Profitability Determinants of Islamic Banking in Sri Lanka

Hiruni Nirmali, HongKong and Shanghai Banking Corporation,Colombo, Sri Lanka

&

Dr. R. P. C. R. Rajapakse[1]

Senior Lecturer, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka. 

Abstract

Amana Investments was established in 1997 as the first Islamic bank in Sri Lanka. Islamic Finance is Sharia compliant finance because and is based on the teachings in the Holy Quran and sacred scripture of the religion of Islam. The aim of this research is to provide an overview on the Islamic Finance Industry of Sri Lanka by identifying the factors that affect the profitability of the industry. The profitability of Islamic banks is measured by three dimensions, i.e. return on assets, and return on equity, earnings per share. Internal explanatory variables include bank size, gearing ratio, asset management, deposit ratio, non-performing loans ratio, asset composition, capital adequacy ratio and operating efficiency, whereas external explanatory variables include gross domestic product (GDP) and consumer price index (CPI). Since Islamic Banking is a relatively new industry within Sri Lanka, there is a high potential to make profits by considering the components of the ratios used as independent variables in the study. Although some components indicated to be profitable, the risk associated with those variables and the other factors such as liquidity and profitability also have to be considered. Results were similar to the other researches done for other countries

Key words: Islamic banking, Shairia, Murabaha, Mudarabah, Ijara,

JEL:G21,G23,N25

 

  1. Introduction

1.1 Islamic Banking in Sri Lanka

The history of Islamic banking sector in Sri Lanka extends back to 1997 where Amana Investments was established. The amendment of the Banking Act No. 30 of 1988 in 2005 to permit licensed commercial banks and licensed specialized banks to offer selected Islamic finance instruments was a major step towards encouraging Islamic banking in the country and today there are state banks and commercial banks practicing Islamic Banking. There are many other institutions including Islamic Micro Financiers offering Murabaha, Mudarabah, Ijara, Wakal, Musharaka, Diminishing Musharaka, Takaful etc. In order to pursue industrial development in the Islamic Banking sector, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has given permission to open up a fully fledged Islamic Bank and also a fully fledged Islamic Fund.

Islamic Finance is regarded as Sharia compliant finance because it is developed based on the teachings in the Holy Quran and sacred scripture of the religion of Islam. Amana Bank is the first Sharia compliant bank in Sri Lanka under the local regulations and the only bank that operates with the requirements of the Sharia law. On the 29th July 2011, it has witnessed the official launch as a Central Bank Licensed Islamic Bank.. Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, AB Bank of Bangladesh and Islamic Development Bank of Saudi Arabia are three of the strategic stakeholders of Amana Bank PLC. Most of the other banks have established windows for the conduct of Islamic Banking which have created a healthy competition between the players.

 Murabaha and Mudarabah and Two Tier Mudarabah are most popular financial products offered. Researchers have found that the most common financial product in the Islamic Finance Industry in Sri Lanka is Mudarabah.  Musharakah is another product that is same as Mudarabah but only difference is that partnership finance would be used. In this, the bank and the customer would be jointly invest in funds and management capabilities in a particular project. Diminishing Musharakah is another product where the bank and the customer would own assets or capital under joint ownership with the mutual understanding that the customer will purchase the units of the asset at periodic intervals and at the end becomes the owner of the product. This is commonly used for the purchase of property, plant and equipment. Ijara is also a product that is coming under Islamic Finance which is basically about Sharia compliant leasing. This is very common in Sri Lanka.

  1. Literature Review

To measure a firm’s financial performance in terms of how effectively and efficiently the assets of the firm are utilized to generate revenues for the business, profitability measures play an important role. These assess the financial health of an organization and allow comparisons among companies as well as different sectors (Slaper and Hall, 2011). The main motive of an organization is to earn a profit for the betterment of the firm, which allows a firm to expand its activities and operations.

Profitability can be defined as the final measure of economic success achieved by a company in relation to the capital invested in it. Also this is considered as the excess amount over costs of a business. Profit and Profitability are two different measures, where profit is an absolute figure, while profitability is usually expressed as a ratio, explaining the rate of profit using a base measurement, for example, assets, investments or equity. Increase in profitability tends to achieve business success and hence the financial managers should focus on improving the profitability of the firm. (Uremadu and Enyi, 2012) Profitability ratios can be categorized as profitability on sales, and profitability on investment.

Considering the measures or the ratios employed to assess the profitability of a firm, the theoretical base and researches have suggested using Gross Operating Income Margin and Net Operating Income Margin as profitability measures on sales and Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) as profitability measures on investment. However, there are also certain other measures used as proxies for firm profitability.

According to the study of profitability determinants of Islamic Banks in Pakistan by Ijaz et al. (2015) for the period of 2006 to 2013, Bank size, gearing ratio, operational efficiency, asset management, and capital adequacy ratios were used as independent variables along with ROA and ROE as dependent variables.

In the research of Kosmidou and Zopounidis (2008), ROA was used as the dependent variable in measuring the performance of Greek Banks for the period 1990-2002. The independent variables used are the cost to income ratio, the proportion of equity to total assets, the proportion of loans to customers and short term financing, the proportion of ratio of loan loss reserves to gross loans, the bank’s total assets accounting value (bank size), the annual change in GDP, inflation rate, growth of the money supply, stock market capitalization, and the proportion of ratio total assets of the deposit money banks divided by the GDP. The results showed that there is a positive relationship between the bank’s profitability and bank size and the annual change in GDP and a negative relationship was found with inflation rate.

The study on Thailand Banking sector by Sufian and Habibullah (2009) aimed at analyzing the impact of internal and external factors on the profitability of the bank measures in terms of ROA and ROE considering the period from 1999-2005. The results showed that bank size, economic growth, and capitalization have positively impacted on the profitability while a negative impact was brought by the non-interest income, per capita GDP, credit risk and overhead costs.

Singh and Chaudhary (2009) have conducted a study for the period of 2001-2007 concerning the profitability determinants of Indian Banks. The results revealed that investments, per capita income, index of industrial production, wholesale price index, foreign exchange reserves, and exports were having a positive impact on profitability of banks in public, private and foreign sectors.

According to the study of ten commercial banks listed on Istanbul stock exchange conducted for the period of 2002-2010, a positive influence was found between the bank profitability and factors such as asset size and non-interest income on banks’ profitability and a negative relationship was found between the banks’ credit portfolio size and loans under follow-up. (Anber and Alper, 2011). The real interest rate as a macroeconomic variable was found to have a positive relationship too.

Flamini et al. (2009) have studied 389 banks of 41 Sub-Saharan African nations with considering different variables and concluded that a banks’ ROA is linked to the bank size. And also the macroeconomic variables such as regulations, market power, and systematic Risk are having an impact on the profitability. Further banks’ size, deposit ratios, and interest picking up ratios were found to be affecting the profitability of banks according to the study of 40 banks by Burki and Niazi (2010) for the period of 1991-2000.

A comparison of accounting profitability measures with economic factors was carried out by Olson and Zoubi (2011) for the period of 2000-2008 focusing on the Middle East and North African (MENA) regions and ROA and ROE were used as the accounting profitability measures. Bank size was found to reflect a positive relationship with the accounting profitability. Same accounting profitability measures were used by Ostadi and Monsef (2014) in their study of Iranian banks and have concluded that the bank size and bank concentration had more impact on the level of profitability among the bank deposits, bank size, bank capital, liquidity concerns, and keeping money prerequisites that were used as independent variables.

According to Nirmali& Rajapakse( 2016),there is a clear gap of research on Islamic Banking profitability for Sri Lanka. The relative newness of the industry and the lack of information availability would have caused this gap of knowledge which would be aimed to be bridged with the aid of this study. Islamic Finance Industry is a relatively new area to Sri Lanka. There is relatively less number of researches done.

3.    Significance of the study

The aim of this research is to provide an overview on the Islamic Finance Industry of Sri Lanka with the objective of identifying the factors that affect the profitability of the industry through an assessment of the quantitative factors. Promotion of Islamic Finance in a non Muslim country like Sri Lanka would be of great importance because of its ability to contribute to economic development. This is because of the ability of the emerging Islamic Finance Industry to contribute to the Sovereign Sukuk Market where foreign financing could be used as an alternative to the issue of Sovereign Bonds. The transition of Islamic finance into the mainstream global finance has created an opportunity for Sri Lanka to pursue funds for economic development. The findings are expected bring insights to the Finance Industry as a whole and also to the foreign investors to identify Sri Lanka as one of the potential success hubs for Islamic Finance.

4.    Research Problem and Questions

This study tries to assess factors that affect the profitability of Islamic banking industry in Sri Lanka measured in terms of Return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and earnings per share (EPS) with considering internal and external factors such as Bank’s size, gearing ratio, non-performing loans (NPL) ratio, operational efficiency, asset composition, asset management, capital adequacy ratio, deposit ratio, gross domestic product (GDP), and consumer price index (CPI). The question addressed here is whether the above mentioned factors have an association with the profitability of Islamic banking industry in Sri Lanka.

5.    Research Objectives

The main objective of this study is to test the profitability of Islamic banking industry in Sri Lanka.

The research question had been decomposed into objectives systematically as follows.

  • To examine the relationship between Return on assets (ROA) and Bank’s size, gearing ratio, non-performing loans (NPL) ratio, operational efficiency, asset composition, asset management, capital adequacy ratio, deposit ratio, gross domestic product (GDP), and consumer price index (CPI).
  • To examine the relationship between return on equity (ROE) and the Bank’s size, gearing ratio, non-performing loans (NPL) ratio, operational efficiency, asset composition, asset management, capital adequacy ratio, deposit ratio, gross domestic product (GDP), and consumer price index (CPI).
  • To examine the relationship between the earnings per share (EPS) and Bank’s size, gearing ratio, non-performing loans (NPL) ratio, operational efficiency, asset composition, asset management, capital adequacy ratio, deposit ratio, gross domestic product (GDP), and consumer price index (CPI).

  1. Methodology
    • Data

The profitability of Islamic banks is measured by three dimensions, i.e. return on assets, and return on equity, earnings per share. Internal explanatory variables include bank size, gearing ratio, asset management, deposit ratio, non-performing loans ratio, asset composition, capital adequacy ratio and operating efficiency, whereas external explanatory variables include gross domestic product (GDP) and consumer price index (CPI).This study is aimed at the analysis of profitability factors regarding Islamic Banking with considering Amana Takaful Bank PLC which is considered to be the only fully Sharia complying bank in Sri Lanka. It is a listed entity in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and thus the required secondary data on internal variables are collected from the quarterly financial statements obtained from the Colombo Stock Exchange website. A total of 8 internal variables and 2 external variables are used for the research study on annual basis. The data on internal variables are collected from the World Bank website and the publications of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Since the bank was established in 2009, data were collected from the year 2011 until 2015 with covering twenty quarters.

Bank Specific Independent Variables

 

  • Bank Size: The total asset base of the bank is used to measure the size of the bank. The relationship between the profitability of an entity and its size measured in terms of total assets is regarded to be positive in most of the literature.

  • Gearing Ratio: The ratio of total liabilities to total equity of the bank is termed as the Gearing Ratio. High gearing will be a positive factor for profitability given that the distress conditions are not reached.

  • Asset Management: Asset management refers to the management of investments on behalf of the clients of the bank. It is represented by operating efficiency divided by total assets. It is obvious that if the investments are managed properly, it will positively impact on the profitability of the bank.

  • Deposit Ratio: Deposit ratio is given as the ratio of total deposits to total assets. This is another indicator of liquidity of the bank. Higher amount of deposits would ensure that the bank has more funds which may lead to more investments and loans and hence increase the profitability.

  • Non-Performing Loans: A non-performing loan is a loan that has been classified by the bank as default or close to default as per the criteria set in. It is measured as a ratio to the total value of the loans. High ratio means low profitability of the bank.

  • Asset Composition: Asset composition another measure of the liquidity of the assets that has been linked to loans. The impact of loans on the level of profitability is intended to be measured by incorporating this ratio into the model. It is explained by total liabilities (loans) divided by total assets.

  • Capital Adequacy Ratio: The relationship between total capital to risk weighted assets is measured by capital adequacy ratio. The ability of the bank to absorb risks generated to shareholders is measured by this ratio. Higher the ability to absorb the risks results in higher profitability.

  • Operating Efficiency: Higher the operating efficiency of the bank would result in higher profitability. It would be an indication of how efficiently the bank uses its assets by incurring costs in order to serve the customers and earn profits. It is calculated as operating expenses divided by total assets.

 

Macroeconomic Independent Variables

 

Gross Domestic Product: The annual GDP is taken for the study which means the total economic production within the boundaries of the country. Since the significance of the services within the total GDP is rising, it could be expected that the banking industry too contributing more to the total GDP. In a narrow sense, higher the GDP, higher would be the personnel income that would result in more deposits and demand for loans and hence result in bank’s profitability. In a broader sense, the factors like tax and others would have to be considered in order to arrive at a conclusion.

Consumer Price Index: Consumer Price Index refers to the Colombo Consumer Price Index in Sri Lanka where it could be measured as the weighted average of prices of a basket of goods and services for a definite time period.

Definitions and Notations of variables

ROA = Return on Assets Annual net income

Average total assets
ROE = Return on Equity Annual net income

Average total equity
EPS =Earnings per share Net income

Weighted Average No. of shares
SIZE = Size of the bank in terms of total assets Log of total assets
GR = Gearing Ratio Total liabilities

Total equity
NPL = Non Performing Loans Ratio Non-performing loans

Total loans
AC = Asset Composition Total liabilities

Total assets
AM = Asset Management Operating income

Total assets
OE = Operating Efficiency Operating expenses

Total assets
DR = Deposit Ratio Total Deposits

Total Assets
CA = Capital Adequacy Ratio Tier I + Tier II capital

Risk weighted assets
GDP = Gross Domestic Product Annual GPD
CPI = Consumer Price Index Annual CPI

3.2 Methodology

The Data collected will be studied for their nature and behavior using the descriptive statistics. The methodology aims at identifying the determinants of profitability of Islamic Banking, the independent variables involved in the study would be compared against the dependent variables as three separate models.  The Pearson’s correlation coefficient is calculated for the relevant variables for this purpose. The nature of relationship between each and every component would be tested in the study with the profitability would be identified and then the study would conclude the determinants of profitability of Islamic Banking in particular.

