patiently.
 Metaphor
‘The land is a giant whale’-line 1
‘The land is a saber-toothed tiger’ line 8
‘The land is a giant hawk’ line 14
 Allusion
Biblical allusion is made to Peter who toiled all day for a catch and never caught
anything. The ruled in Nigeria fruitless effort is likened to Peter’s.
 Metonymy
 ‘Land’ is used to represent both the leaders and the masses. This has helped the poet
to escape the wrath he can incur from leader if their names were mentioned.
 Symbolism
So many symbols are found in the poem. They are giant whale, saber-toothed tiger,
bayonets of tribulation and giant hawk. They convey feelings of turbulence,
confrontation and suppression.
 Alliteration
‘that swallow the sinker’ line2
‘all Peter with petered out desires’ line 7
‘as it hovers and hoots in space’ line 16

Sub-topic 2: Language and Structure

‘Ambush’ is a simple poem with simple language though elevated with literary
devices. He communicates his thought fully in each of the stanzas. The tone of the
poem is that of lamentation over the mismanagement of the country by her leaders.

‘Ambush’ is a twenty-one line poem of four unequal stanza. The first stanza is a
septet .It contains seven lines. The second stanza is a sestet because it has six lines.
The third stanza is a tercet because it contains three lines. The fourth stanza contains
five lines. It is called quintet or cinquain.

The stanzas of the poem depict the change or switch in the mood of the poet. The
stanzas on the other hand add beauty to the symmetry of the poem. The poet employs
symbolism, imagery and metaphor through the poem. He uses the day to day language
that readers will have no difficulty in understanding the poem. The poet introduces
each stanza of the poem with ‘the land’. The words are repeated in the poem four
times. This shows emphasis.

Evaluation

Attempt the metaphorical interpretation of the poem.

General Evaluation

 How many lines does the poem ‘Ambush’ have?

 Discuss the theme of suffering.
 Why did the poet say ‘The land is a giant whale… aborting dreams of a good catch’ in
lines 1, 4?
 What impact does the use of figurative language have on the poem

Objective Test

1. The poem Ambush has how many lines. (a) 50 (b) 65 (c) 62 (d) 21 (d) 60
2. The expression ‘bayonets of tribulation’ in line 12 is an example of _________ (a)
Symbol (b) metaphor (c) simile (d) figure of speech (d) Assonance
3. ‘Blue Peters on empty ships’ is an example of A. metaphor B. allusion C. imagery
D. irony

Weekend Assignment:
Examine hopelessness as a theme of the poem.

Pre-Reading Assignment:

Study the background of Kofi Awoonor’s The Anvil and Hammer.

Weekend Activity:

Act the poem with your classmates.

References:

 The poem Ambush by Gbemisola Adeoti

 Alagbe Tunde et al, 2015, New Millennium Examination Solution for Literature-in-
English.

WEEK 5

TOPIC: Kofi Awoonor’s The Anvil and the Hammer.

CONTENT:

Sub-topic 1 Background of the Poet

Kofi Awoonor was born in Wheta, Ghana on March 13, 1935. He was baptized in the
Presbyterian faith and was given the name George Awoonor Williams. He was raised in his
mother’s extended family and was exposed more to the traditional Ewe culture than to
Western religion. He had his education in Ghana, United States and Britain. He taught
literature at the State University of New York and also served as one time Ghanaian
Ambassador to Brazil. Awoonor was imprisoned several times for his political belief but
emerged as an important political figure in life. Kofi Awoonor died in a terrorist attack in
Kenya where he went for a literary programme in 2013.

Kofi Awoonor- The Anvil and the Hammer

Caught between the anvil and the hammer
In the forging house of a new life,
Transforming the pangs that delivered me
Into the joy of new songs
The trappings of the past, tender and tenuous 5
Woven with the fibre of sisal and
Washed in the blood of the goat in the fetish hut
Are laced with the flimsy glories of paved streets.
The jargon of a new dialectic comes with the
Charisma of the perpetual search on the outlaw's hill. 10
Sew the old days for us, our fathers,
That we can wear them under our new garment,
After we have washed ourselves in
The whirlpool of the many rivers' estuary.
We hear their songs and rumours every day 15
Determined to ignore these we use snatches from their tunes,
Make ourselves new flags and anthems
While we lift high the banner of the land
And listen to the reverberation of our songs 20
In the splash and moan of the sea.

