2024 NECO GCE LITERATURE: Literature (Lit) I NECO GCE Authentic Answer 2024 (1859)

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Musa is a seer and medicine man in Mende kingdom who is supposed to be the eye of the gods and the custodian of the culture and morality in the land, but his activities in the kingdom are carried out contrarily. He allows himself to be used as a dog of war and puppet by devil incarnate, Lamboi who lacks human feelings. He allows Lamboi to use his past ugly misdeeds to achieve his devilish desire. Musa is a man with questionable character, full of falsehood and deceit.

Musa is co-opted by Lamboi into the murder of Gbanya. He uses alligator gall to poison chief Gbanya’s water, all in a bid for Lamboi to succeed him. Musa is also portrayed as a wicked seer, because according to Lamboi, Musa killed Yattah’s son and Mama Kadi’s daughter. “Those you slaughtered and whose fat you used for your bofima. Do you want me to name what charms you made with their private parts? Or do you want me to lead Gbanya, whom you want to protect to their shallow graves out there in the bush? The fact that Lamboi always threatens to expose his past deeds often gets Musa to do whatever he asks him. Lamboi continues to use this cheap blackmail as a weapon of enlistment and enticement. Musa and Lamboi’s plot to kidnap and kill Jeneba, and have Yoko implicated fail woefully and both of them are still on the run

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In the play, the dance of the lost stranger is used as a form of flashback to enact the experience of the Lagos visitor. Through the play, the audience gains an insight into the ordeal of the Lagos visitor during his first visit who has problems with his car and has to abandon it to continue his exploration on foot.

Song, dance, and mimes are the major components in the play. Soyinka has made use of these elements to forward the action of the play. In the first part of the play, “morning”, “Sidi” and her village girls and Lakunle perform a dance and mime of “The Dance of the Lost Traveler”, which highlights the theme and conflict between traditionalism and modernism in the play. Through the use of miming device, Soyinka tries to merge modernism and traditionalism-two opposing forces represented by Baroka and Lakunle.

In the dance, the villagers enact the experiences of the western photographer on his first visit to llunjunle.

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(PICK ANY TWO CHARACTERS)

(i) JIMMY PORTER:
Jimmy porter is the central character in the play; a twenty five year-old man who lives in Britain’s industrial midlands. He is an educated; well-read individual who works in a factory that is tends a sweet stall he is trying to buy, and issues diatribes about British society, which he feels has denied him opportunity simply because of his working class background.
Jimmy is self-conceited, self-centered and individualistic. He prides himself on his honestly, but can be cruel, as seen in his verbal attacks on his wife, Alison and his father, and on, Cliff Lewis, who lives with them.
Jimmy is a misogynist, that is, one who hates women. He hates womenfolk with passion and never takes them seriously. He sees them as people who cannot contribute anything meaningful to his life. He tends to transfer the anger in the past to them. He maltreats Alison, makes her feel subhuman to the point of resistance and her father, until Colonel Redfern comes to her rescue, and the Colonel takes her home. His only reason for maltreating Alison is the fact that she is too possessive and that she cannot understand him because she has never suffered, because he suffered at the age of 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' ten; for he had to watch his father die. Because he insists on total loyalty, Jimmy feels betrayed when his wife, Alison, does not accompany him to the dead bed of a friend’s mother, yet he does not see anything wrong with his having an affair with Helena, his wife’s friend.
Jimmy is egocentric and egoistic; for he cares only about his own feeling and cares less about other people around him. He seems incapable of empathizing with his wife, even when she grieves over losing their baby. He takes her back only after he has realized her importance and completely abased herself to him. Jimmy is the “angry young man” of the play. Born working class but highly educated like his friend and roommate, Cliff but Jimmy have an ambivalent relationship with his educated status and yet frustrated that his education can do nothing to effect his class status. Jimmy is a frustrated character who wallows in his feelings of alienation and uselessness in post-war England. Jimmy is a bundle of contradictions. He is passionate about progressive politics but he treats his wife like slave, which might seem contrary to being progressive, Jimmy is filled with rage but the reason for this misery is not known to anyone.

