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Theory has been a facilitator of literary criticism which aims at interpreting and synthesizing
ideas and concepts expressed in literary works. Literary theory begins with the question -what is literature? It is creative, imagined and fictional ideas which deal with societal issues
The supposed answer to the question determines the direction of emphasis. The question of the
nature of literature. Constitutes a research problem that has given rise to diverse theories and critical methodologies.
Usually, a theoretical framework is used to determine what is and what not literature is. As
Eagleton, in his book entitled Literary thirty, states that, a piece of writing may start off life as history or philosophy and then come to be ranked as literature or it may start off as literature and then come to be valued for its archaeological significance. Some texts are born literature, some achieve literariness, and some have literariness thrust upon them.
However, this does not imply that the study of literature is in an uncertain state or neglected on the contrary. The long history of literary scholarship has ensured that certain ideas about
literature are canonized. Descriptive boundaries that are flexible have been drawn which has
tended to guide studies in theory.
A literary theory is expected to preserve the autonomy and integrity of the test as art.
It also provides a sound methodology for understanding meaning in all its contexts.
Literary theory has had to be accommodating with the understanding as stated by Gordon in his
book Literature in critical perspective. A literary work is many things at the same time a
reflection of its social climate, a record of the mental history of its author, a consciously
structured arrangement of words and ideas and techniques, and a document that can provide
unique insights into human experiences and values.
Titany answered the question on November 11, 2021 at 09:29
- Explain the relationship between oral literature and Kenyan written literature with reference to any one Kenyan writer.(Solved)
Explain the relationship between oral literature and Kenyan written literature with reference to any one Kenyan writer.
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
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Give a brief summary of short stories that portrays the contemporary issues theme
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the styles in Margaret Ogola's The River and the Source(Solved)
Discuss the styles in Margaret Ogola's The River and the Source
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the themes in Margaret Ogola's The River and the Source(Solved)
Discuss the themes in Margaret Ogola's The River and the Source
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the women characters in Margaret Ogola's The River and the Source(Solved)
Discuss the women characters in Margaret Ogola's The River and the Source
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the men and women characters in Ngugi wa Thiongo's Petals of Blood(Solved)
Discuss the men and women characters in Ngugi wa Thiongo's Petals of Blood
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the men and women characters in Ngugi wa Thiongo's The River Between(Solved)
Discuss the men and women characters in Ngugi wa Thiongo's The River Between
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the different styles used by literature writers in the post-colonial period in Kenya(Solved)
Discuss the different styles used by literature writers in the post-colonial period in Kenya
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- MICERE G. MUGO: Digging Our Grave
My subconscious
Leaks out
A past
I have long buried
Marching under
Drenching rain Draining
heat Heavy escort
Fenced in on every side
By howling, vicious guards At...(Solved)
MICERE G. MUGO: Digging Our Grave
My subconscious
Leaks out
A past
I have long buried
Marching under
Drenching rain Draining
heat Heavy escort
Fenced in on every side
By howling, vicious guards At the
crack of dawn
Miles from home
An unbroken file of men and women, Boys and
girls
Heading north
To Kirinyaga Forest trench White-
washed
In colonial propaganda
Loyalised
Venomed
Against blood-brothers A
raving guard Slashes at
Mumbi
As she halts
To shift her bundle From
shoulder to breast
“ In the name of Ngai I get
you bwana,
Spare my child!” she cries
On the slopes of the sacred mountain „ Ngai
sanctuary –
His children bend Low
Slaving Hungry Weather
beaten Crushed with
blows Digging day-long
A grave
A trap
For brothers In the
forest
A twenty –foot gulf Separates
Blood from blood
Grinning the expose Rows
of spikes That lie waiting
To crucify
Him who dares plan A
reunion
Curfew starts at sunset Away back in
the trench Journeying back in the
dark Cries of hungry children Tear
mother's hearts
While fathers
-castrated- Tamely
listen
And gaze at their toes
Survivors arrive At
midnight
At first cock-crow The pot
leaves the fire At third cock-
crow The daily March Again
begins.....
Under the sweat of Today
labour
We forgive the past
Impossible to forget
Questions
1. Explain the meaning of the title of the poem
2. What is the main theme of this poem?
3. What does the speaker reveal about the guards?
4. explain the meaning of the following lines as used in the poem:
(a) “Bundle” (line 25)
(b)“ a twenty-foot gulf separates blood from blood”(lines 43-45)
(c) “- castrated_” (line58).
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Tell me thou proud jigger,
Having stolen your way in
Need you beat your chest
In premature celebration?
Your flying brother
Sang a song of victory...(Solved)
Tell me thou proud jigger,
Having stolen your way in
Need you beat your chest
In premature celebration?
Your flying brother
Sang a song of victory
Before he tasted the toast
And met his singing end.
We thought you had learned
To taste and not devour
Unmindful of other mouths
In the neighborhood of time
Come thou proud jigger
Follow the prick in my hand
And celebrate your death
Beside thy favourite toe
Explanation
Jigger is another word for chigoe, a tropical flea which burrows
into the skin of its host. A toast in British custom is drink to wish someone good health
or success. For example, at a wedding, someone proposes a toast to the bride and
groom whereon all present wills and, raise their glasses, repeat “to the bride and
groom”, and drink.
Toast in another sense is a slice of bread browned on both sides by radiant heat.
Questions
1. Who/What is the second stanza referring to?
2. Who does the „you‟ in the third stanza refer to?
3. What does the persona achieve by talking to the jigger as if it understands him?
4. What is the moral teaching of this story?
5. Give the meaning of the following lines as they have been used in the poem
(a) “In premature celebration?” (line4)
(b) “Before he tasted the toast” (line7)
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- What are some of themes in the post-colonial period by Kenyan literature writers?(Solved)
What are some of themes in the post-colonial period by Kenyan literature writers?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Distinguish any literature styles used by Kenyan writers to explain the themes in the colonial period(Solved)
Distinguish any literature styles used by Kenyan writers to explain the themes in the colonial period
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- What themes are the literature writers concerned with in the colonial period?(Solved)
What themes are the literature writers concerned with in the colonial period?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- How do the literary writers communicate the pre-colonial literature to us?(Solved)
How do the literary writers communicate the pre-colonial literature to us?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- How was the oral literature material communicated in the pre-colonial period?(Solved)
How was the oral literature material communicated in the pre-colonial period?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Issues addressed by oral literature (Solved)
Issues addressed by oral literature
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
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What kind of literature was there in Kenya before the coming of the white man?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the styles used in the Epic of Gor Mahia by Adrian Onyango(Solved)
Discuss the styles used in the Epic of Gor Mahia by Adrian Onyango
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
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What is the subject of Epics as a literature genre?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)
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Who is the Epic hero according to literature?
Date posted: November 11, 2021. Answers (1)