Sub –topic 2: Setting

The poem is set in the colonial times. The traditional order has been supplanted by the new
but foreign culture. Africans in this situation seed a huge contradiction, and those who are
conscious of it live with the emotion of humiliation. The reason is that both tradition and
modernity subsist in the African. Tradition is marked by ‘trappings in the past’ while
modernity resides in’ the flimsy glories of paved street’. The poet speaker exists in ‘jargon of
a new dialectic’ as in relating with good and evil or living and dining at the same time,
having being exposed to ‘many rivers estuary’.

Sub –topic 3: The Plot

The poem opens with the elements of creativity in the life of a blacksmith. The persona uses
the “anvil” and the “hammer” to illustrate to us that a new product is in the making through
the creative effort of the blacksmith. The poet is caught between the creative instruments and
the new product which is being formed:
Caught between the anvil and the hammer
In the forging house of a new life, (lines 1 – 2)

The persona in lines three and four makes us to understand that in forming anything new, we
have to overcome the difficulties in order to achieve success in life:
Transforming the pangs that delivered me
Into the joy of new songs (lines 3 – 4)

Apart from dwelling on the issues of creativity, the poem and indeed lines 1 – 7, symbolically
explore the persona’s struggle whether to fully accept modernity or return to tradition but he
later settles for a mixture of both. The anvil and the hammer are the instruments used in
shaping metals in the forging house. They, therefore, represent the old and new creation. By
describing the old ways of doing things as “tender and tenuous” in line 5, the persona
reminds us of the earliest stage of the African culture before the advent of modernity.
Lines 7 – 10 are emblematic because it tells us that in spite of the new culture, the persona is
still influenced by the old ways of doing things though he cannot let it go. The persona’s old
ways of doing things holds him like a trap and for this reason; the new culture does not have
a firm grip on him. They are not as good as they seem. They are not as good as they seem.
They are “laced with the flimsy glories of paved streets” (line 8).
Having been dissatisfied with the new system, the persona searches for his lost identity in
lines 9 and 10. He sees the new culture as being filled with propaganda:
The jargon of a new dialectic comes with the
Charisma of perpetual search on the outlaw’s hill

The speaker goes traditional in making request from the ancestors. To make his feelings of
hard work and vitality realised, he offers sacrifice to the ancestors “washed in the blood of
the goat in the fetish hut” (line 5). This invokes the feeling of African traditional religion
where the blood of animals is used to petition the gods. The persona’s prayer comes out in
lines 11 and 12 where he says:
Sew the old days for us, our fathers
That we can wear them under our new garment

This implies that their ancestors should explain the old cultures to them so that they might
mix them with the new culture after they have mingled with the new cultures. In other
words, the persona and his people have been affected by the modern ways of doing things.
He therefore calls for moral and cultural transformation against the totality of Western
orientation. In lines 13 and 14, the poet says that the gods should cleanse him and his people
after mingling with the Western culture:
After we have washed ourselves in
The whirlpool of many rivers’ estuary
Furthermore, the persona has studied cultures and decides not to completely follow them but
to take some aspects that are good for him and his people:
We hear their songs and rumours everyday
Determined to ignore these we use snatches from their
Tunes (lines 15 – 17)

From lines 18 – 21, the speaker makes a resolution to copy those aspects of the Western
culture which will help his people develop a new and better culture. This is seen the image of
“new flags and anthems”. This is, therefore, a call to promote African culture. It is also a
show of patriotism for one’s culture.

Evaluation
1. Discuss the structure of the poem.
2. How does the poet portray African in his work ?

WEEK 6.

TOPIC; Subject-Matter, Themes, Language and Style, Poetic Devices in the Text

Sub-Topic 1: The Subject Matter

Kofi Awoonor’s “The Anvil and the Hammer examines the issues of creativity in life. The
poet person uses the blacksmith as an anchor on all creative persons. The poem itself dwells
essentially on the method of forming new ideas that will last. The poet draws inspiration
from the past. Here, he reincarnates the old African life where unity and brotherly love are
the major philosophies which bind Africans together just as the blacksmith forges metal into
new products and shapes. He invites us to find joy in doing new things which will last. The
persona resorts to nature and tradition for new creation and new ideas. The last of the poem
illustrates the harmony to be derived when our ways are good.