The methodology designed for identifying the determinants of profitability of Islamic Banking would lead to the achievement of the objectives of the proposed study. Further, the analysis of collected data would involve using statistical packages and also an incorporation of qualitative factors for increasing the effectiveness of interpretations.

  1. Analysis

4.1 Descriptive Statistics

The analysis of the descriptive statistics relevant to the variables considered in the study is being presented below. Descriptive statistics can be used as a measure to describe and discuss the general characteristics, providing an overview of a sample. Mean and Median values will be used as measures of Central-tendency and the standard deviation would be used to measure the dispersion of the sample. The volatility of the data would be measured through the standard deviation measure. A low standard deviation implies that the data lies close to the mean value.

When considering the ROA, taking 5 annual observations, the mean ROA had been -0.006 with a maximum of 0.010000 and a minimum of -0.020000. This shows the variation caused in ROA since the bank was incorporated. Most of the profitability indicators are having minus mean values. It means that the bank had been improving over the years since inception with indicating a growth.

The maximum and minimum values of the firm size had not been deviated very much over the five year period although there had been some level of improvement. The maximum and minimum values of Non Performing loans too are not deviated very much from the mean value and it is a very low amount compared to the other peers in the industry. The mean gearing ratio is also high with a high standard deviation of 1.601252 which means that the bank highly depends on debts compared to equity. Since the bank is in the growth stage of its life cycle with facing high level of business risk where it is earning slight profits and cash flows with competition from new entrants though it finds increasing sales growth rate, high level of financial risk seems to be too risky.

When considering the macroeconomic variables, the natural logarithm of GDP is having a maximum value of 29.97387 and a mean value close to it. The standard deviation is quite high indicating high volatility. In contrast, the natural logarithm of CPI has low volatility indicating a standard deviation of 0.076118.

  ROA ROE EPS SIZE GR NPL AM OE CA DR AC LNGDP LNCPI
 Mean -0.006000 -0.015017 -0.065091  10.39568  5.025209  0.011740  0.044703  0.045447  0.160905  0.797729  0.825180  29.76858  5.133377
 Median  0.000000 -0.015913 -0.064180  10.36918  4.443260  0.011040  0.045285  0.045132  0.207036  0.795727  0.816287  29.79138  5.159917
 Maximum  0.010000  0.047592  0.161711  10.68018  7.366668  0.017715  0.075005  0.059196  0.254639  0.837431  0.880478  29.97387  5.201347
 Minimum -0.020000 -0.077960 -0.326985  10.16306  3.622225  0.006948  0.012238  0.028557  0.003882  0.768579  0.783654  29.50946  5.020366
 Std. Dev.  0.013416  0.054177  0.213158  0.216308  1.601252  0.003943  0.022274  0.013778  0.099908  0.026443  0.042077  0.189028  0.076118
 Skewness -0.111111  0.005578 -0.090969  0.234001  0.584242  0.459309 -0.161060 -0.081535 -0.796098  0.505026  0.302381 -0.298234 -0.616533
 Kurtosis  1.398148  1.396876  1.411732  1.546486  1.777495  2.336682  2.480731  1.396477  2.196801  2.107932  1.480303  1.680124  1.857460
 Jarque-Bera  0.544857  0.535444  0.532437  0.485777  0.595807  0.267469  0.077792  0.541225  0.662545  0.378332  0.557337  0.437051  0.588719
 Probability  0.761528  0.765120  0.766272  0.784359  0.742373  0.874822  0.961851  0.762912  0.718010  0.827649  0.756791  0.803703  0.745009
 Sum -0.030000 -0.075086 -0.325453  51.97838  25.12605  0.058700  0.223516  0.227233  0.804527  3.988647  4.125900  148.8429  25.66688
 Sum Sq. Dev.  0.000720  0.011741  0.181746  0.187156  10.25604  6.22E-05  0.001985  0.000759  0.039926  0.002797  0.007082  0.142926  0.023176
 Observations  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5  5

4.3 Correlation Analysis

The purpose of the Pearson’s correlation analysis is to understand the relationship between the profitability determinants used in the study as independent variables and the profitability measures that are incorporated into the model as dependent variables.

Correlations
  ROA ROE EPS SIZE GR NPL AC AM OE DR CA GDP CPI
ROA Pearson Correlation 1 .960** .942* .383 .605 -.570 .669 .816 .309 .532 -.633 .436 .409
Sig. (2-tailed)   .010 .017 .524 .280 .316 .217 .092 .612 .356 .252 .463 .494
N 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
ROE Pearson Correlation .960** 1 .996** .284 .606 -.759 .662 .662 .089 .488 -.542 .292 .219
Sig. (2-tailed) .010   .000 .644 .278 .137 .224 .224 .887 .404 .346 .633 .724
N 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
EPS Pearson Correlation .942* .996** 1 .323 .657 -.807 .708 .599 .005 .521 -.573 .317 .228
Sig. (2-tailed) .017 .000   .596 .229 .099 .181 .286 .994 .367 .313 .603 .712
N 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

 

The overall results of the correlation analysis show that the relationship between the independent variables and the profitability measures show the same results. The profitability indicators of the bank ROA, ROE and EPS are positively correlated with the size measured in terms of the assets of the bank in the particular years. This shows that the increase in the asset base of the bank contributes to the profitability of the bank.

The Gearing Ratio is positively correlated with the ROA. Since the significance level is greater than 0.025, the results could be confirmed to be significant. It could be concluded that the increase in debt component with compared to the equity in the capital structure results in more performance results or profits. But the gearing ratio is very high with compared to the industry norms and given that the bank operates in a relatively new industry within Sri Lanka and it is in the growth stage, the level of business risk is very high. Therefore the financial risk has to be low whereas the bank has a high level of gearing which is risky.

The NPLs have a negative correlation with the ROA, ROE and EPS. That is, the increase in the level of NPLs result in reducing the profitability measured in terms of ROE, ROE and EPS. Loans are one of the most contributing sources of the total interest income of the bank. The amount of NPLs in Amana Bank is very low compared to the industry norms which is a positive aspect.

When considering the Asset Composition (AC), it is positively correlated to the profitability of Islamic Banking in terms of ROA, ROE and EPS. Loans bring in interest income to the bank and hence the increase in loans in the asset portfolio of the bank would result in more interest income and thus more profits. Asset Management (AM) is also positively correlated to the profitability of Islamic Banking. Therefore it is clear that the management of investments on behalf of the clients of the bank would result in investor confidence, high returns, increased customer foot fall and thereby increase profitability.

When considering the Operating Efficiency (OE), it shows positive correlation to the profitability. The variable is highly correlated to the ROA and then to the ROE and EPS respectively. This shows the incurring of expenses for the day to day functioning of the bank with the purpose of serving the customers in the best possible manner would result in more profitability. This would be derived from the increased level of customer satisfaction due to the facilities and service enjoyed by the customers.

The deposit ratio is a key aspect in determining the profitability of Islamic Banking as savings are the primary income earning product of the bank. Deposits act as a source of making investments with which the bank would earn returns. Therefore when the amount of deposits increase within the total assets of the bank, there will be more investments and hence profitability ensured.

The capital adequacy is negatively correlated with the profitability measured in terms of ROA, ROE and EPS. It shows the ability of the bank to absorb risks generated to shareholders. Risk weighted assets had been increasing at a faster phase when compared to the total capital. Therefore the capital adequacy ratio reduced over the latter part of the period concerned. Profitability ratios had also shown mixed results. Therefore without taking the whole picture, as far as the individual data points are concerned, there could be seen a clear negative relationship between the capital adequacy ratio and the profitability measures as indicated below. The highest impact is generated upon the EPS. When the capital adequacy ratio changes to a specific direction, the EPS moves the opposite direction at a faster rate.

GDP also has a positive relationship to the bank’s profitability. It could be inferred that when the total national income rises as shown by the GDP, there will be more purchasing power and thus more ability to save. Therefore the banks would get more funds from customers or making investments and as well, there would be more investment opportunities in the economy.

When considering the CPI, the increase in CPI brings in positive correlation with the ROA, ROE and EPS. Inflation is caused by an increased movement of the CPI. In an Inflationary situation, the returns on investments too increase. Hence it could be concluded that the bank earns more returns in nominal terms.

  1. Conclusion

This study has aimed at the analysis of determinants of profitability with regard to Islamic Banking in Sri Lanka. The Amana Bank was chosen for the study which is considered to be the only fully Sharia complying bank in the country. The profitability measures considered in the study were separated as bank specific and macroeconomic variables. The macroeconomic variables are the nominal GDP and the Consumer Price Index whereas the bank specific factors are the Gearing Ratio, Asset Management, Asset Composition, Deposit Ratio, Non Performing Loans Ratio, Operating Efficiency, Capital Adequacy Ratio, and Size of the bank. Annual data on the components of the ratios were collected since the bank’s inception: hence for the period between 2011-2015.

The results were the same as for all of the profitability measures with regard to the determinants considered as independent variables in the study. Out of the bank specific factors, the Gearing Ratio, Asset Management, Asset Composition, Operating Efficiency, Deposit Ratio and Size of the bank shows positive relationship with the level of profitability of Islamic Banking whereas the Non Performing Loans Ratio, Capital Adequacy Ratio shows negative relationship to the profitability of the bank. According to theory, the Capital Adequacy shows the ability of the bank to absorb the risks and hence the findings seem to be contradictory to the theory. But the theory was justified when the individual data were analyzed. Both of the macroeconomic variables considered in the study; GDP and CPI shows positive relationship with the level of bank profitability.

The research provides insights to the entire banking industry on the components of bank profitability. Since Islamic Banking is a relatively new industry within Sri Lanka, there is a high potential to make profits by considering the components of the ratios used as independent variables in the study. Although some components indicated to be profitable, the risk associated with those variables and the other factors such as liquidity, profitability also have to be considered.

Results were conforming to the other researches done in other countries whereas with regard to Sri Lanka, Islamic Finance Industry is relatively a new area. The inadequacy of data due to the fact that Islamic Banking was established very recently made a limitation to the study. And also this research focuses only on Amana Takaful Bank PLC which is considered to be the leader in Islamic Finance Industry by being the only organization wholly based purely on the Islamic Finance concept. But when considering the island wide performance, there are many financial institutions which are into both commercial banking and also Islamic banking. There are also village societies among the Muslim community where the same principles of Islamic Finance are being applied. These societies or organizations are most of the time reluctant to disclose information and thus considering the availability of information, the listed bank has been selected for this research.

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[1] Corresponding Author

Group Discussion: A Strategy for Enhancing Soft Skills

Mr. K. Karkuvel Raja M.A.

Research Scholar, The American College, Madurai 625 002

Background of the study

            Business organizations are made up of personnel who play a vital role in attaining profit and progress.  Soft skills are mandatory for an employee to work in an organization.  Teamwork, group activity, team compatibility becomes essential in the modern business world.  Personnel have to make sure that he/she has developed the required soft skills to work in an organization.  Communication is a part and parcel of business environment.  Miscommunication of the data leads to misunderstanding between the personnel in a team.  Group discussion is an activity that tests the team co-ordination, compatibility and coexistence to a great level.  So, interpersonal relationship has to be improved to maintain unity among the employees.  Thus, more emphasis is given to the group discussion which not only helps to develop communication skills but also to improve the soft shills of the personnel.

Hypothesis

            The researcher attempts to prove that group discussion can be considered as an effective strategy in improving soft skills of the personnel.  Enhancement of communication skills is achieved during the course of group discussion.

Research Questions

  1. Why should a learner learn Soft Skills?
  2. How soft skills can be acquired?
  3. If group discussion a strategy for acquiring soft skills?
  4. How can group discussion help to improve communication skills?
  5. How can Group discussion be implemented in a Classroom?
  6. What is the role of the teacher while conducting a group discussion?

Discussions

            Business is not only about profit and loss, it also involves with the management of human resources.  For a learner of Business Administration course, the need to have Soft skills is of high priority.  Soft skills develop the personality of an individual.  The attitude, behavior, personality plays a vital role in the organizational behavior.  Soft skills groom an individual’s personality by making them adjustable to the working environment.  Proper behavior, attitude can be achieved only through soft skills.

            For a learner of Business Administration, the need to learn soft skills is inevitable.  The learners should learn soft skills in order to make them flexible to different complex situations.  The leadership quality, coordination, time management and other quality can be only possessed by individuals who have acquired soft skills.  Business students who are trying to enter into the business world should consider soft skills as a mandatory factor.  Soft skills help to trim one’s personality and make it suitable for the working environment.  Thus soft skill has to be acquired by the learners so that, they can become successful in their business in future.

            Acquisition of Soft skills is fundamental for everyone in the modern scenario.  Soft skills cannot be learned, it can only be acquired.  Teaching soft skills to a learner is not enough, and then the true purpose of soft skills will be degraded.  Printed materials and notes cannot be enough to teach soft skills.  Practical experience and training helps the learner to acquire soft skills.  Leadership rights, coordination, cooperation, and tem work can be achieved only when learners are put into such a situation.  Practical knowledge paves the way for the acquisition of interpersonal relationships.  Situations are the perfect masters to teach soft skills.  Thus, acquisition of soft skills has to be obtained practically and not theoretically.

            Group discussion has become a part of the cooperate sector.  Group discussion is even considered as a stage in the selection process of an interview.  Even students of Business Administration are taught that the group discussion as a management game.  Group discussion is considered is an activity that gives opportunities for all the participants to quote their ideas.  Situational analysis and decision making plays a tricky role in the progression of a business.  Nowadays, Group discussion has been promoted from a management activity to a common activity that all are meant to perform.

            For an individual to sustain in a group; coordination, cooperation, team work, correlation, and trust are fundamental.  Group discussion provides the chance to improve coordination among the group.  Each and every individual can contribute to the discussion which encourages them.  The participation of all the individuals makes them believe that they are also important for the group.  By listening to other’s ideas and opinions mutual understanding between the learners can be enhanced.  Leadership ability can be tested with the help of these kinds of discussions.  Encouragement, motivation leads to a healthy discussion.  All these traits shape the personality of the personal.

            Group discussion provides opportunities for all the participants.  By giving their ideas in front of all other participants’ one can learn how to speak in a group.  Giving space for others to speak, team unity can be improved.  Through discussions the participants can know about one another, their coordination can reach the greater level.  Team work is the key element for every business.  Students who want to enter into business should possess interpersonal relationships in order to run a business.

