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WAEC: LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

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Quiz 19 of 22

2020 Literature WAEC Theory Past Questions CBT

WAEC: LITERATURE IN ENGLISH 2020 Literature WAEC Theory Past Questions CBT

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Comment on Foto’s visit to Maa Tsuru.

 In answering this questions, you are expected to develop the following points.

1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of the trauma of street life, which is a major theme in the novel.

ANSWER

The visit reflects the trauma of street life. This theme shows the helplessness of the street child (Foto, Baby T and others) at the mercy of the forces of neglect (parents – Maa Tsuru) and street oppression (Poison, Macho and others).

2. Character identification (Highlight the character of Foto):

ANSWER

  1. Foto is a street child and has recently escaped being raped by poison.
  2. She is Maa Tsuru’s daughter.
  3. Maa Tsuru is the mother of Foto.
  4. She has been abused by men.
  5. She us “cursed”.

3. Purpose of visit

ANSWER

  1. Foto wants to inform her mother about Poison’s attempted rape of her.
  2. Foto wants to know why she s being targeted.

4. The Encounter (B/W Foto and Maa Tsuru)

ANSWER

  1. Maa Tsuru informs Foto that Kpakpo has abandoned the family.
  2. She informs Foto that Maami Broni has visited her.
  3. Foto learns that Baby T is dead.
  4. Foto blames her mother for Baby T’s death.
  5. She also blames her own predicament on her mother (Maa Tsuru).
  6. Maa Tsuru breaks down while trying to put up a defence.

5. Significance of the visit: The visit delineates characters.

ANSWER

  1. Foto is revealed as a vulnerable girl who is punished unjustly.
  2. Maa Tsuru is revealed as a defenceless victim.

6. Significance of the visit: The visit advances the plot.

ANSWER

  1. Baby T’s death is revealed.
  2. Maami Broni’s contribution to baby T’s death is revealed.
  3. Kpakpo’s abandoning Maa Tsuru and the children advances the plot.

7. Mother and daughter relationship.

ANSWER

  1. Maa Tsuru feels guilty about being unable to protect Foto and the rest of the family.
  2. The daughter (Foto) blames her mother (Maa Tsuru) for the predicament.
  3. Foto loathes (detest) her mother.

To what extent are men portrayed as oppressors of women in the novel?

In answering this question, you are expected to develop the following points.

1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of the theme of gender/social inequality which brings to focus men’s responsibility to women as well as their treatment of women.

ANSWER

The treatment of women by men in a patriarchal society in the novel portrays this theme of gender/social inequality.

2. Character identification (Highlight the character of Foto)

The following are male and female characters in the novel (Highlight their character traits).

MALES

  1. Kwei and Kpakpo (husbands of Maa Tsuru).
  2. Onko (relative and neighbour of Maa Tsuru) and the jujuman.
  3. Adade (husband of Kabria).
  4. Sylv Po (broadcaster).
  5. Poison and Macho (street lords).

FEMALES

  1. Maa Tsuru
  2. Kabria
  3. Maami Broni
  4. Baby T
  5. Foto
  6. Odarley

ANSWER

1. Kwei and Kpakpo

  • They contribute to Maa Tsuru’s destitution.
  • Kwei abandons Maa Tsuru after having several children with her, he is also violent.
  •  Kpakpo prays on Maa Tsuru, sells Baby T into prostitution after sexually abusing her, and intercepts the pay packet of her (Baby T’s) enslavement.
  •  Both are clearly oppressors and contribute negatively to the predicament of the women.

2. Onko and the jujuman

  • Onko rapes Baby T, leading to her being sold into prostitution.
  • At the request of the jujuman, Onkoseeks Baby T’s pubic hair.
  • This eventually leads to Onko’s murder of Baby T.

3. Adade and Sylv Po

  • Adade is indifferent to Kabria’s struggles to survive while Sylv Po assists her in her work.
  • Adade is lazy and expects Kabria to do everything for him.
  • Adade’s attitude to Kabria regarding the refurbishing of creamy is negative.