(ii) CLIFF LEWIS:
Cliff is Jimmy’s friend, also from the working class. He is a gentle man to the core, a direct opposite of 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' Jimmy porter. He does not have Jimmy’s fire, wit or bossy and bully attitude like him; he also lacks cruelty and verbal abuse on others. He is genuinely fond of Alison and shows his appreciation for her housekeeping efforts, and he tries also to defend her from Jimmy’s verbal and physical abuse. Cliff personally bandages Alison’s arm after she gets burnt.
Cliff is the most empathetic and sensitive character in the play, because he does not only share in others’ problem but also seems to understand what other people are feeling. He is like a go between Jimmy and Alison because he seems to sacrifice time to make things right for them, even when Helena thinks that she hates Jimmy, Cliff guesses that he really desires him, and he is the only person who senses Alison’s attempt to break up the marriage. Cliff’s hatred for Helena makes him to move out of Jimmy’s house when he learnt about her attempt to move in.
Cliff is a relaxed and easy-going fellow, with natural intelligence of the self taught. His affectionate relationship with Alison bothers on a sexual one, but both of them are content with comfortable fondness rather than burning passion. Cliff eventually decides to leave to pursue his own life, rather than staying in Jimmy’s apartment.

(iii) HELENA CHARLES:
Helena is a 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' beautiful elegant actress, a friend of Alison and a member of her social circle; he comes to spend a few days with the porters while acting in a play, but finds herself attracted to Jimmy. She actually contributes to worsen Jimmy and Alison’s marriage and when she increases the pressure. She calls Alison’s father, Colonel Redfern to come and take her home.
Helena is a pessimist with a lot of shenanigans and cynical attitude. She encourages Alison to leave Jimmy to ward off his cruelty. As soon as Helena persuades Alison to seek solace or olive branch from somewhere else, she remains in Jimmy’s house and becomes his mistress and his housekeeper Alison’s final return forces her out of Jimmy’s apartment. This is because she has a strong code of middle class morals.
Helena is bet on getting to know whether Cliff is in love with Alison, and she (Alison) finds it difficult to explain the situation when asked if Jimmy approves of it.

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CORY MAXSON:
Cory is Troy and Rose’s teenage son. He is an ambitious young man who has the talent and determination to realize his dreams. He is a very respectful and compassionate nephew to his disabled uncle Gabriel. He is quite passionate and optimistic about great future to become a footballer and he needs to actualize it through his father’s support and love, but contrarily unmet by the pessimism of his father. His father, Troy believes that he can’t excel as a result of racism. He prefers him to read more books to get promoted in his A & P Job, or learn how to fix cars or build houses or learn a trade. Troy views Cory’s career aspirations as idealistic and detached from the realities of a racist society where the white dominate world of sports will not support his son’s dream of becoming a footballer.
He is a dynamic and persistent person, for he is undaunted by Troy’s bully and this makes Cory hate him vehemently. He refuses to attend Troy’s funeral because of his father’s hard handedness. Cory bursts out with rage. He does not want to be Troy Maxson, he wants to be himself. He says this to stand up to his father who is not willing to support his dreams.
August Wilson uses Cory as an opposing force to Troy’s views and values for which Troy stands for and 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' the clash before both is the central conflict in the play. Cory undergoes transformation when she leaves home to join the marines in the end.

