CSEC English

Hello there! We’re halfway through the term already! Soon Christmas will be on us, and then you’ll have only one term left to prepare for your English A and English B exams. Do make sure you read your chosen English B texts at least TWICE before the exam. Check over your work and identify words that you spell incorrectly—and then LEARN the correct spelling. Try to read good material ALOUD to help you get the rhythm of well-constructed sentences. When you get to the end of each paragraph you’ve read, ask yourself what the main idea was of what you’ve just read. Jot down new words, and try to use them. All these tips will help you improve your English skills. Read on now, and enjoy your CSEC English page!

ENGLISH B—Ti-Jean and His Brothers.

You are aware, of course, that ours is a history of colonialism. Under colonial rule, we were given to understand that Western culture was superior. How does Walcott address this kind of thinking in his play?

Walcott recognizes that our Caribbean culture admittedly owes much to Europe, but it ALSO owes much to Africa, India, and China, and to the Indigenous peoples who were here long before Columbus arrived.

Allusion to Greek Tragedy.

Do not be surprised, then, when, at the beginning of the play, we hear Cricket saying, ‘Greek-croak’, and Frog apologizing for his sneeze by saying, ‘Aeschylus me!’ What is going on? It’s a literary joke: Walcott is alluding to the famous Greek dramatist. But the question is, Why? And why would he put this allusion to a great Greek playwright into the mouth of a frog?

Perhaps Walcott is suggesting that it’s not only the famous Greek heroes who knew about tragedy, but ordinary, humble people experience tragedy too—and sometimes ordinary, humble people (like Ti-Jean) perform heroic deeds. Caribbean heroes, Walcott seems to be saying, are just as grand as any hero from Ancient Greece: our sufferings and our triumphs are just as important on the world stage.

The Prologue of the play is a dramatic form taken from Greek tragedy. It is known as the Chorus—a kind of narrative that tells us what the play is going to be about.

Allusion to folklore—both European and Caribbean.

Greek tragedy (like Italian opera and orchestral symphonies) is highbrow. But Walcott chooses ALSO to draw on the folk tradition. His story of three brothers faced with a challenge follows a pattern that you have met in many children’s stories (usually the youngest brother is rewarded with a pot of gold or by marriage to a beautiful princess!) Those stories are common in the European tradition.

Papa Bois (the guardian of the forest), though, and Diablesse are drawn from our Caribbean folk traditions, while in St Lucia (Walcott’s birthplace) the Dance of Devils is a popular part of Carnival.

So we see that Walcott juxtaposes his allusion to Greek tragedy with his use of folklore as if to say that neither is superior: all are products of the human imagination.

Variety of language.

We’ve seen that Walcott is implying that folk wisdom is just as valuable as classical learning. Now we will see that he makes use of a wide range of language registers. At times the Devil speaks like a university professor, but he also slips into vulgar language too. Silly Mi-Jean, trying to sound learned, uses lots of clever vocabulary, but that only makes him look even more silly. Standard English is juxtaposed with St Lucian patois, ‘Bai Diable-là manger un ‘ti mamaille’, and lyrical poetry is heard alongside ugly racial slurs. It seems that Walcott insists that Caribbean people are the richer for being able to draw on the many cultures that have fed into our heritage, and he celebrates this cosmopolitan diversity.

Comedy and tragedy.

In this play, Walcott cleverly mixes comedy and tragedy. There’s the stuff of tragedy: the Mother and her sons live in dire poverty while the Planter has plenty; two brothers are ‘eaten’ by the Devil, and the Mother also dies. The Bolom, too, has a sad story—that of a child strangled at birth by his own mother.

Yet as we watch the play, we see plenty to make us laugh. Gros-Jean and Mi-Jean are both foolish, so we laugh at their antics. We laugh as Ti-Jean cleverly exposes the cloven hoof and tail of Papa Bois and when he casually tells the Devil/Planter that he’s made a curry from the annoying goat! We laugh to think of how furious the Devil/Planter will be when he discovers that Ti-Jean has ordered the workers to burn down the cane so that he won’t have to count the stalks! In short, we enjoy the trickster tactics that enable Ti-Jean to get the better of one who is infinitely more powerful.

And although there is so much that is tragic in the story, Walcott gives us a happy ending, with the Devil being forced to set the Bolom free to enter into life. Good has triumphed over Evil; innocence has triumphed over cunning and subtlety. The forest creatures rejoice as Ti-Jean and the Bolom step into a future filled with hope. Fantasy and reality. Ti-Jean is set in a fantasy world where Devils are visible and where animals can talk. But like most fantasy literature, the play is actually grounded in reality. Critics have pointed out that the play traces the struggle of ordinary people against the injustice of the plantation economy that shaped Caribbean history. Walcott has found a delightfully engaging way to tell the story of that struggle.

NOT ONE WORD BUT TWO! Students often write these items as one word, but in fact all of them are two-word phrases. See if any of them have ever caught you! Not infact, but in fact. Not alot, but a lot. Not infront, but in front. Not inspite, but in spite. Now look at these pairs of sentences, and notice when you need ONE word, and when you need TWO. ● You may be late if you miss the bus. Maybe (perhaps) Tim will bring his guitar. Every day I leave home at 7.30am. Everyday life (routine/ordinary) for a submarine crew must be boring. Children from both classrooms left all together. The guest was altogether (completely) amazed at the generosity of her friend. I want you to pick up every one of the beads you carelessly dropped on the floor. Everyone (all the people) was thrilled by the performance. (Notice that Everyone is followed by a singular verb: was (not were). ● ● ●

Can you think of any more examples of phrases that mean something different if written as one word rather than as two?

BUILDING YOUR VOCABULARY

This list contains a synonym for each of the underlined words in the sentences. Pair them off.

Waste time, inquisitive, exhaust, antidote, awry, shy, tyrannical, deter, deluge, deserve

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

6.

The bridegroom’s tie was a bit crooked; otherwise he looked terrific. A remedy exists for this type of snakebite, but supplies may have run out. We get the impression that Savitri is a really intelligent child: she’s so curious about everything around her. Please don’t dawdle. We need to get this job finished by lunch-time. Residents in the riverain areas are still mopping up after Saturday’s inundation, which wreaked havoc in their farms. The authorities have asked residents not to water their lawns or change water in their pools during the drought as this could deplete supplies of water in our reservoirs. Some critics feel that the famous wrestler’s victory does not merit so much attention. This kindly ruler was succeeded by his son—one of the most despotic monarchs the country had ever seen. You shouldn’t let setbacks discourage you; be like a karate artist and use opposition to your advantage. Sam was a little diffident about accepting the monetary gift, but realized that his boss meant well.

IRONY

Here’s a story that illustrates irony at work.

Mrs Branche has three students living with her. This morning it was raining hard, and Anthony, one of the three, had to get to school on time for an important exam. So Mrs Branche, taking pity on Anthony, said, “If you are ready to leave in five minutes, I’ll take everyone to school in the car. Anyone who isn’t ready will have to take the bus.”

Five minutes later, everyone except Anthony was ready to leave. To teach him a lesson, Mrs Branche drove off without him.

The IRONY was that Anthony was the one person who really needed to be dropped to school, and the plan had been put in place specifically for him, but he was the one who ended up taking the bus and the two boys who didn’t really need help in getting to school on time were the ones to benefit from the arrangement.

ANSWERS

Building Your Vocabulary Crooked/awry, remedy/antidote, curious/inquisitive, dawdle/waste time, inundation/deluge, deplete/exhaust, merit/deserve, despotic/tyrannical, discourage/deter, diffident/shy