PART one the English LngugE Contents - Prt 1 Chpter 1 History of English 2 1.1 Reding widely nd well 3 1.2 The origins nd development of English 5 1.2 Cnonicl texts (oook) 1.3 Contemporry Austrlin English 33 Chpter 2 Comprehension strtegies 39 2.1 Literl comprehension 40 2.2 Inferentil comprehension 51 infotinment lnguge text types current ffirs stire
history of English In this chpter you will study nd discuss: Chpter 1 Beowulf Geoffrey Chucer s The Cnterury Tles Thoms Wytt s poem Whoso List to Hunt John Donne s Holy Sonnets Willim Blke s poem London John Kets s poem O Solitude! If I Must with Thee Dwell Percy Bysshe Shelley s poem Ozymndis Mry Shelley s novel Frnkenstein Emile Brontë s novel Wuthering Heights F Scott Fitzgerld s novel The Gret Gtsy Tim Winton s short story More Dvid Mlouf s novel Fly wy Peter Unit 1.1 Reding widely nd well It should go without sying tht nyone who reds widely nd well hs n dvntge in life, yet we often tke the skill of reding for grnted. It cn e esy to ignore the enefits, nd it cn e hrd to find the time. Reding widely simply mens reding mny different types of texts from mny sources such s newsppers, novels nd online nd reding oth modern nd historicl texts. Imgine wht your English skills would e like if you were locked in your edroom with ccess only to your moile phone nd n online messge service like Twitter. You would hve limited understnding of English if you spent most of your time reding nd writing lnguge like this: Nick dumpd. LOL! Prolly not up 4 prty now :( More l8tr. Although this lnguge serves purpose, it is not prticulrly useful for understnding English literture or the conventions of stndrd English nd grmmr. We ll need exposure to mny types of English if we re to properly understnd how lnguge works nd how we cn mnipulte it. While you will hve some opportunities to red nd e exposed to mny types of texts during your English lessons t school, you lso need to find time to red eyond the clssroom. This leds us to reding well, which is to red wisely or discerningly. To red well, you do not need to force yourself to consume n exclusive diet of Donne, Dickens nd Dostoyevsky; lthough, tking time to Definition Reding widely mens reding mny different types of texts from mny sources. Reding well is thinking crefully out the ides text rings to light nd using your powers of comprehension nd nlysis to improve your lnguge skills nd generl knowledge. Unit 1.1: Reding widely nd well 3 pprecite the work of ny of these fine uthors certinly would not hurt. Reding well is thinking crefully out the ides text rings to light nd using your powers of comprehension nd nlysis to improve your lnguge skills nd generl knowledge. PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE Do yourself fvour: tke some time now to work t developing love for reding tht might just lst lifetime. Ask your English techer for suggestions sed on your interests, tlk to your prents nd other dults out the texts tht they rememer nd love, nd do some reserch of your own. Strt with sujects tht relly fscinte you, then chllenge yourself y rnching out into different genres. Of course, to keep those good hits rolling long, eg your English techer to llow more reding time in clss. Reding is power. There is no denying it. People who re le to effectively write, red nd understnd texts hve lot more control over their lives thn people who cnnot. While not ll of us will e top scholrs or speed-reding ookworms, we cn ll improve ourselves through reding it is simply mtter of finding the time nd the desire. Tips for reding widely nd well 1 List ll of the ooks you hve red for fun in the pst yer. Wht does the list revel out the quntity nd content of your reding? 2 Which of the ooks you listed would you recommend? Why? Wht etter plce to strt your reding thn with some of the texts discussed in this chpter, which offers snpshot of some clssic or cnonicl literture influentil works of literry merit tht hve stood the test of time. Try reding some of these clssics, s they re ll illuminting works of rt tht hve much to sy out the universl concerns (ides common to ll cultures) tht hve fscinted reders for centuries: life, love, deth, sexulity, power, greed ll the good stuff! Be relistic. If you re not regulr reder, do not strt with 1000-pge clssic. Strt with mteril tht interests you, nd grdully expnd into other genres. Estlish reding routine. For exmple, regulrly spend the hlf-hour rek etween sports prctice nd dinner relxing in your room with your fvourite sportsperson s utoiogrphy. Keep record of wht you red. It is stisfying to wtch your list grow, nd your record cn e hndy resource. Consult people you respect for reding recommendtions. Do some online reserch on uthors or topics tht interest you. Drw on pulished reding lists, such s: The Gurdin newspper s top 100 ooks of ll time Time mgzine s 100 est English-lnguge novels of ll time stte governments Premier s Reding Chllenge lists Austrlin nd interntionl ook wrds, including the Prime Minister s Literry Awrds. Grdully consume roder rnge of text types from novels to iogrphies nd non-fiction nd void limiting yourself to one genre. For exmple, if you re sci-fi geek, try reding thriller or romnce every now nd then. Loy your English techer for regulr reding period. 3 As clss, discuss your recommended reds to provide ech other with inspirtion. Consider estlishing n online clss list tht cn e regulrly updted. Modern English is grgntun est: just twenty-six letters offer over one million words; it is estimted tht it is spoken y lmost four hundred million people s first lnguge; nd nywhere up to 1.4 illion people spek it s n dditionl lnguge. From its origins in the United Kingdom, the English lnguge hs undergone fscinting trnsformtion into the hundreds of dilects now spoken round the world. Becuse it is so widely spoken, it is clssified s world lnguge ( lnguge spoken y mny interntionlly). English is lso lingu frnc ( lnguge tht enles cross-culturl communiction), in glol society where countries re incresingly connected through trde nd communiction. In this unit we will consider some of the developments in the lnguge nd some of the influentil writers nd texts tht hve surfced over the centuries. Old English The origins nd development of English English is West Germnic lnguge tht rose in Englnd nd Scotlnd during the time of the Anglo-Sxons. The etymology (history nd origin of words) of the word English revels it is derived from the twelfth century Old English Englisc, which stemmed from Engle, mening (the) Angles. The Angles were Germnic-speking people who took their nme from the region of Angeln, in Germny. English evolved from numer of Germnic dilects (regionl vritions of lnguge) tht were rought to Britin y the Angle, Sxon nd Jute people who settled or invded Britin from the fifth century. English ws lso influenced y the Old Norse lnguge of the Dnish Viking invders, who egn ttcking Britin lte in the eighth century. By the middle of the ninth century, the Dnish Viking rmies nd settlers hd tken over much of centrl Englnd, estlishing n re known s the Dnelw. Unit 1.2 PART one: the English LngugE 4 Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 5
6 Old English literture ws chrcterised y epic, heroic stories of violence nd feudl loylty, often written in llitertive verse ( form of poetry employing llitertion repetition of initil consonnt sounds in two or more words in close succession). Allitertive verse ws dominnt until the eleventh century. Generlly this verse ws spoken to music; only rrely ws it written down. Becuse it ws primrily spoken lnguge, it relied on devices such s metonymy nd kenning to communicte the nrrtive nd to enle udiences to visulise detils. Dnish Vikings ttcked Britin from lte in the eighth century nd lter settled much of the country, influencing the lnguge. Beowulf Definition Metonymy is referring to n oject or ide not y its nme ut y the nme of something with which it is closely ssocited, for exmple, using er insted of speech or mot insted of cstle. Kenning is ply on words often used in Old Norse nd Old English poetry tht replces single-word noun with figurtive phrse (often two words) to descrie the oject or ide indirectly. Exmples of kennings include one-house for ody, nd sword for wound-hoe. Consider how the eutifully suggestive woundhoe llows you to visulise the violence of sword in comt. Consider the definitions nd exmples for metonymy nd kenning. Write exmples of ech for the words toothrush nd ipod. Compre results s clss. Who hd the est exmples? Why? Beowulf is n Old English text tht ws produced etween the eighth nd tenth centuries. Originlly n orl text, its uthor is unknown. A single copy of the Beowulf mnuscript survives, even though it ws dly dmged in 1731 y fire in the lirry in which it ws kept. This llitertive epic poem of 3182 lines is set in Scndinvi nd tells the tle of Beowulf, hero of the Gets, who defends the Dnish King Hrothgr ginst hideous est, Grendel, tht is terrorising the king nd his sujects. Beowulf destroys the est y tering its rm out of its socket nd lter kills the est s mother with mgicl sword. Beowulf ecomes king of the Gets nd mny yers lter is hounded y drgon tht is serching for stolen tresure. Eventully, Beowulf trcks the drgon down to its lir nd slys it, ut he is mortlly wounded in the process. Beowulf is uried y the se. Mny Modern English trnsltions of Beowulf hve een produced, ll with slightly different interprettions of the story. In 1999, Irish poet nd lecturer Semus Heney relesed version cclimed for its clrity nd liveliness. On pge 7 is n extrct from Beowulf, shown in Old English nd trnslted into Modern English. Study it crefully. Then, nswer the questions. 1 Working with prtner, red the trnsltion loud, identifying words you feel would e emphsised in n orl recitl for drmtic effect. Highlight the equivlent Old English words. Tke it in s to perform the Old English poem s it might hve een red in medievl times. 2 Which words in the Old English version re similr to their modern equivlents? Wht does this tell you out chnges to the English lnguge over time? 3 How does the writer use lnguge to estlish the heroism of the fighting men nd the power of Grendel in this pssge? Which words in the trnsltion help to communicte these ides? 4 Oxford professor nd uthor J R R Tolkien ws fn of Beowulf. He presented lecture in 1936, Beowulf: the Monsters nd the Critics, in which he prised the epic poem for its celertion of heroism nd its riveting monsters, nd he lter dmitted tht spects of his Lord of the Rings trilogy were inspired y the medievl text. Red Semus Heney s trnsltion of Beowulf nd identify elements of Tolkien s trilogy tht Beowulf might hve inspired. Present your results to the clss. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 7 PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 8 An Old English text This extrct from Beowulf ws trnslted into modern English y Howell D Chickering Jr in 1977. The left-hnd column shows the Old English text, nd the right-hnd column shows the Modern English trnsltion. Poem Beowulf Híe þæt ne wiston, þá híe gewin drugon, But they did not know, s they entered the fight, herd-hicgende hilde-mecgs hrd-minded men, ttle-wrriors, ond on helf gehwone héwn þóhton, 800 mening to swing from every side, sáwle sécn: þone syn-scðn to cut out his soul, tht keen ttle-edges, ænig ofer oerþn írenn cyst, est iron in the world, shrpest lde, gúð-ill nán grétn nolde, could not hrm him, the evil demon, c hé sige-wæpnum forsworen hæfde, not touch him t ll he hd espelled ecg gehwylcre. Scolde his ldor-gedál 805 ll wepons of ttle His leve-tking, on ðæm dæge þysses lífes his life s prting from the dys of this world ermlíc wurðn ond se ellor-gást ws to e pinful; the lien spirit on féond geweld feor síðin. ws to journey fr in the power of fiends. Ðá þæt onfunde sé þe fel æror Then he discovered, who erlier hd rought módes myrðe mnn cynne, 810 troule of hert to the rce of men fyrene gefremede he fág wið God y his mny crimes t feud with God þæt him se líc-hom læstn nolde tht his ody csing would not keep life: c hine se módeg mæg Hygeláces tht Hygelc s kinsmn, the old-herted mn, hæfde e hond; wæs gehwæþer óðrum hd him in hnd. It ws hteful to ech lifigende láð, Líc-sár geád 815 tht the other lived. The terrile creture tol æglæc; him on exle werð took ody wound there; gping ter syn-dolh sweotol; seonowe onsprungon, opened t his shoulder; tendons popped, Burston án-locn. muscle slipped the one. One copy of the Beowulf mnuscript, written c. 1000, survives. Middle English Middle English is the precursor to the Modern English we spek tody. The trnsition from Old English to Middle English took plce during the eleventh nd twelfth centuries. The Normn invsion significntly ltered the English lnguge. In 1066, Willim the Conqueror invded Englnd. His Normn supporters were given lnd nd put in positions of power in Englnd, nd the lnguge of the ruling clsses ws for the most prt Normn French. Ltin ws the lnguge of writing, dministrtion nd the church. Although English is Germnic lnguge, Middle English developed under these circumstnces, which is why Modern English is hevily influenced y the Romnce lnguges (lnguges tht hve their roots in Ltin, such s Itlin, French nd Spnish). The Normn invsion lso resulted in feudlism, the socil structure in which frmers (serfs) worked for locl lords nd pid them portion of their hrvest in re for protection. Under feudlism, serfs were the property of lords, trvel ws rre, villges remined reltively sttic nd ides spred slowly. This phenomenon, known s the locl principle, ensured tht Middle English developed in smll pockets nd frgmented into numer of locl dilects. Although Middle English diversified nd ecme less stndrdised thn Old English, English continued to e used, prticulrly in literry circles, such s y the poets Geoffrey Chucer nd Willim Lnglnd. Over time, the process of Anglicistion (conversion from other lnguges to English) ment tht y the middle of the fourteenth century English hd replced French s the lnguge of prliment. By 1400 the ruling clss hd dopted Middle English s its primry lnguge, nd y the time King Henry V inherited the throne in 1413 it ws the min lnguge of the royl court. Lte in the Middle English period, in the erly fifteenth century, the royl Chncery scries plyed significnt role in developing stndrd written form of English. The Cnterury Tles Geoffrey Chucer (c. 1345 1400) ws the most prominent writer of the Middle Ages, or medievl period. The Cnterury Tles is his most fmous work. His intention ws to crete collection of 116 stories from twenty-nine pilgrims trvelling from Southwrk to Cnterury to visit the grve of the mrtyr Thoms Becket, the former rchishop of Cnterury who hd een murdered in Cnterury cthedrl in 1170. Ech pilgrim ws to tell two tles on the wy there nd two on the wy ck to mke the journey more interesting. Only twenty-four of the tles were completed, ut they communicte fscinting nd often stiricl snpshot of the period. Most of the tles re written s heroic couplets (pirs of rhyming lines in imic pentmeter). Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 9 Definition A line of poetry written in imic pentmeter is line of ten syllles in which every second syllle is stressed. An im is two syllles mde up of one light syllle followed y one stressed syllle. In poetry, foot is pttern of stressed nd unstressed syllles, nd n im is one of the four stndrd poetic feet. The prefix pent comes from the Greek word for five, nd indictes tht the line hs five feet. Meter (or metre) mens rhythm. Refer to Unit 3.2 for more out poetry nd poetic metre. PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 1 Before you red the Modern English trnsltion of Chucer s The Cnterury Tles on the next pge, red the Middle English text. (It might help to cover the Modern English efore you strt.) Guess the menings of the highlighted Middle English words. c Check your nswers y looking t the equivlent words in Modern English. Which words were most difficult to trnslte? Why? 2 Rered oth the Middle English nd the Modern English trnsltion, committing ech to memory s est you cn. Then, cover the Modern English nd trnslte it on pper. Which words or phrses were most difficult to interpret? Discuss s clss. 3 Highlight the lines tht chrcterise the merchnt s: someone who likes to ost shrewd professionl. Check your nswers with prtner. 4 Wht overll impression of the merchnt is expressed in this extrct? Wht does this suggest out the wy this occuption ws perceived y medievl society? A Middle English text This extrct from The Cnterury Tles is tken from the prologue (n introductory section of text), which introduces the merchnt. The merchnt ws prosperous exporter nd is chrcterised y Chucer s someone who likes to tlk of his prosperity. Poem The Cnterury Tles, y Geoffrey Chucer A MARCHANT ws ther with forked erd, In mottelee, nd hye on horse he st; Upon his heed Flundryssh ever ht, His ootes clsped fire nd fetisly. His resons he spk ful solempnely, Sownynge lwy th encrees of his wynnyng He wolde the see were kept for ny thyng Bitwixe Middelurgh nd Orewelle Wel koude he in eschunge sheeldes selle This worthy mn ful wel his wit isette; Ther wiste no wight tht he ws in dette, So esttly ws he of his governunce With his rgynes nd with his chevyssunce For sothe, he ws worthy mn with-lle, But, sooth to seyn, I noot how men hym clle There ws MERCHANT with forked erd In motley gown, nd high on horse he st, Upon his hed Flemish ever ht; His oots were fstened netly nd elegntly. He spoke out his opinions very solemnly, Stressing the times when he hd won, not lost. He wnted the se were gurded t ny cost Between Middleurgh nd the town of Orwel. He knew how to del foreign currencies, uy nd sell. This worthy mn kept ll his wits well set; There ws no person tht knew he ws in det, So well he mnged ll his trde ffirs With rgins nd with orrowings nd with shres. Indeed, he ws worthy mn withll, But, to tell the truth, his nme I cn t recll. 1 Working with prtner, test ech other on the literry terms introduced so fr in this chpter. (Hint: look for the words in old.) Build your own glossry for these terms to expnd your voculry. 2 Summrise the development of Old English nd Middle English through the medievl period, using timeline or rief ullet-point notes. PART one: the English LngugE 10 Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 11
PART one: the English LngugE 12 3 Before printing presses were rought to Britin in 1476, texts were written y hnd, mostly y monks, on vellum (dried skin from cows, sheep or gots). Wht do you think were the contents or topics of most of these hnd-written medievl texts? How might the lour intensiveness nd content of written texts hve ffected culturl development in medievl communities? 4 During the hundreds of yers fter the Normn invsion in 1066, numer of distinct Middle English dilects rose. At the sme time, Ltin ws the preferred lnguge of scholrs, nd French ws the lnguge of the ristocrtic court. Imgine you lived in Britin during this period of linguistic vrition. Write prgrph or ulletpoint list outlining the issues society might hve fced in the sence of ntionl lnguge. How would life in Austrli e different tody if ech city hd its own lnguge? Write prgrph to explore this ide. Modern English Erly Modern English: the Renissnce, sonnets nd Shkespere The period of history during which Willim Shkespere lived nd wrote the English Renissnce is considered the irth period of Modern English nd is often referred to s the golden ge of English history. The English Renissnce dtes from the lte-fifteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries nd is widely hiled s period of significnt culturl, socil nd literry development. The word renissnce itself mens reirth (from the French renitre, to e orn new, nd the Ltin nsci, to e orn), nd the Renissnce ws period of reltive stility during which thetre urgeoned nd wonderfully politicl, spiritul nd humnist poetry nd prose flourished. Prt of the development of the rts during the period is due to the impressive reign of Queen Elizeth I, who ruled Englnd from 1558 until 1603; she ws n enthusistic ptron of the rts. Shkespere wrote thirty-seven plys nd 154 sonnets during his creer, thnks in no smll prt to the socil climte estlished under Elizeth s rule. The English lnguge lso underwent renissnce during this period. A renewed focus on clssicl Greek nd Romn civilistion towrds the end of the fifteenth century ment tht mny writers nd philosophers strted to reject their ntive English (which ws still considered rustic nd limited) nd ed to the sutleties of Greek nd Ltin. These lnguges offered more derivtives (words sed on other words electricity is derivtive of electric ) nd compounds (new words creted y comining two or more others utterfly contins two words: utter nd fly ). Over time, mny Greek nd Ltin terms were sored into the English vernculr (the ntive lnguge of country or region), rodening nd strengthening the lnguge, nd providing ptterns on which spellings could e stndrdised. The English lnguge lso chnged pronuncition. Strting lte in the Middle English period nd lsting pproximtely two centuries, the wy in which vowel sounds were pronounced grdully underwent mjor chnge, known s the Gret Vowel Shift. Literture flourished during Queen Elizeth I s reign. Furthermore, litercy spred following the introduction of the printing press, which ws invented in Europe round 1440, y Germn Johnnes Gutenerg, nd rought to Britin in 1476 y Willim Cxton. The introduction of the printing press resulted in dissemintion of pulished documents in English. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 13 PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 14 The printing press resulted in dissemintion of pulished documents in English, including English-lnguge iles. During the sixteenth century from the 1530s onwrds mny trnsltions of the ile were produced, eventully leding up to the puliction in 1611 of the King Jmes Bile. Erly printed documents hd chotic, irregulr spelling nd punctution; however, y the erly seventeenth century oth spelling nd punctution hd egun to stilise. In 1755, Dr Smuel Johnson (1709 1784) pulished dictionry tht helped to further stilise the lnguge. While his puliction ws not the first dictionry to hve een produced, it ws certinly the most populr nd continued to e widely circulted until the puliction of the Oxford English Dictionry ws completed in 1928. Johnson climed he would need only three yers to complete the text, ut he took nine. The finl product contined n impressive 42 773 entries, yet when we compre this numer to the mount of words in the English lnguge tody over one million it is cler tht the English lnguge hs developed sustntilly over time. Working in pirs or smll groups, reserch one of the following topics nd its effect on the development of the English lnguge. Present detiled ccount (of t lest five findings) s rief orl report or n A3 poster. the Gret Vowel Shift the invention of the printing press the puliction of Dr Smuel Johnson s dictionry. The Renissnce sonnet: Socil currency Sonnets re well-known poetry form with very uniform structure. The Itlin poet Petrrch invented the form, in the fourteenth century, nd pproximtely two hundred yers lter it found its wy to Englnd. Sir Thoms Wytt (1503 1542), diplomt who served under King Henry VIII nd spent considerle time in Itly, trnslted nd dpted numer of Itlin sonnets. During the Renissnce, the sonnet ws considered form of socil currency : wy to ingrtite yourself with the ristocrcy nd work your wy into the royl court, should your poetry e deemed impressive enough y nyone of influence. Wytt s most fmous sonnet, Whoso List to Hunt, is tle of unrequited Definition love tht employs n extended metphor to compre his love interest to deer, one tht he will never e le to successfully hunt, or cll his own. Figurtive lnguge is non-literl In ddition to the metphor of the deer, the poem contins the eutifully lnguge. It is ny use of lnguge figurtive line Since in net I seek to hold the wind, summrising the futility tht sks udiences to think eyond of the speker s pursuit. Reders cn understnd tht wind cnnot e held the literl mening of the words to in net nd pprecite the nrrtor s sense of despir t the impossiility of nother implied mening. the desired reltionship. Types of sonnets There re two min types of sonnets: Petrrchn sonnets (or Itlin sonnets) nd Shkesperen sonnets (or English sonnets). All sonnets hve: fourteen lines ten syllles on ech line the rhythmic stress flling on every second syllle. In other words, ll sonnets hve fourteen lines of imic pentmeter. However: Petrrchn sonnet hs n octve (eight-line stnz) tht introduces nd develops the min ide sestet (six-line stnz) tht responds to the min ide the rhyme scheme, cdcdcd (or cdecde). Shkesperen sonnet hs three qutrins (four-line stnzs) tht introduce nd develop the min ide rhyming couplet (two lines) tht concludes the ide the rhyme scheme, cdcd, efef, gg. A vrition of the Shkesperen sonnet, the Spenserin sonnet, hs rhyme scheme tht links ech qutrin to the next:, cc, cdcd, ee. 1 Use your school lirry or the Internet to find copy of Wytt s sonnet Whose List to Hunt. Copy it out. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 15 Is Wytt s poem Shkesperen or Petrrchn sonnet? How cn you tell? Write modern Austrlin English trnsltion of the sonnet. PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 16 c Find out who the deer nd Cesr of the poem represent. (Hint: they re oth fmous Renissnce figures.) Why re the deer nd Cesr pproprite metphors for these people? 2 Renissnce sonnets were form of socil currency, mens of elevting your socil sttus. How do you think this might hve influenced the content of Renissnce poetry? Does poetry still work in this wy? Explin. John Donne (1572 1631) John Donne ws Renissnce precher who lived tumultuous nd controversil life; he spent time in prison for mrrying seventeen-yer-old without her prents pprovl nd wrote out confronting ides in his poems, such s suicide, opium nd his troulesome reltionship with God. Mny rgue tht his poetry is unprlleled for its intellectul rigour nd metphysicl euty. The nineteen sonnets in his Holy Sonnets collection re confronting nd mesmerising, drwing on originl metphors nd imgery, nd powerfully connecting love, deth nd spiritulity. He often employed poetic conceits in his work extended metphors tht exggertedly compre dissimilr ides or imges. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 17 Poem Holy Sonnets IV O, my lcke Soule! now thou rt summoned By sicknesse, deths herld, nd chmpion; Thou rt like pilgrim, which rod hth done Treson, nd durst not e to whence hee is fled, Or like thiefe, which till deths doome e red, Wisheth himselfe delivered from prison; But dmn d nd hl d to execution, Wisheth tht still he might e imprisoned. Yet grce, if thou repent, thou cnst not lcke; But who shll give thee tht grce to eginne? Oh mke thy selfe with holy mourning lcke, And red with lushing, s thou rt with sinne; Or wsh thee in Christs lood, which hth this might Tht eing red, it dyes red soules to white. XIV Btter my hert, three person d God; for, you As yet ut knocke, rethe, shine, nd seeke, to mend; Tht I my rise, nd stnd, o erthrow mee, nd end force, to reke, lowe, urn nd mke me new. I, like n usurpt towne, to nother due, Lour to dmit you, ut Oh, to no end, Reson your viceroy in mee, mee should defend, But is cptiv d, nd proves weke or untrue. Yet derely I love you, nd would e loved fine, But m etroth d unto your enemie: Divorce mee, untie, or reke tht knot gine, Tke mee to you, imprison mee, for I Except you enthrll mee, never shll e free, Nor ever chst, except you rvish mee. John Donne ws n extrordinry sonneteer. PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 18 Red the poems y John Donne on pge 17 nd nswer these questions. 1 In the octve of Sonnet IV, the nrrtor is summoned y sickness nd refers to his soul s oth pilgrim nd thief. These re ll exmples of personifiction. Wht is personifiction, nd how does Donne use it to descrie the nrrtor s soul? Wht does the sonnet s sestet suggest is the wy forwrd for the nrrtor? 2 In Sonnet XIV the nrrtor demnds numer of things of God, strting with the rther confronting Btter my hert. In modern English, list the things tht the nrrtor demnds of God. Wht does Donne men y Nor ever chst, except you rvish mee? 3 Highlight t lest one simile nd underline t lest one metphor in ech poem. Compre the exmples you hve mrked nd, s clss, discuss the effects of ech on the udience. How Romntic Just s the Renissnce ws in some wys rejection of the erlier medievl period, the period tht followed it, the Neoclssic period, cn e seen s rection to the Renissnce. As its nme suggests, the Neoclssic period ws chrcterised y rtists seeking new perspectives on clssicl Greek nd Romn ides. Mny rejected the experimenttion of the Renissnce for focus on order nd reson. The Romntic movement, which followed the Neoclssic period, ws rection ginst Neoclssicl conservtism. Romntic poets sought to lierte literture from the shckles of formlity nd restore it to the relm of the imgintion. In mny wys, the Romntic poets were to literture wht groundreking musicl rtists like The Velvet Underground nd Nirvn were to rock music: rtists recting ginst the minstrem, replcing conservtive or conventionl structures with individul nd experimentl forms. Unsurprisingly, some Romntic writers were strongly politicl nd influenced y events such s the French nd Americn revolutions. Overll, however, it is difficult to clssify the style of the Romntics, ecuse they were recting ginst convention rther thn dhering to it. Some of the est-known Romntic poets include Willim Blke, John Kets nd Percy Bysshe Shelley. Their poems offer you rief snpshot of the revolutionry spirit of the time. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 19 Willim Blke (1757 1827) London-orn Willim Blke ws poet nd printer nd engrver. He ws inspired y the French nd Americn revolutions nd his poetry consistently emodied reellious ttitude, prticulrly in its condemntion of clss power. To Blke, even mrrige seemed form of slvery s it reduced love to form of duty. Although his poetry received little recognition during his life, he is now hiled s one of Britin s gretest poets. Poem London 1792 I wnder thro ech chrter d street, Ner where the chrter d Thmes does flow And mrk in every fce I meet Mrks of wekness, mrks of woe. In every cry of every Mn, In every Infnts cry of fer, In every voice; in every n, The mind-forg d mncles I her How the Chimney-sweepers cry Every lckning Church pplls, And the hpless Soldiers sigh Runs in lood down Plce wlls But most thro midnight streets I her How the youthful Hrlots curse Blsts the new-orn Infnts ter And lights with plgues the Mrrige herse. Willim Blke illustrted his collection of poems Songs of Innocence nd Experience. 1 In the first stnz of London, Blke uses repetition to descrie London s chrter d. Wht does he men y this, nd how does he feel out the ide? PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 20 2 How does Blke use rhythm, rhyme nd controlled stnzs to communicte his concerns out conformity? How is this Romntic concern? 3 Wht does his use of repetition in the second stnz chieve? 4 Wht do you think Blke ment y the imgery of mind-forg d mncles? How does such n imge support the effect of the repetition? 5 In the third stnz, Blke ttcks two of Englnd s most powerful institutions: the church nd the monrchy. How does he use imgery to ttck? 6 Prphrse Blke s finl stnz. Wht is he relly sying? Note the prdoxicl (seeming contrdictory yet true) imge of mrrige herse. Why might Blke hve chosen to link these very different ides? 7 Outline Blke s overll messge in London. How could he e seen s revolutionry? Use quottions from the poem to support your ides. John Kets (1795 1821) John Kets studied medicine efore ecoming poet. Kets ws concerned tht his profession would prevent him from ecoming gret poet. Sdly, like Willim Blke, Kets ws not widely recognised s poet until decdes fter his deth. A second-genertion Romntic poet, Kets is prticulrly well known for his sensul imgery nd for the six odes tht he wrote in short period in 1819. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 21 Poem O Solitude! If I Must with Thee Dwell 1815 16 O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell, Let it not e mong the jumled hep Of murky uildings: clim with me the steep, Nture s oservtory whence the dell, Its flowery slopes, its river s crystl swell, My seem spn; let me thy vigils keep Mongst oughs pvilion d, where the deer s swift lep Strtles the wild ee from the foxglove ell. But though I ll gldly trce these scenes with thee, Yet the sweet converse of n innocent mind, Whose words re imges of thoughts refined, Is my soul s plesure; nd it sure must e Almost the highest liss of humn-kind, When to thy hunts two kindred spirits flee. John Kets died t the ge of twenty-six. 1 In the poem on this pge Kets rgues tht if he must endure solitude he would rther do so in nture s oservtory : in rurl environment, wy from industrilised cities. List ll of the imges of nture presented in the poem. Wht overll effect do these imges chieve? PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 2 Note the only reference to the city: the jumled hep / Of murky uildings. Wht similr ttitudes to industrilistion cn you see in this poem nd in Blke s London? How does ech uthor use lnguge to convey these ttitudes? 3 This poem is sonnet. Is it Shkesperen or Petrrchn sonnet? Justify your choice. 4 Although the poem initilly ppers to e out solitude, the finl six lines revel the speker s preference for compnionship in the form of two kindred spirits. Rewrite these six lines in modern English. 1 Shelley s Ozymndis is sonnet, ut one with n unconventionl rhyme scheme. Identify the rhyme pttern. Considering wht you know out the Romntics, explin why Shelley might hve ltered this convention. 2 Ozymndis ws nother nme for the Egyptin phroh Rmesses the Gret. Prt of Shelley s poem prphrses n inscription on the se of sttue of the phroh: King of Kings m I, Ozymndis. If nyone would know how gret I m nd where I lie, let him surpss one of my works. Wht is Shelley s messge in line 11 of the poem? 3 In the first two lines the speker clims to hve met trveller from n ntique lnd, ut neither the trveller s nme nor the ntique lnd is specified. Furthermore, the poem reports the description of the sttue vi direct speech; the speker hs not seen the sttue nd so reders receive the detils third hnd. How do these lnguge fetures ffect our view of the king of kings? 4 Mny of Shelley s descriptions use words tht hve negtive connottions. Annotte the poem to: identify ll of the words tht could e considered negtive, nd note which prt of speech ech word is. Hint: use revitions: such s nouns (n.), vers (v.) nd djectives (dj.) explin the effect of ech exmple. 5 Referring to two or more Romntic poems, write prgrph exploring Romntic ttitudes to power or industrilistion. Before you egin, reserch the poets nd the French nd Industril revolutions to deepen your knowledge. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 1822) Percy Bysshe Shelley ws key Romntic figure nd is considered one of the English lnguge s finest lyric poets. He ws close friend of John Kets, nd the novelist Mry Shelley (pge 26) ws his second wife. Shelley ws n unconventionl nd outspoken idelist who ws revered y susequent genertions of writers, including Krl Mrx nd Oscr Wilde. Ozymndis ws nother nme for Rmesses the Gret, n Egyptin phroh who ruled from 1279 until 1213 BC. Poem Ozymndis 1818 I met trveller from n ntique lnd, Who sid: Two vst nd trunkless legs of stone Stnd in the desert. Ner them, on the snd, Hlf sunk, shttered visge lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, nd sneer of cold commnd, Tell tht its sculptor well those pssions red Which yet survive, stmped on these lifeless things, The hnd tht mocked them, nd the hert tht fed; And on the pedestl these words pper: My nme is Ozymndis, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, nd despir! Nothing eside remins. Round the decy Of tht colossl wreck, oundless nd re The lone nd level snds stretch fr wy. PART one: the English LngugE 22 Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 23
