CSEC English

Hi there! We hope your first week in school ran smoothly, and that you have settled into a good routine. We continue our studies in Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, and we have some exercises to help brush up your English A skills. Read on now, and enjoy!

ENGLISH B—SHAKESPEARE’S

Episode 2: The attempted assassination of Alonso, King of Naples, by his brother, Sebastian.

Alonso, along with his courtiers, has been shipwrecked on Prospero’s island but saved by Prospero’s magic. When we meet the courtly group, Gonzalo and Adrian are doing their best to put a positive spin on their situation, while Antonio and Sebastian persist in being cynical and gloomy about their prospects. Francisco urges the King to keep hoping that his son, Ferdinand, has survived the shipwreck, saying how he saw the young man swimming strongly towards shore. Gonzalo, still trying to cheer up the king, imagines aloud what he would do if he were king of the island, persisting in describing his utopia, despite the sarcastic comments from Antonio and Sebastian. Sent by Prospero, Ariel produces some music that sends all of them to sleep except the two hecklers.

The plan.

And that’s when the mischief begins. Antonio whispers to Sebastian if they only kill Alonso, then Sebastian can become King of Naples in his place. Normally the eldest son would succeed his father to the throne (and after him, any other sons in order of seniority, and, lastly, any daughters). The two schemers believe (wrongly as we know) that Ferdinand has drowned. That leaves Claribel, Alonso’s daughter. But she has recently been married off to the King of Tunis, so if Alonso dies, there will be no one to claim the throne: it’s a walk-over for Sebastian—Alonso’s brother. Sebastian recalls that Antonio had got rid of Prospero, his brother, in order to become Duke of Milan, and he asks Antonio if his conscience doesn’t bother him. No. Antonio’s conscience doesn’t bother him at all! So, drawing their swords, the two approach the sleeping king.

Ariel’s intervention

But Prospero is in charge here on the island, and murder is not part of his plan. So, instructed by his master, Ariel quickly sings into Gonzalo’s ear, warning him that the king is in danger. Gonzalo jumps out of sleep, only to see Antonio and Sebastian with swords drawn. Of course, the two would-be assassins quickly make up a lie to account for their bizarre actions. They say they heard a terrifying noise, and drew their weapons to protect the king!! Gonzalo is puzzled because all he heard was a soft humming. The others wake up, and the two schemers repeat their story. Not suspecting foul play, Alonso suggests they all move on and keep searching for Ferdinand.

Magical banquet

Alonso, his brother Sebastian and Antonio (along with Gonzalo and other courtiers) reach another spot on the island. Alonso is discouraged, thinking he will never see his son again. Secretly, Antonio and Sebastian agree to go ahead with killing Alonso at the first opportunity. Again, Prospero works his magic. This time it’s to have his strange servants produce a magnificent banquet for the men, but just as they pluck up courage to reach out to the food, Prospero has the banquet removed as strangely as it appeared. Sternly, Ariel reminds the three guilty men (Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio) of what they did to Prospero back in Milan, and Alonso is told that losing his son is his punishment. The king is greatly distressed, not knowing (as we do) that Ferdinand is very much alive, and is, at that very moment, courting Miranda.

We don’t see the courtly group again until Prospero has finished his work with the two lovers. As that time arrives, Ariel uses his magical music again to draw the king and companions to Prospero, who confronts each of them with his knowledge of their guilty actions towards him. He also reveals that Antonio and Sebastian would have murdered Alonso if Prospero had not intervened.

Forgiveness and re-instatement

Now that the truth is out, Prospero freely forgives those who wronged him so many years before. Sebastian and Antonio are shame-faced but silent. Alonso, though, repents and gladly restores the dukedom to Prospero, who will now take up his rightful place as Duke of Milan. Prospero has used his power not to get revenge, but to lead the wrong-doers to repentance so that order and harmony can be restored.

Alonso loses a son and gains a daughter. Prospero loses a daughter and gains a son

Alonso, naturally, is amazed to see Prospero again, but the magician has yet another surprise for the king. When Alonso says he is grieving because he has lost his son, Prospero replies that he, himself, has lost a daughter! The dramatic irony is that Alonso does not know what Prospero means, but we do! Shortly he not only will see his beloved son alive again, but will learn that Ferdinand has found himself a lovely bride. Inviting the courtiers to his cell, Prospero draws aside a curtain, revealing the young couple happily playing chess. It is left to Gonzalo to pronounce a blessing on them. Return to Naples.