4. Poison and Macho

  • They are street lords who prey on girls like bay T and Foto.
  • The two impact negatively on the girls and on Maa Tsuru.
  • Maami Broni is terrified of Poison.
  • Macho drives off Foto from nature’s call and takes all her earning for the week.

How does Alani reject his ancestry in the novel?

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of cultural conformity in the novel.

ANSWER

Cultural conformity is a major theme in the novel. Yaremi’s refusal to conform to culture is responsible for her woes. Alani is bent on cutting off from his roots and clinging to the city way of life.

  1. Character identification (Highlight the character of Alani):

ANSWER

  • Alani is the only son of Ajumobi and Yaremi. He lives in and adores the city. He has recently visited his mother in the village.
  1. Change in his (Alani) physical appearance and dressing.

ANSWER

  • He has become almost lost to the city.
  • His skin is burnt and bleached and the hair dyed curly and dangled.
  • He has on a shiny necklace and a pair of springy intimidating high-heel shoes…..”
  • Uncle Deyo is disgusted and calls him “a freak”.
  1. Attitude towards his mother:

ANSWER

  • He is aloof (distant, remote not friendly, or interested in other people); he gives his mother some money and a few items from town.
  • He promises his mother more money from time to time.
  • He does not appreciate his mother’s situation.
  • He ignores her plight and her fight against the village elders.
  1. Attitude towards father’s legacy:

ANSWER

  • He cares little about his father’s legacy – he exhibits a carefree attitude towards the legacy left behind by Ajumobi – the farmland “could be sublet………”.
  • He is clearly not returning to the village to tend his father’s farm.
  1. His Ultimate intentions

ANSWER

  • He will remain in the city, only occasionally returning to give mother money.
  • He intends to relocate his mother.
  • Once his mother relocated, Alani is likely to stop coming to Kuti.
  • Alani is transplanted in the city – “the centre of action was the city”.
  • He is thus lost to the village because of the attraction of the city life.

Examine the advice of the three widows to Yaremi in the novel.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of marriage and continuity in the novel.

ANSWER

Marriage and continuity is a major theme in the novel. Yaremi is expected to conform to the traditional norm and remarry after Ajumobi has passed on.

2. Character identification (Highlight the common character trait of the three widows):

ANSWER

  • The three widows, Dadewe, Fayoyin and Radeke, are all senior widows.
  • They have remarried ten years before and seem to be enjoying their present situation.
  • Their visit a night before is a show of solidarity and comradeship with Yaremi and to counsel her to “pick your own cap”.

3. Expectations of the society:

ANSWER

  • A widow needs to remarry.
  • A woman needs a man: “No woman’s life is complete without a man”.
  • It is a sign of humility, meekness, and submission to be under a man.
  • This is the purpose of picking a cap.

4. Reconciliation with society:

ANSWER

  • Widows should “develop an open mind and forgive the ignorant ones who humiliate us” when they remarry.
  • They pardon those who cut their hair.
  • They reconcile with those who force them to confess “sins we did not commit”.
  • The widows reconcile with those who force them to chant widows’s song of lamentation.

5. Cap-picking for a new husband:

ANSWER

  • Cap-picking is designed for widows to select new husbands.-
  • The former widows are satisfied with the new outcome and “now we are savouring the aroma of a new found happiness”.-
  • The three widows urge Yaremi to pick a cap courageously.

6. Yaremi’s attitude to the advice:

ANSWER

  • Yaremi rejects the advice.
  • She denounces the cap-picking.
  • Consequently, the wrath of elders is invoked on her.
  • As the advice given to Yaremi by the three widows merely reinforces the traditional view, Yaremi’s rejection points the way to a rethink of culture that is more static than dynamic.

Comment on Bigger’s last moments with Max.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of racial discrimination in America and how it affects blacks.

ANSWER

One of the themes explored in the novel is racial discrimination in America and how it affects blacks. Bigger’s reaction to the system lands him in jail and he heads for the electric chair.