Sub-topic2: Themes
1. The clash of cultures
The poet applies the notion of forceful coming together of the people of two
cultures to the disadvantages of one in a colonial relationship. The African people
are said to be ‘caught between the anvil and the hammer’. The traditional culture
is ‘the anvil’. It is the indigenous. Africans sit on it while ‘the hammer’ is the
foreign which violently strives to strike in order to mould a new person out of
black African.
2. African identity and Western orientation
The African culture constitutes tradition which have been visited by the European,
the modern. No matter has happened in the experience of the African person,
tradition is deep rooted. That is probably why the poet speaks of ‘the trapping of
the past’ which he say are ’tender and tenuous’. It is ‘woven with the fibre of
sisal’.
Others are:
The spirit of patriotism
Traditional belief system and modern culture
African rebirth

Sub-topic 3; Language and Style

(a) Diction
The poet achieves success in the poem due to his simplicity of language. He uses imagery
and symbols to buttress his points. “Flags and anthems” represent the spirit of patriotism.
“Our songs” stand for African identity. “Blood of goat symbolises traditional worship.
“New garment” is a metaphor for new culture while “outlaw’s Hill symbolises old ways of
doing things which are outlawed by the new method. “Jargon of new dialectics implies the
propaganda associated with the new cultures.
(b) Form and Structure
The poem is written in one stanza of twenty lines. Thus, it is well structured and connected
in themes and subject matter. It is a free verse with run on lines. From lines one to seven, the
poet is in a struggle between accepting traditionalism and modernism. However, he settles
for a mixture of both cultures. Lines eight to fourteen, he reveals to us that he has come in
contact with other culture but could not go for them because they are filled with propaganda
though he takes only some aspects of the foreign cultures. From lines fifteen to twenty, he
wishes to apply the aspect of foreign culture he appropriates to help him build a new and
better culture. The poem is written in the traditional idiom.

Sub-topic 4: Poetic Devices

(a) Repetition
‘new” is repeated in lines 1, 4, 12 and 18
“songs” is repeated in lines 4, 15 and 20
“washed” is repeated in lines 7 and 13
“we” is repeated in lines 12, 13, 15, 16 and 19.

(b)Alliteration
“trappings… tender and tenuous”
/t/ sound is alliterated in line 5.
“woven … with” /w/ sound in line 6.
“lift… land” /l/ sound in line 19.
“splash… sea” /s/ sound in line 21.

(c) Imagery
The poet makes use of imagery when he describes “anvil and hammer” as the instruments
used in moulding and transforming life. Line1. He uses ‘flags’ and ‘anthems’ to represent
transformation.

(d) Metaphor
Metaphors are amply observable in the poem, beginning with the title.;
a) The anvil is a metaphor, for the indigenous traditional, while ‘the hammar’ which
strives on the anvil is the foreign imposed culture.
b) ‘our new garment is metaphorical of the new lifestyle , a new living pattern.
c) ‘splash and moan of the sea’ refers to the economic activities in high sea.

Evaluation.
1. Discuss the poet’s use of imagery in the poem.
2. Access any three poetic devices in the poem.
3. Evaluate the theme of clash of culture in the poem.
4 “The Anvil and the Hammer” are symbolic in their portrayal of African cultural
identity and rebirth. Discuss with reference to the poem.
5. Access any four poetic devices used in the poem.

General Evaluation
Objective test
 The art with which a writer makes a character to be thinking aloud on the stage is
called
A) monologue B) dialoquy C) soliloquy D) monoloquy
  The odd one out of this list is – A) The Last Goodman B) The Native Son C) The
Raisin in the Sun D) The Ambitious Village Boy
 A character that does not develop beyond the way he is first introduced in a literary
text is
A) round B) flat C) dynamic D) progressive
 In ------, the protagonist is selfish, devilish, wicked and exploitative.
A) melodrama B) comedy C) tragic-comedy D)farce
 The place where a play is performed is A) stage B) theatre C) podium D) hall

Essay test

 William Shakespeare’s work belongs to what genre of literature?