            Language is essential for a communication.  Even though business communication is different from the ordinary communication, Language plays a vital role in it.  For a communication to happen proficiency over a language has to be improved.  In group discussion, communication makes the discussion worthwhile.  It is in the part of the participants to avoid miscommunication.  The information that is spoken in the discussion should be accurate.  All the ideas should be noted so that the individuals will feel that they are given importance in the discussion.  They are certain nuisances for how to conduct a group discussion.  All those should be taken into consideration in a discussion.

            Communication skill can be enhanced through group discussion.  For a business man, communication is mandatory.  Communication determines to the profit and loss of the business.  For a learner of business administration, Communication is much important as the management skills.  Students should have good language proficiency so that they can be fluent and flawless in their communication.  Proper practice and experience can help the students to improve their interpersonal relationship.  In a classroom the discussions should be provided for them to gain more soft skills.  By giving those situations which can acquire in the business and making them discuss their views knowledge about the problems in the business can be obtained.

            In business, art of communication is must.  One must know when to speak and how to speak.  Giving right information at the wrong time may also ruin the Business process.  Group discussion also teaches the art of communication.  Interactive skills can be improved by practicing group discussion.  The freedom to communicate and address the group encourages the students to speak.  Group discussion is not only a management tool for business students but also a strategic tool to improve interactive and soft skills of the students

            Soft skills are essential for all students.  It plays an important role in our life.  Grooming one’s personality is much important as gaining knowledge.  Classrooms are the place where ample opportunities are provided for the students to nurture their personalities.  Group discussion can be performed in a Classroom; this increases the involvement of the students and encourages them to participate in all other activities.  Making students to discuss an issue in a classroom helps them to understand about a group and its behavior.

            By putting forth an argument among students their knowledge on that specific topic can also be examined.  The knowledge they possess over that issue will help them to solve business problems in future.  Problem analysis and decision has to be done simultaneously.  In group discussion, students are provided with the chance of knowing more about a single issue and they can also get much solution which can solve that issue.  Students of all discipline should be given soft skills training so that they can cultivate good interpersonal skills.

            If group discussion is to be done in a classroom, teacher should take a key role.  The teacher should act as a guide in need.  The teacher should teach about the soft skills before conducting the discussion so that the students will know about the skills that they have to develop.  During the discussion, the teacher has to make sure that all the students participate in the discussion.  Repeated participation of a single student has to be avoided.  Teacher should act as a facilitator during the course of the discussion.  A model group discussion can help the learners to know the reason behind the group discussion.  After the discussion is over the teacher has to identify the skills that the individual is lacking and the skills that the individual is good at.  From the next time onwards, the teacher should stay out of the discussion; so that the students can perform freely without any intrusion.  By repeatedly making the students engage in such programs soft skills can be enhanced.

            Group discussion is seen to be a management activity but it has influence over one’s personality.  An individual can be judged by the way he performs in the group discussion.  Personality of an individual can be examined with his/ her performance in a discussion.  Attitude, time management, coordination and the leadership quality can be improved during the course of a group discussion.  By making students practice and involve themselves in such task based activities like group discussion; the involvement of the students and their interest will also be encouraged.  Time management plays an important role in our life.  Group discussion is a strategy to avoid unwanted communication.  Thus, in total group discussion can be considered as a strategy to cultivate soft skills.  So it is necessary for all the students to practically participate in a group discussion.  By doing so, not only interpersonal relationships but also all the other soft skills of an individual can be developed.

Reference

O’Connor, M. C., & Michaels, S. (1996). Shifting participant frameworks: Orchestrating thinking practices in group discussion. Discourse, learning, and schooling, 63-103.

Gigerenzer, G., & Selten, R. (2002). Bounded rationality: The adaptive toolbox. MIT press.

Bass, B. M. (1949). An analysis of the leaderless group discussion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 33(6), 527.

Stasser, G., & Titus, W. (1985). Pooling of unshared information in group decision making: Biased information sampling during discussion. Journal of personality and social psychology, 48(6), 1467.

Aronson, E., & Mills, J. (1959). The effect of severity of initiation on liking for a group. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59(2), 177.

Challenges in English Language Teaching

. LINUS HERTA

M.Phil, Research Scholar,

Research Department of English,

The American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract

            Language is dynamic and is arbitrary.  To teach literature is an easy task while teaching language to a learner is a real hard task.  For humans, language is not innate and human language has discrete, distinguishable sounds so they depend on various sources to acquire a language.  The only way of acquiring a language is through learning.  Learning is facilitated by different factors.  A learner acquires the target language from his surroundings, media, from the people he interacts but top of all classroom learning plays a pivotal role in learning a language.  Classroom learning is a mutual process in which both the teacher and the student involve, enhance and enlighten each other.  This leads to few challenges for both the teacher and the student in the learning process.  A teacher has to keep it simple and make the students get the essence of his ideas.  A teacher should know the calibre of the students and teach accordingly.  On the other hand a student has to respond correctly and should try to apply the concepts. ELT classroom learning, challenges both the teacher and the learner.  My paper throws light on the challenges faced by both of them.  The more the challenges are the more the innovations can be made which makes learning not a tedious and a monotonous task.  Challenges in English language teaching will open portals for novel methods of learning.

Keywords: classroom learning, challenges, teacher and student relation.

 Introduction

Language is a medium of communication.  Without knowing the structure and the proper usage of a language one cannot effectively communicate.  So language plays a significant role in day to day life.  Acquiring one’s mother tongue does not involve much labour but learning a second language gives the learner a hard and a challenging try.  Learning or acquiring a language is the ability to read it, speak it, write it and understand it when it is spoken.  In the present era learning a language is facilitated by variety of tangible factors like media, e- learning, and with the aid of advanced technology.  Recently there mushroomed few language classes which assure the audience of acquiring a language within thirty days.  With all these progressive methods taking their plight, classroom teaching had taken its stance from the very beginning of our educational and learning methods.  The teachers and the students support and enable each other.  To quote Bacon,” Language most shows a man: speak, that i may see.”  This quote of Bacon expounds the essential role played by language.  To teach a learner who has been newly introduced to the source language allows high end risks and challenges to the facilitator and the learner.  The challenges faced in ELT classrooms pave way for creative and innovative methods to make the learners understand and comprehend what they learn but all the while these methods had not effectively been an ultimate solution to the challenges but had been used as replacing tools which would establish a better way of learning.  Challenges have been a part and parcel of the teaching and learning process.  Both the student and the teacher face challenges in their own way. In reference to literature the challenges are comparatively less because literature reflects reality and it is the art of living.  On the other hand in the context of teaching a language the teacher has to be objective and has to start from the very basics and a student while learning a language creates a second identity.  Language is the launch pad for literature. One has to gain proficiency in language to plunge into literature.  There has been a pre-constructed notion that literature classes are lively and make the learner easily relate to the concepts and ideas discussed by drawing examples from real life incidents but language classes are way too boring because it mainly focuses on grammar, structure and the four skills.  Being put into this confined notion, language teaching take tough grounds to explicitly express itself to the learner.  Therefore English language teaching involves much challenge for both the teachers and the students.

Objective of the study

The main objective of the study is to expound the challenges faced by both the facilitator and the learner in an English language teaching classroom.

Hypotheses

The following are the hypotheses of this explanatory study

(1) Teachers fail to motivate the students individually and their main objective is to finish the portion

 (2) Teachers focus only on the classroom goals not beyond it.

 (3) Learner’s morbid fear to learn English and their lack of interest.

 (4) Learners ego towards the target language.

Research Questions

The following are the questions addressed in the research paper

 (1) Why do the English language teachers fail to give the students their desired knowledge? (2) Why do innovative methods in teaching English language one way or the other fail?

 (3) Why do learners find it difficult to converse in English even though they are exposed to all skills?

Review of Literature

Rivers (1983) discussed the importance of discovering the student’s needs and motivating them towards the goal. Arora (2012) elucidated on the learner centred approaches.

  Discussion

Firstly, let us throw light on the challenges faced by the teacher in an ELT classroom.  In a bird’s eye view Teachers are looked upon as the disseminators of knowledge and the ones who enlighten the students in all aspects of their life.  The role of teacher is to teach.  Their profession to teach make it look very easy from outside but a teacher faces many challenges in and outside the classroom.  To narrow down, let us discuss the challenges faced by a teacher in an ELT classroom.  The language teacher in all cases need not necessarily be a native speaker of the language so the first challenge a teacher faces is to gain a thorough command over the subject because students mostly imitate their teachers.  Secondly the teacher should make the students understand the structure of the target language because students are familiar and are thorough with the structures of the source language.  A language teacher has to make it clear to the students about the differences first yet this is not an easy task because the students are soaked for years together in speaking, reading, writing and listening in their mother tongue.  Next the teacher should be the bright light that shines upon the students to drive out their ignorance and fear.  Students face morbid fears in learning a new language and in case of English it is very intense.  Most of the students do not develop a love for English for they find it difficult to learn.  The students face an ego in learning a language.  The teacher should nourish the students by positive comments and outlook towards learning it.  To motivate the students is definitely a hard task for the teacher. Motivation is an abstract factor which will effectively aid the learning skills of the students if it is done in the right way.  Motivating a class as a whole will not help effectively but a teacher should find time to motivate the students individually.  A teacher’s main challenge is in knowing the students culture, background, linguistic capability and their emotional state.  The main challenge faced by a teacher in ELT classroom is in knowing the calibre of each student and designing the syllabus and the teaching methods accordingly.  A single student’s progression does not project the whole performance of the class.  So it is hard for the teacher to implement a lesson plan which will enable the students of mixed abilities.  It is difficult for the teacher to get in pace with every students learning speed because as for the class it is an amalgam of both potential students and slow learners.  The teacher should make it to the point that he should not bore the high calibre students by repeating the drills and thereby making the class tedious and should not rush up so that the slow learners will find it difficult to catch up.  As language is primarily speech it is a challenge for the teacher to make the students pronounce and spell the right word.  Since language is ambiguous the teacher should make the students understand the different meanings of the same word.  Example: Bank, mobile.  As for writing the teacher’s challenge is to make the students understand the different audience for whom they write.  Teachers should make the students not to mess the existing inherent structure of their mother tongue with the target language’s structure.  Since speaking in English is practised only in English class the teacher has to constantly motivate the students to speak in English in every other class.  The teacher should not only teach the students but also give them ample opportunities to use the language. Creating such opportunities demand creativeness and tireless effort from the side of the teacher.  Since language is taught to students from different discipline a teacher should be able to draw references from their main stream study to expound the concepts in an easy way.  There is always a stark line between the language teachers and the subject teachers but they should cross their lines to make the learning process easy in classroom.  A language teacher has to be creative and should think out of the box often.  Language teaching has to be a balanced mixture of activities and classroom teaching.  As for the language games it is not always convenient.  Certain games are impractical to apply in a classroom ambiance so for this kind of inconvenience a teacher should find alternative methods to engage the students.  Language teachers should not be like that of the clichéd subject teachers who demand the passiveness of the students in class.  The teacher should make the students involve in classroom activities.  A language teacher should cater to the needs and wants of the learner.  So a teacher should adopt learner centred approaches.  English language teacher to the optimum should avoid using the source language in the class but it is really a difficult task because it is hard for the students to understand certain abstract ideas and concepts and in the side of the teacher he would beat about the bush rather than keeping it simple.

The teachers are not the only people who face challenges in an ELT classroom.  The students do find it difficult.  In an ELT classroom the student faces the challenge of learning something alien to him.  The student is at ease while speaking his mother tongue because he hears it often, listens to it and is used to it but learning a language which is totally new to him subjects him to fear and quite a times makes the student feel inferior.  With all these things weighing him down, a student cannot proceed learning a language which will be an ultimate failure.  The learners are afraid to commit mistakes because they are shy.  This is universal but a learner should be ready to refine himself in the process of learning thereby by to confront all the challenges without any fear.  The learner is much used to his mother tongue, the structures of it and how they work it gives them a hard time to imbibe the new structures of a language which often leaves them confusticated.  The students use translation to understand English but this will not help them in a long run because if they are asked to speak in English it takes a whole lot of time for them to think in their mother tongue and translate it and then to speak.  So the students must not encourage themselves to think in their mother tongue but to think in English which will improve their learning skills.  To think in English by students can be rightly defined by John Keats’s quote, “To think is full of sorrow” but a student should practice it.  The slow learners in the class should not be discouraged or feel bad for making mistakes in learning process because “Learning is not being successful but becoming successful”.  A student should always focus on the goal rather than washed out by the temporary failures.  A student should try to understand his errors and should not feel hesitant to clear his doubts.  Many students concern of learning English is to crack their final exam but they have to downplay the final exams and should focus on the rewards of learning English can fetch them.

Summation

English language teaching in the midst all its challenges has find a way to widen its arena by the innovations made in this field.  A language teacher should play the role of a facilitator rather than considering them as the authoritative power and the students should develop a desire rather fears to learn English.  The challenges in ELT classrooms pull the student and the teacher out of their own zones and put them in a space to confront it thereby shaping them for betterment.

References

Rivers, M. W. (1983). Communicating naturally in a second language theory and practice in language teaching. Cambridge: Press syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

Arora, Navita. (2012). English language teaching approaches and methodologies. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited.

Abercrombie, David. (1963). Problems and principles in language study. Hong Kong: Peninsula Press Ltd.

 

Discourse Techniques in African Poetry: A Review of Literature

Stanley Somtochukwu Ebede, CNP, MA.

School of Kinesiology, Allied Health and Human Services

University of Northern Iowa, USA

203 Wellness and Recreation Center, Cedar Falls IA 50614

ABSTRACT

The study of discourse techniques in African written literature not just limited to poetry is a crucial and important area of study in the fields of academic as literature is becoming more indigenized and localized to suit author’s environment, language and culture and world view in multi-language society. The purpose of this study is to perform a detailed analysis of discourse techniques used in African poetry specifically examining the techniques used in two African literary works: Chants of Despair authored by Ngozi’s Chuma Udeh (2010) and Omeile Vol one authored by Asika Ikechukwu (2011) The study examines the use of language, proverbs, code mixing and code switching, and even nature names used. Furthermore, the findings will highlight some hidden and unfamiliar meaning as well as providing a clear-cut and detailed discussion of some of the discourse techniques that might enable individuals to understand and interpret the message in African poetry and other genres of literature. Generally, this study will provide techniques for analysis of some hidden thematic issues, critical and scholarly review of literature as well as paving way for future studies.