PART one: the English LngugE Frnkenstein: A Gothic, Romntic, sci-fi msterpiece Mry Shelley s hugely successful novel Frnkenstein strted s ghost story. It ws inspired y converstion etween her husnd, Percy Bysshe Shelley, nd Lord George Gordon Byron, nother fmous Romntic poet. The converstion ws out the medicl procedure of glvnism the ppliction of electricl pulses to provoke muscle contrctions. Some scientists of the dy elieved tht if the right mount of electricity ws chrged into ded person s rin, the corpse could e rought ck to life! (Yikes!) 24 The finl novel, however, is no primitive ghost story. It is the mitious Gothic (comining elements of horror nd romnce) tle of scientist Victor Frnkenstein, who cretes monster in the likeness of mn. The monster is tormented creture tht wreks hvoc on its inventor. Gothic uthors often delved into philosophicl questions rised y the Romntic imgintion nd inspired y the Industril Revolution, such s the role of mn in the universe nd the quest for perfection through science. One of the messges of Frnkenstein seems to e tht such quest could end in the ruin of humnity. It is hrd to elieve tht Shelley strted writing the novel when she ws just eighteen, nd tht it ws pulished just few yers lter. The prose is lvish, the storyline is imgintive nd the structure is sophisticted lend of perspectives. The opening nd closing stges re in epistolry form (presented s series of letters). Written from the point of view of scientist nd explorer Cptin Roert Wlton to his sister Mrgret, the letters detil his preprtions for, nd the initil stges of, journey of discovery to the North Pole. Shelley uses the letters s frming device. Frnkenstein (1818) This extrct is from the erly stges of Shelley s novel. It is the finl letter from Wlton to Mrgret, efore the eginning of Chpter 1, the strt of the recount provided y Frnkenstein to Wlton. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 25 Novel August 19th, 17 Yesterdy the strnger sid to me, You my esily perceive, Cptin Wlton, tht I hve suffered gret nd unprlleled misfortunes. I hd determined, t one time, tht the memory of these evils should die with me, ut you hve won me to lter my determintion. You seek for knowledge nd wisdom, s I once did; nd I rdently hope tht the grtifiction of your wishes my not e serpent to sting you, s mine hs een. I do not know tht the reltion of my dissters will e useful to you; yet, when I reflect tht you re pursuing the sme course, exposing yourself to the sme dngers which hve rendered me wht I m, I imgine tht you my deduce n pt morl from my tle, one tht my direct you if you succeed in your undertking, nd console you in cse of filure. Prepre to her of occurrences which re usully deemed mrvellous. Were we mong the tmer scenes of nture I might fer to encounter your unelief, perhps your ridicule; ut mny things will pper possile in these wild nd mysterious regions, which would provoke the lughter of those uncquinted with the ever-vried powers of nture; nor cn I dout ut tht my tle conveys in its series internl evidence of the truth of the events of which it is composed. You my esily imgine tht I ws much grtified y the offered communiction, yet I could not endure tht he should renew his grief y recitl of his misfortunes. I felt the gretest egerness to her the promised nrrtive, prtly from curiosity, nd prtly from strong desire to meliorte his fte, if it were in my power. I expressed these feelings in my nswer. I thnk you, he replied, for your sympthy, ut it is useless; my fte is nerly fulfilled. I wit ut for one event, nd then I shll repose in pece. I understnd your feeling, continued he, perceiving tht I wished to interrupt him: ut you re mistken, my friend, if thus you will llow me to nme you; nothing cn lter my destiny; listen to my history, nd you will perceive how irrevocly it is determined. He then told me tht he would commence his nrrtive the next dy, when I should e t leisure. This promise drew from me the wrmest thnks. I hve resolved every night, when I m not impertively occupied y my duties, to record, s nerly s possile in his own words, wht he hs relted during the dy. If I should e engged, I will t lest mke notes. This mnuscript will doutless fford you the gretest plesure: ut to me, who know him nd who her it from his own lips with wht interest nd sympthy shll I red it in some future dy! Even now, s I commence my tsk, his full-toned voice swells in my ers; his lustrous eyes dwell on me with ll their melncholy sweetness; I see his thin hnd rised in nimtion, while the linements of his fce re irrdited y the soul within. Strnge nd The chpters etween the letters contin the ulk of the nrrtive: Frnkenstein s story, recounted y Frnkenstein while ord Wlton s ship nd recorded y Wlton. This structure mkes for n engging red, uilding tension from erly on nd cleverly estlishing sense of relism in wht might otherwise seem n implusile story. hrrowing must e his story, frightful the storm which emrced the gllnt vessel on its course nd wrecked it thus! PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 26 1 Shelley clerly possessed n impressive voculry. Highlight nd define the following words from the Frnkenstein extrct: unprlleled rdently grtifiction deduce 2 Who is the strnger mentioned in the first line of the letter? 3 Wht does the strnger men y the oservtion I rdently hope tht the grtifiction of your wishes my not e serpent to sting you, s mine hs een? Wht literry device is used here in serpent to sting you? 4 Rered the descriptive second-lst sentence. Wht picture is estlished of the strnger? Why might Shelley hve wnted to crete such portrit of this person? 5 Using quottions from the pssge, explin how Shelley uses lnguge to uild tension nd nticiption in the reder. Victorin tensions During the period of Queen Victori s reign (1837 1901), tension existed etween the minstrem vlues of restrint, decorum nd mnners, nd elief tht such mnners were superficil or hypocriticl. pt recitl meliorte repose The Victorin er ws contrdictory in mny wys. On one hnd it ws period of stility nd economic progress tht sw the development of n incresingly prosperous nd educted middle clss. lustrous irrevocly impertively melncholy linements irrdited hrrowing gllnt. On the other hnd, the er hd seedy underelly: prostitution, child lour, urn slums nd entrenched poverty. The Industril Revolution ws in full swing, chnging Britin s socil nd physicl lndscpe. It ws period in which uthors nd rtists either confronted wrts nd ll the relities of rdicl socil nd industril uphevl, or glossed over them to focus on the socil veneer of civility nd gentile correctness. The nineteenth century is seen s high point for British literture, thnks, in prt, to the rise of the novel. Populr Victorin uthors, including Chrles Dickens, sold their stories in instlments, which were pulished in mgzines or newsppers, or s stnd-lone chpters, sold one month t time for shilling. A complete edition could e ought once the finl chpter ws relesed. The ffordility of this method llowed more people to enjoy pstime tht hd previously een restricted to the very rich. Serilised texts of the Victorin er often hve n episodic feel when red s novel; mny chpters end on climx or cliff-hnger, similr to modern-dy sop opers. This helped to mintin udience interest nd ensure people ought the next issue, just s sop-oper producers hope viewers will tune in to the next episode. Aginst the Victorin grin: Gothic ngst in Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights the only novel ever written y Emily Brontë is drk nd hrrowing tle of love nd revenge tht is set on the rurl moors of Yorkshire, Englnd. It follows the Gothic trdition populrised y the likes of Mry Shelley nd chrts the tumultuous life of the mysterious, rugged Hethcliff nd his doomed reltionship with childhood sweethert Ctherine Ernshw. The novel is reflection on the destructive effects of htred nd revenge, nd n explortion of the Victorin tension etween nture nd culture in the fce of industril development. Ctherine rejects the wild, nturl Hethcliff (her hert s true love) for the more civilised Edgr Linton, who promises sttus nd riches; unsurprisingly, trgedy follows. Wuthering Heights ws pulished in 1847, under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, only one yer efore Brontë died of tuerculosis. Tody Wuthering Heights is still one of the est-loved romnce novels in the English Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 27 lnguge. Consider reding one of the Chrles Dickens clssics: Gret Expecttions, Oliver Twist, A Tle of Two Cities or Blek House. And you know wht wittles is? The Household Edition of Dickens s Gret Expecttions fetured n illustrtion y F A Frser PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 1 Study the cover illustrtion of the 1945 Rndom House edition of Wuthering Heights on pge 27. Which chrcter is portryed? How cn you tell? Wht sort of chrcter portrit is presented here, nd wht mood is estlished? 