Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle: Dealing with Excerpts & Essay Questions: A Guide to Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle, #3

By Jorges P. Lopez

A common problem with many students of Literature is not the ability to read or understand a Literature text; it is the inability to present to their examiners what they have analyzed in that text. This is often because students and teachers focus too much on understanding the text and forget the part of expressing yourself to other people about what you have read. For this reason, this book tries to help the student of Brecht - both at high school and in college - on how to write answers in literature. This is necessary because Literature in general, and examiners in particular, expect the student to adopt certain ways of expression. Besides, critics will use particular ways of expressing themselves - including choice of particular terms - without explaining themselves. Therefore, in conjunction with explaining how to approach EXCERPTS and ESSAY questions set on The Caucasian Chalk Circle, this book explains TERMS used in literature, giving examples drawn from the play itself. This will make it easier for the student/candidate to understand these terms as well as be able to draw examples from this play. This makes it easy for the student of THIS play or the student of BRECHT or literature in general. It covers that extra part that is required to make an all-round student. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jorges P. Lopez
• Release date: Dec 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223478898

Jorges P. Lopez

Jorges P. Lopez has been teaching Literature in high schools in Kenya and Communication at The Cooperative University in Nairobi. He has been writing Literary Criticism for more than fifteen years and fiction for just over ten years. He has contributed significantly to the perspective of teaching English as a Second Language in high school and to Communication Skills at the college level. He has developed humorous novellas in the Jimmy Karda Diaries Series for ages 9 to 13 which make it easier for learners of English to learn the language and the St. Maryan Seven Series for ages 13 to 16 which challenge them to improve spoken and written language. His interests in writing also spill into Poetry, Drama and Literary Fiction. He has written literary criticism books on Henrik Ibsen, Margaret Ogola, Bertolt Brecht, John Steinbeck, John Lara, Adipo Sidang' and many others.

Book preview

WRITING YOUR ANSWERS IN LITERATURE

This book focuses on the KENYA CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION English Papers 101/2 – in which candidates answer questions based on an EXCERPT taken from a specific set text studied during the course to earn 25 marks – and 101/3 – in which candidates answer 3 questions (each with 20 marks) in two and a half hours. The skills taught here, however, are applicable to any examination. The only thing required is to examine the time and marks given in your own exam and make appropriate adjustments. Some College exams, for instance, require the student to answer a question in ONE HOUR to earn 25 marks. The candidate should adjust the time suggested here and paragraphing to fit this particular exam.

Like I have impressed on you elsewhere in this book and probably in other books, literary writing is a considered process which the student will have to cultivate him/herself. This is because, apart from practicing to write like others in the field, the student needs to adopt the right language, the correct diction and the correct styles. Apart from this, to do well, a student not only needs to know how to interpret questions, how to present answers and how to ensure that this has been done but s/he needs to do a lot of practice before the final exam so that planning, timing and other such encumbrances do not come in the way of the student’s performance. This section of the book takes you through a deliberate planning and writing out of your essay, teaches you how to interpret context questions and shows you in no uncertain terms how to tell whether you have done all what your examiner requires at every stage of the question by considering the marks awarded and how to earn them. This is done in five stages; interpreting questions, how to approach the context question, planning and writing out your essay, revising your essay and timing your essay.

I) Interpreting Questions.

It is important to seriously regard what certain question words mean because it is not uncommon to find a student go through the motions of answering a question but end up not doing so because the answer does not address the question. Here are the most common question words that you will find, especially in essay questions, with a considered opinion of what they require you to do. A sample question and the possible approach you might take to the question has also been given.

Analyze. When you are told to analyze something, you are supposed to examine it systematically by separating its constituent parts and seeing how they work together to form a complete whole. If you are told to do an analysis of a text, you should disassemble it into its parts such as plot, character, theme and style to see how they work together to form say, a complete play. An analysis of a theme or a character will also involve an examination of the different aspects of that theme or character traits in order to show how they work together to form a writer’s complete opinion of a subject or how the traits reflect a complete image of the character as shown in the particular play.

Sample Question: Analyze the theme of justice in Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian chalk Circle.

Possible Approach: Go through the play and examine how many aspects or shades of justice have been discussed. You can do this by looking at the different events which require somebody to arbitrate between two parties. Examine the two parties in terms of who you think is in the wrong and who you think is in the right. Examine how the playwright treats the characters in terms of who is rewarded and who is not. Write out an essay showing these aspects of justice and how they are treated in the play so as to reflect Brecht’s opinion of justice as a subject.

Compare. Any question that asks you to compare will require you to draw the similarities between two things. You might be asked to compare characters, the treatment of themes or the use of two aspects of style. For characters, discuss how the two are treated in terms of which one is more central than the other and what their roles are. For themes, discuss which is given more weight, which is more important than the other. Discuss too how the two themes are treated. For style, look at the way the two aspects of style are used. Say which one is more widely used and which one appears more effectively used. Note that some questions which ask you to compare will really intend that you compare and contrast.

Sample Question: Compare the treatment of the rich versus that of the poor in Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Possible Approach: Draw two columns, one with the rich characters and the other with the poor ones. Go through the play noting how each group is treated and suggesting the playwright’s intention at every stage. Using the evidence collated, discuss how Bertolt Brecht treats characters according to their social standing