 List and explain six examples of figures of speech.

WEEK 7: MID -TERM BREAK

WEEK 8:

TOPIC Introduction to Othello by William Shakespeare

(1) William Shakespeare

(2) Introduction to the play – Othello

Sub-topic 1: Introduction of the author/ Background of the play.

He was the most influential writer in all English Literature. William Shakespeare was born in
1564 to a successful class glove-maker in Stratford – upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare
attended the local grammar school where he received education in classical rhetoric and
oratory, but his formal education did not go further. Later, he married Ann Hathaway, an
older lady and they had three children. He left his immediate community in England in 1590
and travelled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public accreditation later
followed and he became the most popular playwright in England. His career spans between
the reigns of Elizabeth I and King James I of England. He became so wealthy and renowned
and he formally retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of fifty two. Before his death,
he authored thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets that bear his name.

Evaluation

(1) Who was Shakespeare?

(2) Where was he born?
(3) How did he acquire his education?
(4) When did he die?

Sub-Topic 2: Introduction to the play – Othello.

Othello by William Shakespeare which was written about 1604 is set against the
backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey that raged in the latter part of the
sixteenth century. Cyprus, which is the setting for most of the action, was a Venetian
outpost attacked by the Turks in 1570 and conquered the following year. The original
story contains the bare bones of Shakespeare’s plot: a Moorish general is deceived by his
ensign into believing his wife is unfaithful. Shakespeare added supporting characters such
 as the rich young dupe Roderigo and the outraged and grief-stricken Brabantio,
Desdemona’s father. Shakespeare compressed the action into the space of a few days and
set it against the backdrop of military conflict. This makes the text a tragedy.

Evaluation

(1) What is the story line in the drama text: Othello?

(2) Who is the chief protagonist in the play?
(3) How did Othello win the heart of Desdemona?
(4) What type of play is the text “Othello”?

General Evaluation

(1) William Shakespeare was born in (a) 1704 (b) 1598 (c) 1564 (d) 1590 (e) 1912
(2) William Shakespeare received his education at (a) Junior school (b) high school (c)
local grammar school (d) middle school (e) city college
(3) Shakespeare eventually died in ____ (a) 1432 (b) 1616 (c) 1904 (d) 2012 (e) 1564
(4) The text ‘Othello’ was written by (a) Robert Green (b) Titus Andronicus (c) William
Shakespeare (d) Julius Caesar (e) Othello

Essay Test

(1) Write a brief background story of Othello.

(2) How did Othello marry Desdemona?
(3) Why did Iago plot to kill Othello?
(4) Who was Brabantio?

Weekend Assignment

Read Acts 1 and 2 of the text Othello.

Pre-Reading Assignment

In reading the text above, identify the characters in the play.

Weekend Activity

List two possible themes in Othello as a drama text and briefly explain them.

Reference Text

The text book – Othello by William Shakespeare

WEEK 9

TOPIC: William Shakespeare Othello

CONTENT: Othello: Plot Overview

In the opening scene, Iago complains to Roderigo that Othello, his Commander, has passed
him over to promote the handsome young Cassio to be his Lieutenant. He vows to get
revenge. Iago first asks Roderigo to tell Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, that his daughter has
left to marry Othello, a marriage Brabantio opposes because Othello is a Moor. Brabantio
confronts Othello, and they take their argument to the Duke, who has summoned Othello to
ask him to sail to Cyprus to stop a Turkish invasion. Convinced by Othello and Desdemona
that they love each other deeply despite their differences, the Duke gives Desdemona
permission to travel with Othello. By the time they reach Cyprus the foreign threat has gone.

Iago manipulates Cassio to make him drunk and gets Roderigo to draw him into a street fight.
Iago has his revenge on Cassio when Othello strips Cassio of his rank for misbehavior. Then
Iago decides to make Othello believe his wife is unfaithful. He encourages Cassio to ask
Desdemona to plead with Othello to be reinstated. Iago suggests to Othello that Desdemona
is Cassio’s lover. Trusting Iago, and mad with jealousy, Othello promotes Iago and asks Iago
to help him kill Cassio and Desdemona.