2 Red the extrcts from Wuthering Heights, tken from different stges of the nrrtive. They revel the depth of Hethcliff nd Ctherine s love nd the pin tht results from its rejection. Answer the questions using full sentences nd quottions from the text. In the first extrct from Chpter 9, how does Brontë use imgery nd figurtive lnguge to communicte the depth of Ctherine nd Hethcliff s love? Looking closely t Hethcliff s voculry in the second extrct from Chpter 15, explin how Brontë communictes the ides of cruelty nd revenge. c How would you descrie Hethcliff s emotionl stte in the third extrct from Chpter 33? How does Brontë s lnguge convey this? d Write prgrph exploring how Brontë communictes the power of love in these extrcts. (Hint: strt with topic sentence tht outlines your min ide. Then, provide two or three exmples supported y quottions from the text.) Novel Wuthering Heights, y Emily Brontë Chpter 9 This is nothing, cried she; I ws only going to sy tht heven did not seem to e my home; nd I roke my hert with weeping to come ck to erth; nd the ngels were so ngry tht they flung me out, into the middle of the heth on the top of Wuthering Heights, where I woke soing for joy. Tht will do to explin my secret, s well s the other. I ve no more usiness to mrry Edgr Linton thn I hve to e in heven; nd if the wicked mn in there hd not rought Hethcliff so low, I shouldn t hve thought of it. It would degrde me to mrry Hethcliff, now; so he shll never know how I love him; nd tht, not ecuse he s hndsome, Nelly, ut ecuse he s more myself thn I m. Whtever our souls re mde of, his nd mine re the sme; nd Linton s is s different s moonem from lightning, or frost from fire. Chpter 15 You tech me now how cruel you ve een cruel nd flse. Why did you despise me? Why did you etry your own hert, Cthy? I hve not one word of comfort you deserve this. You hve killed yourself. Yes, you my kiss me, nd cry; nd wring out my kisses nd ters. They ll light you they ll dmn you. You loved me then wht right hd you to leve me? Wht right nswer me for the poor fncy you felt for Linton? Becuse misery, nd degrdtion, nd deth, nd nothing tht God or stn could inflict would hve prted us, you, of your own will, did it. I hve not roken your hert you hve roken it; nd in reking it, you hve roken mine. So much the worse for me, tht I m strong. Do I wnt to live? Wht kind of living will it e when you oh, God! would you like to live with your soul in the grve? Let me lone. Let me lone, soed Ctherine. If I ve done wrong, I m dying for it. It is enough! You left me too; ut I won t uprid you! I forgive you. Forgive me! It is hrd to forgive, nd to look t those eyes, nd feel those wsted hnds, he nswered. Kiss me gin; nd don t let me see your eyes! I forgive wht you hve done to me. I love my murderer ut yours! How cn I? Chpter 33 For wht is not connected with her to me? nd wht does not recll her? I cnnot look down to this floor, ut her fetures re shped in the flgs! In every cloud, in every tree filling the ir t night, nd cught y glimpses in every oject, y dy I m surrounded with her imge! The most ordinry fces of men, nd women my own fetures mock me with resemlnce. The entire world is dredful collection of memornd tht she did exist, nd tht I hve lost her! PART one: the English LngugE 28 Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 29
PART one: the English LngugE Modernist uphevl nd the roring twenties In the ftermth of World Wr I, the USA ws enjoying period of socil nd economic development. Consumption nd progress were the order of the dy during the decde now known s the roring twenties. 30 Modernist writers of the ge were often concerned with the socil rmifictions of technologicl development nd the legcy of rutl world wr. They often sought to rticulte wht they sw s the hrsh truth of contrdictory nd confusing time. F Scott Fitzgerld For those privileged enough to enjoy the spoils of the ge, the 1920s ws decde of post-wr indulgence nd rtistic liertion. It ws F Scott Fitzgerld (1896 1940) who coined the term the Jzz Age to descrie the exciting decde of the 1920s, during which jzz music nd dnces such s the Chrleston expnded in populrity. It ws n er of free expression nd old fshions. The young Fitzgerld nd his wife, Alm-orn novelist nd golden girl Zeld Syre (1900 1948) lived the high life s New York socilites; however, yers of prtying left Fitzgerld poor nd in ill-helth. It is not difficult to trce utoiogrphicl elements in much of his writing. In his est-known novels The Gret Gtsy nd Tender is the Night, Fitzgerld explores the effects of hedonism on reltionships nd the soul. Both novels lso contin sutexts tht exmine nd condemn selfishness nd snoery. The trgic elements Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.2: The origins nd development of English 31 Novel The Gret Gtsy, y F Scott Fitzgerld Extrct one We wlked through high hllwy into right rosy-coloured spce, frgilely ound into the house y french windows t either end. The windows were jr nd gleming white ginst the fresh grss outside tht seemed to grow little wy into the house. A reeze lew through the room, lew curtins in t one end nd out the other like ple flgs, twisting them up towrd the frosted wedding-cke of the ceiling, nd then rippled over the wine-coloured rug, mking shdow on it s wind does on the se. The only completely sttionry oject in the room ws n enormous couch on which two young women were uoyed up s though upon n nchored lloon. They were oth in white, nd their dresses were rippling nd fluttering s if they hd just een lown ck in fter short flight round the house. I must hve stood for few moments listening to the whip nd snp of the curtins nd the gron of picture on the wll. Then there ws oom s Tom Buchnn shut the rer windows nd the cught wind died out out the room, nd the curtins nd the rugs nd the two young women llooned slowly to the floor. Extrct two By seven o clock the orchestr hs rrived, no thin five-piece ffir, ut whole pitful of ooes nd tromones nd sxophones nd viols nd cornets nd piccolos, nd low nd high drums. The lst swimmers hve come in from the ech now nd re dressing upstirs; the crs from New York re prked five deep in the drive, nd lredy the hlls nd slons nd vernds re gudy with primry colours, nd hir oed in strnge new wys, nd shwls eyond the drems of Cstile. The r is in full swing, nd floting rounds of cocktils permete the grden outside, until the ir is live with chtter nd lughter, nd csul innuendo nd introductions forgotten on the spot, nd enthusistic meetings etween women who never knew ech other s nmes. The lights grow righter s the erth lurches wy from the sun, nd now the orchestr is plying yellow cocktil music, nd the oper of voices pitches key higher. Lughter is esier minute y minute, spilled with prodiglity, tipped out t cheerful word. The groups chnge more swiftly, swell with new rrivls, dissolve nd form in the sme reth; lredy there re wnderers, confident girls who weve here nd there mong the stouter nd more stle, ecome for shrp, joyous moment the centre of group, nd then, excited with triumph, glide on through the se-chnge of fces nd voices nd colour under the constntly chnging light. of his novels, however, re eutifully lnced y pssges of wit tht celerte urgeoning sense of cretivity. Fitzgerld ws mster of descriptive writing, using cretive colour to descrie extrvgnt physicl settings nd chrcters. The contrdictions nd tensions helped Fitzgerld gin recognition s n eminent Modernist uthor. PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 1 Find nd highlight t lest one exmple of ech of the following literry devices in the first extrct from The Gret Gtsy. Wht is the effect of ech? simile metphor c onomtopoei 2 Consider Fitzgerld s descriptions of the two young women in the first pssge. By the end of the novel, the uthor seems criticl of these women, Disy Buchnn nd Jordn Bker, oth of considerle welth nd socil stnding. Wht imge of the women is estlished here, nd how? 3 The second extrct descries one of the hedonistic house prties hosted y the mysterious Gtsy. Explin, using quottions to support your ides, how Fitzgerld communictes tension etween the dzzling colour nd cretivity of the Jzz Age, nd the people s selfish nd destructive ehviour. 1.2 CoNonicl Texts To ccess the next section, log on to your oook nd select Unit 1.2 Cnonicl Texts from the min menu. Unit 1.3 Contemporry Austrlin English The English lnguge is not sttic. Like ny lnguge, it develops over time, prticulrly when used in different plces. Austrlin English is distinct strnd of the English lnguge nd is one of the things tht chrcterises our ntion. In June 2009, when then prime minister Kevin Rudd sid, Fir shke of the suce ottle, mte, he ws ttempting, some might sy unsuccessfully, to cpture the essence of Austrlin vernculr speech. While in this cse the prime minister seemed musingly out of touch with the wy rel Austrlins spek, his ttempt highlighted tht English is different in Austrli from other prts of the world. This difference ws exggerted y Tourism Austrli in its fmous Come nd Sy G dy mrketing cmpign in 1984, in which Pul Hogn sid to Americns, I ll slip n extr shrimp on the rie for y! Even though the lnguge remins very Austrlin, it hd to e modified to suit the Americn udience. Where we might sy chuck prwn, the phrse slip shrimp ws used to void confusion. In Americn English, prwn would not e understood, nd chuck would hve ssocitions with vomit! Definition A vernculr is the prticulr informl style of speech of plce. I ll slip n extr shrimp on the rie for y! PART one: the English LngugE 32 Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.3: Contemporry AusTRAlin English 33
PART one: the English LngugE 34 In n episode ired in Mrch 2009, ABC television s medi nlysis progrm The Gruen Trnsfer discussed how Tourism Austrli s 1984 dvertisement prodied Austrlin English to sell the country in the USA. By exggerting the differences etween Austrlin nd Americn English, Tourism Austrli sought to portry n imge of friendly, lid-ck country where life ws esy. Mny words re unique to Austrlin English. So mny, in fct, tht the Austrlin Ntionl University in Cnerr, in conjunction with Oxford University Press, hs estlished the Austrlin Ntionl Dictionry Centre. One of the centre s min jos is to conduct reserch into Austrlin English. They lso pulish OzWords, free newsletter out developments in Austrlin English. 1 The evolution of English in Austrli continully throws up new words. In recent yers, the following words hve ppered in Austrlin English dictionries. Wht do you think ech one mens? The first one hs een done for you. shovel-redy dj. politicl word for project or piece of infrstructure tht cn quickly e commenced s soon s funding is ville udgie smugglers n. c For detiled study of Austrlin English nd ccents, tke look t Mcqurie University s Austrlin voices wepge. reque stopper n. d tree chnge n. e yccino n. 2 With prtner, mke list of clichéd Austrlin phrses tht re no longer commonly used y Austrlins, for exmple, Tht s onz, mte. Discuss why you think they re still well known. The development of Austrlin English So where does Austrlin English come from? Much like our popultion, it comes from vriety of plces. For long time, linguists rgued tht Austrlin English ws version of Cockney English, from the poorer res of London. A growing elief, however, is tht Austrlin English nd the Austrlin ccent developed in Austrli. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.3: Contemporry AusTRAlin English 35 Fill in tle like the one elow with exmples of how our lnguge hs een influenced over time. Influence ExplANAtion Exmples Time Distnce Immigrtion Medi Esier communiction Lnguge develops over time. New words rrive, while others slip out of use. Isoltion mens tht lnguges develop independently. New migrnts introduce new words into lnguge. Mss medi from other countries influence the words we use nd, over time, our ccents. Blog is new; jeepers is rchic. In Austrli, thong is type of sndl; in the USA, it is skimpy underwer. The Austrlin English voculry contins words from mny plces. Mny Austrlin words come from Indigenous lnguges. Think of the nouns kngroo, corrooree, oomerng nd ykk, or the djective ung, s in I ve got ung ck. The word um comes from the Irish un, mening ckside. A roder rnge of lnguge influences lso rrived s immigrnts flooded into the country during the twentieth century. When people rought new foods, for exmple, they lso rought new words into the Austrlin voculry. Wonderful foods with nmes like spghetti olognese (Itlin), sushi (Jpnese), ghnouj (Middle Estern) nd dolmdes (Greek) enrich not only our culinry life, ut our lnguge too. More recently the medi, including the television progrms nd movies we wtch, hs influenced the wy we spek. For exmple, Vlley Girl English, or Vlspek, which originted in Cliforni, hs spred thnks to the influence of the Americn medi. Films such s Vlley Girl, Leglly Blonde nd Clueless ll feture chrcters who use Vlspek. Vlspek is peppered with words such s whtever, ewww, soooo nd totlly, nd the people who spek it, usully teenge girls, end their sentences with n upwrd inflection. PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: the English LngugE 36 Ewww, tht s totlly gross! I, like, relly like speking like this. Hve you herd or used these phrses? 