Literary Appreciation: How to Appreciate a Literary Work – JSS1 Literature-in-English Lesson Note (Second Term)

Literary appreciation is the skill of understanding, enjoying and evaluating a poem, story or play.

• Subject: Literature in English
• Class: JSS 1
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Topic: Literary appreciation: how to appreciate a literary work

Behavioural objectives

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

1. Explain what literary appreciation means.
2. State why we study and appreciate literature.
3. Identify the steps involved in appreciating a literary work.
4. Apply basic techniques for analysing poems, stories and plays.
5. Express their personal responses to literary works confidently.

What do students need before this lesson?

Students should already know the three genres of literature and the basic literary elements.

• Genres: prose, drama and poetry.
• Elements: plot, character, setting and theme.
• Poetic devices: figures of speech such as simile, metaphor and personification.

What teaching aids are needed?

• Poem: a short, simple poem for class analysis.
• Story: a short story extract.
• Chart: the steps for literary appreciation.
• Pictures: faces showing different emotional responses to literature.

How can the teacher introduce the lesson?

The teacher starts with questions that link literature to students’ own experience.

• Have you ever read a story or watched a film that made you very happy or sad?
• Why did you like or dislike it?
• After reading a story, do you close the book, or do you think about what happened?
• Have you ever discussed a book or film with friends?

The teacher then explains that thinking deeply, discussing meaning and expressing feelings about a text is appreciating literature.

What is literary appreciation?

Literary appreciation is the ability to read a work, then judge what the writer says, how it is said and what it means to you.

When you appreciate literature, you do more than read the words. You:

• Understand: you follow the story or message.
• Notice language: you see how the writer uses words.
• Think deeply: you look for deeper meanings.
• Connect: you link the work to your own life.
• Judge: you form your own opinions.
• Enjoy: you take pleasure in the beauty of language and ideas.

Why should we appreciate literature?

We appreciate literature because it improves our thinking, language, understanding of people and enjoyment of reading.

1. Develops critical thinking: analysing a text teaches you to ask questions, a skill useful in every subject.
2. Improves understanding: some meanings appear only when you look carefully.
3. Increases enjoyment: knowing how literature works is like knowing the rules of football, so matches become more exciting.
4. Builds vocabulary and language skills: studying a writer’s language improves your own speaking and writing.
5. Teaches life lessons: literature shows different views, cultures and experiences.
6. Connects us to others: discussing books, poems and plays lets us share ideas.
7. Preserves culture: Nigerian literature, for example, teaches us about our history, values and traditions.

What are the steps in appreciating a literary work?

There are eight steps in appreciating a poem, story or play.

1. First reading
2. Second reading
3. Identify the literary elements
4. Analyse the writer’s style and techniques
5. Identify the theme and message
6. Make personal connections
7. Evaluate and form opinions
8. Discuss and share

Step one: What is a first reading?

A first reading is reading the whole work once to get the general idea.

• Read through: go from beginning to end without stopping.
• Skip hard words: do not worry about them yet.
• Follow events: try to see what is happening.
• Note your reaction: do you like it, feel confused or feel something?

Questions to ask:

• What is the work about?
• What happens in it?
• Who are the main characters?
• Where and when does it take place?
• What is the general mood?

Example: In “The Tortoise and the Birds”, the first reading shows that the tortoise was greedy, tricked the birds and was punished. It is a folktale with a lesson about greed.

Step two: What is a second reading?

A second reading is a slower, more careful reading to notice details missed the first time.

• Read slowly: take time over each part.
• Check words: look up words you do not understand.
• Notice details: look at characters, setting and events.
• Watch language: see how the writer uses words.
• Mark the text: underline important parts.

Questions to ask:

• What details did I miss the first time?
• Why do the characters behave as they do?
• How does the writer describe things?
• What language techniques are used?
• Are there symbols or special meanings?

Step three: What are the literary elements to identify?

Literary elements are the basic parts found in a work, and they differ slightly for prose, poetry and drama.

Elements of prose (stories)

• Plot: the sequence of events, with a beginning, middle and end.
• Characters: the people in the story, what they are like and how they change.
• Setting: where and when the story happens, and how it affects the characters.
• Theme: the main message or lesson, such as love, friendship, betrayal, courage, greed or tradition versus change.
• Conflict: the main struggle, between characters, between a character and society, or within a character’s mind.
• Point of view: who tells the story, either first person (“I”) or third person (“he” or “she”).

Elements of poetry

• Subject matter: what the poem is about, such as nature, love, death or childhood.
• Speaker or persona: the voice in the poem, which may be the poet or a created character.
• Mood and tone: the feeling the poem gives you and the poet’s attitude to the subject.
• Imagery: the pictures the poem creates and the senses it appeals to.
• Sound devices: rhyme, rhythm and repeated sounds such as alliteration.
• Figurative language: similes, metaphors, personification and other figures of speech.
• Theme: the main message or idea.

