The religion of Rastafarianism.

The Rastafari movement is a new religious movement that arose in a Christian culture in Jamaica in the 1930s. Rastafarians worship a singular god, they call Jah, and Haile Selassi ,who was a former emperor to Ethiopia. Rastafarianism is considered a religion by rastafarians themselves, but to others it is more viewed as a way of life. Rastafarians express their religion in not eating meats, but eating their approved food called Ital. However, Rastafarianism is not criticized as much in today's society and is considered a norm.

Roger Mais Biography

• Roger Mais Biography 

  Roger Mais was a Jamaican novelist, playwright, journalist and painter who was born on the 11th August,1905. He began writing verse and short stories in the 1930's. He was journalist and contributor to the Public Opinion, from 1939 to 1952. He also wrote plays, reviews  and short stories for other newspapers, including Focus and The Jamaica Daily Gleaner.

  Mais was a close friend of political leader and later Chief Minister of Jamaica, Norman Manley, and was good friends with the Chief Minister profoundly influenced by the political, cultural and social climate of his times, as a result,  most of his articles focused on injustice and in-equality. He used this approach to attract local audiences and pushed for national identity and anti-colonialism.

   As a writer and novelist, he wrote about one hundred short stories and a few novels, including " Brother Man", "The Hills Were Joyful Together" and "Black Lightning". 

   As a result of his avid involvement in journalism and writing of novels, he was awarded with ten first prizes in West Indian literary competitions.

   In 1955, Mais returned to Jamaica after falling ill with cancer and eventually died the same year at age 50.

Literary Terms and Definitions

TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

1. PROSE FICTION FORMS

·         Novel:  A book length fictional prose narrative

·         Novellas: Written, fictional, prose narratives, longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.

·         Short- stories:  A brief narrative in prose.

2. ELEMENTS OF PROSE FICTION

·         Narrative Techniques:  The methods involved in telling a story.

·         Point of View:  The relationship of the narrator, or storyteller, to the story.

·         Characterization: The methods of a writer used to reveal the personality of a character.

·         Setting: The time and place in which events of a story, novel or play occur.

·         Theme: The central message of a story, poem, novel or play that readers can apply to life.

·         Plot:   The sequence of events in a narrative work.

·         Style:  The author’s choice and arrangement of words and sentences in a literary work.

3.  LITERARY DEVICES

·         Imagery:  The “word pictures” that writers create to help evoke an emotional response.

·         Symbol: An object, person, place or experience that means more than what it actually is.

·         Irony:  A contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality or between what is expected and what eventually happens.

·         Satire: Writing that exposes and ridicules the subordinates or stupidity of people or societies.

·         Allusion:  A reference in a work of literature to a character, place, or situation from history or from another work of literature, music or art.

4. STRUCTURAL DEVICES

·         Stream of Consciousness: A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur.

·         Interior Monologue: A passage of writing presenting a character’s inner thoughts and emotions in a direct, sometimes disjointed or fragmentary manner.

·         Flashback:  An accountant of an event that happened before a story began.

·         Foreshadowing:  The use of clues by the author to prepare readers for events that will happen later in the story.

·         Time Frame:  A period during which something takes place or is projected to occur.

·         Motif: A significant word, description, idea or image that is repeated throughout a literary work.

·         Juxtaposition: The act of positioning close together or side by side.

5. TYPES OF FICTION

·         Commercial Fiction

·         Literary Fiction

·         Mainstream Fiction

Genre fiction:

·         Mystery

·         Romance

·         Women’s Fiction

·         Science Fiction/ Fantasy

6.  LITERARY CONTEXT

·         Political: Of or pertaining to government, a government, or the conduct of government.

·         Historical:  Of or concerned with history as a science.

·         Religious:   Pertaining to or concerned with religion.

·         Ethnic: Designating or of a population sub-group, having a common cultural heritage as distinguished by custom characteristics, language, common history etc.

·         Moral:  A practical lesson about right and wrong conduct.

·         Intellectual:  The ability to reason or understand or to perceive relationships.

·         Cultural: The training and refinement of intellect, interest, skills and art in a particular place.

·         Social: Of or relating to human society and its modes of organization.