Iago plants Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room. Cassio gives it to his mistress,
Bianca. Othello believes Bianca’s possession of the handkerchief is proof that Desdemona
and Cassio are lovers. He verbally abuses his wife in front of others, who are shocked at the
change in the noble and powerful man.

Iago has manipulated Roderigo into trying to kill Cassio. The attempt goes wrong, and Cassio
wounds Roderigo; Iago stabs Cassio in the leg. Othello hears Cassio cry out and thinks Iago
has killed him. He returns home, ready to kill Desdemona. Meanwhile, Iago “finds” the
wounded Cassio and accuses Bianca of causing Cassio’s injury. Iago quietly kills Roderigo
and sends Emilia, his wife to Desdemona with news of what has happened.

Othello reaches the sleeping Desdemona first. He kisses her, wakes her, and accuses her
again. Over her protests that she loves him and is innocent, he smothers her. Emilia enters
and Desdemona revives for a moment, declaring herself guiltless but saying, as she dies,
that Othello is innocent of her death. Iago and others enter, and Emilia defends Desdemona’s
innocence, recognizing that Iago is behind the tragedy. Othello sees the truth and tries to kill
Iago. Iago kills Emilia and flees; Othello condemns himself and commits suicide. Iago is
seized and taken away.

Sub-topic 2: Exercises

In Act 1, Scene III, pages 15-24 write out ten sentences that support the theme of love in the
play. Remember to stay faithful to the original text.

Evaluation

(1) Where was the setting of the play ?

(2) Who was Desdemona’s father?
(3) Cassio was appointed as ----------.
(4) Othello was asked to go to where on his wedding night?
 5. How did the audience know Iago’s reasons for trying to kill Cassio

7. What was Iago’s reason for looking for Desdemona’s handkerchief?

8. Explain the effect of Iagos’s negative stories about Desdemona on Othello.
9. At Iago’s meeting with Carsio, who really was the subject of their discussion?
10. How did Othello die?

General Evaluation

(1) The text Othello is an example of (a) prose (b) short story (c)play (e) narrative (f)
farce
(2) Othello’s physical reaction to Lago’s false stories made him ___ (a) laugh (b)
cowardly (c) lovely (d) excited (e) agry and sickly
(3) Who was Bianca to cassio? (a) his mother (b) his cousin (c) conclusive (d) fiancée (c)
college
(4) What can be said to have motivated Othello to kill Desdemona (a) pride (b) Jealousy
(c)arrogance (d) cowardice (e) love

Essay
(1) What is a tragedy?
(2) Explain the term protagonist.
(3) How do you access Othello’s character?
(4) Iago can be said to be a villain. Discuss.
(5) What role did Emilia play in the play?

Weekend Assignment

Write short notes on the following characters: Iago, Cassio, Brabantio

Pre-reading Assignment

Identify five themes in the text and explain them in detail.

Weekend Activity:

Read Acts 1-3.

References

The Text Othello

Internet

TOPIC: Othello: A Shakespeare Play

CONTENT: Subject, Matter, Theme, Character/Characterization

Sub-topic 1: Subject Matter/ Theme

The play “Othello” by William Shakespeare is a tragedy of strange beauty and remarkable
power. It is a story of love versus duty. There, we see the love Desdemona has for Othello’s
adventures , Roderigo for Desdemona, Brabartio for Desdemona even Iago’s supposed love
that made him tell untrue tales about the young woman, Desdomona.
Theme

There are many themes interwoven to describe the author’s perspective of the play’ Othello’.

Contrast of Doubt versus Trust

One-central theme is the major contrast of doubt versus trust. For whatever reason, Othello’s
trust for Desdemona was too weak to resist Iago’s accusations against her. In the contrary,
Desdemona loves Othello unconditionally and wholeheartedly. She consecrates herself to
him entirely. Unfortunately Iago’s counterfeit love provides him with power which
Desdemona’s love could not counteract. As a result of this, true love is dismantled.

Jealousy

Othello kills his wife as a result of jealousy because he believes his wife is having a love
affair with Cassio. Iago also is guilty of this when he is jealous that Casio has received
promotion instead of him.