  1. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Bigger is the protagonist.
  • Max is Bigger’s lawyer, he is a member of the communist party.
  • The last meeting between Bigger and Max takes place in Bigger’s cell.
  1. Bigger’s crime and his punishment:

ANSWER

  • Bigger has killed Mary Dalton and his girlfriend Bassie.
  • He is hunted down and tried in a Chicago court.
  • Max offers to defend Bigger in court spite of Bigger’s initial suspicion of Max and Jan.
  1. Max’s defence and Bigger’s death sentence:

ANSWER

  • Max pleads Bigger is not in court to plead innocence.
  • He appeals to the jury to consider Bigger as a victim of state policy and social discrimination.
  • Bigger is to “die on or before midnight of Friday March 3rd, in a manner prescribed by the law of this state”.
  1. The last moment with Max:

ANSWER

  • Bigger uses his last moment to ‘accustom, his mind to death as much as possible’, reflecting on past events and how he has lived.
  • Bigger yearns and ‘longed to talk to Max more than ever’ even though he is not sure of what to discuss with him.
  • Max share insightful experiences about life with him and says ‘……. in the work I’m doing, I look at the world in a way that shows no whites and no blacks, no civilized and no savages…..’
  • Bigger clears his mind about death; ‘didn’t want to kill….’ but what I killed for, I am. It must’ve been pretty deep in me to make me me kill.
  1. Significance of the last moments:

ANSWER

  • The meeting showcases Biggers psychological reaction to his impending death.
  • It concludes the writer’s concern about the blackman’s identity.
  • It reveals Bigger as a fulfilled character who accepts his fate happily, bidding Max ‘Goodbye’. I am all right. For real I am.

Examine Bigger’s visits to Besie in the novel.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of fear in a racially segregated America.

ANSWER

The novel explores the theme of fear in a racially segregated America. It is this fear that triggers Bigger’s reaction, culminating in his committing murders and thus advancing the plot.

  1. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Bigger’s full name is Bigger Thomas, the protagonist in the novel. He is driven to violence by fear. His girlfriend is Bessie Mears.
  • Bessie is Bigger’s girlfriend. She works for a white family as a domestic servant. She is depressed.
  1. Purpose of the visits:

ANSWER

  • To gratify his sexual needs.
  • to escape from the persistent questioning at the Dalton’s, lest he give himself away. Thus, he wants to excape from the ‘feeling of strain that has come over him while taking to Mrs. Dalton’.
  1. His first visit:

ANSWER

  • Bessie’s reception of Bigger is cold. She calls him a stranger’ and she ‘shied away’ from his attempt ‘to kiss her’.
  • They make love.
  • Bigger hits on the idea of demanding a ransome.
  • They go out for drinks at ‘Paris Grill’.
  • They share stories about ‘Loeb and Leopold’.
  1. Second visit:

ANSWER

  • On this occasion, Bigger is apprehensive.
  • Bigger and Bessie run to a hide-out in a black, looming, empty, apartment building.
  • Bigger kills Bassie.
  1. Significance:

ANSWER

  • The visits give additional information about Bigger’s evasive and violent nature.
  • They demonstrate how fear affects the black characters.
  • They trigger the sub-plot of the novel.
  • They show Bigger’s and Bessie’s relationship as purely sexual.
  • They reveal Bessie’s dependence on liquor as a way to suppress her expression.
  • They intensify the violence.

Assess the relationship between fathers and their children in the novel.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of the relationship between parents and their offspring.

ANSWER

One major theme in the novel is the relationship between parents and their offspring. The manner of relating to an offspring triggers various outcomes which contribute greatly to the development of the plot.

  1. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Manfred is the father of Conrad and Matilda.
  • Father Jerome is the father of Theodore.
  • Frederic, Marquis of Vicanza, is the father of Isabella.
  1. Manfred, Conrad and Matilda

ANSWER

  • Manfred apparently loves Conrad as heir.
  • His main concern when Conrad dies is to find a replacement to prolong his rule.
  • Manfred is an oppressive and overbearing father to Matilda.
  • He does have some parental feeling for her; this is shown in his regret after accidentally killing her.
  • Matilda is useful in Manfred’s desire to perpetuate his rule.
  1. Father Jerome and Theodore

ANSWER

  • Father Jerome works diligently to save Theodore even without knowing about their relationship.
  • The true bond between father and son is revealed when Father Jerome realises their true relationship.
  • Theirs is the only healthy relationship between father and son in the novel.
  1. Fredrick and Isabella

ANSWER

  • Fredrick comes to Otranto to rescue his daughter.
  • He defends her at the initial stages.
  • He later reveals his true feelings by agreeing with Mafred to swap their daughters in marriage.
  1. Significance

ANSWER

  • Generally, fathers use their children to achieve their selfish goals.
  • Only Father Jerome shows real affection for Theodore.

