Issueno.

25
iatefl

September2012 TESL SOL

Teachers of English to Speakers

Anassociateof
International Association of
Teachers of English as a
of Other Languages, Inc. Foreign Language, U.K.
ISSNNo.22296557

Special Issue on

‘Using Literature
for Developing
Language Skills’

INSIDE FORTELL
ISSNNo.22296557
CONTENTS
FORTELL
Articles
CoordinatingEditor
Framing Parameters forTeaching Language through Literature: Special Focus on
A.L.Khanna
Stylistics and Linguistics 4
GuestEditors Shoba K.N
PremKumariSrivastava
GitanjaliChawla Enhancing Language Skills through Reading Literature 7
Mausumi Mahakul and Sthitaprajna
EditorialCommittee
Ms.GitanjaliChawla,Ms.Manjari Processing of Literary and NonLiteraryTexts by Engineering Undergraduates of ESL 9
Chaturvedi,Ms.MonaSinha,Dr Varalakshmi Chaudhry
PremKumariSrivastava,Ms.Rachna
Speaking as Performance: using Drama to aid Social Communication in a Language
Sethi,Ms.RuchiKaushik,DrTasneem
Classroom 13
Shahnaaz
Anchala Paliwal andTarika Prabhakar
PrepressServices
MediaAxis “Ada” uncloaked: Performativity of Language in Ruswa’s Umrao JanAda 16
me@mediaaxis.in Parul Batra
Publishedby
Language is Worth aThousand Pounds 19
Dr. A. L. KhannaonbehalfofFORTELL,
Kamayani Kumar
NewDelhi
Printed at Harmonizing Literature and LanguageTeaching at Undergraduate Level 21
Modest Graphics SanjayArora
Okhla Indl. Area, Phase 2, New Delhi
Multilinguality and English: Choice of Language for Education in India 24
FORTELLispublishedthreetimesayear Rajesh Kumar
(January, May and September) by
the Forum of Teachers of English Interview
language andLiterature(FORTELL).
Nupur Samuel in conversation with N. S Prabhu 26
Disclaimer Nupur Samuel
Views expressed in the articles in
FORTELL are not necessarily those of
Report
the Editors or of FORTELL Executive
members. Workshop on “Teaching of Poetry” at Sanskriti School, Delhi 30
CopyrightNotice
Shrawasti Ganguli
Copyrightfortheindividualcontributions
remainsvestedintheauthorstowhom BookReviews
applicationforrightstoreproduceshould The Door is half open 31
be made. However, FORTELL should be Leela Kanal
acknowledged as the original source of
publication.
LanguageGames
FORTELL retains the right to republish
Focusing on Improving Listening and Speaking Skills in an English class 32
any of the contributions in its future
publications or to make it available in Manu Gulati

members.

Readers’ Response
Many thanks for sending me Fortell so
regularly. Each issue is both enjoyable and
Congrats on the latest issue of fortell. I informative. I particular liked your recent
especially was helped by the article on article “To teach or not to teach Grammar”.
letter writing and found the article on the With best regards,
story behind words interesting. RWD
Very best wishes (Rupin Desai)
Robert Slattery
From the Editorial Desk
‘TellmeandIforget.TeachmeandIremember. InvolvemeandILearn.’BenjaminFranklin’swordsseem
tobetheechothatresoundsineverypageof Fortellthatwepublish. Fortelldoesbelieveinpublishing
articlesandresearchpapersthatdealwithexperientialclassroomresearchthatinvolvestheteacherand
thetaughtinthelifelongjourneycalledlearning. Thethrustofthejournalhasalwaysbeenontwoway
communication:aprocessofbuildingpartnershipsbetweenthelearnerandthelearned. ‘Teachingand
learningbyexample’isanotherstrategicpedagogicalmethodologythatthejournalsubscribesto.
Thisspecialissueon“UsingLiteraturefordevelopingLanguageskills”comesatacrucialpointwhen
bridgesandconduitsbetweenliteratureandlanguagepedagogyanddepartmentsarereachingabreaking

departmentsisreachingacrescendoandneedstobeaddressed. Literatureloversarerealizingthattheir
domainisshrinkingbytheday. Happilycocoonedintheirshellslikealostprincessintheivorytowerthey

apartfromeachother. Thus,toaddressthemeetingpointsofliteratureandlanguage,thisissuehighlights
theirdependencyoneachotherandtheirmutualexchange.
From‘framingnarratives’to‘enhancinglanguageskills’tousing‘dramatoaidsocialcommunication’and
to‘performativity’ofliterarytexts,thecontributionsinthisissueexplorethepotentialitiesoftappingliterary
resourcestoenhancelanguageskills.Aninterestingstudyon‘processingliteraryandnonliterarytexts’by
studentsfollowedbyanindepthtextualanalysisofseminaltextsinterrogatestheintersectingspacebetween
thehithertoparalleldomainsofliteratureandlanguage.Aninterestingattemptto‘harmonize’thetwoisnot

Weacknowledgeourdebttoourcontributorsfortheirtimelysubmissionandcooperationthatmadeour
journeyevenmorepleasurable. Fortell
toitsbenefactorswhosecontributionseaseourconstantbattlewithrisingcosts.Wewouldliketoplaceon

thatourreaderswillcontinuetocontributetohelp Fortellsustainitsunceasingendeavours.
Lookingforward toyourcommentsandsuggestions.
Prem and Gitanjali
(Guest Editors)

premksri@gmail.com gitschawla@gmail.com
Both, Prem Kumari Srivastava and Gitanjali Chawla are Associate Professors of English at Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi

