Commonwealth Literature

Subject: English Literature
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 14 - 16
Order Number: 5119

This booklet is to help students prepare for GCSE English Literature and some of Key Stage 4 Citizenship by exploring the literature of Commonwealth countries. The texts consist of poetry, short stories, travel writing and several novel extracts. A range of tasks have been set and these tasks vary in difficulty. The main tasks are comprehension questions, fictional writing and ICT activities. The areas covered are parts of the Caribbean, India/Sri Lanka, South Africa/Zimbabwe, Australasia, Canada and some South Pacific islands.

The texts have been chosen to highlight cultural contrasts to encourage students to recognize that other cultures have much to offer. It is important to note that some of the material is RACIST from the time of 'Empire' and this is used to point out the evil behind these views. Some students will be challenged by these texts because the racist material is an English writer observing another culture, however other English writers in the booklet are more sensitive. Equally, Oliver Schreiner's writing about Zimbabwe may horrify due to showing the impact of military conquest for the 'Empire'. Teachers need to be sure that they have students able to handle the more challenging material and that they use it in context. Many of the texts are inappropriate to be left as cover material.

In the United Kingdom we can be insular; it is important that all students read beyond their own culture as this may discourage racism. This booklet is designed to encourage students to think about how writers use language and also explore how issues and attitudes change over time.