Comment on the presence of ghost and spirits in the novel.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of superstition in the novel.

ANSWER

Superstition is a major theme in the novel. The presence of the supernatural accounts for several strange occurrences and incidents.

  1. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Gigantic leg; the spectre; mysterious shield; apparitions; spirits – all those show the presence of the supernatural in the novel.
  1. Incidents of their appearances:

ANSWER

  • After Conrad’s death
  • During Manfred’s overture with Isabella.
  • During Manfred’s excitement at the intended inter-marriages.
  • At Fredericks arrival.
  • During Fredericks prayer session at the chapel.
  • From the servants report.
  • The confirmation of Theodore as the true heir.
  1. Notions of their presence:

ANSWER

  • Words of horror such as ‘violent notion’, prediction, ‘haunted’
  • Epithet of resignation such as ‘heaved’.
  • Words of violence such as ‘enormous sabre’; ‘frightened’. ‘rattling of armour’.
  • Images of demons such as ‘giants’, fleshless jaws’, empty sockets of a skeleton’, hermits’ cowl’ etc.
  • Words of fear such as ‘alas’, ‘frighten’, ‘horror’, ‘deep sigh’.
  1. Characters reactions to the presence of these phenomena.

ANSWER

  • The servants are filled with fear. They contemplate quitting their jobs.
  • Bianca almost ‘swooned’ and she declares, ‘I had rather leave everything behind me, then stay another hour under this roof’.
  • Hippolita submits and entreats Manfred, ‘….Let us submit ourselves to heaven……’.
  • Frederick withdraws his lustful desire for Matilda.
  • Isabella supplicates: …….hear them all ye angels:
  • Matilda shows indifference and disregards Bianca’s observation thus: ‘You resolve everything into magic…….’
  • Manfred prays for mercy and accepts the reversal of his fortune thus ‘acknowledging the divine will’, warning future tyrants’.
  • Theodore reacts with move audacity by retreating into the forest ‘reported around the country to be haunted by evil spirits’.
  1. Significance:

ANSWER

  • The ghost and spirits are used to create suspense.
  • They are used to provide flashback.
  • They resolve the conflict.
  • After the declaration of Theodore as the true ‘true heir’ of Alfunso, all appearances of ghosts and spirits end.
  • They signal a new beginning in the castle. Alfunso’s form speaks of a new heir after it ‘appeared in the centre of the ruin’.
  • They help to bring about the fulfilment of the ancient prophecy.
  • Their presence adds to the gothic setting of the novel.

Compare Kindo and his father in the play.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of colonial exploitation and the theme of deception and greed.

ANSWER

Colonial exploitation brings about division in society and family; alcoholism/relegation of culture. Deception and greed also bring about division in society and family.

  1. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Kiddo son of Santigi overlord of Mando land, heir apparent and chief warrior.
  • Santigi: King of Mando land, old uneducated, and comprising.
  1. Attitude to culture

ANSWER

  • Both are protectors of the culture and practices of Mando land.
  • Keeping strangers away from the land.
  • Keeping society intact and recognising the role played by Maligu and Soko.
  1. Differences

ANSWER

  • Santigi is easily influenced by Maligu and Soko to set aside tradition in quest of self-enrichment.
  • Disagreement about the coming of Whitehead and his exploitation of the land for tobacco farming.
  1. Climax:

ANSWER

  • Kindo being manipulated into killing Parker and Whitehead.
  • Santigi ruling that Kindo be exiled according to custom.
  • Kindo’s threat to return.

Examine Wara’s encounter with Soko in the play.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme: Relate your answer to the theme of colonial exploitation and the theme of deception and greed in the play.

ANSWER

Colonial exploitation brings about division in society and family.