 

KEYWORDS

African, Discourse Techniques, Literature, Poet, Poetry

 

INTRODUCTION

For African authors to be well understood, the need to understand their language, culture and worldview become necessary. This is where discourse techniques play crucial roles in the understanding and interpretation of the indigenized works of art that reflect on the African aliment. Discourse techniques help to unveil and unfold hidden meanings in the works of art and literature. The role of poetry in society can never be over emphasizes neither will its study and interpretation be exhausted. African authors are greatly influenced by the social, cultural economic, religious as well as political happenings in societies. According to Ofoegbu (2012), discourse techniques refers to the language techniques used by authors to achieve an aim in a given piece and it is considered as the language of the writer in a work of literature. According to the author, these discourse techniques include (1) use of language, (2) local idioms, (3) proverbs, (5) code mixing and code switching, (6) unfamiliar terms and comic expressions, (6) transliteration and (7) use of nature names. The written literature we know today which consists of three genres of literature including poetry, drama and prose are part of the western acclimatization as a result of colonization and acquisition of the western education. The art of writing and literacy are part of African colonial heritage and Africans have over the time explored this gain of written literature to express the social –political, as well as economic realities around them. There was a great need for African literature through a colonial legacy to speak in African voice and these are part of the obvious reason that trigger African writers to search inwards for that which will help to elevate their literature and mark it out from the rest of literature produced in all parts of the world.

Olateju (1998) posits that discourse techniques are used to describe activities and various disciplines and human endeavors such as socio-linguistics, psycholinguistics, philosophical linguistics, computational linguistics and education. The analysis of discourse techniques in any work of art is very important. Style is the manner of linguistic expression in prose or verse and it is how a speaker or writer says things. The characteristic style of a work or a writer may be analyzed in terms of its diction, the sentence structure and its syntax (Abrams & Hogg, 1990). The concreteness of the details chosen, the diction, the images and figures of speech contributes to the meaning of a literary work (Nwoga, 1981).

African authors have to turn the oral tradition, folktale materials and other social-cultural elements around them to express themselves in a unique way; to speak in the typical voice of their people in such an artistic manner in which the quality of the message of their writing is not lost to the outside reader. The best African today is the writer who blends and experiments with traditional passion of his people and should make such sense to the outside world. The word ‘writing’ is clarified not simply to mean the graphic notation of language, but to include the unpleasant distinctions of language that are derived from an intricate historical intertextual process within which an utterance or a text is situated (Akingbe, 2014). This is what we witnessed in the works of many authors including the two volumes of poetry; Chants of Despair and Omeile Vol 1 by Ngozi Chuma-Udeh and Asika Ikechukwu respectively which are the main focus in this study. The scope of this study is limited to the works of these African poets (Nigerian poets). Both poets are from the eastern part of Nigeria.

Asika (2011a) asserted that authors play a prominent and significant role in the social-reeducation, re-orientation, and re-direction of their societies. Literature functions and help to shape one’s attitudes and lifestyle. Poetry though one of the earliest genres of literature seems to be the most dreaded of all other. Abada and Ezenwa (2009) explored poetry from several related dimensions. The authors asserted that some people have considered poetry from the point of view of rhythmic articulation. Poetry has become one of the variable tools ad writers articulates their perceptions and beliefs as it affects the society (Chukwueloka, 2011). Authors are greatly influenced by the social, cultural economic, religious as well as political situations in the society. In search of the message of authors hidden in symbols and languages, we attempt a study of discourse techniques in the works of two selected poets and their collections (Omeile and Chants of Despair).

DISCOURSE TECHNIQUES IN OMEILE VOL.1

Omeile is a poem that focused on the ranting, chants and travails of an uncivilized warrior Omeile, who has refused to accept the changes necessary in African’s modern era rather would hold tenaciously on his cherished and idealized views of the primitive and ways of life that is fast breaking.  The poet makes his collection of poetry a master piece by his use of language, code mixing and code switching, figures of speech, transliteration, proverbs and these have a much desired appeal on both readers and critics alike.

  1. USE OF PROVERBS

Proverb as a discourse technique used in Omeile by Asika Ikechukwu aid the readers in understanding and appreciating the message of the poem and enhances them for a feeling of change in attitude. Ofoegbu (2012) posits that the use of proverb in Omeile are very strategic as they capture and bound a reader, leaving the person to wonder at the mastery and usage of proverbs by the poet. The author further suggested that the use of proverbs sometimes flow with the line of literary work because the writer structures them in such a way that one might think that the proverbs follow themselves. However, it is a discourse technique used by the writer to captivate the readers.

In Omeile, the first few proverbs used by the poet occurred when the main character Omeile summons and appeals to the spirit. In Asika (2011b), the proverbs read:

The mother goat knows on whose skin the drummer rattles (pg.8)

 

The leopard knows in his head whose skin adorns the shoulder of the of the mighty king (pg.8)

 

When the sound of the king’s tusk is heard, the elephant remembers the voice of the lone brother lost (pg.8)

 

See the little bird perching on the Ngige, is full of dance (pg.8)

 

The old woman never grows old in a dance that she knows in heart (pg.9)

 

The above proverbs used in the in the introductory part of the poem did not only warn the African people about the danger of abandoning their culture but on the dangers of colonialism and the loss of African culture. Omeile tries to tell the readers his knowledge of the tricks and cunnings of the white men who exploited African to build their own world of civilization and he tries to express all these in his heavily worded proverbs. The over-emotional proverbs exist to remind the African people about the beauty of traditional culture which they are at the very of abandoning totally. This is a culture that motivates and inspires him and he wishes us to see a culture as a traditional way of life. Another proverb reads:

            Where a child cries and point, if the mother is not there, the father it (pg.10)

This proverb reinforces the seriousness of his message, for he knows why he is really crying about the loss of African traditional value. He believes that lack of culture robs ones his dignity and personality and that is what Omeile believes that happened to many Africans including himself. He used to be a warrior, but his marriage to Ekemma, a symbolism of his acceptance of civilization robbed him of all his warrior pose.

In the proverbs of Ikenga, another character in the poem, the poet recounts how we went wrong and how African culture was abandoned in pursuance of foreign culture in the name of modernism and civilization.  Ikenga used the following proverbs:

Forward……forward is the movement of a monkey, once it jumps backwards, it will fall into the traps pf death (pg.13).

 

Remember it is the leaf that sweet a goat/that kills it (pg.14)

 

Omeile, the bush that detest the basket let it meet and produce mushrooms (pg.14)

 

He who wants to know all the Nso ala. Does he want to live in the sky? (pg.14)

 

Omeile, the hen that has a face should not lose its side gaze (pg.14)

 

The person whose elephantiasis of his scrotum is under cure, may his stomach not swell as well (pg.15).

 

The going of a war is not like the coming (pg.15)

 

The above proverbs were used by Ikenga to warn Omeile when they were going to war. Ikenga was warning him of his dignity and manhood. This is also a warning about Africans’ negligence which brought about civilization and how their acceptance of it reduces us to mere mortals chasing after culture that is not theirs. The poet used proverbs as a discourse technique to strategically give way to hidden meanings and add values to the ideas and views expressed by Omeile. This will enable the reader to see a reality of the gains and losses of civilization.

  1. USE OF CODE MIXING

The use of code mixing refers to the mixing of two or more language varieties in a discourse or sentence strings (Ofoegbu, 2012). In the poem, each line goes with the presence of code mixing. The use of code mixing enhances the work and the message intended. The blood nature words from the Igbo language present the reader with an environment of Igbo traditional scene. Code mixing was used to express specific ideas with specific terms.

I have a palm kernel smeared in Ukpaka and Mangala fish (pg.6)

 

Like the memories of Omarimma, my first love (pg.7)

 

Let the Yokiliyo sound be heard (pg.8)

 

We stood before the chief priest Ikenga, the great (pg.11)

 

I painted your eyelashes with Otengele dark as Indigo (pg.32)

 

May Amadioha… May Ngene… May Omaliko… (pg.63)

 

Let Ulasi… (pg.63)

 

It is all man for himself now, Onyenankenya (pg.84)

The use of code mixing in the above lines is very significant. The poet used code mixing as an escape hatch and as a means of expression of facts that Omeile is warrior caught in chains of civilization. The discourse techniques may not be peculiar to the poet alone. Ofoegbu (2012) asserted that code-mixing is the very foundation of Omeile because the names of the actors Omeile and Ekemma were also derived from Igbo Language. The author further stated that the poet would have gone for western names rather he chose to remain in Africa.

  1. DICTION AND PLACEMENT OF WORDS

          The diction and placement of words in Omeile cannot be overlooked because they are very significant. Ofoegbu (2012) defines diction as an author’s choice of words while placement of words refers to the way an author arranges his words. The diction in Omeile is multidimensional because of the use of biblical passage as style of writing. For example

Land, fame, ventures and things of the world. It was there before we come; they still will remain rooted to the earth years after our voices are hushed (pg.26)

 

No sunshine ever hurts you during the day nor the terrifying rainfall in the night (pg.34)

 

Let this hour be his last, let no breath come again his lungs, let him be cursed and blinded to death, let him drink from the cup of their vengeance, let him die the death of a coward (pg.57)

 

The above lines look like that of the bible in the book of Ecclesiastes chap 1 vs 2 that talks about vanity upon vanity; Psalm 121 vs 6 that talks about “the sun will not harm you by day, nor moon by night”; and Psalm 109 vs 6-20. Omeile’s choice of words falls under the simple and everyday vocabulary. It is enclosed, concise and clear. The poet abided the use of high sounding and jaw breaking grammars.

            The placement of words is done in such a way that meaning is not lost and the element of Igbo language is not lost too. The following are some of the examples used in the poem.

Ikenga stood before me, eyeball to eyeball we look (pg.13)

When gbalagbala goes excessive, it becomes madness (pg.14)

Red oil of blood (pg.15)

But the precious liquids form the eyes of the goddess (pg.28)

May your soul rest in peace (pg.54)

Like hinge beaten dogs, they are (pg. 59)

The aforementioned examples show how the poet puts certain words side by side thereby creating word pictures in the minds of his readers. As a descriptive writer, the poet describe Ekemma in Omeile just as Ofoegbu (2012) asserted that description is the habit of Omeile and it has helped in adding flavor to the boiling pot of poetry. In other words, diction and placement of words are one of the basic foundations in poetry writing.

 

DISCOURSE TECHNIQUES IN CHANTS OF DESPAIR

Chants of Despair is poetry collection where the author tries to draw people’s attention to the monumental abuse, injustice, and poverty glaring in the society. The collection focus on the action and inactions of the government who are supposed to better lots of the people but they end up amassing wealth, depositing millions of Naira in foreign accounts and spelling out poverty and doom on the entire civilization. Ujowundu (2011) conducted in the collection just as Ofoegbu (2012) did with Omeile. The study ranks among the pioneering efforts in interpreting the message that lay buried in the collection.

            Ujonwundu (2011) asserted that Chants of Despair is a poem in three parts which portray the individuals’ frustration. Chuma Udeh, is just as angry as the older poets who have lived to satirize the society through their creature as the protest is not the end an expression of hate for humanity. The discourse techniques entail a wide range of ideas and patterns. They include the use of language and diction which boils down to choice of words and sentence pattern. The use of foregrounding of imagery, proverbs , code mixing and switching, figures of speech, direct transliteration, allusions and symbols among many others. No single study can be able to critically and meticulously examine all these because it can amount a textbook of his own. A research can only select aspects of these techniques for a detailed discussion. Other researchers with similar interest will pick up several other areas of these discourse techniques all geared toward a holistic understanding of the message in a given work of art. The use of language and the use of proverbs in Chants of Despair as part of discourse techniques will bring the message to limelight and serves as a key to unlocking hidden meanings and inter-textual materials in the poem.

  1. FOREGROUNDING OF IMAGERY AND USE OF LANGUAGE

            Language is very essential to the understanding of any work of art and is a tool available for any writer. Authors use language in such a way that any serious minded reader will understand their message. Ofoegbu (2012) asserted that the use of language had remained a very important issue in the analysis of any discourse. Discourse involves language plus context according to some discourse analysts. It looks at how language can be used to achieve aims and objectives in human development.

            Language is central to any work of art and can never be over emphasized. According to Umeh (1991), language is the medium for poetic utterances, the vehicle with which the poet transmits his message. The effectiveness or otherwise of this utterance of this message depends largely on the nature and quality of language used. In modern Nigeria, language has helped immensely in determining meaning sometimes. It has also helped to direct and clarify meaning while at other times language has helped to impede and distort meaning.

            The poet’s success in her writing could attribute greatly to her use of language. She used language to give out message to the readers. She describes the level of poverty and actions of African leaders with passion and hatred. The port also used foregrounding of imagery to draw imageries so close to the forecourt of the readers. The following lines analyzed the argument.

I was named Despair not because my mother had the good grace to know the commonest of English syntax; nor because of the stabs of bleakness swarming around me like our ever present neighbors, the green eyed houseflies; not because of the reality of the stark is because of the abject scarcity which has become my dearest companion….my status has nothing to do with the genesis of my name (pg.3)

I was named Despair because when I was born beside the putrid, shaking gutters, behind our rat infested, rickety shanty. Where my mother had no choice than to function as both doctor and midwife put together, my mother’s strangled gnarls of pains, My mother’s helpless labor screeching attracted the hand of fate, as she labored aided by hordes of flies (pg.4)

I was named Despair because Ikoro spoke out of Revulsion. Ikoro spoke out of frustration. Ikoro spoke out of cheer disgust. Ikoro spoke from the depth of his very demented soul. Ikoro spoke from the very profundity of his frenzied psyche. Ikoro expostulated out of cheer antipathy for wickedness before him. Ikoro summed up the episode in the scene before him in a phrase, a phrase that clinched accurately my fate and that of my mother (pg.7).