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Use of Symbolism:
There is a number of incidence and actions that are symbolic and metaphoric in the play.
One key symbol in "Fences" is the fence itself, which is symbolic of racial discrimination that ruled the 1950 society which involves the segregation between the black and white. The whites build wall or fence of hatred and keep the blacks out of it. For instance, it is this wall of discrimination that prevents Troy, a black man from finding success as a baseball player; his dream of becoming a professional baseball player and that of his son. Cory who wants to become a footballer could not materialize because of the literary fence built against the blacks.
The second fence mentioned in the play is the physical fence built by Troy and his son, Cory around Troy’s yard. It represents both the metaphorical fences that Troy builds around himself to keep people from getting too close to him, and he end up building a fence that keeps his entire family out. The meaning of the fences to keep people out and other people built fences to keep people in. Troy persistently criticizes and neglects his two sons, Cory and Lyons, which thus draws them away from him. Troy pushes Lyons away by refusing to hear him play his Chinese music” Troy is also said to neglect to build the fence that 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' Rose ordered him. His negligence to build the fence stands for his negligence or irresponsibility towards his family. For Bono, the fence is symbolic of betrayal of Troy to his wife.
Another important symbol in the play is Troy’s baseball bat. Troy’s baseball career was cut short due to racism, and his bat becomes a symbol of the opportunities he missed and the dreams that were unfulfilled. Troy carries the bat with him throughout the play, using it as a physical manifestation of his lingering resentment and bitterness towards the injustices he faced.
Raynell’s garden towards the ending of the play is symbolic of hope growth, renewal, positive change and transformation of Maxson’s family. The family that is destroyed by Troy is hoping to experience another re surging future that will be spearheaded by the new born baby, Raynell. It is also a promise of new life in the face of death. Raynell herself is the flower that has sprung from Troy’s seeds.

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In the poem, the poet attributes rage or uncontrolled anger to be the chief destroyer of human virtue and a thief that steals away our good morals such as happiness, joy and good life. Anger does not yield any good fruit, but rather it will “breach your sails with arrows unseen” – meaning, it exposes you to danger, “Which would blot out that brief”: reduces your lifespan. “No! Rob you of your life, rage is chief”. Here the persona sees anger as the most important vice that can ruin your life totally. “Rage drags rags after you” – anger breeds shame and spoils all other good virtues such as kindness, laughter, sweetness and light.

The poet therefore calls rage thief because it spoils so many good things in you. It is the enemy of equanimity, because it steals away your gentleness, kindness, calmness and loveliness. Anger also makes one unstable in character and does not allow one compose oneself especially under stress. “Rage spells calamity” – meaning, it engineers other evils like hard luck, violence, murder, insecurity and regret. The poet persona therefore sees anger as the raider of treasure trove.

The theme of rage also serves to showcase the cycle of violence. As the protagonist seeks revenge, their actions ignite a chain reaction of violence that perpetuates further anger and destruction. The poem explores how unchecked rage leads to a continuous cycle of retaliatory actions, with each act of vengeance fueling the 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' next one. In this way, Wosornu emphasizes the futility and self-perpetuating nature of rage, suggesting that it ultimately traps individuals in a never-ending cycle of violence and suffering.

Wosornu subtly implies that anger and frustration can arise from societal and historical injustices. The poem alludes to the history of colonization and the loss of cultural heritage, which underlies the protagonist’s rage. By addressing these broader societal issues, Wosornu raises questions about the legitimacy of anger and the potential for collective instead of individual transformation.

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(PICK ANY THREE)
The poem " Journey of the Magi" is a poetic account of the three wise men from the East in the Bible. The poem written by Eliot recounts the hazardous effects encountered by the Westerners (Magi) in the search of the new born baby, Jesus, the story is narrated in three main divisions, each division dealing with a different aspect of the journey
The figures of speech exemplified in the aforementioned poem will be outlined in the subsequent paragraphs:

(a) Diction: Diction is the choice of words used by the writer. The language of the poem is not difficult or deceptive. The words there in are familiar to the average reader. The poem itself is written in prose & verse form. Because of the prose-like nature of the account, the diction is straightforward , but the syntax a bit complex. As a result of prosaic-nature of the account, the whole tough & difficult journey looks like a near religious ritual. The poem is narrative, descriptive, simple & musical.

(b) Mood/Tone: Mood is the state of mind of the wrier before making his composition. On the other hand, Tone is the attitude of the writer towards his literary taxonomies.
In the poem, "Journey of the Magi" while the mood evokes a general feeling of despair & discomfort. The tone is that of disappointment & unhappiness as the Magi underwent difficulties on the journey

(c) Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetitive use of the same consonant sounds at the begining of two or more words, in close relationship to each other or one another
The poem uses different alliterative statement to juxtapose his literary composition, they are;
(i) cold coming (C Alliterates)
(ii) camel men cursing (C Alliterates)..
(iii) sleeping in snatches (S Alliterates)

(d) Simile: Simile is a direct comparison between two things that belong to different nature but share strict similarity when compared
It is usually identified by the use of "as" or "like"
In the poem, Eliot uses similative statements, one of which is: "Hard & bitter agony for us like Death".
Here, we are able to know the difficult and agonising condition the tourists had to undergo comparable to death.