  1. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Wara is Kindo’s woman, regarded as a stranger; which she is not.
  • Wara marked out by Soko for the virgin sacrifice to spite Kindo.
  • Soko is the priest of the shrine, wielding enormous and roped into a conspiracy by Maligu and Whitehead to exploit the mineral resources of the land in the name of tobacco farming.
  1. First Encounter: The abduction of Wara

ANSWER

  • Wara’s hands, feet tied and gagged by Maligu and Soko delivered to Whitehead.
  • Wara frees herself from Whitehead’s attempt to rape her.
  1. Wara’s Second encounter with Soko

ANSWER

  • Wara running away from Whitehead and encountering Soko.
  • Soko urging Wara to run away to a neighbouring village to conceal their abortive plan.
  1. Significance of the encounters:

ANSWER

  • Wara being used as a pawn.
  • To spite Kindo and subdue his influence in the land.
  • Reveals the extent of Whitehead’s greed and immoral behaviour (alcoholism and sex).
  • Exposes Maligu and Soko’s deceit.

Examine Ogeyi as a deeply religious person in the play.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme:  ANSWER– Relate your answer to the theme of corruption and abuse of power. Also relate your answer to theme of quest for justice in a corrupt society.
  2. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Ogeyi Ogar us Aloho’s friend from university days.
  • A receptionist in ABC company.
  • Born-again since university days, clear contract of Ochuole.
  • Deeply religious working woman.
  • Willing to share room with her unemployed friend, Aloho.
  • Accommodating and generous.
  • Sharing her religious belief with Aloho and reminding her she is born-again Christian.
  1. Ogeyi’s warning of Aloho against Ochuole

ANSWER

  • She is alarmed of Aloho’s association with Ochuole.
  • Warns Aloho strongly against the association.
  • Urges Aloho to trust God to provide a good job.
  • Prays fervently for Aloho.
  1. Ogeyi’s caution to Aloho about her new job:

ANSWER

  • Suspicious of the job of protocol officer.
  • Sceptical about the USA trip.
  • Urges Aloho to listen to Biblical warning and quit the job, “flee when the temptation come near you” and urges Aloho to remember Lot’s wife and her fate.
  1. Ogeyi denunciation of corruption:

ANSWER

  • After Aloho leaves for the village, Ogeyi goes to the police.
  • In court, she declares herself a born-again Christian.
  • She assures Okpotu, “God will handle the matter”.
  • Secures justice against the perpetrators of Aloho’s death.

 

Account for the downfall of Chief in the play.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

Relate your answer to the theme of corruption and abuse of power. Also relate your answer to theme of quest for justice in a corrupt society.

2. Character identification:

ANSWER

  • Chief is Chief Haladu Ade-Amaka.
  • Minister of External Relation.
  • Drug baron
  • Stoutly built, has a protruding stomach and walks like a pregnant woman.

3. Chief’s womanizing, embezzling funds, and abuse of office:

ANSWER

  • His extravagant life style, affluence gained through corruption.
  • Notorious for womanizing.
  • Embezzles state’s fund.
  • Abuses his office for monetary gains.
  • Bribes officials of the justice system.

4. Aloho’s frustration trip to USA:

ANSWER

  • First signs of downfall, Aloho’s arrest and bribing his way through.
  • Complicity of Justice Odili.
  • Failure of customs officers to turn up at the airport.
  • Aloho’s pregnancy.

5. His eventual downfall:

ANSWER

  • Ogeyi reports chief to the police.
  • Chief is arrested in spite of Justice Odili’s attempt to subvert justice.
  • He is successfully prosecuted.
  • He s fined and imprisoned.

Consider the role of Mrs Johnson in the development of the plot.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of racial discrimination and how it affects the lives of African Americans. Also relate your answer to theme of poverty and the aspiration of a young African American family to improve their lot.

2. Definition of plot:

ANSWER

  • The unfolding of events and actions in relation to the theme in this regard Mrs Johnson plays a minor but significant role.

3. Character Identification:

ANSWER

  • Mrs Johnson is an African American woman, a neighbour of the Youngers and sharing an apartment with them in Southside Chicago.
  • Competes with the Youngers for the use of a common bathroom.
  • Exchange pleasantries with the Youngers.