Wars Distorted View of Love

Another theme is wars distorted view of love as we see in Roderigo’s description of

Desdemona as full of most blest condition. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father charges from his
protective love to utter reversion when he discovered her full consent to many Othello.

Racism

Another theme exploited by the author is racism. This we see from the beginning in
Roderigo and Iago’s discuss about Othello’s skin and Brabantios condemnation of his person
as a suitor or husband for his daughter. This act breeds hatred in the play.

Evaluation

(1) List two major themes in William Shakespeare’s Othello.

(2) Write a brief note on racism as portrayed in the text .
(3) How did Brabantio’s actions explain his love for Desdemona?
(4) Othello’s love for Desdemona cannot be said to be absolute. Discuss

Sub-topic 2: Character/Characterisation in Othello

Othello

He is the play’s protagonist and hero. A Christian moor and General of the Armies of Venice.
Othello is an eloquent and powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In spite of his
elevated status, nevertheless, he is an easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a
soldier and his race. He has a free and open nature which his ensign Iago uses to twist his
love for his wife, Desdemona into a powerful destructive jealousy.

Desdemona

She is the daughter of the Venetians Senator Brabantio. She secretly marries Othello and
defends her marriage. She loves her husband dearly though mistrusted and killed by him.

Iago
Othello’s ensign or standard bearer, a very subtle man, the villain of the play. Twenty-eight
years of age and has reasons for wanting to kill Othello especially because he promotes
Cassio over him.

Michael Cassio

He is Othello’s lieutenant and dear friend. A young inexperienced soldier whose high
position is envied by Iago. Truly devoted to Othello but was robbed into a false accusation of
adultery with Desdemona by Iago.

Emilia

She is Iagos’ wife and Desdemona’s attendant. She is deeply attached to her mistress and
distrustful of her husband.

Roderigo

He is a jealous suitor of Desdemona. He is young, rich and foolish. He is convinced by Iago

that if he gives him money to give Desdemona, she will one day turn to love him.

Bianca

She is a prostitute in Cyprus. She is a mistress to Cassio and she plays a limited role, though
insignificant in the play. She is Cassio’s neglected girl friend, who is given Desdomonia’s
handkerchief to copy by Cassio. Bianca is implicated in Cassio’s injury by Iago, though she
is innocent because Cassio is actually stabbed by Iago. .

Brabantio

He is Desdemona’s father, a Venetian Senator. He is a friend of Othello but he feels betrayed

when the general married his daughter in secret.

Duke of Venice

This is the official authority in Venice. He has great respect for Othello. He reconciles
Othello and Brabantio.

Montano

Montano is the predecessor of Othello in Government of Cyprus. He respects Othello,

however, he is easily influenced because he readily believes Iago’s statement that Cassio,
Othello’s Lieutenant, has a drinking problem. Montano falls victim of Roderigo and cassio’
fight. He is injured while trying to settle their fight.

Lodovico

He is one of Brabantio’s Kinsmen. Lodovicois a not a major character, yet he plays a vital
role in Act V, scenes I and II. He acts as a manager from Venice to Cyprus. He is the one that
discovers the injured Cassio with Grantino. He is the one that criticizes Othello for killing his
own wife and for acting like a common slave. He also plays a role in the discovery of Iago’s
treachery behaviour. The note written by late Roderigo to murder Cassio is equally
discovered by him.

Gratiano

He is Brabantio’s brother who accompanies Lodovico to Cyprus. He brings the news of

Desdemona’s father’s death.

Clown

This is Othello’s servant. His appearances reflect and distort the action and words of the main
plot.

Evaluation

(1) Write short notes on (i) Lodovico, Cassio and Bianca.

(2) Who is Emilia?
(3) Explain the role of Iago in the entanglement of love between Roderigo and
Desdemona.
(4) Who is Brabantio?

General Evaluation

(1) List out four themes from the text Othello.

