‘Fondest subject’ throws teen off guard

'Magical realm': Learning literature has opened Jeslyn's eyes to the bigger, more complex meanings behind literary texts.

TO be surrounded by books – that was my dream when I was younger as my joy of reading led me to discover and fall in love with literature.

As I took delight in all kinds of genres, I developed a fascination for the understanding of deeper and broader meanings behind strings of words.

I was convinced that I had found my deepest passion but I was hindered by the prospect of pursuing literature as a subject in school.

While reading classics, plays and poems by myself was fun and interesting, I constantly sensed that I was missing out on the bigger, more complex meanings behind the works I was reading.

When I was choosing my A-Level subject combination early last year, however, I jumped at the chance to sign up for English Literature.

I remember being in awe during my first lesson in which my teacher, Ms Sanah Akhtar, guided my classmates and I through William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, dissecting it line by line.

I learnt how the two-word first line in the play – “Who’s there?” – contributed to the overarching theme, questioning the identity of the self.

I learnt literary techniques and terms, and how to read between the lines from multiple perspectives and culminate them into a broader “umbrella theme”.

The doors to the secrets behind words finally opened to admit me into their magical realm.

Literature quickly became my fondest subject and I found myself looking forward to the days when I would be attending the lessons, learning interesting insights and bouncing ideas off my friends.

Being in a class of Literature students also exposed me to a different kind of social circle, one that generally had a deeper interest in appreciating the arts, reflecting on circumstances and producing work that reflected their thoughts and emotions.

I loved every second of being around them but I still felt like an outsider. All of my classmates had the experience of studying Literature in Singapore’s secondary schools and most even took it as an O-Level subject.

I was the odd one out, the only person to take on an entirely new subject with the aim of acing it in a little less than two years.

When the initial thrill and excitement passed, I found myself struggling to provide insights into creative work. I felt lost and was unable to produce sound analysis that was expected and to string ideas together to form a cohesive response.

My first Literature test result was unsatisfactory and I started paying much more attention to the subject, working on many extra essays and having consultations with my Literature teacher out of class.

I spent a disproportionately large amount of time on Literature compared to my other subjects, believing that my grades would improve. I was wrong.

When my grades remained stagnant in my subsequent Literature tests, I was devastated. I felt that perhaps doing well in the subject required talent and my lack of it was hindering me from improving.

Self-doubt almost drained me of the initial blazing passion I had for the subject. Thank goodness my Literature teacher sat me down to talk about my progress.

She told me that she saw in me great improvement and determination, that my grades were not necessarily representative of my progress, and that I had the potential to be outstanding if I kept up my passion and determination.

Trusting her judgement, I continued devoting time to polishing my skills in literary analysis and growing my interest in the subject.

I gradually developed more confidence in my ideas and learnt to articulate them. Slowly, I was able to grasp the techniques of developing quality responses to essay questions.

For my Promotional Exam – a year-end exam that determines whether a student can progress to the final year of junior college – I excelled.

Maybe it was my teacher’s encouragement, or the wonders of time and effort, or that my mental block cleared miraculously that made it possible.

Whatever the reason, I believe that I have the ability to excel at Literature, which is still my fondest subject, so long as I persevere and adopt a growth mindset towards all challenges.

I am due to take my A-Levels in October this year and, fingers crossed, I will be able to maximise my potential then.

Jeslyn, 18, a Malaysian student in Singapore, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.

---

1. The letters of the words below are jumbled. Unscramble the letters to reveal the three commonly used literary terms.

> aoritlaetiln: ____________

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Example: buzzing bazaars

> moethapr: ____________

the comparison of two things that are not similar

Example: heart of stone

> ptfcosiraeiionn: ____________

the act of giving a human characteristic to something that is not human

Example: the wind howled

2. Now, pick one of the literary terms above to focus on. Then, look in the Sunday Star for at least two examples of such use. Cut out the examples and paste them in your Star-NiE scrapbook. When you are done, compare your findings with an activity partner.

Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through Star-NiE’s teacher and student workshops, annual contests and monthly English language resources for classroom use, participants of the programme reportedly showed marked interest in the language and progress in their proficiency. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. These activities are suitable for use individually and in groups, at home and in the classroom, across varied proficiency levels. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email [e-mail].