4. The visit:

ANSWER

  • As she visits, she brings along a magazine featuring as banner headline.
  • “NEGROES INVADE THE CLYBOURNE PARK” and they have been bombed.
  • She teases the family for wanting to “move on up a little higher” when they should know their places as Negros as she does.
  • She is full of envy tinged with admiration of the Youngers’ upbringing and determination to succeed.

5. Her relevance to the plot:

ANSWER

  • She provides some humour, especially when is given pie, then coffee while protesting she has stayed too long.
  • She appears at the stage where the Youngers are packing to move to Clybourne Park. The news from the newspaper and her own narrative are intended to discourage the Youngers from moving on.
  • Beneathe concludes about her visit “….if there are two things, we as a people, have got to overcome, one is klu klux klan, the other is Mrs Johnson”.

6. Significance:

ANSWER

  • Mrs Johnson visit raises doubt in the Youngers about moving out to Clybourne Park.
  • Subsequent events such as Walters loss of the rest of the insurance money and Mr Karl Lindner’s appearance to buy the family out of the contract f onto help mothers.
  • Mrs Johnson represents the complacent category of Black Americans who would do nothing to improve their lot and discourage others from doing so. She illustrates the negative side of the African American attempt to break the barriers of social class and race.

Account for Walter’s expectation in the play.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of racial discrimination and how it affects the lives of African Americans. Also relate your answer to theme of poverty and the aspiration of a young African American family to improve their lot.

2. Character Identification:

ANSWER

  • Walter is Walter Lee Younger, Mama’s son, Ruth’s husband, Travis’ father and not yet the head of the house.
  • He is a lean and ambitious young man ready to blame others for his own flaws.
  • Does not like driving for another person.

3. His desire to improve his lot and that of his family:

ANSWER

  • Unhappy with the family’s depraved condition.
  • It leads him to drink a lot.
  • He expects to make a breakthrough with the arrival of the insurance money.
  • He wants the best for Travis but is shocked by the boy’s expectations to be a driver.

4. Walter’s choice of business:

ANSWER

  • He invests in the liquor business, much to the opposition of his mother and sister.
  • He is duped by his friend Willy Harris.
  • He feels disappointed and betrayed. He says of Willy Harris “man …. I trust you…… man I put my life in your hands man….. that money is made out of my father’s flesh”.

5. Walter’s admiration of success:

ANSWER

  • Regards George Murchison’s family as having achieved the success he aspires to.
  • Disappointed when Benetha chooses Asagai instead of George.
  • He reconciles with his family’s determination to relocate to Clybourne Park which, to them, signifies success.

Assess Marlow and Hastings’ first encounter with Mr Hardcastle.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of role of parents in the marriage of their children in the middle/upper class society.

2. Character Identification:

ANSWER

  • Marlow is the son of Sir Charles Marlow, a dear friend of Mr. Hardcastle. He is a bashful youngman in the company of ladies of his class.
  • Hastings is a friend of young Marlow and Constance Neville’s husband-to-be.
  • Mr Hardcastle is a friend of Sir Charles Marlow, husband to Mrs. Hardcastle, father to Kate, and stepfather to Tony Lumpkin. He is old, jovial and easily deceived. He likes old things, stories, and even an old wife.

3. The first encounter:

ANSWER

  • They arrive at the Hardcastle home, having been misled by tony Lumpkin to believe it is an inn and Mr. Hardcastle keeper.
  • The purpose of the visit is for Marlow to woo Kate Hardcastle whom both Mr. Harcastle and Sir Charles Marlow have recommended.

4. The ensuing events:

ANSWER

  • Rude behaviour exhibited by the two boys towards Mr. Hardcastle, eg;
  • Their impudent disregard of Mr. Hardcastle’s warm welcome.
  • Their warding him off their discussions and making fun of him even as he intrudes with his stories about his war exploits.
  • Their ignoring his earnest attempts to please them after he has ordered his servants, Diggory and others, to know their place when his guests are at table.
  • Their determined ordering of Mr. Hardcastle to do their bidding in all manner of things such as choice of meal or wine.