(2) Write on five characters from the play.
(3) Roderigo is a foolish young man. Discuss.
(4) Explain briefly the theme of love and trust in Othello.
(5) Othello as a character can be said to be a (a) straightforward man (b) fearful soldier
(c) careless lover (d) consistent drunkard
(6) Who is deceived into paying Iago to win the love of Desdemona? (a) Cassio (b)
Brabantio (c) Roderigo (d) Montaro (e) Lodovico
(7) ___ brought the news of Desdemona’s father’s death. (a) Michael Carsio (b) Gratiano
(c) Iodonico, (d) Iago (e) Emilia
(8) Who mediated between Othello and Brabanzio on the Issue of Othello’s secret
marriage to Desdemona? (a) Lodonigo (b) Lago (c) The Duke (d) Michael Carsio (e)
Rodengo
(9) ___ was Desdemona’s secret marriage suitor. (a) Iago (b) Roderigo (c) Cassio (d)
Montano (e) Lodovico

Weekend Assignment

Read Acts 1-2 of Othello and write about the character (1) Iago and Roderigo

Pre-reading Assignment

Othello: Acts 3 and 4

Weekend Activity:

Write short note on the characters of Emilia and Iago.

Reference
Othello by William Shakespeare (Pengium Edition)

WEEK 10

TOPIC: Setting; Physical, Social, Religion, Political

The Shakespearean play Othello opens in Venice but ended in Cyprus. The play is centred
around 18 th century in the city of Venice. The play has links with early modern politics and
pre-modern natural philosophy. The setting is contemporary and there are vivid descriptions
of the immediate environment, serenity and orderliness of the city’s administration that
Brabantio said “... this is Venice, my house is not a grange”. Othello and Brabantio finally
settled their differences on Desdemona’s marriage before the senate where they overruled in
favour of Othello and there was no uproar. This is an indication that the political setting of
Venice was stable and orderly.

On the social setting, we have the issues of racial prejudice gender relations and the
pathology of violence. By calling him the moor of Venice, Shakespeare defines Othello as a
paradox, one in who two opposed cultures are improbably conjoined. Being a Christian and
black African, Othello is both of and not of Venice which was the epitome of Western
civilization at that time.

From religious perspective, Othello had been located within the tragic history of early
Christendom. Cyprus is said to have been a place of mythic and symbolic associations.

Evaluation

1. Explain the setting of the play, Othello.

Sub-topic 2: Exercise

OTHELLO

Sort you, a word or two before you go.

I have done the state some service and they know’t.

No more of that…I pray you, inyour letters,

When you shall this unlucky deeds relate,

Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,

Nor set down aught in malice: then most you speak

Of one that loved not wisely, but too well;

Of one not easily jealous, but being wraught,

Perplex’d in the extreme; of one whosw hand,

Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away

Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdu’d eyes,

 Albeit unused to the melting mood,

Drooped tears as fast as the Arabian trees

Their medicinal gum. Set you down this;

And say besides, -- that in Aleppo once,

Where a malignant and a turban’d Turk

Beat a Venetian and traduc’d the state ,

I took by the throat the circumcised dog

And smote him – - thus.

How does Shakespeare make Othello in this extract an object of pity.

General Evaluation

Objectives

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follows.

A. What handkerchief?
Why, that the Moor first gave to Desdimona
That which so often you did bid me still.
B. Host stol’n it from her?
C. No, faith should let it drop by negligence,
And to the advantage, I being here, took it up
Look, here it is.

1. Who is speaker A? A. Cassio B. Emelia C. Iago D. Othello

2. Who is speaker B? A. Iago B. Desdemonia C. Duke D. Roderigo

3. Who is speaker C? A. Roderigo B. Cassio C. Emilia D. Othello

4. What does speaker C pick up? A. Towel B. Cloth C. Napkin D. handkerchief

5. What does the ‘The Moor’ mean? A. Desdemonia B. Iago C. Duke D. Othello

Weekend Assignment

Explain in detail why Othello promoted Cassio instead of Iago.

Pre-reading Assignment

Identify the themes in the text and discuss them with your classmates.

Weekend Activity

Draw the picture of Iago.

References
 1. Othello by William Shakespeare (Pengium Edition)
2. Alagbe Tunde et al, 2015, New Millennium Examination Solution for Literature-in-
English.
3. Russell Carey, 2016, Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English

WEEK 11

SUBJECT: Literature-in-English

TOPIC: Literary Devices in the text “Othello”.