…little did she not realized that some other woman, just a few kilometers apart; in our mosquito infested ghetto was at the same time undergoing the paroxysm of parturition near the putrid maggot sewer. With swarm of flies as the doctors on call and the rodents as ever dedicated nurse, waiting to devour the afterbirth and god help the baby if it comes hitting the head by the edge of the gutter (pg.17)

I tell you my brother, poverty is not a disease. Poverty is far from affliction. Poverty is not a lack or want …. Real poverty is a fate worse than cancerous virus. It gives no chance but eats up everything. It is worse than a corrosive acid. It devours a man and leaves him a weakling carcass. It makes a man a shadow thing (pg.11)

 

The above lines point out the picture of poverty, want, scarcity, suffering, and oppression and bring them closer to the reader. One can argue that so many poets can do this enhance the beauty of their work. Ujowundu (2011) asserted that the poet’s diction has rein structure as to reasons for naming her despair and the images portray depravity. Such expression as the stabs of bleakness swarming around. The images are so everlasting and real. One could feel and imagine how the stench odor and hordes of flies could become part of situation of poverty and suffering. The description of the environment portrays abject poverty and want. Even the absence of medical professionals all epitomizes helplessness and deprivation. These were made possible by the foregrounding of imagery and choice of words employed by the poet. The words “strangulate”, “gnarls of pain”, helpless labor screeching”, and hordes of flies” all expressed despair and decadent environment.

The poet with conscious and consistent use of language presents the living conditions of average citizens in Nigeria. The above words “revulsion”, “frustration”, and “disgust” are all expressions of anger disenchantment and frustration. The level of rise of imagery coincides with rise of anger in the voice and mind of the poet. In the poem, Ikoro is a picture of a wretched teacher who is highly intelligent but no money to justify his patriotism and excellence in knowledge. He is a stereotype of some forsaken teachers in Nigeria who languished slowly in various schools in rural areas. Poverty is being described with images of “mosquito infested ghetto”, “swarm of flies”, “rodents” and “gutter”. All lasting pictures of poverty and deprivation yields the message of the poem to the readers through the use of language.

  1. USE OF PROVERBS

            Another discourse techniques commonly used in the poem is the use of proverbs. Proverbs were used in such a level that they become the backbone for the interpretation of the message of the poem. Proverbs did not give the poet an authenticity as an African poet but also helped and structured the pattern and flow of her poetic thoughts. Proverbs in this poem are so weaved together that one cannot easily separate the two elements (spoken words and proverbs).

Do not laugh yet at the old woman whose wrapper is torn at the bottom until you get to the root of her dilemma between her buttocks and the wrapper (pg. 1)

 

How can you attempt a guess of which fly is blind, when you have never cooked the garri paste? For if you want to know the fly that is blind in one eyes, seek the help of the woman who cooks ogiri (pg.2)

 

How do you master the walking gate of the man with sagging waist cloth when you have never suffered from testicles hernia? (pg.2)

 

Perhaps soul brother, you may not understand the anguish of being Despair. It is only he who ate the meat knows the exact tooth its piece were stuck into…..Only he who wears the ant-infested trouser knows the exact place of the bites (pg.9).

 

It does not matter how long the chicken angles for the corn in the covered basket, it yearns in vain….Even if the rat does a hundred maters dash around a pot covered with another, in vain does it toil (pg.26).

 

If you want to understand the language of the sand, seek the counsel of the arts….if you want to decipher the whispers of the wind, solicit for the interpretations from the leaves….If you want to speak the language of the cloud, do not hesitate to ask the birds….if you want to know the language of want, seek the true color of hunger….ask me (pg.37).

 

The use of some proverbs in a rhetorical form in the above lines captivates the reader to fully appreciate the message of the poem. These proverbs were series of warning, cautions, and appeals which allow us to put ourselves in the shoes of poor individuals. The poet narrated the suffering and excruciating situation of a woman giving birth which made Ikoro to exclaim after watching the sordid and heart touching scenario. The poet further suggested that we should feel the woman’s pain suffering on amidst of plenty. These proverbs recommended that we are yet to understand the level of poverty in Nigeria and yet this a country that has the capacity and economy to cater for the citizens. The rich are getting richer, the poor poorer and this boils down to inequality and uneven distribution of wealth in the society. The wide gap between the rich and the poor is glaring and no matter how much the poor strive, they can never escape the poverty level. This is what the poet expressed with the above proverbs, a situation we must rectify in the future. In conclusion, the poet used proverbs to bring the message closer to the reader and make her message more sensible and authentic.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

As earlier discussed and examined, poets are the voices of their societies. They project societal norms, ills, and evils which they hope to win freedom and redeem their societies through their artistic visions and creative ingenuities. Literature has become the most viable way through which poets and authors, in general, express their individual’s concerns, fears and worries about society and cast aspersions on several institutions of evil and vices. Through this means, they hope to achieve peace and harmony for societal growth. This is an idea that makes language an essential part of writers’ work of art to be better understand the composition, construction, sentence patterning, presentation of imageries, use of figurative expressions and handling of some native issues.

This study examined the use of proverbs is Asika Ikechukwu’s Omeile. There were many proverbs used in the poem were neither accidentally nor unconsciously used. One with a thorough mind or critical mind will discover how these proverbs were weaved into various segments of the poem in order to heighten effect and achieve a desired purpose by the poet. These proverbs were structured in such a way that they combine effectively with the works of the poet and glued together that one anticipates a lot action, suspense and other series of event at the mention of any proverbs. The proverbs are so structured and well-tailored that when removed from the context will remain lifeless. In Ngozi Chuma Udeh’s Chants of Despair, the poet used foregrounding of imagery to demonstrate her appalling for the failures of African leaders and politicians which has reduced the citizens to poverty by expressing her thoughts in such a way that one can feel the bitterness and disgusting ideas. In addition, the poet also structured proverbs to direct the flow of her poetic thoughts and used foregrounding of imagery and other discourse techniques to bring hidden meanings to limelight.

Conclusively, the discourse techniques used in this study will enable individuals to easily penetrate, bring out so many hidden meanings, and digest the truth in art as well as being mindful of discourse techniques that were used in other genres of literature. This study demonstrated how the use of language and techniques of good poetry provide us with an understanding of some hidden thematic issues in any given work of art. Furthermore, the discourse techniques used in this study revealed many hidden truth and highlights how these poets used poetry to better the lots of African society. Future research are recommended to explore and analyze more discourse techniques in works that outcross other cultures and background for a more productive conclusion.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Abada, J.O.J, & Ezenwa, O. (2009). The poet and national development: implications for African literature of the twenty first century. Owerri Nig: Living Flames Resources.

Akingbe, N. (2014). Speaking denunciation: satire as confrontation language in contemporary Nigerian poetry. Afrika Focus, 27, 47-67.

Asika, I. (2011). Consolidating emerging democracy in Africa: The artist and society in a crossroad of vision. International Bilingual Journal of Anti-Corruption, Law, Humanities, Social Sciences and Development Studies, 2(2).

Asika, I. (2011). Omeile Vol 1: Nigeria. First Class Publishers.

Abrams, D., & Hogg, M. A. (1990). The context of discourse: let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Philosophical Psychology, 3(2-3), 219-225.

Chukwueloka, C. C. (2011). “Words as Bullets”, Poetry as a veritable tool for social criticism and reformation: A Study of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s Heart Songs and Waiting for Dawn. African Research Review, 5(4).

Chuma-Udeh, N. (2010). Chants of Despair: Nigeria. First Class Publishers.

Ofoegbu, C. (2012). Discourse techniques in Asika Ikechukwu’s Omeile vol 4: Journal of Arts and Contemporary society.

Olateju, M. A. (1998). Discourse Analysis: Analyzing Discourse in the ESL Classroom. Lagos: Crossland Educational Services.

Nwoga, D. I. (1967). West African Verse. An Anthology. Chosen and Annotated by Donatus Ibe Nwoga. London.

Ujowundu, C. (2011). Poetry and Disenchantment: The role of fate in chants of despair. Journal of Association of Nigerian Authors, 1(2).

Umeh, O. (1991). Poetry and Social Reality: The Nigerian Experience. Benamax Publishers Limited.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Stanley S. Ebede is a doctoral student in the School of Kinesiology, Allied Health and Human Services (KAHHS). He holds a Masters of Arts degree in Leisure, Youth and Human Services from the University of Northern Iowa, USA.  He co-authored the book Bugle Sounds for the Legend.  His current research studies revolve around student involvement and development of skills. He is engaged with Friends at Home as a Resident Assistant. Previously, he was employed as the Assistant Director for STEM program at the University of Northern Iowa, USA.

 

Enriching Relevant Vocabulary in Business English through Magazines

Faustina

M.Phil Scholar, Research Department of English

The American College,Madurai

Abstract

In the modern scenario, communication determines the success or growth of the business. Different terms and words are used in Business English. The people who are in business field must have relevant vocabulary to make an effective communication. Business magazines serves as a medium to learn vocabulary related to business. There are magazines like the business world and the economist which are exclusively for the business people. Entrepreneurs can gather knowledge of vocabulary by reading business contents and share market statistics in magazines. This paper throws light on enhancing vocabulary with the help of business magazines.

Background of the Study

Communication determines the success or the growth of the business.  Different types of words are used in business English.  The people in business field must have effective communication.  Magazines serves as a medium to learn vocabulary related to business.  There are some magazines like business world, economic times which are exclusively for business purpose.  Words in a sentence constitute its vocabulary.  Students can enrich their vocabulary through reading, listening, speaking and writing.  Vocabulary enrichment is very much needed in business environment.  Both producer and consumer need vocabulary to develop their business. Without communication business deal can end up in failure.  Students must have good vocabulary to have bright future in business field. Magazines play a major role in business field. Magazines are very much useful for students to enrich their vocabulary in business English. Students are encouraged to read magazines for developing their vocabulary.  Reading is must to students for enriching relevant vocabulary in business English.  Students can improve their vocabulary in business English by reading magazines which are also useful for them to improve their knowledge and ability.  In future, if students have business contract with foreigners, there is a necessity for them to have good communication with god vocabulary and that can also paves way for the success of their business.  Students can read business related article in magazines to improve their vocabulary.

Objective of the study

            The main objective of the study is to enrich vocabulary of MBA students in business English through magazines

Hypotheses

The following are the hypotheses of the study

  1. Magazines help MBA students to have effective communication
  2. Students can enrich their vocabulary by reading
  3. Business related article helps the students to move forward in their business
  4. Magazines promote business English

Review of Literature

            Without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed (Wilkins).  Words one like bottles and contain ideas just as bottles contain medicines (H. Dipple).  Passive vocabulary is the new method based on the principle of recognition or receptive vocabulary (Dr. West).  Reading makes a full man (Bacon).  Modern English usage and a god dictionary of synonyms which analyses the differences, should prove of great assistance (Mr. Fowler).

Research questions

  1. What is mean by the term vocabulary?
  2. Why do students should enrich vocabulary in business English?
  3. How do magazines play a major role?
  4. How can MBA students develop their vocabulary skills?
  5. Do magazines really help the students?
  6. What is the creative method that teacher can explore to teach business vocabulary?

Discussion

            Vocabulary is a fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the largest challenges in learning a second language. There are different types of vocabulary like active, passive, good vocabulary etc.  Without vocabulary nothing is possible.  Communication is very much needed for a successful business growth.  Vocabulary grows throughout our life.  Students expand their vocabularies by playing word games, print media help in enriching relevant vocabulary in business English e.g. magazines.  Students should enrich vocabulary in business English.  Without vocabulary there is no possibility for foreign trade.   Agreement between Indians and foreigners cannot be made. Communication is must for the growth of English.  A student can also be judged by others based on his/her vocabulary.

As per my study, MBA students have done many case study regarding business.  Many students are not aware of business magazines.  Students must enrich their vocabulary reading magazines like business world, the economist etc.  Vocabulary can be enriched by students in many ways like listening to news, reading newspapers, listening to some speech, etc but magazine also paves way for their vocabulary enrichment.  Learning vocabulary is the first step for trading in foreign companies.

The acquisition of new vocabulary is an ongoing process.  Learning new words in day to life encourages the students and increase their knowledge and ability.  Magazines and that too Business magazines play a vital role in enriching students’ vocabulary.  A student must have serious knowledge towards business.  BUSINESS INDIA is a magazine which is famous in our state.  It leads not only with business news but also deals with games, movies special, sports; cooking etc.   Nowadays students are much interested in sports and politics.  Magazines have separate allocation for Sports.

 I made a small study with an MBA student.  She says that she was very much interested in sports and she reads only sports news first both in magazine and newspaper.  Also she said that she came across many new vocabularies regarding business and she got interested in that. Students are encouraged though business magazines.  They can easily enrich their vocabulary in business and also they enrich their knowledge.  In the magazine called THE ECONOMIST is also the best business magazine which also deals with several issues with new varieties. Magazines make the students to develop their vocabulary skills.  Students can easily enrich relevant vocabulary by reading not only business articles but also other related news which includes several new vocabularies.

An MBA student will be useful if they read their related article in the magazine.  The same person as said before, she said that she got much addicted to the magazine because when she read the magazine she came across the article related to their MBA program.  She said that the article was very much useful to her.   From that article, she came across many vocabularies relate to business.  By reading magazines, by learning new vocabularies, students’ vocabulary can be enriched and they will be ready for the business scenario.  Magazines help the students to develop their communicative skill and also enhance their vocabulary skill.

            Teachers can use some creative method to teach business vocabulary.  Students can learn vocabularies in an interesting way.  The teacher can make the students to form a group.  5students carries a group. Several tasks can be given to students in a group.  An article can be given to a group and so five articles can be given to five groups and teacher can ask the students to read and to find new vocabularies which they don’t even come across before.  Students will be encouraged by the teachers by doing this way.   A case study can also be given to the students to each group.  By doing this students can be able to think of the idea and if they find new vocabulary they tend to think and refer dictionary and so they can improve their knowledge and thinking ability.

            Teachers can make the students by making them to engage in group activities. Each student can involve individually in a group activity.  They can easily think of new words and shows their individuality in their own way.  Teachers can also make their students to show their ability and knowledge.  Teacher can also encourage the students by have some group games and also they can give some compliments to the students and so the students can feel free and learn new vocabularies.  Teachers can make the students to communicate effectively by teaching them relevant vocabulary in business English.

Summation

In the present scenario, Vocabulary plays a major role in business world.  Student who wants to become a good Entrepreneur must have good vocabulary skills so that students can make them ready for global business scenario and they can get success in their business field. Magazines can be much useful for enriching vocabulary n business English.

