WAEC 2022 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

PAPER 2: PROSE

QUESTIONS

WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL
CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION
(WASSCE), 2022
LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH 2: PROSE
Instruction: Develop not fewer han five points in your answers.

SECTION A
AFRICAN PROSE
BUCHI EMECHETA: Second Class 3.
Citizen
1. Account for the contribution of Lawyer Nweze to the development of the plot.
2. Compare Ada with Francis in the novel
ALEX AGYEI AGYIRI: Unexpected Joy at Dawn

3. How is Massa buried in the novel?
How does the expulsion of aliens
from Nigeria affect Nii in the novel?

SECTION B
NON-AFRICAN PROSE

Answer one question only from this
section.
RALPH ELLISON: Invisible Man
5. Examine the narator’s experience
with Kimbro in the novel.
6. How does Ras represent the whiteman’s perceptions and treatment of blacks in the novel?

EMILE BRONTE: Wuthering Heights
7. Examine the significance of Lock-
wood’s second visit to Wuthering
Heights.
8. What is the relationship between
Cathy and Hareton?

NOW THE SOLUTION

1. Account for the contribution of
Lawyer Nweze to the development
of the plot.

ANSWER

Points to develop
i. Relation to theme
ii. Character identification
iii. The reception given Lawyer Nweze
iv. The portrayal of Lawyer Nweze
V. Lawyer Nweze’s role in the novel

PRESENTATION

The novel Second Class Citizen
explores the themes of education,
marriage, gender disparity, feminism,
fatherhood irresponsibility and racism, among others. These are anchored on the theme of social standing. In the novel, one is accorded respect and preference depending on where society places one in the social hierarchy.
Lawyer Nweze is the first lawyer from Ibuza. He has studied in the United Kingdom. Lawyer Nweze’s success commands respect among his
people. He is given a grand welcome
reception in Lagos on his return. He
becomes a millionaire after handling a Hausa multi-millionaire’s case. He later becomes a minister in the Northern Nigeria.

To welcome Nweze and celebrate
his success, the women buy identical
cotton materials from the UAC depart-
ment store and had it made into lappas and blouses of the same style.
women ‘dyed their hair, and straightened it with hot combs to make it look European.
Women also composed songs, weaving the name of the new lawyer into them and dance for him. The men are not left out: they pay him a courtesy visit.
Lawyer Nweze is portrayed as
true son of Ibuza who ‘did not bring a
white woman with him’ on his return.
He epitomizes human aspiration and
achievement. The people speak of his
visit to the United Kingdom as he has
paid God a visit. He is expected to
save his people: a messiah who would
see to it that Ibuza would have electricity, that lbuza would have a tarred road. He is a source of pride to the people. Ada’s father regards Nweze’s personality with reference. Ironically, he eventually disappoints his people. He settles in the northern part of Nigeria instead of the south among his people.
Lawyer Nweze plays some roles
in the novel. Through him, the superstitious beliefs of the Ibuza people are exposed. His portrayal highlights the literacy level in lbuza. Lawyer Nweze serves as a motivation for Adah. His reception depicts the people’s unity and communal spirit in lbuza. Lawyer Nweze reflects the people’s respect for education. He is the perfect son of the land, as opposed to the ‘been tos’ who
lost track of their custom because of Western culture.

2. Compare Ada with Francis in the
novel.

ANSWER
Points to develop
i. Relation to theme
ii. Character identification
ii. Attitude to lifee
iv. Attitude to maTiage
V. Attitude to childbirth and child up-
bringing

PRESENTATION
The theme of marriage and the
struggle for survival in a male domi-
nated sociely is paramount in the novel. This theme plays in the relationship between Ada and Francis in their marrage.
Ada and Francis are both Igbo
descent and are brought up in Lagos.
They both travel abroad. Ada is the
daughter of Pa and Ma. She is Boy’s
sister. She educates herself despite|
intimidating constraints. She marries
Francis early and joins him in the United Kingdom. Francis on the other hand is a young man aspiring to become an accountant. He and Ada marry rather early. He proceeds to the United Kingdom to pursue his accounting ambition with the support of his wife, Ada.