5. The revelation of character:

ANSWER

  • Marlow’s embarrassment as soon as he discovers his mistakes and decided to leave immediately.
  • Kate’s ability to find out that Marlow is a suitable partner and pleading with her father to give him another chance.

6. Significance

ANSWER

  • Plays out the title of the play “she stoops to conquer”.
  • Revealed also the problems of arranged marriages.
  • Brings out the comic elements in the play.

Comment on Tony’s attitude to Mr and Mrs Hardcastle.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of role of parents in the marriage of their children in the middle/upper class society.

2. Character Identification:

ANSWER

  • Tony Lumpkin is the son of Mrs. Hardcastle, stepson of Mr Hardcastle and cousin of Constance Neville.
  • He is an uneducated man and lover of fun and mischief.
  • Mrs Hardcastle is wife to Mr. Hardcastle, mother to Constance Neville. She loves fashion and is discontented with their style of living; she passes off as selfish and greedy.

3. Attitude to Mr and Mrs Hardcastle:

ANSWER

Mr. Hardcastle

  • He plays pranks on him.
  • He initiates the deception that misleads Marlow and Hastings to mistake their house as an inn, thereby tormenting the tensions that ensued between Mr Hardcastle and his visitors.

Mrs. Hardcastle

  • He sees her as rather spoiling him.
  • Exploits her so much love and concern for him to het his own way.
  • Understands his mother’s greed for Constance’s jewels as the reason for getting him married to Constance and rejects that idea.

4. Their reaction to his attitude:

ANSWER

  • Mr. Hardcastle reacts greatly in a sarcastic manner. “Nor ever will, I dare answer for him. Ay, you have taught him finely”.
  • Mrs Hardcastle reacts with pampering and over-protectiveness. “Where are you going my charmer? – Come, Mr Hardcastle you must allow the boy a little humour”.

5. Effects of his attitude on himself:

ANSWER

  • Projects him as rebellious and stubborn.
  • Projects him as an independent young man.
  • Projects him as one who is capable of using mischief and deception to help others to achieve their aim, e.g Kate and Marlow, Constance and Hastings relationship end in marriage.

How does the diction convey the theme of Adeoti’s “Ambush”.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of oppression of citizens by the political leadership. The diction brings out the theme of the suffering of the people under bad leadership.

2. Definition of diction:

ANSWER

  • The poet’s choice of words.
  • Words or phrases that convey the intention of the poet.
  • It covers both the literal and metaphorical implications of what the poet says.

3. Reference to the giant whole:

ANSWER

  • The land represents the leadership.
  • This is a metaphor describing the leadership. It connotes something fearful and horrid.
  • Its activities manifest the ability to “swallow” the “fishermen’s” hope, e.g “the sinker with hook, line and bait”.
  • The fishermen’s failure to catch fish is conveyed in expressions such as “aborting dreams of a good catch”.
  • The Biblical allusion to “all Peter out with petered out desires”, connotes the futility and emptiness of the fishermen’s endeavours.

4. The reference to the sabre-toothed tiger:

ANSWER

  • This is also a metaphor for oppressive leadership.
  • Words connoting fear, insecurity and violence abound eg. “sabre-toothed tiger that cries deep in the glade while infants shudder home”, “the grizzled ones snatch their gut from bayonets of tribulation”.
  • The impression of the people under curfew is conveyed in the expression “halting venturous walk at dusk”.

5. The reference to the image of the giant hawk hovering in the sky:

ANSWER

  • This suggests the curtailment of the people’s freedom even by air and words such as “hovers” and “hoots” which suggest the terror that is imposed on the people.

6. The land lying patiently in ambush:

ANSWER

  • The word “ambush” connotes both surprise and capture, and implies that no one has the opportunity to escape, even “those who point away…… toward the shore of possibilities”.

Examine the theme of accommodation in “The Anvil and the Hammer”.