(e) Synedoche: Here the persona also uses a part to represent a whole “And feet kicking the empty wine skins”, “feet” stands for people, “six hands” in line 27 also stands for six people gambling at the hotel “cities” in line 12, represents people in the town they visited.

(f) Personification: This is the idea of representing an object with a person or giving human attributes to inanimate objects such as:
(i) Night fires going out
(ii) The cities were hostile
(iii) “With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness”
These human attributes are given to abstract ideas or animate objects helps to project the experiences of the Magi in the poem.

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(i) Quest for Freedom:
“Caged Bird” is a metaphor or symbol of downtrodden African- Americans and their experiences in the hands of the whites. The caged bird in the poem symbolizes the blacks, who are unduly maltreated and humiliated as result of the color of their skins. They have been dehumanized one way or the other. They are in solitary confinement as they rarely see through the opportunity around them, for their dreams for brighter future are not even guaranteed.
The word “freedom” is essential in the above stanza because that is what the persona needs as a human being to do exploit. Unfortunately, freedom is quite elusive (difficult to obtain). It seems his endless search for freedom from the shackles of racial prejudice will one day be a dream come true. The persona also talks about things that are unknown which includes the reason why he’s been humiliated and his right as human deprived of him or why the color of his skin is his major problem, and he is not sure when his freedom would be gained or regained, but he continues to long and desire liberty. The persona’s freedom will be achieved only if he continues to be patient, determined and resilient. Thus, the caged bird wants to be like the free bird and that is why he sings of freedom.

(ii) Strength in Adversity:
The poem “Caged Bird” is a clarion call to all well-meaning Africa-Americans in Diaspora who are currently wallowing and experiencing racial discrimination and social injustice not to relent, but rather rise up to the challenges ahead and also to know that there is strength in adversity. Determination and resilience are the keys, if we are sincerely sure of surmounting the problem of race relation. The poet says “The caged bird’s wings are clipped and/his feet are tied, so he opens his throat to sing, sings of freedom”.
This implies that the physical and psychological tortures experienced by the blacks must not stop them from letting their voices to be held by other comity of nations around the world as they cannot afford to die in silence Also, the movement of the caged bird is restricted. So he opens his throat to sing-express himself in order to resist such oppression and humiliation. This is an illustration of the anger, anguish and frustration blacks are forced to endure due to the color of their skin. The poet therefore encourages the blacks in Diaspora with any similar cases of racism, segregation and marginalization to be resilient, because the only way to exterminate it is that one must be patient.

(iii) Racism and Social Injustice:
Although racism is not mentioned in the poem, but it is implied using a good number of words that can help one conjure such imagery, and because the poet grew up in an environment and era where racism and segregation were the order of the day.
At the beginning of the poem, we are introduced to the caged bird which symbolizes the blacks (African-Americans) and their ugly experience in the hand of the free bird which represents the white folks.

“The freed bird leaps

On the back of the wind

And floats down stream

Till the current ends”.

This implies that the whites have all the necessary freedom to explore their environment and the resources therein. They are generally accepted into their various communities and walk freely unhindered, but the caged bird, that is, the blacks walk with fear and tremble as a result of the color of their skin. They sit in the caged (secluded environment) and languish in pain because their movements are also restricted as they cannot do certain things in common with the whites. The wings of the caged bird are 'copied from e x a m p l a z a . c o m free' clipped and feet tied”, but he struggles to sing. This means that despite the fact that the blacks’ potential are stifled and subdued by the whites, they still put on the spirit of resilience and determination and hoping for survival, “for the caged bird/sings of freedom “from racism and social injustice.