Reference

Arora, N. (2012). English Language Teaching Approaches and Methodologies. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited.

Rivers, M. W. (1983). Communicating naturally in a Second Language Theory and Practice in language teaching. Cambridge: Press syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

Dash, B. N. (2004). Teaching of English. New Delhi: Dominant Publishers And Distributors.

Use of One Act Plays for Developing Soft Skills

Hari Narayanan MA

M.Phil Scholar, Research Department of English

The American College, Madurai


Abstract

This paper is an attempt to show how One Act Plays can be used for developing Soft Skills.  Soft skills are important for those who aspire to become part of business world.  In Indian Universities, certain undergraduate courses like B.com, BBA, etc., are the most sought often courses of study.  There is a dire need to develop and cone the conversational and soft of the students who chose management courses aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs.  This paper seeks to present how one act plays can be used to hone/shape the soft skills of the students.  One act plays are more appealing to the contemporary youths than full length plays for convenience’s sake.  One act plays present life like situations through the conversation of the character involved.  By imbibing characters reaction in the Plays students unconsciously develop soft skills to become successful entrepreneurs in business world.  By teaching soft skills through one act plays the students can better their interpersonal relationship in business too.

Introduction

            Soft skills are life skills. Soft skills are important for those who aspire to become part of the business world.  In Indian Universities and colleges, certain Undergraduate courses like B.com, BBA, etc., are the most sought often courses of study.  There is a dire need to develop and hone the conversational and soft skills of the students who choose management courses aspiring to become to become successful entrepreneurs.  Soft skills include communication skills, courtesy, flexibility, positive attitude, interpersonal skills, etc.,  Of these said skills, developing interpersonal skills that include other professionalism, team work, work ethic, time management skills, coping with pressure, self confidence, critical thinking and problem solving is of foremost importance for aspiring entrepreneurs.  This paper seeks to present how one act plays can be used as a strategy to teach soft skills, especially for developing their interpersonal skills needed for future entrepreneurs.

Objective of the Study

            The aim of the study is to use staging of the play as a pedagogic technique to teach B.com/BBA students to develop their interpersonal skills for successful entrepreneurship.

Hypotheses

  1. Stage of play involves multi-tasking that requires interpersonal relationship and cooperation.
  2. Play will develop the participants’ soft skills in an implicit and interesting manner.

Research Questions

  1. Can interpersonal skills be developed in a controlled environment like classroom?
  2. If, yes whether pedagogic skills are available to teach them?
  3. How will staging of play be useful as a pedagogic technique to teach soft skills?

Discussion

            Soft skills are needed to interact with the external world of conglomerate customer for a successful businessman.  One has to interact and communicate in order to gain acceptance in the modern world of intensive competition.  Soft skills help to build social relationships.  These skills, mainly the interpersonal skills form the core of anyone involved in management and business.  They develop positive self esteem which helps in defining a businessman’s role in the society.  If an individual involved in management cannot communicate or work as a team, then he/she will feel alienated and withdrawn.  Interpersonal skills form an indispensable part of the life of an entrepreneur.

            Customary classrooms do not provide ample scope or space for the students.  In a teacher-centred classroom, the students become passive listeners.  Passivity blunts the students’ ability to develop the necessary interactive soft skills, i.e., interpersonal skills need for learner-centred activities become essential to develop the much needed skills.  Teacher-centred classroom make the students conscious of their shortcoming and does not provide the atmosphere for mastering the interpersonal skills naturally.

            One act plays can be used effectively to enable the students since enacting the plays can develop their communicative skills unconsciously.  A trained memory is the great asset a student can develop to be successful in life.  When the students are involved not only in parroting the conversations in the plays but also in stage managements, their socially acceptable traits like self awareness, self-regulation, empathy and self-motivation develop unconsciously.

            A successful entrepreneurs needs to be good at planning, organizing, staffing, heading, controlling and motivating the co-workers or his team mates.  Rehearsing and staging one-act plays provides the right opportunity and platform to develop these opportunity and platform to develop these skills since these skills involve all the skills that come under soft skills or interpersonal skills.

            There are many problems faced by working personnel like lack of communicative ability, failure to communicate ideas while involving in team work and management, organizing, leading and other management skills.  Training the students in managing and staging one act plays offers enough scope for the students even within the classrooms to acquire these managerial skills effectively.

            Staging a one-act play involves the back stage or preparatory activities like selection of the play, casting and rehearsal.  The production of the play involves stage management, costume selection; make up, lights arrangement, promotion, seating of audience, and above all stage performance.  All these activities can be turned into a learner-centered activity once the students are divided into groups to take care of each activity.  Then the groups’ responsibility and roles can be reshuffled to provide enough scope for all the students to learn all the skills.

            Learning the language skills through literature is the main purpose of using one-act plays as a pedagogic tool.  Students can memorize the conversations in the play and play their roles.  This will enhance their communication skills.  Hearing other characters’ conversations will develop their listening and cooperative skills.  The students learn the need to empathize with the other characters and learn the importance of listening which is an essential component of interactive skills.  Rehearsing the play enables the students to become fluent and spontaneous in conversation, and this will boost their morale, confidence and positive attitude.  These are the basic skills needed for aspiring entrepreneurs, while playing different roles, some characters are vigorous speakers, some active listeners and some flexible passive participants relying on their body language to express their emotions.

            To stretch the experience of the learners a little further, it is not a mere assumption that acquiring language skills (communicative skills) are no small task. Wordplay precedes character.  One can win or lose a situation by the proper use or misuse of words.  Words can be ironic, deceptive, artful, innovative, ambiguous, equivocal, suggestive, crafty or plain (straightforward).  Words are used for thought transference.  The learners by playing out situations as presented in the one-act plays can learn the nuances of vocabulary.  This will further boost their confidence when they meet people in real-life situations.  Learning the proper usage of words will enhance their wit, intelligence, inventiveness and understanding since words can ne figurative, funny, literal, gainful or painful.

            Thus teaching soft skills or interpersonal skills by involving the students in one-act plays makes learning a learner-centered one.  Further entrepreneurs acquire the work ethic, team work and management skills by allowing them to choose the roles according to their ability.  Enacting one-act plays keeps the students engaged and active.  The teacher can help in choosing the right one-act plays for the future entrepreneurs.  Involving the students in one-act plays also provides maximum speaking practice while enacting real life contexts.

Summation

            Staging of plays involves interpersonal relationship irrespective of the roles the participants play.  The interesting nature of the activity increases the participatory involvements of the students by thus increasing learners’ interest by better results.

The out of the text learning experience give greater weight age to learning, which is students-centric, then teaching which is teacher centric.  One-act plays are more appealing to the modern youth since it is less time consuming.  By imbibing characters’ reaction in the plays, the students unconsciously develop soft skills to become successful entrepreneurs in the business world.  By learning soft skills through out one-act plays, the students can better their interpersonal relationship in business too.

Reference

Bhatnagar, N., Bhatnagar, M. (2012). New Delhi: Dorling Kindersley. Pvt ltd.

Weimer, M. (2002). Learner Centred Teaching. San Francisco. Wiley Co

Publications.

Luoma, S. (2004). Assessing Speaking. United Kingdom: Cambridge University

Press.

Life as suffering in Michael Haneke’s Amour and Syvia Plath’s Bell Jar

Chung Chin-Yi

National University of Singapore


‘Amour’ rationalizes mercy killing. The slow deterioration of Anne also prevents the audience from judging Georges for finally snapping and killing Anne before he commits suicide. There is a great feeling of relief for the two in this situation which prevents us from judgement. The amount of sacrifice Georges has made for Anne is immense and we do not judge him for killing her in her deteriorative state. George’s suffering reflects what life is all about: conflict, and since Anne can’t defend herself, she’s actually better dead.As with Amour,Plath’s suicide is almost a relief to the decline she has been suffering in gradually being enslaved to a man and entrapped with children. Many of us judge those who commit suicide as weak and unstable but given the amount of pain we are exposed to in Amour and Plath’s novel, suicide indeed seems a form of relief and escape. While not entirely rationalizing suicide or mercy killing, the gradual decline and excruciating pain that we witness in the characters make us sympathize with the decision to simply escape life through self harm.Yet we are made to see their hubris as they take fate into their own hands rather than let the divine determine it. We are left wondering if they escape in this life but will escape condemnation by the divine for self harm in the next.

Keywords: Suicide, Mercy killing, Life,Suffering,Pain

A story such as ‘Amour’, which involves the deterioration of a stroke victim and her husband’s brave efforts to care for her, become harsh when true-life events are reproduced realistically. Haneke does not entirely keep to grimness and then throws in a twist ending.The stroke victim is Anne, who lives with her husband, Georges, both retired music teachers. When Anne spaces out at the breakfast table one morning, Georges knows something is wrong but Anne doesn’t seem to have any memory of the incident. It turns out she has a blocked carotid artery but after undergoing surgery, Anne ends up paralyzed on one side.

The first half of ‘Amour’ involves Georges’ efforts to help Anne with her rehabilitation. He holds her up out of her wheelchair and she takes feeble steps, using her one good leg, and dragging the other. Eventually, Anne has another stroke, which reduces her to a child-like state; often, she talks in gibberish. Georges becomes more frustrated as there are moments when Anne refuses to swallow the soft food Georges is trying to spoon feed her.

Outside visitors occasionally intrude on Anne and Georges’ sad world. Early on, before the second stroke, one of Anne’s students, a well-known classical pianist pays a visit and asks Anne what happened to her. She doesn’t want to discuss her situation, merely stating that her condition is a result of ‘old age’. Later, Anne and Georges’ daughter, Eva, pays a visit, and argues with her father, recommending that she put Anne in a home. Georges’ reacts angrily and considers Eva’s suggestion heartless. It eventually comes out that the relationship between daughter and parents is not good, primarily due to her British-born husband, who apparently the parents did not care for too much.

After Georges decides to hire a second nurse, he discovers that this particular woman has been mistreating Anne. Georges fires the nurse but she indignantly claims that she’s never had a problem before with any of her employers and rudely curses the old man, before leaving.The visitors to the apartment, however, serve to break up the monotony of Anne’s deterioration, not only for Georges but for the audience as well. The film is almost unbearable as it documents the depressing decline of Anne and we find it almost impossible to watch on as she becomes a shadow of her former self.

‘Amour’ turns into a crime drama  when the caring Georges, suddenly decides he cannot take it anymore, and suffocates Anne with a pillow. He prepares the body so that when the police finally arrive, Anne appears in a dignified state. He also seals the door with masking tape, presumably to prevent the foul odor from permeating the apartment. Then Georges pens a final note and while it’s not entirely clear, it appears he commits suicide, to join his wife in death. Right before the note, Georges captures a pigeon that has flown into the apartment, but lets it go, perhaps symbolizing that he has freed Anne by effecting the mercy killing.

‘Amour’ rationalizes mercy killing. The slow deterioration of Anne also prevents the audience from judging Georges for finally snapping and killing Anne before he commits suicide. There is a great feeling of relief for the two in this situation which prevents us from judgement. The amount of sacrifice Georges has made for Anne is immense and we do not judge him for killing her in her deteriorative state. George’s suffering reflects what life is all about: conflict, and since Anne can’t defend herself, she’s actually better dead. In a very satisfying scene, Georges dismisses an incompetent nurse by telling her “I hope that you have the misfortune to be treated exactly the way that you treat your patients when you are helpless.” Helpless,is the state of Anne, and Georges is the only one to understand that she needs someone who treats her like an adult. One of the most devastating scenes occurs when Anne refuses to drink, George’s reaction is shocking but believable, he slaps and forces her to drink. Indeed, we’d never harm those who love, except if they try to harm themselves. The slap Georges gave is a sort of defense he applies in the name of Anne’s soul, because she can’t respond for herself. George suffers on behalf of Anne.

 Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant portray well the close loving bond of a very compatible couple and its disintegration as illness permanently changes the relationship. Over two hours one witnesses the affectionate camaraderie the couple shares degenerate into painful co-dependence. The wife, independent and intelligent, is reduced to a gibbering shadow of herself – treated with unwanted pity and undignity.Her husband, anxious that not only has he lost the woman who means most to him, cannot bear to see her suffer either. He is tormented by the enormous responsibilities he feels. When Anne’s health begins to deteriorate rapidly due to a series of strokes, Georges assumes the role of full-time caregiver. Like all of us facing this situation, Georges is confronted with the dilemma of keeping Anne at home where she can be cared for by the man who loves her, or of placing her in an unfamiliar nursing home where she could be looked after by professional caregivers who would, however, be strangers. Georges chooses the former, despite the tremendous physical and emotional burden it places on him. This is clearly a couple who takes their “for better or for worse…in sickness and in health…till death do us part” wedding vows to heart. We aren’t shown the kinds of trials Georges and Anne’s love has had to endure over the years for them to have arrived at this point. But something has held them together all this time, and we sense that their life experiences and their commitment to one another have prepared them for this final challenge. Anne’s illness becomes the test in which all lingering frictions will be burned away and out of which their love will emerge as solid and indestructible. For only in times of utmost suffering and pain can love be manifested in its truest and purest form. And this is the message of Georges and Anne’s story: true love is  being selfless, the act of giving.

            One might say the Bell Jar is about Plath’s regret that she is not a man with a phallus, because that condition might actually enable her to lead a life of authenticity and freedom. Being female comes with the expectations of eventually becoming a domestic keeper no matter what one has achieved prior to getting married, as Plath mentions when she says men like Buddy Willard intend to serenade her with high romance only to iron her out flat like a mat like Buddy Willard’s mother after marriage, reduced to a life of menial household chores and work that revolves entirely around the family while Buddy Willard lives a double life of male hypocrisy and is able by virtue of his status as a male to engage in casual sex with a waitress.

            Plath is also repulsed by the idea of sex, as she finds that it is an act of violence towards women and not in the least attractive as a prospect. Upon Buddy Willard exposing his male genitals to her, Plath confesses that all she can think about is turkey neck and gizzards, the male organ does not stimulate her sexually and when she first has a sexual encounter in order to get revenge on Buddy Willard for his casual attitude towards sex with an older professor she bleeds incessantly, demonstrating that the sexual act has more gratification for males than females and leads to more suffering on the part of females than males, essentially an act of violence towards females as Plath comes close to being raped by a woman-hater Marco in one section of the book.