Ada proves to be hardworking
while Francis is downright lazy. This
is evident in Ada being the family’s
breadwinner. In Lagos, she works as a
librarian with the American consulate.
On getting to the United Kingdom she continues as a librarian. She takes care of the family’s finances and becomes successful in the United Kingdom.
Francis on the other hand is a failure.
He fails in his academic pursuit in the
United Kingdom. He banks on Ada’s
wealth. Ada is sensitive and affectionate but her husband, Francis is rather| opportunistic, insensitive and selfish.
Their attitude to marriage differs.
Ada is committed to the marriage
while Francis cares little about his
wife and children. Sometimes he goes
to Pa Noble’s house to watch TV while
he leaves his family uncared for. His
abandoning his wife in the hospital after childbirth also attests to this. Francis plays the male chauvinist while
Ada resists the oppression of male
domination. Ada respects the instituu-
tion of marriage while Francis does
not seem to comprehend the union of
husband and wife. While Francis re-
gards marriage as all sex, Ada favours
some control over and moderation in
sex in the marriage.
Their attitude to childbirth also
differs. Ada sees children as gifts
that should be cared for, protected
and brought up in a disciplined mental and psychological regulation. She sees child upbringing as a mandatory parental responsibility that cannot be waived, relinquished or passed on to| third parties. She is bent on getting a conducive accommodation that can help her nurse and raise the children.
Francis is unconcerned about all these.
Ada wants the best for her children
while Francis does not care about
them.

3. How is Massa buried in the novel?

ANSWER
Points to develop
i. Relation to theme
ii. Character identification
i. The search for siblings
iv. Mama’s enquiries about her brother
V. Koforidua and Sampa

PRESENTATION

The novel is about the adverse effects of failed leadership. The mismanagement of the affairs of government does not only lead to xenophobia but also causes severe economic hardship for the citizens. This hardship tells on the character of Nii Tackie and other characters in the novel.
Massa is Nii Tackie’s wife. She is
about twenty five years, but is already
looking like a grandmother. Massa is
terminally ill, but Nii knows no relative of hers. Nii is unable to take her to
a proper hospital and on the way to a
spiritualist Massa dies.
With Massa dead, and things being difficult, Nii decides to leave for
Nigeria in search of his people. Simultaneously, Nii’s sister, Mama Orojo, embarks on a journey to Ghana in search of Ni. Mama arrives Ghana after Nii has left for Nigeria.
Arriving Ghana, Mama is intro-
duced to Joe, the Daga boss, by a policeman. Joe and Mama do business and fall in love. Mama tumbles on the fact of Massa’s death during her enquiries about her brother, Nii, at Expense Bank.
Mama does not know that Nii has
married; neither does she know her
sister-in-law. Her sense of decency
and fairness urges her to find the body of her brother’s late wife and bury it.
Mama travels (with Joe) to Koforidua
Government Hospital mortuary for the corpse. She then carries the corpse to Sampa for burial. Thus Massa receives a fitting burial from her unknown sister-in-law.

4. How does the expulsion of ‘aliens’ from Nigeria affect Nii in the novel?

ANSWER
Points to develop
i. Relation to theme
ii. Character identification
ii. Going to Nigeria
iv. The journey out
V. Arrival in Nigeria

PRESENTATION

In the novel, events and the actions of the characters are founded on
the theme of social dysfunction. Nii is
not spared the consequences of these
as he arrives in Nigeria at the height of an expulsion order.
Nii Tackie is the protagonist of the
novel. He is a Nigerian born in Ghana.
He has Yoruba tribal marks but bears a name and does not speak Yoruba.