CONTENT:

SUB-TOPIC: LITERARY DEVICES IN OTHELLO

Othello – our text of study is a Shakespearean drama with a number of literary terms by the
author. He used them to convey all his intended message in the tragic. Most of the literary
devices employed by the author are quite familiar in many of Shakespearean writing and in
literature as a course of study. Particular reference to the text Othello is the use of the
following.

ASIDE

Shakespeare employed the usage of this device in a number of ways . More often than not,
the characters reveal those parts of the play through this device.

Lago, Desdemona, Othello and others employed this device in their speeches as in

(Othello) look, how he laughs already!

Now he importunes him to tell it o’er.
Lago beckons me. Now he begins the story.
DIALOGUE

This is the most commonly use device in many play as used by Shakespeare in Othello.
Dialogues are the common pattern of conversation in the text.

POETIC LANGUAGE

Shakespearean plays employ poetic language and all the conversation followed the pattern
from the beginning to the end of the text:

O, behold,

The riches of the ship is come on shore!

You men of Cyprus, let her have your knees.

Hail to thee, lady! And the grace of heaven,

En wheel the round.

SONGS

Music and songs featured in Othello as we saw musicians play on the night of the rivalry in
honour of Othello and Desdemona. Also, Desdemona and Emilia sing song of their loves.

Sing willow

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,

Sivy on a green willow;

Her hard on her boson, her head on her knee,

Sing willow, willo, willow etc.

SUSPENSE

This was employed when Brabantio was alerted about his daughter’s elopement and he went
about to seek for Othello. At this point, the audience was kept in suspense as to the outcome
of the confrontation between the man and the moor.

Also, in the mattes of the invalidity Tunc’s army, the entire audience had to await the Next
step in anticipation of a possible way in Cyprus.

METONYM

This refers to how a playwright interchanged words to further describe the meaning of a term
of an item. He allow readers to recognise similarities among them. In Othello, we can see
how metonyms are used in Act 1, Scene 1 where Iago refers to Othello as ‘the devil that will
make a grand sire of you’. In this statement, Iago is referring to Othello as deceitful and evil.

METAPHOR

This is seen in the following Acts

 Act 1, lines 67-68 where Iago says ‘But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for
dawns to peck at’.
 Act 1, Scene 3and line 331, ‘Virtue! A fig.’
 Act 1, Scene 3, line 333, Iago states, ’The food that to him now is as luscious as
locust, shall be him shortly as bitter as coloquintida.’
 Act 3 Scene 3 lines 191-193, ‘O! Beware, my Lord, of jealousy, it is greeney’d than
monster which doth mock the meat its feeds on.’

Other literary devices used by William are imagery, symbolism, hyperbole, allegory,
soliloquy, simile, alliteration and paradox.

EVALUATION

 Explain the term literary devices and list five examples used by Shakespeare.
SUBTOPIC 2: Language and Style in Othello

The language in our text is essentially poetic having been written in verse as it is common in
most of Shakespearean works. The author made use of ample narrative expressions, vivid
descriptions and meticulous choices of relevant words to give his audience the full picture of
his intended opinion on stage.

The language, however is straightforward, explicit and easily comprehensive.

The issue of style in Othello is its beauty seen in the character of the hero and heroine, from
the “speech style” which Shakespeare fashion for Othello.

GENERAL EVALUATION

(1) Explain how language assists in conveying the author message in drama.
(2) What type of language do we have in Othello?
(3) What is style?
(4) Explain the term ‘Aside’.
(5) What is suspense?

Essay Question

(aside) “ I am not merry, but I od deguile”

The thing I am by seeming otherwise

Come, how wouldst thou praise me?

(1) Who made the above statement?

(2) To whom was the statement mad?
(3) What occasioned the statement?
(4) How did the addressee react to the statement?

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

Read in Othello lines 380 – 390 and explain what device the author employed in his
presentation of Iago’s speech and the effect of his speech on the audience.

PRE-READING ASSIGNMENT

Read Othello Acts 1 – 2 noting particular instances of the use of “aside” as a literary device.

REFERENCE TEXT

(1) Othello by William Shakespeare

 JOJ Nwakwiku-Agbada et al, 2016, Exam Focus Literature in English
 Othello by William Shakespeare (Pengium Edition)
 Alagbe Tunde et al, 2015, New Millennium Examination Solution for Literature-in-
English.