            Plath is repulsed also by the need for women to be incessant child bearers and household keepers, as she is revulsed by the figure of Dodo Conway, who has a large family of six children and seems to be completely immune to the burden and entrapment that being a mother and household keeper brings, she seems completely to fit the mould of being a child-bearer and child-rearer complacently and it is such women that Plath or her alter-ego Esther resents completely because it seems to be an entrapment for women, while men can pursue affairs and careers and money and glamour women are reduced to being appendages to men in having to be enslaved to bringing up the children that they bear for them.

            Plath thus feels that being female is little more than being an appendage to men as they are allowed sexual liberties that are forbidden to women and allowed to pursue money glamour and fame all at the expense of their wives who have to make sacrifices and raise children for them.The idea of marriage appals Plath who finds it little more than an entrapment and imprisonment for someone as talented and full of promise independently as herself. Plath is also revulsed by the idea of females being completely passive, indebted and at the mercy of male desire as Doreen demonstrates at the presence of Lenny Sheppard, independently Doreen had been sharp-witted and satirical of people around her but around Lenny Sheppard Doreen transforms into a completely passive sex object for him, to be played around with at his will and mercy, the sight of them making out is so abhorrent to Esther or Plath that she has to leave the apartment altogether.

As a consequence of all the expectations of her as a female to throw away and abandon her life of high achievement and personal accolades when she becomes married and enslaved to a man like Buddy Willard who has no intuition or sense of decency towards women as he crudely and insensitively engages in casual sex with a waitress with no heed of Esther’s feelings as she is expected to remain pure and sexually untainted for him, Esther descends into a deep clinical depression that can be cured only by electroconvulsion, the ultimate violence towards her as she feels part of her is being executed like the Rosenbergs she mentions at the beginning of the novel, to be female it seems is a crime liable to being punished for one’s simple status as a women and the discomfort it causes in her when she does not complacently fit into the mould of Dodo Conway and Doreen who do not mind at all being completely at the mercy of men and indebted to them as well as being little more than domestic or sexual slaves to men as Dodo Conway ungrudgingly has one child after another and sees no need to distinguish herself with a career and as Doreen who had been so satirical and sharp is reduced to a completely compliant sexual object at the hands of Lenny Sheppard. Eventually, Esther makes a suicide attempt, albeit unsuccessful, as she feels she cannot escape the bell jar or suffocating imprisonment that the status of simply being female imposes upon her. This bell jar however was to descend on Plath eventually when as a mother of two married to an unfaithful Ted Hughes she eventually successfully takes her life by putting her head in a gas stove oven. At the heart of Plath’s grievance is the fact that women seem to be completely subordinated and at the mercy of male desire and the need for women to sacrifice their careers and reputation to simply become domestic keepers, it seems that all the academic accomplishment Plath has achieved will become utterly meaningless after she marries Buddy Willard because she will be flattened out like a rug under his feet like Buddy’s mother. Plath is also alienated from her mother, who fails to understand her completely and tries to make her feel guilt for her depression by repeatedly asking Plath how she had failed as a mother and what she had done wrong to cause her to go into depression when it is largely convention and society which has victimized Plath by confining her to the bell jar of marriage and motherhood in place of the alternative futures she had envisioned for herself with a successful career as a professor or editor. It is society’s rigid expectations of her path as a mother and wife that causes her to descend into depression.Plath also rejects the lesbian alternative, she rejects Joan’s advances and does not see Joan as an alternative to male subordination as she is repulsed by the idea of being lesbian for it seems unnatural and disgusting to her.

As with Amour,Plath’s suicide is almost a relief to the decline she has been suffering in gradually being enslaved to a man and entrapped with children. Many of us judge those who commit suicide as weak and unstable but given the amount of pain we are exposed to in Amour and Plath’s novel, suicide indeed seems a form of relief and escape. While not entirely rationalizing suicide or mercy killing, the gradual decline and excruciating pain that we witness in the characters make us sympathize with the decision to simply escape life through self harm.

Yet we are made to see their hubris as they take fate into their own hands rather than let the divine determine it.We are left wondering if they escape in this life but will escape condemnation      by the divine for self harm in the next.

Works Cited:

Hanake,Michael.  Amour. 2012. Film.

Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. Faber and Faber, London, 1963.

 

Anthropological Elements in Zora Neale Hurston’s Novels

  1. B .Moses Chandrasekaran

Research Scholar

PG and Research Department of English

Sudharsan College of Arts and Science

Pudukkottai 622104

&

Dr. G. Sathurappasamy

Assistant Professor

PG and Research Department of English

  1. H. The Rajah’s College (Autonomous)

Pudukkottai 622001

 

Abstract:

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) is one of 20th-century America’s foremost fiction and folklore writers. Though she was criticized by some of her contemporaries, including Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison, her works are now frequently taught in literature courses and are widely admired for their style and substance. She deals extremely with anthropological elements and sentiments in her novels. This paper explores three of her novels in the perspective selected in the title.

Introduction

This paper analyses such the anthropological elements as people culture, origin and society portrayed in the novels of Zora Neale Hurston. This paper explains the African-American people’s origin, culture and society. It also portrays the culture of the people and how the women were treated in their society. This paper addresses female issues in society such as the socialization of g`irls and women to define ‘self’ in the relation to the ‘others’. It will be primarily about modern women with particular dreams, delights, despairs and how these women relate to one another in the name of love.

The Major focus is on how women were treated both in black and white society. The struggles they undergone by physically, psychologically and how they finally fulfil their goal of identity. The emergence of female identity and creativity and barrier to their development and the challenges that these women face are also explored.

To explain these issues the primary sources chosen for this paper are “Their Eyes were Watching God, Seraph on the Sewanee” and Jonah’s Gourd Vine” by Zora Neale Hurston.

Zora Neale Hurston was one of the prominent figures in Harlem Renaissance. She was the only women writer in that period who had become famous as a black. She always focuses in the gender politics, secrets, language and identity. The tyrannical social model and family expectation, familial devotion, romantic love, economic, emotional insecurity, self-fulfilment and lack of recognition are the recurring themes in her works.

The most significant and prominent novel is Their Eyes were Watching God. This novel focuses on Janie the protagonist. It narrates about a journey in which the title character, Janie Crawford searches for independence, self-fulfilment and love. Janie’s quest for identity is challenged by the norms of her society, and she defies her grandmother, lovers, friends and community in order to escape the imprisonment of their self-degrading ideologies. This novel portrays the atmosphere of Eatonville and Florida. As a single woman when she returns to Eatonville after burying her third husband Tea Cake who made her to learn new thing and developed her knowledge which was restricted to women in their society. This novel tells about the struggles faced by Janie in her development of her psyche. This novel portrays the atmosphere of Eatonville and Florida.

Seraph on the Sewanee is another novel which also takes place around Florida. This is the only novel the protagonist is a white women. This novel takes place in Sawley town present on the river bank of Sewanee. This novel also tells about the development of the protagonist Arvay in her marriage life. Arvay was all of twenty-one, and according to local custom, should have been married at least five years ago. When the story begins, Arvay is upset with her sister because she takes the man that Arvay wants to marry. Because she feels that the life that she wanted to live is taken away from her, she tries to go into seclusion and ends up marrying a man that she persuaded to love. There are also scenes in the story when Arvay wanted to leave Jim but she couldn’t because Jim’s influence over her was so great. His force is similar to the force that black women had with whites and oftentimes their husbands.

Jonah’s Gourd Vine is the first novel of Zora Neale Hurston. It is her indirect product as anthropologist research work. This work also represents her life in Eatonville and her family life. Lucy Potts, the character modelled on Hurston’s real life mother Lucy, is presented as a tragic figure who stayed loyal to her husband through all of his adulterous affairs and abusive behaviour. In this novel Lucy has an even narrower life space in Alabama. She is locked into the cycle of reproduction that literally ties her to bed. Her physical enslavement as a breeder is also symbolically reified. She is always presented in bed in her marriage both in Alabama and in Eatonville, Florida, too, where she reaches a middle class status on the side of her husband. The metaphor of the bed marks disability and social marginalization that really becomes powerful in contrast with the promiscuous behaviour of John, who is seldom presented in the home, but whose figure is connected to superior physical power and agency.

On her death bed, Lucy says that she has been to sorrow’s kitchen and licked out all the pots. This novel also revolves around the Eatonville society and the culture of the black people. This book also focuses on women, violence, and testimony in the African American society. The author asserts the violently enforced confinement and powerlessness of African American women during 1880s in her novel “Jonah’s Gourd Vine.”

In these three novels, Zora Neale Hurston discusses the culture and society of the black and white people lives around Florida. She had travelled many places and done many research as an anthropologist. So as an anthropologist her writing also filled with the same things such as culture and society around the South Florida.

As a feminine writer all her writings were focused on the women life in their culture, society and around South Florida. How they were crushed in the name of culture and society and how they finally full fill their rights as a women. Most female character in her writing will try to attain self-fulfilment in their life. Being an anthropologist she combines the culture and society which restrict women development in the social status shown in her works. Hurston’s women are often positioned in the private–most prominently: kitchens, bedrooms, back porches, and back yards; and rarely in the public–where they are marginalized and alienated. These women are thus ascribed to inflexible places, where, under the male gaze, they become immobile. However, even if Hurston’s women appear in a seemingly free context–outside the home and masculine social space– and acquire a nomadic identity, their stance remains intelligible in the function of transparent space. Her works display a deep interest in the anthropology and feminism.

Thus Zora Neale Hurston novels reflect a strong anthropology and feminism and she examines the lives in and around South Florida. Her research is about their culture and structure of the society and how they see women and how they treat them. All her female character in her novels seeks for affection, love and self-fulfilment.

Thus this paper analysed Zora Neale Hurston’s novels from a cultural, society, feminist literary perspective, examining the women experience and perception of the world, female identity and social constraints on their development.

Works Cited

Woodson, Jacqueline. Show Way. New York: G.P. Putman’s Sons, 2005.

Housten, Julian. New Boy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.

Giovanni, N. Rosa. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005.

Freedman, R. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. New York: Clarion Books, 2004.

Draper, Sharon A. Copper Sun. New York: Atheneum, 2006.

Hemenway, Robert. Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Dust Tracks on a Road.

Walker, Alice (ed.). I Love Myself…

The Vindication of the just in the Winter’s Tale

Chung Chin-Yi

National University of Singapore


Abstract: Hermione represents a Christ figure who is crucified by the jealous, irrational and sinful man Leontes, to be resurrected 16 years later after Leontes repents of his jealousy, irrationality, selfishness and egocentrism. His sin was disbelieving the goodness and fidelity of Hermione, much like unbelievers crucified Christ and refused to believe he was their savior and Messiah. At her resurrection, Leontes comes to see how foolish he was all this while, much like the persecutors of Christ repent at his resurrection when they realize they had wrongly accused Christ and he is indeed the good and rightful Messiah of the world. The vindication of the innocent Hermione parallels the vindication of the innocent Christ who was wrongly accused and crucified for no crime of his own. The play thus testified to the vindication of the righteous over the course of time. Time will reveal the innocence of the wrongly accused, just as Hermione is vindicated at her resurrection Christ will reveal his true innocence and status as the true Messiah when he returns in final glory at the second coming.

Keywords: Winter’s tale, Shakespeare, justice, vindication, jealousy

“They would be content to die if there were no other excuse why they should desire to live.”
Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 44-46. Leontes is the king of Sicilia. Polixenes is the king of Bohemia. These two kings have been bosom friends since childhood. Archidamus, a Bohemian courtier, has just offered glowing recommendations for Mamillius, Leontes’ only son. Camillo, a courtier to the king of Sicilia, supports the comments made by Archidamus, saying “They that went on crutches before he was born desire yet their life to see him a man.” Camillo offers this quote. All seem to believe that Mamillius is a talented young man. Continuing to be full of praise for Leontes, Mamillius, and his fellow countrymen, Archidamus says “If the King had no son, they would desire to live on crutches till he had one.”

“We were two lads who thought there was no more in the future but such a day tomorrow as today, and to be boys eternal.”
Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 79-82. Hermione is Leontes’ wife, his queen. Complimenting her husband, as usual, Hermione has been trying to get Polixenes to stay in Sicilia a week more. Polixenes has been in Sicilia for some time, visiting his long-time friend Leontes. Hermione stirs up memories of the past, saying “tell me of my lord’s tricks and yours when you were boys.” Polixenes offers this quote. But in spite of her insistence, he is determined to quickly return to Bohemia. Polixenes has business to tend to in Bohemia.

“One good deed dying not spoken of kills a thousand accompanying it. Our praises are our wages.”
Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 118-120. Leontes praises his wife’s effort to encourage Polixenes to extend his stay in Sicilia. He says “once before you spoke to better purpose.” The two of them, happy as can be to have Polixenes there in Sicilia, banter with each other, Hermione responding to his comment, by saying “not twice; not more than twice?” She says “Cram us with praise, and make us as fat as tame things.” She then offers this quote. She asks “what was the first time I spoke to better purpose?” He says when “thou didst utter I am yours forever.There is no marital friction between them.

“I may be negligent, foolish and fearful. These are such infirmities that honesty is never free of.”
Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 310-325. Hermione has persuaded Polixenes to stay in Sicilia for another week. But Leontes has now become jealous pf Polixenes, believing that Hermione in her persuasive efforts has been seducing Polixenes. Now convinced that Hermione and Polixenes are more than just friends, believing she has had a “too close relationship” with Polixenes, Leontes throws a tantrum at his aide, Camillo, for not seeing what Leontes now believes is her adultery. Camillo doesn’t quite know how to react to Leontes, saying this to defend himself.

“Do not weep, good friends; there is no cause. When you shall know your mistress has deserved prison, then abound in tears as I come out.”
Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 141-146.  An enraged Leontes, believing Polixenes to be the cause of Hermione’s pregnancy,imprisons Herione. Hermione maintains composure, speaking only to her ladies, asking that they attend her in prison to help her during her late stage pregnancy.

“Often, the silence of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.”
Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 50-51.  Knowing the king is very upset with Hermione, imprisoning her, Paulina, one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting, offers to tell Leontes of the birth of their daughter, hoping she can “prove honey-mouthed” and ease the friction between the two of them. Paulina says “We do not know how he may soften at the sight o’ th’ child.” Paulina offers this quote. Emilia is another lady-in-waiting. Paulina remains ignorant that Leontes believes Polixenes is the child’s father.