Fortell’s special issue on Film Studies is a welcome initiative, specially Ravneet

Kaur’s article, “Film Studies: Speaking of and for the Discourse”. This piece without
terrorizing through overloading of theoretical apparatus opens fresh sites

Kuhu Chanana
Swami Shraddhanand college

© FORTELL 3

The Door is half open
TheDoorisHalfOpen
bySusheelKumarSharma,
AdhyayanPublishers,New
Delhi,2012,Pp141,Rs. 150/.
SusheelKumarSharmahas
alreadybeenwidelyacclaimed
asapoetafterthepublication
FromtheCoreWithin(1999).
Inhisnewcollection,TheDoorisHalfOpen,
hehasprovedbeyonddoubtthat,foranIndian
Indianlanguages,whichgoeasilywithIndian
speech,issalubriousandeffectiveincapturingthe
nuancesandimagesofourcountry. Thepoemsin
thisnewcollectionevoketheexuberanceofIndia,
itscolours,theheat,thelight,theskiesandthe
fragranceoftheland. Thepoemsexudeasenseof
nostalgiaforthesimplicityandvaluesofthepast,
andaspiritualyearningforareturnoftheold
gloryofIndia:
Idon’twanttobury
Thegloriesofthepast
Idon’twanttofetter
Thefreedomofthepast
TheintroductorypoemGangaMata –APrayer
setsthetoneofthecollection,andservesasa
paeantotheriverGanga. Thepoem,hitsoutat
the“poverty,squalor,dirt,slothandmelancholy”
ofourcountry,sendingapiercingprayertothe
heartsofpeople.”Theholyrivercomesaliveas
thepoetevokessharpimagesofthebleakness
ofmodernIndianreality. Thepoem,alongwith
otherpoemsinthiscollection,issuffusedwitha
plethoraofSanskritwords,shlokas,andnamesof
themanymanifestationsofGodsandGoddesses
ofHindumythology. Keepingtheuninitiated
readerinmind,aswellastheWesternreadership,
thepoethasthoughtfullyaddedadetailedglossary
attheendofthebook.
themultihued,butlargelyvaluelesspostmodern
existenceofIndiaandtheworld,ingeneral. The
poet’ssensibilitycapturestheessenceandnuances
ofcontemporarylifeinalyricalstylewithout
soundingpedantic,andaestheticallyconvertsthem
intowellcraftedverses.
ThetitleofthebookTheDoorisHalfOpen
compelsthereadertocontemplateandthento
categorizethepoems,therebyleadingtorealms
thatsometimesrevealdespairandintensegrief
© FORTELL
BookReview
Leela Kanal
paradiseinthecontemporaryscenario(Colours).
Therearedirectreferencestorecenttopical
issuesasinthepoemNithariandBeyond.
leelakanal@hotmail.com
Reminiscencesrunthroughthepoemslikea
LeelaKanal is
skeinbyafrequentjuxtapositionoftheoldand Associate Professor
thenew(APoemforMyCountry):“Hungry of English at the
Department of English,
Bundelkhand (P.G.)
freeboardinghouse,”whilepresentinganironic College, Jhansi. (U.P.)
pictureofthemanicoverdriveofmodernIndia
withits“Metrorail,skyscrapers,spaceshuttles,
fortell.org
experienceswithintheIndianmilieu,providing
presentsanironicalpictureofDemocracy – both
worldwideandcloserhome – itspromisesand
letdowns,theidealisticexpectationsinthepast
contrastedwiththeuglyrealitiesofthepresent
(Democracy:OldandNew).
Readingthecollectionislikeoscillatingbetween
differentemotions,betweenquestionsandanswers
thatsometimesdefydescription,celebratingthe
highsandlowsofthepoeticvision(Agony),
whilethepoetclaimstohave“solddreamstothe
world”(SwanSong).Afterdescribinghiscathartic
experiencesinthepoemPurgation,whereboth
hopesanddespairexist,thepoetconcedesthefact
twopoemsofthiscollection,”HopeIstheThing
tobeLost”and“LiberationatVaranasi”reiterates
thepromisesdenotedbythetitle,exhortingusto
notlosehopeandtoseeksalvation,alongwith
thepoetwhodecides:
OnthebanksoftheGangesand
Inthynarrowstreets
Thatbringsmetoyou,OVaranasi.
hasalwaysexistedaconfessionaltradition,
particularlynoticeableinthepoetryofNissim
tendstofrequentlyveertowardstheconfessional
mode. Hencethepoemspossessanimmediacy,
opennessandselfrevelationthatprovetobe
endearingandaffecting. Thecollectionhasseveral
longpoemsthatsupporttherecenttrendofan
increasinginterestinlongpoetry,whichassists
inenablingthepoettogobeyondthefragmented
visionandisolationassociatedwiththeshortlyric.
Sharma’spoemsarelyricswritteninthefree
versemodeandfeaturethesharednationaland
communalvaluesandsentimentsoftheclassical
epic,asaestheticemanationsofasensitivesoul.
31
 CCE Now
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