Prospero has used his magic arts to keep all the sailors safe, and the ship is as trim as when she set sail from Naples. The entire company can now get on board and sail back to Naples—wrongs forgiven, the attempted assassination of Alonso foiled, Prospero restored to his dukedom, and the young couple looking forward to their life together. As Gonzalo says, they have all “found themselves” on the island.

WHAT IS AN OXYMORON?

Last week we talked about what a paradox is, so now you can go a step further and discover what an oxymoron is. An oxymoron is a paradox condensed into just two words.

● The poet Philip Larkin, describing a tombstone that had on it carvings of the husband and wife who were buried there, wrote of their STATIONARY VOYAGE. How can you be ‘stationary’ and yet be making a ‘voyage’? True, they were lying completely still and so were ‘stationary’, but they had travelled through the centuries, so they had ALSO made a ‘voyage’. (Check Larkin’s poem An Arundel Tomb to find this oxymoron.)

● Our own Martin Carter used a couple of oxymorons in his poem This is the Dark Time. Referring to the occupation of his native land by British soldiers toting weapons, he wrote that they had brought with them a ‘season of oppression’, a ‘festival of guns’ and a ‘carnival of misery’.

● A popular oxymoron is in this sentence: ‘His suggestion was greeted with a deafening silence.”

WHAT IS THE EFFECTIVENESS?

Examiners so love that question, don’t they? So, what is the effectiveness of a paradox or, indeed, of an oxymoron?

First, what does the question itself mean? The Examiner is asking you how that paradox or oxymoron AFFECTS you as a reader. What does it make you think? How does it make you feel?

Martin Carter’s three oxymorons are very effective. Here in the Caribbean we are accustomed to carnivals—the fun and laughter they bring. But here he speaks of a ‘carnival of misery’. That makes us realise that the arrival of those British soldiers (brown beetles) has brought great sorrow, and the only people having a good time are the oppressors. The oxymoron ‘festival of guns’ is similar: it makes us feel that something has gone horribly wrong because festivals are celebrations, but here it seems that only the guns are celebrating. How frightening! And that ‘season of oppression’ reminds us that we have rainy season, dry season, mango season, guava season and so on—but not oppression season!!! What a dreadful thought!

The three oxymorons STARTLE us, they DISTURB us, they are UNFORGETTABLE, and they DRAMATICALLY show us a topsy-turvy situation where nothing is as it should be.

PARAGRAPHS FOR PERSUASIVE WRITING

As you know, a paragraph is a group of sentences on ONE topic. The paragraph usually begins with a TOPIC SENTENCE that states the theme of the paragraph in brief. The remaining sentences give illustrations or examples of that theme—or just expand on it. Sometimes the paragraph ends with a sentence summing up the ideas that have been presented.

For your persuasive writing in the exam, you will need to present an argument on one side of a topic that is under debate. Perhaps you will have to argue that tourism is a good thing in a community. Or perhaps you will have to argue that IT should be compulsory in all secondary schools. Or maybe that all secondary school students should be required to learn a second language. Those are the kinds of topics you will meet.

It’s a good idea to divide the essay into five parts of 50-60 words each. You will then have your INTRODUCTION + THREE PARAGRAPHS + CONCLUSION. Each of the three middle paragraphs should present ONE ARGUMENT on the subject, and it should follow the pattern we have just shown you.

See if you can identify the topic sentence and the examples in this sample paragraph arguing AGAINST religious schools:

Some feel that religious schools tend to foster intolerance and mistrust. The children in such schools all hold the same belief and will think in terms of “us” and “them”. Where there is no rubbing shoulders with people who believe differently, mutual respect will seldom be developed. Opportunities for playing and working together with children whose creed may be different are not available, and so misunderstandings are likely to grow bigger rather than be cleared up.

Your Turn Now Write a paragraph patterned like the one above, arguing FOR religious schools.