KNOX COLLEGE

Lesson Plan

Date: February 27, 2023

Class: 10

Subject: English B

Topic: Drama- Anansi-Alistair Campbell

Subtopic: Techniques and Literary devices

Objectives:

(a) identify examples of dramatic techniques and literary devices used in the play Anansi

(b) work in groups and present on Dramatic irony, symbols, imagery, similes, metaphors, personification

and use language in the play Anansi

(d) Identify TWO dramatic techniques in the play Anansi and comment on the effectiveness of each.

OR

Comment on Campbell’s use of language in the play Anansi. Ensure to mention the use of any three of
the following: sarcasm, pun, rhymes, dialect and violent language

Resource Materials:

(a) Anansi- Alistair Campbell

(b) English B for CSEC 2nd edition- Joyce Jonas etal

(c) An English Literature Workbook for CSEC English B- Clavia Williams-McBean

Dramatic Techniques
The use of irony reinforces the meaning of the play and has a direct impact on lessons of morality that
arise out of its contents. In addition, the playwright uses it as a device to demonstrate the transfer of
power from one group of characters to the next for greater audience appeal.

There are several instances of dramatic irony in the play. This playwright uses the device to reinforce the
reversal of roles of characters, such as Anansi and Girl.

▪ At the onset of the play, both Girl and Anansi are introduced as helpless and weak.
▪ By the end of the play, we see a Girl that has demonstrated resilience and a spider that becomes a
legend of hope and free-spiritedness. In the process of the play, the Captain, Boy and Sailor are
not aware of the growing strength of Girl.
▪ Also, the characters of the forest take Anansi for granted; Tiger, Snake, Mancrow, Crab and
Her are all deceived by his cunning ways as he attempts to confront the powerful.
▪ The Sailor tells Boy he is expected to carry on the works of his father after he is gone. The
playwright hints to us that this may never happen with the empathy Boy shows towards Girl and
other slaves.
▪ Irony of the ship’s name ‘The Good Ship Hope’ given its cargo.

Literary Devices

Imagery

▪ In the play, images of darkness, death and light pervade the entire play to evoke the emotive
senses of the audience.
▪ In order to show the dehumanizing experiences of the slave on board the ship, Girl says that they
‘were crushed together in the dark….. in filth, sickness and fear’.
▪ When she begins to cultivate hope, she says, ‘I see a light through the dark tree’.
▪ In the forest, when the animals see the oppressive Mancrow, the cry, ‘Mancrow coming, despair
and death’.
▪ Imagery is also used to highlight the prejudice of the slave masters when they refer to the slaves
as ‘beasts’ and ‘animals’.

Symbols
 ▪ In the play, the playwright largely incorporates the symbols of Spider and Tiger to draw
reference to their strength.
▪ In the ‘Forest Stories’. Tiger is described as ‘strong and bold’. He can be compared to white
slave masters.
▪ Anansi is seen as cunning, persistent and resilient by ‘spinning a web’. He represents the spirit of
Africans.

Similes and Metaphors

In the play the similes and metaphors highlight the playwright’s perspective on the characters, emphasize
the key issues of the play and help the audience to better visualize the images to be conveyed.

▪ In order to highlight the struggle and devise a method of survival for Girl, Woman tells her
‘weave your little web like a dream in the dark and wait….’ The web represents the hope for Girl,
despite all odds.
▪ Similarly, in the in ‘The Forest of Stories’, Anansi, in his ploy to manipulate Ratbat ( who
thinks he is smarter than Anansi) says he is, ‘trying to get somebody as cool as an ice-cube, to
enter the Best Song Competition.’ By saying Ratbat is cool as an ice-cube, he is boosting his
self-esteem to manipulate him to do his bidding.

At other times the playwright uses similes and metaphors to emphasize the traits of the characters, in
order to set them up for a fall.

▪ In the ‘Forest Stories’ when Mancrow realizes Soliday’s intentions for him, he says, ‘Trying to
kill me… It’s like tying up the night with noose of string’.
▪ Similarly, in order to show cruelty of the Lady in the ‘Forest Stories’, we find her saying, ‘My
bottomless calabash waits your bitter tears’.
▪ Also, the playwright uses similes involving animals to describe the harsh treatment of slaves ‘we
were tied together like goats waiting for the knife’

Personification

▪ In the play, Girl describes the journey from her homeland Africa. She says ‘the river, carrying me
further and further away from my mother on its great back.’ The playwright not only shows us
 the force of nature by giving the river human qualities, but also shows us how Girl is helplessly
torn away from her place of birth.
▪ The deplorable conditions of the journey are also personified in order to highlight the distress of
the slaves. In the setting from the deck of the ship, the narrator compares, ‘the clean fresh wind
singing from the ropes’ to the ‘putrid smells of the moaning grates’

Style

Use of Language

Alistair Campbell allows his characters to demonstrate their ideology, prejudices and humour with the
use of language.

▪ Girl demonstrates her cultural ties and fears of being removed from her homeland when she says
to Woman, ‘They threw us in a canoe bigger than the biggest war canoe of our tribe.’ Girl also
refers to Anansi as ‘our Anansi’.
▪ Campbell uses an example of Biblical allusion to show the Sailor’s bias towards the Africans. In
order to trivialize the discouraged Boy’s sensitivity towards the slave Girl, the Sailor says, ‘The
good book says that men were given to rule over beasts’. The Sailor also refers to her words as
‘heathen tongue’.
▪ When Boy displays sensitivity towards Girl and tells her not to cry, she sings, ‘Yesterday this
time me am yum Tiger fat….’With the cultural and language barrier, their worlds continue to be
alienated.
▪ In contrast, the character Anansi presents an amusing language style. We are intrigued as Anansi
reveals his plan for Snake and Tiger using rhyming couplets. He says:

‘Now master Snake is a clever man

But I will catch him if I can’

Salt and pepper, herbs and spice

Tiger fat is nice, nice, nice.’

His wit also provides us with humour. In order to get Crab’s sympathy and give the name of Her at
the ‘River Scene’ in the ‘Forest Stories’, he says:
 ‘Boo Hoo Woo is me. How will I ever survive until the end of the week?’

Campbell also uses Anansi to highlight the shortcoming of other characters through his sarcastic
remarks. In the ‘Forest of Stories’ Anansi tells Tiger, ‘Thinking? Well, that’s a big change for you…’

Step One

Based on the students’ knowledge of the text they will be asked to list the dramatic techniques and
literary devices used in the play. Teacher will solicit the responses from the students and write these
responses on the board.

Step Two

Students will work in groups in which they will be assigned the following to present on based on the play:

Dramatic Techniques

▪ Dramatic irony
▪ Symbols

Literary Devices

▪ Imagery
▪ Similes
▪ Metaphors
▪ Personification

Style

▪ Use of language

Step Three

Writing Tasks

Identify TWO dramatic techniques in the play Anansi and comment on the effectiveness of each.
OR

Comment on Campbell’s use of language in the play Anansi. Ensure to mention the use of any three of
the following:

▪ Sarcasm
▪ Pun
▪ Rhymes
▪ Dialect and violent language