Elements of drama

• Plot: how the events of the play unfold.
• Characters: the people in the play, their personalities and how they interact.
• Dialogue: what characters say to each other, which reveals their personalities.
• Stage directions: instructions to actors that tell us about the action.
• Conflict: the problems or tensions that drive the play forward.
• Theme: the message or idea the play communicates.

Step four: How do we analyse the writer’s style and techniques?

Style is the way a writer chooses and arranges words to tell a story or express ideas.

1. Language choice: simple or complex words, formal or informal language, and why.
2. Sentence structure: short or long sentences, and their effect on the pace.
3. Descriptive language: how people, places and things are described, and whether it is vivid.
4. Dialogue: whether speech sounds natural and shows the speaker’s personality or background.
5. Literary devices: the figures of speech or symbols used and the effect they create.
6. Structure and organisation: whether events follow time order or jump around in time.

Step five: How do we find the theme and message?

The theme is the main idea a work expresses about life, society or human nature.

1. Look at what happens to characters: what do they learn from their experience?
2. Notice repeated ideas: look for topics, words or images that appear several times.
3. Think about the title: it often hints at the theme.
4. Consider the ending: what final impression does it leave?
5. Ask “So what?”: what is the writer telling us about life?

Common themes in literature:

• Good versus evil: the struggle between right and wrong.
• Love and sacrifice: giving up something for people we love.
• Coming of age: growing up.
• Tradition versus change: old ways meeting new ways.
• Consequences of greed: the punishment that follows selfishness.
• Importance of family: the value of family ties.
• Courage: bravery in difficult times.
• Justice and injustice: fair and unfair treatment.
• Power of education: how learning changes lives.
• Cultural identity: knowing and valuing who we are.

Example: In “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, one major theme is the clash between traditional African culture and European colonialism. Another is how rigid loyalty to tradition can lead to tragedy.

Step six: How do we make personal connections?

Making personal connections means linking the work to your own life and the world around you.

• Have I experienced anything similar to what happens in this work?
• Do I know anyone like these characters?
• How would I react in this situation?
• Does it remind me of events or issues in Nigeria or the world?
• What can I learn from it for my own life?

Example: A story about a student facing peer pressure may remind you of your own school experience. This makes the story more real.

Step seven: How do we evaluate a work and form opinions?

To evaluate a work is to judge its quality and give your own opinion, with reasons.

1. Quality of writing: is the language beautiful or powerful, and are the words used well?
2. Character development: are the characters believable and interesting?
3. Plot and structure: is the story well organised, and does it keep your interest?
4. Originality: does it offer fresh ideas or a new view?
5. Emotional impact: how did it make you feel, and did it move you?
6. Message and relevance: is the theme important, and does the work say something valuable?
7. Personal response: did you enjoy it, and would you recommend it?

• Give reasons: you may dislike a famous work, but you must say why.
• Weak opinion: “I don’t like poetry” is not literary appreciation.
• Good opinion: “I found this poem difficult because the language is too old-fashioned” shows critical thinking.

Step eight: How do we discuss and share our appreciation?

Discussion with others deepens appreciation and shows different views of the same work.

Ways to share your appreciation:

• Discuss: talk with classmates about what the work means.
• Write: produce a review or response.
• Compare: look at different interpretations.
• Relate: link the work to other things you have read.
• Present: give your analysis to the class.
• Debate: argue different viewpoints about the work.

Rules for good discussion:

• Listen to other people’s views respectfully.
• Support your opinions with evidence from the text.
• Be open to different interpretations.
• Accept that literature often has no single “correct” answer.

How do we appreciate a simple poem?

We appreciate a poem by applying the eight steps in order, as shown below for “My Mother”.

My Mother

She wakes before the sun,
Her hands are never still.
She cooks our meals and washes clothes,
With strength and loving will.

Her smile can chase the clouds away,
Her voice, a gentle song.
She teaches us what’s right and wrong,
And makes us brave and strong.

Applying the steps to “My Mother”

Class activity: students discuss what the poem means to them and share examples from their own lives.

Evaluation

1. What does literary appreciation mean?
2. Give two reasons why we should appreciate literature rather than just read it.
3. List five steps involved in appreciating a literary work.
4. Name three elements you should identify in prose.
5. How can you find the theme of a literary work?

Assignment

Choose a short poem from your textbook. Apply the steps of literary appreciation and write down:

1. What the poem is about (after the first reading).
2. The subject matter and theme.
3. At least three poetic devices or figures of speech used.
4. How the poem makes you feel.
5. Your personal opinion of the poem, with reasons.