1 Discuss with prtner, nd then s clss, the influence of Vlspek. Do you think it improves or detrcts from our lnguge? Do you use ny Vlspek? 2 The Austrlin ccent hs developed over time. List words tht Austrlins pronounce differently from other English spekers. For exmple, the word luminium is oth spelled nd pronounced differently in Austrli nd the USA. 3 Keep diry of the television progrms you wtch in week. Think out where were they produced nd set. Using the results, discuss with the rest of your clss where your min medi influences re coming from. Austrlin literture Like, whtever Adopting speech ptterns nd ccents is not limited to teenge girls who wtch Americn movies; most of us do it to some extent. We consciously or, more often, unconsciously mimic the speech nd ccents of people we wnt to e ssocited with s prt of our humn desire to fit in nd e prt of the group. Awesome! The experiences of living in Austrli nd using Austrlin English contriute to Austrlin writers rich ody of literture. Some Austrlin uthors write with n interntionl voice, so if reder did not know the uthor s history they would not know they were Austrlin. Writers such s Kte Grenville, Tim Winton nd poet Bruce Dwe, however, crete voices tht re distinctly nd deliertely Austrlin. Their writing cptures the tones, moods nd inflections of Austrlin speech. Some writers cn dpt their work to suit oth. Peter Crey s short stories, for exmple, hve n interntionl voice; his novel True History of the Kelly Gng hs very Austrlin voice. Chpter 1: history of English Unit 1.3: Contemporry AusTRAlin English 37 Short story Austrlin English uses prticulr idioms nd colloquilisms. 1 Look t the extrct on the next pge from Dvid Mlouf s novel Fly Awy Peter. Annotte ny prts of it tht show tht the dilogue is ment to portry n Austrlin ccent. 2 Descrie wht is ment y the ver drwled. 3 Wht does Mlouf s use of the djective extrordinry suggest out how he wnts the reder to her Jim s Austrlin ccent? Is it extrordinry or ordinry? How do you know? More, y Tim Winton Dve nd Deie don t hve kids, Rchel sid. They wouldn t hve to think out it. It s not their fult. Should hve kept n eye Oh, leve off, Jerr. Well, you d think Wht? It just shouldn t hve hppened. Yeh, well lots of things hppen tht should never hppen. Contrctions re common mrker of Austrlin speech. Arevited nicknmes, prticulrly ending in - or -y, re prt of the Austrlin vernculr. The triled-off idiom kept n eye [on him] nd the colloquil leve off reinforce the Austrlin tone. If Jim s voice is plin nd his ccent rod, wht is it tht mkes the nmes of the ird nd the islnd extrordinry? PART one: the English LngugE
PART one: The english language 4 Continue the dilogue etween Jim nd Ashley, cpturing their use of Austrlin English. Novel Fly wy Peter, y Dvid Mlouf Wht were you doing? he sked. It ws frnk curiosity he expressed. There ws nothing of reproch in it. Wtchin tht Dollr ird, Jim told him. You scred it off. Dollr ird? Orientl, Jim sid. Come down from the Moluccs. His voice ws husky nd the ccent rod; he drwled. The fcts he gve were unnecessry nd might hve een pedntic. But when he nmed the ird, nd gin when he nmed the islnd, he mde them sound, Ashley thought, extrordinry. stndrd Austrlin english When speking nd writing formlly, we use stndrd Austrlin English. Stndrd Austrlin English is the nme for the commonly understood nd ccepted use of the English lnguge in Austrli, nd covers grmmr, spelling nd word use. The Austrlin Curriculum, Assessment nd Reporting Authority defines stndrd Austrlin English s the vriety of spoken nd written English lnguge in Austrli used in more forml settings While it is lwys dynmic nd evolving, it is recognised s the common lnguge of Austrlins. When you write for school ssessment or puliction, or spek in front of group, it is expected tht you will use the grmmr nd conventions of stndrd Austrlin English. 38 ChAPTeR 1: history of english Chpter 2 comprehension strtegies In this chpter you will study nd discuss: Teen Silor Ay Sitting Tight nd Witing for Rescue, Deie Guest, The Austrlin US Teen Eyes Another World Solo Sil Bid, The Courier-Mil Leh Purcell s Blck Chicks Tlking Shun Tn s film The Lost Thing Don t Mind Me, Susnnh Wlker, The Melourne Mgzine Hort AFL Drem Closer, Meryl Nidoo, Mercury the Nelson Mndel Foundtion s wesite Niccolò Ammniti s novel I m Not Scred Chrles Dickens s novel Nichols Nickley the BBC TV series Posh Nosh John Bunyn s novel Pilgrim s Progress :
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE Written words re representtions of sounds, which signify ides, things or processes. We know, for exmple, tht the letters c,, nd t together represent the sound kæt, nd tht this sound, nd comintion of letters on pge, is used in English to signify the smll, soft-furred four-legged niml, Felis ctus. Understnding the words you re reding is the most sic spect of eing literte. An ccurte impression of wht n uthor is trying to communicte with their words is wht you re trying to chieve every time you pick up ook. Unit 2.1 A word s or phrse s primry mening is known s its literl mening or its denottive mening. The process of using words to identify n ide, oject or process y nming it is clled denottion. A second type of mening, the connottive mening, is the implied, non-literl mening of word or phrse. Connottion nd connottive menings re explined in Unit 3.2. Literl comprehension Definition The word kæt is wht you get when you spell ct using the interntionl phonetic lphet. This lphet uses chrcters to represent lnguge s sounds. It voids the prolem tht we hve in English spelling where letters or comintions of letters cn represent more thn one sound. (Think how differently ough nd though re pronounced, for exmple.) 40 Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.1: Literl comprehension 41 Newspper Teen Silor Ay Sitting Tight nd Witing For Rescue Deie Guest, The Austrlin, 12 June 2010 HAVING spent more thn 12 hours nursing her stricken ycht through gle-force winds nd mountinous ses, Cliforni teenger Ay Sunderlnd is now sitting tight s rescuers stem towrds her crippled ot 2000 nuticl miles from the Austrlin minlnd. Ay Sunderlnd tried to ecome the youngest person to sil solo round the world. Newspper US Teen Eyes Another World Solo Sil Bid AAP, The Courier-Mil, 13 June 2010 Ay is now on the French fishing vessel Ile De L Reunion, which is heding to the French rchipelgo Kerguelen Islnds. In n interview with the ABC shortly fter eing rescued, Ay sid she ws still little it in shock. It s een little it crzy these pst few dys, everything s hppened pretty fst, she sid. But I m relly lucky tht there ws ot tht could come nd get me where I ws. Despite her ordel, Ay is determined to mke nother ttempt to sil solo round the world. Prt 0ne; HOW ENGLISH LANGUAGE WORKS
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE 42 1 Red the excerpt from The Austrlin rticle on pge 41, nd nswer the following questions. For how mny hours hs Sunderlnd s ot een stricken? Wht is ment when she is descried s nursing her ycht? c Wht re rescuers doing s Sunderlnd wits? d Wht conditions is Sunderlnd fcing s she wits? 2 Red the excerpt from The Courier-Mil rticle on pge 41, nd nswer the following questions. Where ws Sunderlnd tken fter eing rescued? Who interviewed Sunderlnd? c How does Sunderlnd descrie the pst few dys? d Wht is Sunderlnd determined to do, despite her ordel? Comprehension y context When you re reding, you will come cross words you do not know. This is good thing, s it is one wy to improve your voculry. When reding chllenging nd unfmilir texts, you will need to infer the mening of unfmilir words, especilly if you do not hve dictionry close t hnd. Reders commonly use the context of word to deduce its grmmticl function nd mening. Tke, for exmple, the following sentence, which might pper on woodworking log. I couldn t find my hnd sw, so I took off the end with the mitre. It seemed to work fine. Even if reders re unfmilir with the word mitre, they cn infer tht it does similr jo to hnd sw. Put tht together with the fct the sentence is on woodworking log (its context), nd the reder cn infer tht mitre is type of sw for cutting wood, which it indeed is. Understnding the prts tht mke up word such s its root word, prefixes nd suffixes cn provide clues out word s overll mening. For exmple, when reding the following medicl sentence reders cn infer tht ronchiectsis hs something to do with rething nd the lungs, not only y reding the end of the sentence, ut ecuse of the prefix ronchi. A ptient with ronchiectsis cn hve troule rething. 1 Guess the mening of the itlicised words y considering their context, grmmticl function nd/ or prts. Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.1: Literl comprehension 43 Insted of plying nturl minor scle, I plyed Phrygin. Donne s use of ssonnce vries his conventionl rhyme. c The mn lifted his portmnteu onto the luggge rck. d The dy ws too hot to rush. I mled ck to the cr. 2 In text you re currently studying, find word you do not know. Looking t its context, function or prts, guess its mening. Then, look it up in dictionry to check. Comprehending longer texts It cn e reltively simple to understnd the denottive mening of sentences nd short texts, ut you lso need to e le to comprehend longer texts, where the mening is uilt grdully, sometimes over mny pges. A numer of strtegies cn help you to comprehend lrger text. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE Identifying the min ides nd supporting detils Ech prgrph in well-written text should hve one min ide. A prgrph will lso give detils tht explin, expnd on or justify the min ide. 44 Prctise pying ttention to the min ides of prgrphs. Being le to quickly identify prgrph s min ide, nd the detils tht support this ide, will help you to understnd its mening. 1 Red the prgrph from the introduction of Blck Chicks Tlking. Highlight or underline the min ide. Then, in different colour, identify the detils tht explin or support the min ide. Which sentence est conveys the min ide of the prgrph? Note down two detils from the extrct tht explin or expnd on the min ide. c Which sentence concludes or ties up the min ide introduced y the prgrph? d Rewrite the centrl messge of the prgrph in your own words. 2 Rered the extrct, pying ttention to Leh Purcell s tone nd lnguge choices. Note three djectives tht descrie the tone of the extrct. Identify two exmples from the text tht help to estlish n informl tone. Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.1: Literl comprehension 45 Non-fiction Blck Chicks Tlking, y Leh Purcell I wsn t relly excited out second ook; I ws thinking of the worklod nd deling with the English lnguge. See, I m not very good t spelling, which mkes it very frustrting when you re writing nd you hve to stop ecuse you cn t think of how to spell word. People sy, Don t worry out it, you hve spellcheck now, ut even my computer doesn t know wht I m trying to spell in some cses. Then there ws everything else I ws doing or wnted to do: working on my sitcom, evolving nd performing my one-womn show Box the Pony ll over the world (well, Edinurgh t the time nd then London), eing mother, feeding my three cts etc, etc. I m getting tired just thinking out wht I ws doing. Mgzine Don t Mind Me The Melourne Mgzine, Susnnh Wlker, June 2011 These dys Tn regrds Melourne, where he moved lrgely to work on the film of The Lost Thing, s home. But Perth, where his prents still live in the childhood home he shred with older rother Pul, now geologist, is sered on his rin. Whenever I pint lndscpe it lwys looks it like Perth, even if I m representing somewhere else. It is tempting even for Tn to trce the recurring themes of loss nd liention in his work to growing up in mixed-rce fmily (his mother is third-genertion Austrlin of Irish nd English heritge, his fther, Mlysin-Chinese) in n outer suur of remote city, in country with history of displcement. But he hs felt like n outsider no more thn nyone else, he sys, nd theorises tht these recurring themes represent more of deeper existentil question of who m I, why m I here, why is it the world looks the wy it does, why is it not different, why ws I orn in this century ll these sorts of questions wht re these words tht I use, where do they come from, the imges tht I pint, wht re they informed y? In 2011, Shun Tn s film The Lost Thing won n Oscr for the est nimted short film. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE 46 Red the prgrph from the interview tht uthor, illustrtor nd nimtor Shun Tn gve The Melourne Mgzine (pge 45). It is profiling feture rticle tht discusses Tn s Oscr win for his nimted film The Lost Thing. 1 Highlight or underline the min ide. Then, in different colour, identify the detils tht explin or support the min ide. 2 Which sentence est conveys the min ide of the prgrph? 3 Note two detils from the extrct tht explin or expnd on the min ide. 4 Rewrite the centrl messge of the prgrph in your own words. 5 Py ttention to writer Susnnh Wlker s sentence structure. How would you descrie the type of sentences used in the extrct? Why might this e useful structure in n informtive feture rticle such s this? Identifying the reltionships etween ides A good wy to understnd the overll mening of longer text is to think out it in sections. A good writer will provide hedings nd suhedings tht re designed to orgnise the ides, help reders locte informtion nd id comprehension. Recognising how text is orgnised will help you to understnd it. Once you understnd wht ech section is for, nd how the sections re linked, you will hve fuller nd more ccurte picture of the text s roder messge nd purpose. At other times, reders need to identify words tht re used to orgnise ides nd show reltionships etween ides. For exmple, in the extrct from the Mercury, words such s ut nd however, nd phrses such s some of the other issues rised re used to link ides within the rticle. Hort AFL Drem Closer Meryl Nidoo, Mercury, 12 June 2010 AFL oss Andrew Demetriou nd Premier Dvid Brtlett yesterdy discussed plying AFL gmes t Bellerive Ovl. Aprt from confirming tht the lunchtime meeting hd tken plce, Mr Brtlett s spokesmn ws not giving much wy lst night out wht the two men sid. But he confirmed they did discuss the prospects for elite footll in Hort. However, Cricket Tsmni chief executive Dvid Johnston sid the meeting ws good sign for southern footll fns. AFL gmes plyed t Bellerive Ovl would e gret oost for sports fns in Hort, he sid. AFL gmes t Bellerive Ovl would e populr. It s gret venue nd would suit AFL well. It would give people in Southern Tsmni the opportunity to see AFL without hving to trvel to the north of the stte. Bellerive Ovl is open to ll sport nd we re keen for the venue to e used s much s possile. Bellerive Ovl could hold footll crowd of 16,500. Mr Brtlett hs sid the Government ws not opposed to the ide of hving AFL gmes t Bellerive ut could not nd would not come t the expense of Auror Stdium nd northern Tsmnin footll fns. Lst yer Mr Johnston met n AFL clu out the possiility of plying AFL t Bellerive, ut there were no further developments. Mr Johnston sid: We re continully trying to invite more sporting events to the ovl nd ny support in these events will e gretly welcomed. A commitment to host AFL gmes would lso help Cricket Tsmni s push for further expnsion of Bellerive Ovl. Some of the other issues rised with Mr Brtlett included grssroots footll nd the Auskick progrm, imed t children ged six to 11. Hwthorn s frequent visits to Lunceston hve een gret oost for the locl economy, with ccommodtion nd flights lmost completely ooked out for every gme. It is hoped gmes in Hort would ring similr oost to the southern economy. Yers go southern Tsmnin councils rmped up cmpign for AFL gmes t Bellerive, ut it did not succeed. It put the councils on collision course with the Stte Government, which sid there would e no AFL gmes in the south. AFL Tsmni generl mnger Scott Wde could not e contcted lst night. Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.1: Literl comprehension 47 Newspper Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE 48 1 Wht is the min piece of informtion conveyed in the Mercury rticle on pge 47? Wht evidence is used y Nidoo to support this? 2 Wht do you see s the seprte sections of the rticle? List them. Mke second list of words or phrses tht re used to link nd orgnise these sections. Skimming nd scnning Sometimes when you re reding for literl understnding, you neither wnt nor need to red every word on the pge. This is prticulrly true when reding for reserch. A resercher often needs to find out quickly if texts re relevnt to their reserch, yet it is imprcticl to red every text in detil until the resercher cn determine their relevnce. In sitution such s this, the skills of skimming nd scnning re useful. Skimming nd scnning oth involve reding quickly over text nd picking up key words. Think of skimming s ouncing your eye over text to get the gist of it. Scnning is the skill of quickly csting your eyes over text to pick up key words nd phrses, efore reding relevnt sections in detil. These two skills re similr, nd you will slip etween the two s you quickly red text. Another strtegy is to strt y reding the eginnings nd ends of chpters nd prgrphs to find the focus of ech section. Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.1: Literl comprehension 49 Wesite icon to come Wesite icon to come Wesite Epistemology, Introduction Principi Cyernetic We, F Heylighen Epistemology is the rnch of philosophy tht studies knowledge. It ttempts to nswer the sic question: wht distinguishes true (dequte) knowledge from flse (indequte) knowledge? Prcticlly, this questions trnsltes into issues of scientific methodology: how cn one develop theories or models tht re etter thn competing theories? It lso forms one of the pillrs of the new sciences of cognition, which developed from the informtion processing pproch to psychology, nd from rtificil intelligence, s n ttempt to develop computer progrms tht mimic humn s cpcity to use knowledge in n intelligent wy. When we look t the history of epistemology, we cn discern cler trend, in spite of the confusion of mny seemingly contrdictory positions. The first theories of knowledge stressed its solute, permnent chrcter, wheres the lter theories put the emphsis on its reltivity or sitution-dependence, its continuous development or evolution, nd its ctive interference with the world nd its sujects nd ojects. The whole trend moves from sttic, pssive view of knowledge towrds more nd more dptive nd ctive one. Wesite Anti-Aprtheid Movement Archives, Introduction Nelson Mndel Foundtion The interntionl movement of solidrity with the struggle for freedom in South Afric ws rguly the iggest socil movement the world hs seen. Virtully every country in the world hs history of nti-prtheid ctivity, in diverse forms. In mny countries, nti-prtheid ctivities were linked (formlly or informlly) with locl struggles ginst oppression of mny kinds. Most nti-prtheid movements (AAMs) did not restrict their ctivities to South Afric, ut supported liertion movements in Southern Afric more rodly. Besides individul countries, rnge of regionl nd interntionl orgnistions dded their voices to the struggles ginst prtheid. Wht follows is n overview of some of the extnt rchivl records of this extrordinry history. It is first step towrds more comprehensive picture; it is t this point ut mrker. Since our im ws to crete n overview on rchivl records of nti-prtheid ctivities, we hve included only those orgnistions for which we mnged to locte rchivl records in the time tht ws ville for this project. As consequence, unfortuntely, mny countries nd their orgnistions re not included in this overview nd s result very Western Europen/Americn/Austrlin view of this history emerges. Since our study relied lrgely on ville internet resources, this prolem ws ggrvted. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1 The extrct on pge 49 from wepge out epistemology might e the type of non-fiction text tht you need to scn for relevnce. Set yourself time limit, sy 10 seconds, nd write down wht ech of the prgrphs in the extrct is out. Topic of prgrph 1 Topic of prgrph 2 With prtner, discuss the topics this wepge might e useful s reference for. c Identify the words t the eginning nd end of ech prgrph tht your eye flls on s you scn the extrct. Discuss with prtner why you think you focus on these words, nd how you use them to quickly uild picture of the text s content. Then, discuss s whole clss. 2 In the sme wy, red the extrct from Nelson Mndel s nti-prtheid wepge on pge 49. Set yourself pproximtely 10 seconds to scn the extrct, then nswer the questions. Wht sorts of informtion might you expect to find in other pges on this wesite? Wht is n AAM? c Wht, ccording to the writers, re the limits of the rchivl sources the wesite presents? d Wht is the im of this pge, ccording to the eginning of the finl prgrph? Unit 2.2 Inferentil comprehension Understnding the denottive, literl, mening of words is crucil skill, ut the incresingly complex texts you red now, nd in senior English, lso require you to understnd connottive, or implied, menings. Drwing inferences Not everything tht n uthor wnts to convey is stted explicitly; most uthors rely on reders ilities to red etween the lines. Reding etween the lines requires reders to infer dditionl mening from the uthor s words. To infer uthors implied mening, reders need to e le to mke connections etween different prts of text nd uild logicl conclusions, or inferences. For exmple, consider these two sttements: English techers red ooks. Reding ooks requires skill. An inference tht could e logiclly drwn from these two sttements, ut is not explicitly stted in this text, is tht English techers re skilled. (We sy nothing out the universl truth or flsity of this conclusion, ut it does flow from the two sttements.) Definition An inference is something logiclly concluded from fcts. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 50 Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.2: Inferentil comprehension 51