His sister lives in Nigeria; their parents are dead. He is an Assistant Manager of a bank in Accra.
There is a military regime in Ghana. Besides, assets and bank accounts
have been frozen. The cost of living is
high and this makes life unbearable.
Nii’s wife is very ill and dies on their
way to a healing centre. Nii dumps the body of his dead wife at the mortuary at Koforidua and sets out for Nigeria.
Nii joins other travelers like him.
Aaron, an entrepreneur denied assistance but Nii’s bank is in the bandwagon. The travelers are harassed by the Security forces. Nii is also cheated by a commercial motorcyclist.
Nii’s arrival in Nigeria coincides

with an expulsion order. The deadline
for the aliens to leave is fast approach-
ing. Nii is not recognized as a Nigeri-
an. The fact that he has a sister at ljase and the tribal marks on his face avail him nothing. No one listens to him and he has to be careful to avoid being arrested by the Immigration. His new-found love dies and is buried hurriedly and secretly. The deportation order puts Nii at great risk and delays his reunion with his sister.

5. Examine the narrator’s experience with Kimbro in the novel.
Points to develop
1. Relation to theme
ii. Character identification
ii. Meeting Kimbro
iv. The narrator’s mistake on the job|
and his removal from the department
V. Apparent second chance

PRESENTATION

The novel Ivisible Man relates
the effects of racial prejudice on black Americans. From the title of the novel, the blacks are invisible because
they are stereotyped and discriminated against. The narrator’s experiences in the novel convey the treatment of the blacks in the white dominated United States of the first half of the 20th Century.
The narrator is a black college
dropout from The Deep South. He is
bitter because he is treated as a non-beng and so decided to live underground and become invisible. After his expulsion from the college, the narrator travels up north and after a tedious search,
he finally finds a job at Liberty Paints.
Kimbro is the head of the shipping de-
partment at Liberty Paints. He is the
narrator’s first boss at Liberty Paints.
Mr. Kimbro is bad-tempered.
The narrator presents himself for
a job at Liberty Paints and is assigned
to work under Kimbro. The narrator
overhears telephone conversation in
which Kimbro is ‘swearing violently.
The narTator is made uneasy by Kim-
bro’s ‘nasty mood’. He is made to ‘go right to work’ and is taught what to do
by Kimbro.
Being a novice at the paints com-

pany, the narrator knows little about
the job. He is left on his own as Kimbro leaves to attend to a meeting. The narrator mistakes a component of paint and spoils the paint that he is mixıng. As a result of the mistake, Mr. Kimbro gets angry. Mr. Kimbro seeks the narrator’s immediate removal.

Kimbro seems to relent and guides
the narrator afresh. The narrator applies his intuition, and Kimbro ap-
proves. The paint is loaded off, to the
narrator’s confusion. The narrator is
dismissed from Kimbro’s department,
nevertheless. The narrator is surprised
that his service can be dispensed with
so dismissively.

6. How does Ras represent the white
man’s perception and treatment of
blacks in the novel?

ANSWER
Points to develop
i. Relation to theme
ii. Character identification
ii. Whiteman’s perceptions

iv. Ras as a representative of the white
man’s perceptions
V. The portrayal of Ras

PRESENTATION
The novel Invisible Man deals
with the themes of racism, violence
identity, black history, nnocence,
among others. These are founded on
the theme of white perceptions of
blacks and their effects on blacks in
America.
Ras is a black man. He is described
on as one who has entirely monopolized Harlem. Ras speaks with a violent accent; his language is vulgar. He has a large enthusiastic audience. Ras is described as a ‘short heavy figure as wide as the lobby’. He is opposed to anything white.

Blacks are perceived and treated
as people without history or an identity. Blacks are perceived and treated as invisible. Blacks are also perceived and treated as people who are violent; they are perceived and treated as people without moral values. They are also perceived and treated as people undeserving of anything progressive.
Ras is violent. He is unaccommodating of other people’s views. He opposes the narrator and Tod Clifton
for working for the Brotherhood. Ras
is unprogressive as this is seen in his
control of the backward street illiterates of Harlem. Ras is also crude in his approach to race issue. He speaks of Mama Africa and draws from the African past to unrelated issues. Ras has low moral esteem. He is insensitive as exemplified in the last episode where he unleashes terror on the city of Harlem.

