Book: Exam Focus: Literature-in-English
Authors: JOJ Nwanchukwu, Tunde Omobowale et
al (2014)
Publisher: University Press
PLC
Reviewer: Adjekpagbon
Blessed Mudiaga
Having taught Literature-in-English over a decade at various levels,
from secondary to post-secondary academies, I noticed that many students and
teachers find it confusing when some poetry lines are not properly arranged to
distinguish them as either a poem that has stanzas or not, according to how it
was originally written.
Once the lines of a poem originally written in stanzas are jammed
together by teachers or publishers, it automatically loose its form in terms of
structure. This has been a common occurrence in some revision or analytical books
that tend to give students detail analysis of the recommended poems for the
West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council
(NECO) exams.  |
| The poem in question as arranged at page 244 of the book |
Though Exam Focus:
Literature-in-English, is one of the commendable books any sound teacher of
Literature-in-English could recommend for his students due to the painstaking
efforts put into its compilation by four experienced writers, teachers,
educators and examiners in the persons of JOJ Nwachukwu-Agbada, a professor of
English Literature at Abia State University; Tunde Omobowale, a professor in the
English Department, University of Ibadan; Sunday Enessi Ododo, a professor in
the Department of Creative Arts, University of Maiduguri; and Kazeem Adebiyi,
of the Department of English, University of Ibadan, the structure of “Ambush,”
at page 244 of the book is confusing to students in terms of structural
arrangement of lines in line with the principle of distinguishing stanza from
stanza by space. It makes one wonder whether it is the publisher’s fault or the
analysts (authors) who presented the entire poem as a block of thought instead of
being clearly arranged as four structured stanzas.
Despite the “structural noise,” in “Ambush,” as presented in Exam Focus: Literature-in-English, the analysts effort in producing
the book to enlighten students preparing for the West African School
Certificate and National Examination Council senior school certificate examinations
is commendable. However, the observed defect should be corrected before reprint
of more copies, to avoid continuous confusion among students and teachers using
it as a reference material that contains all the abridged versions and
explanation of the recommended texts for prose, drama and poetry in its
original structure for the aforementioned exams.
END