It is the heretic that makes the fire, not she who burns in ‘t.”
Act 2, Scene 3, Lines 148-149. . Paulina has just told the king at length how much the child looks like him, saying “the print be little, the whole matter and copy of the father.” She continues to describe how much  the two look similar. Leontes believes none of it. He says “I’ll have thee burnt.” She says “I care not” and says this.

  “Some powerful spirit instruct the hawks and ravens to be thy nurses.”   Act 2, Scene 3, Lines 227-228. Leontes has just commanded Antigonus, another of the king’s courtiers, to take the child to some remote desert out-back in Bohemia and to desert the baby there. Antigonus, having agreed to do anything to save the child from being burned, agrees to the command. He picks up the child and offers this prayer.

If powers divine behold our human actions, as they do, I doubt not then but innocence shall make false accusation blush and tyranny tremble at suffering endured with calmness.”
Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 29-33. The court’s indictment has read that she committed adultery with Polixenes and conspired with Camillo to take away the life of her husband, Leontes. Leontes has been unjustly cruel Hermione was calm as she listened to the accusations. The queen offers this speech soon after the judgement.

O thou tyrant, do not repent these things, for they are weightier than all thy woes can stir.”
: Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 228-230. Hermione dropped unconscious when the Court was told that Mamillius had died. She was carried out of the courtroom. Paulina followed her out. Leontes apologized to the court. Paulina re-enters and reveals truth to the court. She says “But the last woe, O lords, the Queen’s dead.” She then offers this quote to the court and to Leontes, going on to say to the king “A thousand supplicants for ten thousand years could not move the gods to look that way thou wert.”

“What’s gone and what’s past should be past grief.”
Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 246-247. Paulina has reported to Leontes and to the court that Hermione is dead. Paulina continues to chastise Leontes. A lord asks her to “Say no more.” She says “I do repent.” She says this to the court.

“I cannot forget how I destroyed the sweet’st companion that e’er man bred his hopes out of.”
Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 12-13. Perhaps twenty years have now passed since Leontes’ wife Hermione collapsed and he was told she had died. At that same time he had learned that their son Mamillius had also died. It was then that Leontes, furious, had demanded that their baby girl Perdita be taken to the Bohemian out-back and left there. He continues to suffer from remorse over his willful orders.

Dear queen, who ended when I but began, give me that hand of yours to kiss.”
Act 5, Scene3, Lines 53-54.Paulina has led the royal family into the gallery to view the statue of the queen, all standing in honor and wonder at the statue as Paulina draws back the curtain. Perdita kneels and then talks to the statue, offering this quote. Paulina calls Perdita back, saying “O patience! The color’s not dry

When she was young, you wooed her; now in age is she become the suitor?”  Act 5, Scene 3, Lines 134-135. Paulina to Leontes. Paulina has just asked Hermione, standing in the gallery as a statue, to descend. She does. For the moment, all are in shock and awe. Leontes then says “O, she’s warm! If this be magic, let it be art.”

“You gods, from your sacred vials pour your graces upon my daughter’s head.”
Act 5, Scene 3, Lines 153-155.  Having appeared to be a statue, Hermione now has descended from a platform and embraced her husband. Paulina introduces her to her daughter. As we now know, Hermione hadn’t seen her daughter since the day she was born, some sixteen to twenty years ago.

Hermione represents a Christ figure who is crucified by the jealous, irrational and sinful man Leontes, to be resurrected 16 years later after Leontes repents of his jealousy, irrationality, selfishness and egocentrism. His sin was disbelieving the goodness and fidelity of Hermione, much like unbelievers crucified Christ and refused to believe he was their savior and Messiah. At her resurrection, Leontes comes to see how foolish he was all this while, much like the persecutors of Christ repent at his resurrection when they realize they had wrongly accused Christ and he is indeed the good and rightful Messiah of the world. The vindication of the innocent Hermione parallels the vindication of the innocent Christ who was wrongly accused and crucified for no crime of his own. The play thus testified to the vindication of the righteous over the course of time. Time will reveal the innocence of the wrongly accused, just as Hermione is vindicated at her resurrection Christ will reveal his true innocence and status as the true Messiah when he returns in final glory at the second coming.

Works cited:

Shakespeare, William.    The Winter’s Tale.  Dover thrift editions. New York. 2000.

 

A Study on Effectiveness of Digital Marketing amongst Students of Jaipur City

Dr Jyotsana Khandelwal

Sr.Co-ordinator School of Business &Mgmt, Jaipur National University,Jaipur

ABSTRACT

Digital Marketing is the contemporary aspect of marketing .With the advent of technology, consumers has become more tech-savvy and smart phones made them easy access to internet. Now, any information is needed by the consumers, they look upon by clicking of the internet. Hence, marketers started using this platform to provide information about their products, services and ideas popularly known as Digital Marketing. The main objective of digital marketing is to attract customers and allowing them to understand the features of the brands through digital media.

This paper discusses various advertising tools available for digital marketing, and popularity effectiveness of digital marketing among students. The sample of 50 students randomly selected to analyze the reasons for growing popularity and effectiveness of digital marketing as compared to traditional tools of marketing.

INTRODUCTION

Digital Marketing is the contemporary aspect of marketing .With the advent of technology, consumers has become more tech-savvy and smart phones made them easy access to internet. Now, any information is needed by the consumers, they look upon by clicking of the internet. Hence, marketers started using this platform to provide information about their products, services and ideas popularly known as Digital Marketing. Digital marketing, electronic marketing, e-marketing and Internet marketing are all related terms which, purely put, refer to “marketing online whether via websites, online ads, opt-in emails, interactive kiosks, interactive TV or mobiles” (Chaffey & Smith, 2008).

Digital Marketing implies a set of influential tools and methodologies used for promoting products and services through internet. It includes an extensive range of marketing tools than traditional business marketing due to the extra channels and marketing mechanisms available on the internet.

It uses internet to deliver promotional marketing messages to consumers. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) define Digital Marketing as ―a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which facilitates the creation and exchange of user-generated content. It consists of different Internet applications such as blogs, social networking sites, content communities, collaborative projects, virtual game worlds and social worlds.

 It includes email marketing, search engine marketing, social media marketing, many types of display advertising (including web banner advertising), and mobile advertising.

In India the internet has become powerful can be understand with the survey conducted –Internet users in India 2015 survey conducted by Internet and Mobile Association of India and MRB International.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Mohan Nair (2011) takes social media as a complex marriage of sociology and technology that cannot be underestimated in its impact to an organization marketing communication, choice as to when to engage, how to manage and measure, and whether to lead or to follow is complex but not an impossible task. These cannot be answered simply by one formula because the context and the market dynamics are strong variables in these decisions.

Foux (2006) suggests Social media is perceived by customers as a more trustworthy source of information regarding products and services than communication generated by organizations transmitted via the traditional elements of the promotion mix.

Russell S. Winer (2009) affirms that many companies today are using some or all of the new media to develop targeted campaigns that reach specific segments and engage their customers to a much greater extent than traditional media.

Jerry Ihejirika (2009) believes that Marketing on the internet have become the best and most widely accepted form of global communication. Internet marketing communication consists of the global sharing of ideas, concepts, and information about products and services.

OBJECTIVES

  1. To understand the reasons for increasing popularity of digital marketing amongst students.
  2. To know the awareness about the various tools of digital marketing
  3. To analyze the effectiveness and problems of digital marketing vis-a-vis to traditional marketing tools.

 

 

 

 

RESEARCH DESIGN

Methodology: The present research work is of marketing investigation which is based on exploratory and descriptive research design.

 Sample Design

  1. Universe: As the focus of the study revolves around the students of the Jaipur City, so the Universe for the same would be students studying in the colleges (both government and private) and universities in the City of Jaipur.
  2. Sample Unit: The sample unit will be 4 colleges (both government and private) and universities. The selection of these colleges/Universities is based on a pilot survey which revealed that the colleges and Universities in the city would be appropriate for the study to be conducted.
  3. Sample Size: This research study will be based on the views of 50 students studying in the colleges (both government and private) and universities in the City of Jaipur.
  4. Sampling Type: The sample for the research would be collected through non-probabilistic sampling, precisely through convenient sampling method.

Data Collection: The data for the study would be collected from the following sources:

  1. Primary Source: As it is known that primary data is the first hand information that is collected in order to make the study complete. Thus, the primary data for this research study will be collected through a Structured Questionnaire to be filled by the college/university students and observation.
  2. Secondary Source: It will be collected through books, Journals and articles.

Analytical and Statistical Tools: The data so collected with the help of the questionnaire will be tested with the help of MS-Excel, Averages, pie charts and graphs. Selection of the type of tests will depend on the type of data that would be collected through the questionnaire.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE STUDY

Demographic Profile of the Sample:

Survey was conducted in the city of Jaipur. Sample of 50 respondents was selected for survey. The questionnaire included students as a classification of their demographic factors such as gender, age & education. During data collection phase, due care was taken in order to make sure that the given questionnaire is completely filled by the respondents.

The detailed respondent profile is as follows:

DETAILS NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE
GENDER
MALE 30 60%
FEMALE 20 40%
EDUCATION
UNDERGRADUATION 35 70%
POST-GRADUATION 10 20%
M-PHIL/ 5 10%
TOTAL 50 100%
AGE
18-20 35 70%
20-22 10 20%
22&ABOVE 5 10%
TOTAL 50 100%

Table 1- Demographic profile of the respondents

As seen in table no.1, Out of 50 respondents – 30 students are male, and 20 are females. The education profile is 35 are undergraduate, 10 are post graduate and 5 are Phil or PhD. The age of the sample is 35students in the age of 18 to 22, 10 students in the age of 20 to 22 and rest 5 in 22&above.

Statement 1 – Understand the reasons for increasing popularity of digital marketing amongst students

 

Seek of Information NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE
Multiple Source 40 80%
Single Source 10 20%
TOTAL 50 100%

Table 2- Seeking Information from various sources

As seen in table no.2, Out of 50 respondents-40 (80%) respondents seeks information from multiple sources before making a buying decision and rest 10 (20%) respondents rely on one source before making a buying decision

 

Sources of Information NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE
Traditional 15 30%
Digital 35 70%
TOTAL 50 100%

Table 3- Seeking Information from various sources

As seen in table no.3, Out of 50 respondents-15 (30%) respondents seeks information from traditional sources like newspaper, TV ,Pamphlets neighbors etc before making a buying decision and rest 35(70%) respondents rely on digital  source like online and mobile advertisement of information before making a buying decision.

 

Frequency of using Internet NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE
Low 0 0%
Medium 5 10%
High 45 90%
TOTAL 50 100%

Table 4- Frequency of using internet

As seen in table no.4, Out of 50 respondents-the youngsters preferred to use internet on a medium (10%) to high frequency (90%) basis on internet and no students fall in category of low internet usage.

Conclusion – This shows that students of today generation prefer to use internet on high frequency and look for information on multiple sources that too through digital medium of information. Hence, it proves that the because of high access to internet amongst students, the concept of being digital and digital marketing is popular.


Statement 2-The awareness about the various tools of digital marketing

 

  NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
Tools Yes No Can’t Say Total
  Frequency % Frequency % Frequency %  
E-Mail Marketing 37 74 13 26 0 0 50
Social Media 45 90 3 6 2 4 50
Affiliate marketing 33 66 10 20 7 14 50
Search Engine Optimization 25 50 13 26 12 24 50
Display Ad 30 60 2 4 18 36 50
Pop-Up 37 74 3 6 10 20 50
Web Banner Advertising 20 40 5 10 25 50 50

Table 5- Awareness about the various tools of digital marketing

As seen in the table above, it was been asked from the students that whether or not they know about the various tools of digital marketing and it was discovered that maximum students know about social marketing followed by e-mail and pop up and so on.

Conclusion-It can be concluded that the students of the sample selected are well versed about the various tools of digital marketing

 

Statement 3 The effectiveness and problems of digital marketing vis-a-vis to traditional marketing tools

  NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
Factors Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Total
  Frequency % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency %  
Easy 38 76 5 10 5 10 2 4 0 0 50
Time Saving 32 64 12 24 3 6 2 4 1 2 50
Low Cost 25 50 10 20 5 10 6 12 4 8 50
Interactive 15 30 5 10 10 20 15 30 5 10 50
Up gradation 10 20 13 26 12 24 10 20 5 10 50
Exclusive Content 5 10 10 20 10 20 15 30 10 20 50
Fun & Entt 2 4 11 22 12 24 10 20 15 30 50

Table 7- Reasons for effectiveness of various tools of digital marketing

As seen in the table above, it was been asked from the students that Reasons for effectiveness of various tools of digital marketing  and it was found that students considered  digital marketing is the easiest mode of gathering  information  followed by time saving and low cost and so on.

 Preference NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS Percentage
E-Mail Marketing 10 20%
Social Media 30 60%
Affiliate marketing 5 10%
Search Engine Optimization 1 2%
Display Ad 1 2%
Pop-Up 1 2%
Web Banner Advterising 2 4%
Total 50 100%

Table 8 –Preference of various tools of digital marketing

As seen in the table above, it was been asked from the students that preference  of various tools of digital marketing  and it was found that students considered  social media marketing is the most preferred form of digital marketing followed by e-mail marketing , affiliate marketing and so on.

Statement 4- Problems of various tools of digital marketing

Problems NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS Percentage
Suspectible 18 36%
Fraud 20 40%
Interrupting 3 6%
Privacy issue 5 10%
Lack of demonstration 4 8%
Total 50 100%

   Table 9 –Problems of various tools of digital marketing

As seen in the table above, it was been asked from the students that problems of digital marketing  and it was found that students considered  fraud as one of the biggest problem followed by susceptible and so on.

Limitations of the study

The study is limited to Jaipur students only with limited colleges

Future scope of the study

The study could be extended; so as to cover all the states of India as the researcher believes that consumer buying behavior w.r.t online marketing may be at the variance in different states.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the students of the sample selected found digital marketing as the effective mechanism of marketing due to various benefits provided by digital marketing, also youngster’s preferred marketing activity while being on social media through social marketing despite the problem of fraud and suspicion involved.

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