Ras’ portrayal justifies the extent
of alienation suffered by the black
man in the novel. It also demonstrates
the major concern for black unity in
the novel. It enhances the theme of
of violence. Ras portrayal significantly
contributes to the development of the
theme of invisibility. It depicts the

extreme struggle for visibility by the
blacks.

7. Examine the significance of Lockwood’s second visit to Wuthering
Heights.
ANSWER
Points to develop
1. Relation to theme
11. Character identification
iii. Lockwood’s experience on his visit
iv. The presence of the supernatural in
the nove
v. Contribution of the visit to the de-
velopment of plot

PRESENTATION
The novel Wuthering Heights
deals with the upheavals within the
upper middle class English society due to internal and external forces. These generate sub-themes like marriage, revenge, poverty, ownership, among other themes. The theme of class confiict is also seen in the struggle to attain the ownership of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange by Heathcliff due to maltreatment from Hindley Earm-shaw and Edgar Linton.
Lockwood is Heathcliff’s tenant at
Thrushcross Grange. He is a narrator
in the novel. Lockwood is a commen-
tator who provides a perspective to the narration. He is in Wuthering Heights to introduce himself to his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff.
Lockwood is portrayed as a naive
narrator who is prone to making vain
and amusing mistakes. He mistakes
Cathy for Mrs. Heathcliff even though
it is clear to him that ‘there was too
great disparity between the ages of the parties to make it likely that they were man and wife’. He spends the night at Wuthering Heights.
Lockwood narrates his conversation with the ghost of Catherine. He observes that Heathcliff’s torment over the loss of Catherine Earnshaw is unnatural. In fact, Heathcliff pines over Catherine; he is violent in matters concerning Catherine.
Lockwood’s visit introduces the
reader to the power play or conflict in
the household of wuthering Heights.
Heathcliff has control over Cathy and
he disdains Hareton with passion.
Hareton is portrayed as being aggressive and uncouth because of his sensibility to his status. The visit shows the unfriendly nature of both Wuthering Heights and its occupants.

8. What is the relationship between
Cathy and Hareton?

ANSWER

Points to develop
i. Relation to theme

ii. Character identification
iii. Their relalionship
iv. The effect of the relationship on
Heathcliff
V. Contribution to the development of
the plot.

PRESENTATION
The interplay of love and re-
venge is the dominant theme in the
novel Wuthering Heights. This theme manifests in the lives of Cathy Linton and Hareton Earnshaw who suffer
Heathclifs revenge but join hands later in the novel.
Cathy is the daughter of Edgar
Linton and Catherine Earnshaw. She
is a beautiful woman. She is typically
human as. This shows in her compas-
sion towards Hareton’s illiteracy. Although she was antagonistic towards Hareton at first, she revises her attitude towards Hareton later in life. Hareton on the other hand is the son of Hindley and Frances. He and Cathy Linton are cousins. He is deprived of education by Heathcliff. Hareton is made a labourer in his father’s house. He is tutored by Cathy to become a gentle-man later.
Nelly introduces Hareton and
Cathy as cousins. Cathy is appalled by

Hareton’s lack of education and poor
manners. They both fall in love after the death of young Linton. Heathcliff
is not happy with the development
(love relationship between Hareton
and Cathy) but he can’t do anything
about it. Cathy and Hareton eventually marry.
Hareton and Cathy’s bond inconveniences Heathcliff. He is unable to direct the cause of the relationship between the two. He rather pines in dismay and becomes a hermit. Heathcliff eventually dies totally frustrated.
The relationship between the two
characters foreshadows the imminent unity of Thrushcross Grange and
Wuthering Heights. Their union con-founds Heathcliff’s vengeance. The marriage of the two resolves the major conflict in the novel.

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