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE 52 Novel I m Not Scred, y Niccolò Ammniti Aout ten yers lter I hppened to go skiing on the Grn Ssso. It ws the wrong dy it ws snowing, itterly cold, with n icy wind tht froze your ers nd thick mist. I hd only ever een skiing once efore. I ws relly excited nd I didn t cre if everyody sid it ws dngerous, I wnted to ski. I got on the ski lift, muffled up like n eskimo, nd heded for the slopes. Red the extrct from Niccolò Ammniti s novel I m Not Scred. Even from such short extrct s this, reder cn infer tht: the speker is stuorn out going skiing he cts ginst his etter judgement Grn Ssso is mountin, proly in Europe the speker is not from Grn Ssso it is etter to ski when there is not n icy wind nd thick mist. Understnding text in this wy is clled inferentil comprehension. This exmple is reltively simple one, ut it demonstrtes the wy reder tkes more from text thn wht is explicitly stted. As you develop your reding skills, you will ecome more proficient t mking inferences nd understnding the implied menings tht re communicted in nerly every text. As you red, you infer vriety of useful informtion without even noticing, ut it pys to prctise doing it on purpose. 1 Write third sentence tht would e logicl inference from ech pir of sentences. The mn pced up nd down. No crs pulled over. Jeremy is new to the school. The students re generlly open nd welcoming. c The punch lnded hrd. His nose looked roken. d I like red shirts. This shirt is red. The portrit of Chrles Dickens pinted y Dniel Mclise is known s the Nickley portrit. Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.2: Inferentil comprehension 53 Novel Nichols Nickley, y Chrles Dickens A miniture pinter lived there, for there ws lrge gilt frme screwed upon the streetdoor, in which were displyed, upon lck velvet ground, two portrits of nvl dress cots with fces looking out of them, nd telescopes ttched; one of young gentlemn in very vermilion uniform, flourishing sre; nd one of literry chrcter with high forehed, pen nd ink, six ooks, nd curtin. There ws, moreover, touching representtion of young ldy reding mnuscript in n unfthomle forest, nd chrming whole length of lrge-heded little oy, sitting on stool with his legs fore-shortened to the size of sltspoons. Besides these works of rt, there were gret mny heds of old ldies nd gentlemen smirking t ech other out of lue nd rown skies, nd n elegntly written crd of terms with n emossed order. Mr Nickley glnced t these frivolities with gret contempt, nd gve doule knock, which, hving een thrice repeted, ws nswered y servnt girl with n uncommonly dirty fce. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1 If you red the short text elow literlly, it seems cse of outright use. If you red it pplying reder s inferentil understnding, it ecomes fmilir, if outdted, school tle. Red the text nd Complete the inferences. The mn must e ; the oy,. The room they go into would e. d c The oy hs proly climed tht The oy s prents gree tht. 2 Chrles Dickens s writing is fmous for its understtement, omissions, irony nd iting socil stire ll of which rely on the reder mking inferences nd reding etween the lines. Red the extrct on pge 53, which descries Mr Rlph Nickley s rrivl t the rooms of miniture portrit pinter, nd nswer the questions. The focus of the phrse two portrits of nvl dress cots with fces looking out of them is the cots, not the fces. Wht does this suggest out the purpose nd sujects of the pictures? Wht two menings cn e red into the word unfthomle? c How does Dickens s ddition of the dver very to the description of the vermillion uniform chnge the wy in which the reder is supposed to understnd it? d e As clss, discuss wht the reder cn infer from the extrct out Mr Rlph Nickley s chrcter. Wht is his ttitude, in generl, to frivolities? Tone is nother wy in which uthors cn convey implied menings. Working with prtner, write down five words tht descrie the tone of the pssge. f The mn huled the oy off the other, nd mrched him inside. Despite his protests, the mn hit him with stick, ten times. The oy s prents, when informed, pproved of the reprimnd. Write short prgrph explining how the tone of the pssge helps reders understnd wht Dickens wnts them to feel out the rtist s portrits nd out Rlph Nickley.. The comedy of inferentil comprehension Understnding text s inferences cn hve hilrious results. For the comedy to e successful, ny stiricl text e it novel, television progrm or film relies on the reder or viewer eing le to understnd wht is unsid. Stire requires reders or viewers to infer the rel messge out the suject; wht they seem to show is not wht they men to suggest. Stire hs long history: from Voltire s Cndide in the mid-eighteenth century, to Evelyn Wugh s mid-twentieth century novels such s Decline nd Fll, to modern television series such s Chris Lilley s Summer Heights High nd Angry Boys. Definition A stire is work or composition tht uses ridicule, irony or srcsm to expose folly or vice. A stire often mkes fun of something usully considered serious. Red the extrct from Posh Nosh s BBC wesite on pge 56, which gives smll tste of the television progrm s stiricl flvour. 1 Highlight the words or phrses tht stirise notions of clss superiority. 2 Look up the word nosh. Wht type of person would use it? With prtner, discuss how the progrm s nme suggests it is not intended to e wtched literlly. 3 The sentences And, yes I gree, the lnguge is unusul nd hrd. But I know you wouldn t wnt it ny other wy suggest tht the show stirises not only snooty television chefs ut lso their udience. Highlight ny other sections of the extrct tht lugh t the viewer, nd then discuss why someone wtching the progrm would not e offended y this. 4 Wtch episode three of Posh Nosh online. List the phrses used to descrie ingredients or cooking processes, such s thrill your mussels open, hot uly wter. Use some of these in prgrph tht nlyses the stire of the progrm nd indentifies its trgets. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 54 Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.2: Inferentil comprehension 55
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV icon to come? Posh Nosh The BBC television series Posh Nosh stirises television chefs nd snoish ttitudes to food. Feturing Arell Weir nd Richrd E Grnt s Simon nd Minty Mrchmont, the owners of The Quill nd Tssel resturnt, Posh Nosh lmpoons clss snoery, fussy ingredients nd fusty hosts. 56 Television series Welcome to the world of Posh Nosh. For me, this is drem come true. All my life, I ve wnted to ring extrordinry food to ordinry people. This wesite contins some of the recipes fetured in our wrdwiting BBC2 series. You my find some of them difficult t first. The techniques re complex, true. And, yes I gree, the lnguge is unusul nd hrd. But I know you wouldn t wnt it ny other wy. Extrordinry food should never e simple. And it certinly mustn t e chep. One of the lovely things out hving wesite is tht it keeps out people who cn t even fford computer! Understnding llegory Occsionlly inference is so enormously importnt in text tht it is impossile to understnd the work properly without it. This is true of texts tht use lots of metphors nd symols, nd especilly so of texts or sections of texts tht re symolic s whole, or llegories. An llegoricl novel uses one story s n extended metphor for the rel suject. Allegories re often found in written texts, ut they cn lso frequently e found in visul texts, especilly in rt. <insert w 03020, still from Posh Nosh> Definition An llegory is literry work in which the story symoliclly represents nother story or event. The word llegory comes from the Greek words llos, gor nd euein; The Pilgrim s Progress John Bunyn s seventeenth-century nrrtive The Pilgrim s Progress is n ovious llegory. The story of the protgonist Christin s journey from his home in the City of Destruction to the Celestil City to relieve himself of his urden is strightforwrd metphor for the spiritul journey of Christins who seek forgiveness for their sins nd tonement with God efore reching heven. Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.2: Inferentil comprehension 57 Novel Piety. And wht sw you else in the wy? Christin. Sw! Why, I went ut little further, nd I sw one, s I thought in my mind, hng leeding upon the tree; nd the very sight of him mde my urden fll off my ck (for I groned under wery urden), ut then it fell down from off me. Tws strnge thing to me, for I never sw such thing efore: Ye, nd while I stood looking up (for then I could not forer looking), three Shining Ones cme to me: one of them testified tht my sins were forgiven me: nother stripped me of my rgs, nd gve me this roidered cot which you see; nd the third set the mrk which you see on my forehed, nd gve me this seled roll (nd with tht he plucked it out of his osom). Piety. But you sw more thn this, did you not? Christin. The things tht I hve told you were the est: yet some other mtters I sw, s nmely I sw three men, Simple, Sloth, nd Presumption, lie sleep little out of the wy s I cme, with irons upon their heels; ut do you think I could wke them! I lso sw Formlist nd Hypocrisy come tumling over the wll, to go, s they pretended, to Sion, ut they were quickly lost; even s I myself did tell them, ut they would not elieve: ut, ove ll, I found it hrd work to get up this Hill, nd s hrd to come y the lions mouths, nd truly if it hd not een for the good mn, the porter tht stnds t the gte, I do not know ut tht fter ll, I might hve gone ck gin: ut now I thnk God I m here, nd I thnk you for receiving of me. Then Prudence thought good to sk him few questions, nd desired his nswer to them. Prudence. Do you not think sometimes of the country from whence you cme? Christin. Yes, ut with much shme nd detesttion; Truly, if I hd een mindful of tht country from whence I cme out, I might hve hd opportunity to hve reed; ut now I desire etter country tht is; n hevenly. John Bunyn wrote the llegoricl The Pilgrim s Progress. comined, they pproximtely men other reding or veiled lnguge. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prt 0ne: the ENGLISH LANGUAGE Red the pssge from The Pilgrim s Progress on pge 59 nd nswer the questions. 1 Which words in Christin s lst nswer to Prudence signl to the reder tht the country he desires is, in fct, heven? 2 Wht is the intended mening of the figurtive vision: I sw one, s I thought in my mind, hng leeding upon the tree; nd the very sight of him mde my urden fll off my ck? (Hint: er in mind tht this is Christin llegory out sin nd redemption.) 3 From Christin s second nswer to Piety, wht cn you infer out trits Bunyn denounces? 4 As clss, discuss who you think is the intended udience of Bunyn s llegory. (Hint: consider the ovious correltion etween nmes nd chrcter trits.) Not ll llegories re s strightforwrd s The Pilgrim s Progress. Mny require stute reding. You my like to try some of the following llegories: The Chronicles of Nrni y C S Lewis, Animl Frm y George Orwell, Gulliver s Trvels y Jonthn Swift nd even Jmes Cmeron s Avtr. 1 Discuss, in pirs nd then s clss, why n uthor might need to rely on implied mening. List the resons your clss comes up with. c Circle the resons listed tht lso pply to implied menings in everydy speech. 2 Write short prgrph explining wht you understnd y the term inferentil comprehension. 3 As clss, discuss some of the menings implied in text you re currently studying. Why it is importnt to look for implied menings? 4 Write five sttements tht hve two possile menings: literl or denottive mening, nd n implied or etween-the-lines mening. Prt 0ne: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 58 Chpter 2: comprehension strtegies Unit 2.2: Inferentil comprehension 59