In WAEC or UTME exams, students' are required to read some texts in literature so as to be acquainted with the details of the text before the exam. this particular blog is going to expose students to the strategies they must apply in order to get the best out of any literary text.
Like order types of reading assignments in secondary school, Reading literature text in an effort to respond to it requires more than just a quick read through. In order words, reading literature for a course or for the purpose of responding to it is much different than reading for relaxation purpose. Just as in WAEC, NECO and UTME exams. Reading with the intent of writing about the work requires multiple readings of the text.
STRATEGIES FOR READING A LITERATURE TEXT
The following strategies offer proven ways of reading a story(prose), a play(drama) and a poem(poetry) in order to get in-depth understanding.
1. when reading through the work of literature for the first time, read as you would at the beach or when relaxing on the bed at home: get the 'gist' of the plot (yes, poem often have plot too), the characters and a general idea of the meaning of the piece. enjoy the work and don't be stressed out about any upcoming written test or assignments.
2. During the second read, pay particular attention to words that you do not know and look up those words in the dictionary. if a word has multiple meaning listed, consider each of the meanings. Often writers will use antiquated or secondary meanings of words. You may find it useful to write the meanings of the words in the margin of the text or on a separate notebook, so that you can easily refer to them when reading, writing and thinking about the text. Paying attention to word choice is especially important when reading poetry. Because poems are often short and every word counts, which means words may have dual meanings each of which makes sense within the poem but offers differing interpretations. For instance, in the poem THE PULLEY by George Herbert, the word 'PULLEY' has a dual sense of which both senses make sense within the poem. The word has both literary and figurative senses.
3. Think about the setting of the work and its culture. Is the work set in the 20th century or at another time? Is it set in America, Nigeria, Britain or any other place in the world? What are the customs, traditions, and lifestyles like in that particular region? What is the socioeconomic status of the characters- are they rich, middle class, poor? What is the ethnicity of the characters? Considering these issues gives you valuable insights into the meaning of the work and its perspective.
4. During subsequent readings, methodically begin to pay attention to how characters interact with one another, how they speak, who is telling or narrating the story, the kinds of images the writer uses, or any other aspect of the text that seems important to you. Ask yourself along as you think that way. Many students find it helpful to keep a reading not as well when they read through a text. In your reading note, you can also record your thinking about the work. As you continue analyzing the text, add to your notes.
5. Annotating the text by underlining or circling passages and writing in the margin is helpful because your annotation can refer you to particular sections of the work later. Since, you will need to draw the evidence for your interpretations from the work itself, having already marked sections of the work will aid you in generating your evidence in writing about the text. whether as test, summary or exams
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