You are expected to develop the following points:

  1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of the colonial experience and its aftermath in the birth of a new Africa. This is also about both the psychological and cultural adjustment the African makes as a result of colonialism.
  1. The African dilemma:

ANSWER

  • This is conveyed by the image of the anvil and the hammer connoting the violence of a new birth; e.g. “the joy of new songs, the trappings….. tender and tenuous”.
  1. Product of forging:

ANSWER

  • Imperfect African.
  • Trappings of the past.
  • The African is resilient though ‘tenuous’, “woven with the fibre of sisal and washed in the blood of the goat”.
  1. Prospects of the New African:

ANSWER

  • Education: “search on the outlaw’s hill for “jargons of a new dialectic”.
  • The African still longs for the old days – “sew the old days for us, our fathers”.
  1. The presence of accommodation has not been easy. This is conveyed by the following experiences:

ANSWER

  • ‘banner of the land’ alongside ‘new flags and anthems’ and ‘flimsy glories of paved streets’.
  • The splash and moan of sea; which is still audible.

Examine God’s reasoning in “The Pulley”.

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

  • Relate your answer to the theme of God’s creation of man and the benefits He bestowed on man. Also relate your answer to the theme of God’s love for mankind which ensures that mankind is never separated from Him.

2. The reasoning for this is laid out in the stanzas:

ANSWER

  • In the first stanza, God performed some activities when he created man:
  • In the first stanza, God performed some activities when he created man:
  • He downloaded (as a pulley does) his gifts of blessing into a glass.
  • Then he poured them (all he can) on man by divine authority. “Let the world’s riches, which dispersed lie/contract into a span”.

3. The drama of withholding ‘rest’:

ANSWER

  • The second stanza describes the specific gifts: ‘beauty’, ‘wisdom’, ‘honour’, ‘pleasure’, and ‘strength’ as they are powered in succession. Then dramatically, God made a stay ‘Rest’, ‘my jewel’ which lay at the bottom of the glass is withheld.

4. God’s reasoning:

ANSWER

  • The third stanza provides the rationale for the reasoning: If ‘rest’ is included, man will be more worldly, i.e., ‘rest in nature, instead of the God of nature. The result is ‘both will losers be’.

5. The concession and conclusion:

ANSWER

  • The concession ‘yet let him keep the rest (remainder) – “rest” is kind enough. But it precedes (comes before) a caveat (a warning that particular things need to be considered before something can be done). “But keep them in repining restlessness”. Then a new phenomenon is paradoxically introduced: “Let him be rich and weary”. At this point, the logic of God’s reasoning is stated clearly. God not sure about man’s inherent ‘goodness’ (bond with or obedience to him) ensures that he keeps his link to man by throwing men into a state of ‘repining restlessness”. So that “If goodness lead him not, yet weariness/may toss him to my breast”, (restlessness may cause man to seek his face).

How does the image of the caged bird explain the boy’s experiences in “The Schoolboy”?

You are expected to develop the following points:

1. Relation to the theme:

ANSWER

Relate your answer to the theme of restrictions imposed by society in general and school in particular on children’s growth and development.

2. The caged bird and the boy’s experience of nature (“summer morn”)

ANSWER

  • The schoolboy compares himself to a caged bird, that is deprived of its natural habitat, and expresses his desire to be naturally free as a bird (freedom to learn and develop naturally – outside a formal school setting).

“I love to rise in a summer morn,

When the birds sing on every tree;

The distant huntsman winds his horn,

 And the skylark sings with me:

O what sweet company”.

  • Like a caged bird, the boy is excluded from participating in nature’s activities by being restricted in school.

3. The caged bird and the boy’s experience of school:

ANSWER

  • The boy describes his experience in school as boring and frightening;
  • The setting is dreary.
  • Thought of it ‘drives all joy away’.
  • Teachers are old and overly strict – “cruel eye outworn”.
  • The little ones are “In sighing and dismay”.
  • He feels anxious and cannot “take delight” in learning.

A caged bird must be going through similar experiences.

4. Through exclamations, appeals, and rhetorical questions the boy blames his parents and society looking on as he, like a caged bird, is being denied natural growth and being kept sorrowful.

5. Implication for Adulthood:

ANSWER

  • Loss of early childhood joy.
  • Loss of time to acquire survival skills.
  • Loss of emotional and psychological support from family and friends in times of old age, “When the blasts of winter appear”.

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