THE PLOT ANALYSIS OF JASPER EBERENDU THE WITHERED FLOWER
Introduction
Reading is described as a complicated process as it covers interrelated physical and cognitive attributes. Individuals try to improve the reading skill acquired in primary school with many aspects of it in secondary school. It is enhanced with literature classes in secondary education to continue for a lifetime. Alongside the world knowledge, academic knowledge and problem-solving skills are reinforced with reading.
In this sense, it is of importance in affecting individuals’ thinking skills. Reading education, which concerns the individual-social aspect of reading, is provided with curriculum, textbooks, instructional process and methods, and other printed and electronic materials, etc. Reading skill enables student to access different resources to meet new information, events, situations and experiences (Özbay, 2007: 4).
Since this would be a lifelong case, reading skill is crucial due to guiding individuals’ activities such as acquiring information, learning, and having fun both during the academic life and later. Students can learn how to comprehend themselves and their surroundings and steer their attitudes and behaviors by developing certain emotions and thoughts about the world and life by means of reading skill. When they make a habit out of reading, they can remove the obstacles before the ability to improve themselves further affectively and cognitively (Arı & Okur, 2013).
THE PLOT ANALYSIS OF JASPER EBERENDU THE WITHERED FLOWER
The play analyse the beauty of Jennifer as fakes because of her rude lifestyle while in school as well as deceiving suitors that came to her hand in marriage . It is better for a girl to get married why she is still young than getting marriage at the old age.
Furthermore, the novel informs and educate every youths on why it is necessary for one to make a decision that will favour one in one’s life. The text also has element of moral lessons. This is exactly what happened to Jennifer as she never stops crying.
Jennifer’s parent got tired of consoling her as she continues living a sorrowful life. She has no option than to live with her parents. According to the author, it was like starting a life from scratch in Jennifer’s life. She hardly went outside because she is ashamed of herself.
Apart from that, she always feels like committing suicide whenever she sees those persons whom she treated badly, including her suitors, most of whom were married. Moreover, the text effective shows the real picture of most arrogant girls and the standard of their life style.
THEMES IN JASPER EBERENDU’S THE WITHERED FLOWER
The theme of unsuccessful marriage: Jennifer’s marriage fails because of pride and stupidity. Her beauty withered and while regret becomes her mirror. The novelist therefore writes by advising girls to make hate while the sun shun.
Education is very important, but it become bitter when one fails to obtain a better complement on the important usefulness of marriage if possible, it shouldn’t be an excuse to prevent a girl from planning for her future as regards to marriage. Jennifer should get herself engaged with a man of her choice while in school and also get married when she graduates. The author, the possibility of Jennifer getting marriage was when she was young. But, she refuses to marry at the time her friends and her course mates did.
For instance, after Jennifer realizes herself on pride, she becomes patience and asked her parents to pray for her. She also promises to be nice with anyone that comes her way. And the rude characters are not in her again. She will forever be good and kind both his family members and the outsiders.
This shows some element of moral lessons to Jennifer and to the reader of this work. It is good to be good that’s what the author aims at. In page 75, the author expresses the feelings of sympathy on Jennifer’s life. She is always rude to all her class mates as well as her suitors are coming for her hand in marriage. According to Jennifer, these men will really suffer in my hands, especially Mike. From the above, the author portray Jennifer’s attitude towards friends.
The theme of Emotional Trauma: At the end, Jennifer could not endure the emotional trauma, especially when she read about Anderson’s wedding in the newspapers- an occasion that had attracted the cream of the society. She went into coma and was hospitalized for several weeks. The writer critically stirs up emotions and sorrowful life experience of Jennifer as she ends up in regrets.
Through the narration of the words and experience of Jennifer, the sympathised with the emotional trauma and the state of coma she went through. After Jennifer is discharge from the hospital, she was no longer the same. According to the author, she developed severe mental disorder which was unknown to anyone. Her efforts towards piloting the affairs of the bank drastically dwindled.
DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE WORDS IN JEAPER EBERENDU’S THE WITHERED FLOWER
- Bewildered
Connotative: deeply or utterly confused or perplexed
Denotative: feelings of not being able to say something
- Slander
Connotative: defamation.
Denotative: a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.
- Business
Connotative: Private or exclusive activity; one’s personal space.
Denotative: A company or financial organization.
- Master
Connotative: A slave owner or slave driver; an overbearing, bossy person.
Denotative: An expert or skilled person; a leader.
- Prodigy
Connotative: A genius; a gifted student.
Denotative: A person who learns easily and has been educated; intelligent.
- Lonely
Connotative: Desolate, isolated lands where there is no one.
Denotative: A depressing feeling of being alone.
- Disappointed
Connotative: A fail to fulfill the hopes or expectations.
Denotative: Prevent someone from being realized.
- Handsome
Connotative: Good-looking. Example, the man is very handsome.
Denotative: A substantial number, sum of money, or margin. Example “he was elected by a handsome majority”
- Perpetrate
Connotative: To bring about or carry out (something, such as a crime or deception)
Denotative: to manufacture goods
- Unnatural
Connotative: Contrary to the ordinary course of nature; abnormal.
Denotative: Not existing in nature; artificial
SUMMARY
The author in his work of art tries to explain how intelligence, beauty and love parent should show to their ward, though we can agree that all these without character are nothing. Jennifer’s mum said to her daughter, that she should “make hay while the sun shines”.
This implies more on the place of advice in our daily endeavor. To the learners at all level, reading is one of the basic ways of acquiring knowledge but the main purpose of this paper is to critically examine themes in Jasper Eberendu’s the withered flower using skimming and scanning method of reading to identify ambiguous words used in the text by the author and also examine the connotative and denotative meaning of the ambiguous words
WORK CITED
Jasper, E. The Withered Flower; Mid-Field Publishers Limited. 2012
Anderson, R.C.; Hiebert, E. H.; Scot, J. A. & Wilkinson, I. A. G. Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading. Washington: National Institute of Education. 2007
