ENG1501/202/0/2023

Tutorial Letter 202/0/2023

Foundations in English Literary Studies

ENG1501
Year Module

Department of English Studies

Feedback Tutorial Letter for Assignment 02

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Dear Students

In this tutorial letter, you will find the general feedback on Assignment 2. Please read the entire
letter alongside the individualised comments on your assignment and in conjunction with the
assignment feedback video available on the ENG1501-23-Y module site..

1. A very important note on PLAGIARISM

Many of you unfortunately submitted assignments that contained work that had been copied from
somewhere else. In many cases, you did not acknowledge using a source, and therefore
presented someone else’s work as your own. This is plagiarism.

Q: What is plagiarism?
A: Plagiarism is the act of taking words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting it as your
own. It is a form of theft which involves a number of dishonest academic activities. For instance,
if you submit work written by someone else as your own assignment, it is plagiarism. This includes
any work you find on the internet, as well as assignment answers shared via WhatsApp,
Telegram, e-mail, etc.

Q: What can happen if I commit plagiarism?

A: If you commit plagiarism, the University can open a disciplinary investigation. This could lead
to you being unable to continue your studies.

Q: Where in Unisa’s policies is plagiarism discussed?

A: It is discussed in the Disciplinary Code, which appears on the myStudies website and is given
to all students at registration. Students are advised to study the Disciplinary Code, especially
chapter 3 (1.19). Plagiarism is also discussed in Unisa’s Policy on Copyright Infringement and
Plagiarism, which all students are expected to read.

Q: Where can I find these policies?

A: The Unisa Disciplinary Code can be found by following this link:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/static/corporate_web/Content/Apply%20for%20admission/Documents/
Unisa-Students-Disciplinary-Code-25-April-2014.pdf

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The Unisa Policy on Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism can be found by following this link:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/static/corporate_web/Content/Apply%20for%20admission/Documents/
Policy_copyright_infringement_plagiarism_16November2005.pdf ENG1501/202/0/2021

Q: Where can I learn more about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it?
A: You can use this free online course:
https://sites.google.com/a/unisacommscience.co.za/writing-for-academic-integrity/plagiarism

Q: If I plagiarise in my assignment, will I still receive marks for it?

A: No. You are not entitled to receive any marks for work that has been plagiarised. Remember
that in this module, you do not need to use any external sources to complete your assignments.
In fact, no external sources will have the right answers. You simply need to work through all the
study material, do all the learning activities, and participate in your e-tutorials on myUnisa, and
then you will be able to answer the questions using your own knowledge and skills.

REMEMBER: If you plagiarise in Assignment 03, you will again be penalised for it. In addition,
disciplinary action can be taken against you, and you could even be suspended from studying at
any university in South Africa for up to 10 years! Don’t risk it. Be honest and do your own
work!

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2. How to study for ENG1501 the right way

There are unfortunately people out there who exploit Unisa students by pretending to help. Be
wary of websites such as stuvia.co.za, raetse.co.za, togetherwepass.co.za, etc., as these are
often used by people who pretend to be helping but are just after your money. Use the acronym
STUDY to keep yourself alert and focused:

S Sounds too good to be true: If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Remember, no one can
‘guarantee’ that you will pass a module by selling you ‘study notes’ and ‘study help’. Real
study groups run by serious fellow students will not ask you for money or airtime and will
not allow plagiarism.
T Truth: Individuals outside of Unisa who pretend to have some special access to your
lecturers and insight into the study material (including future exams) are not telling the truth.
ONLY your lecturers have access to exam papers. We would never share these with outside
individuals. The same goes for the exam scope. Trust only the official info that lecturers
send out via myUnisa.

U Unscrupulous individuals: Some untrustworthy leaders or owners of study groups and

websites will often attempt to undermine what your lecturers tell you. For instance, when
your lecturers send out announcements warning you against dishonest study groups and
plagiarism, these individuals will try and dismiss our advice by saying things like, ‘The
lecturers send these messages every semester’. This is to try and trick you so that you pay
for something that will not help you pass this module. If you receive SMSs advertising
‘workshops’ or ‘tutorials’ for Unisa modules, be extra careful if they are offered at a price.
Unisa will not make you pay for additional study packs and tutorial sessions.

D Do the module properly: Shortcuts will not help you pass ENG1501. However, following
the study plan and working through all the study material will. Each student is assigned to
an e-tutor, who offers weekly online tutorials on myUnisa. So go to your virtual classroom!
There you can participate in a range of activities and receive feedback from your e-tutor.
You can trust your e-tutor on myUnisa, because they are guided by your lecturers. If you
participate in your e-tutorials, you will find yourself working through the module content at a
steady pace that leaves you prepared for the assignments and exams – on time! For help
with finding your e-tutor site, find the relevant step-by-step guide under the Additional
Resources on the ENG1501 myUnisa site.

Y Your own work: Copying anyone else’s work – including the ‘model answers’ given by
some individuals in the study groups, or on social media platforms such as Telegram and
WhatsApp, or on websites – is plagiarism, even if you only use it to ‘guide’ your own
answers. Unisa uses sophisticated plagiarism detection software (such as, for instance,
Turnitin) to check whether students have copied from another source. We receive copies of
these supposed ‘model answers’ from students, so we can check whether you have
plagiarised. If you plagiarise, you will fail. Why take the risk? Rather do your own work!

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3. Resources that can help you while studying for ENG1501

• Your study material (all tutorial letters).

• Your e-tutor offers free, weekly tutorials on myUnisa (which is zero-rated for data).

• The ENG1501 Livestream Library on myUnisa offers helpful videos made by your lecturers.

• Guides on finding the e-reserves and your e-tutor are available under the Additional Resources
on myUnisa.

• You can contact your lecturers via e-mail on ENG1501@unisa.ac.za.

4. Feedback on Assignment 02

‘Rock’ (Lindiwe Nkutha)

4.1 Completing the assignment

In order to complete the assignment, you should have worked through the section on the short
story in Tutorial Letter 501 (your Study Guide) as well as Tutorial Letter 102, both of which provide
you with essential information and guidance on responding to the short story and writing about it.

Below we have provided some suggested answers to the questions. Because the analysis of
literature is open to interpretation, you may have included other ideas. You should, however,
always remember to provide some evidence from the text (quotations of words or phrases) to
support what you say in your answer.

You had to ensure that each answer adhered to the following guidelines. The answer had to:
• be written as a paragraph of between ten and fifteen lines
• discuss the topic by quoting evidence from the short story (these quotations should be
incorporated into grammatically complete and coherent sentences)
• explain how each of your quotations supports your argument
• employ correct referencing techniques and make use of appropriate academic conventions
• end with a sentence which summarises and reflects on the significance of what you have argued.

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Write a paragraph in response to each of the following questions:

1. This story uses first-person narration. Explain how the narrative style influences
our perception of the events in the story, and how this contributes to the story’s
meaning. (10)

Narration is explained in TL501, pages 52-55. Narrative perspective refers to point of view
from which a story is told. In first-person narration, the story is told from the perspective of a
character in the story. This character uses personal pronouns such as “I”, “me” or “my” (TL501,
52).

Even though the first-person narrator may seem to be “in the best position to explain her or his
thoughts and feelings to the reader […], he or she may choose to tell the story in a way that
emphasises certain aspects or minimises others” (TL501, 53). In other words, because we only
have access to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the narrator, this may result in a biased
or unreliable narrator. The narrator may portray events inaccurately or share information with the
reader that is not entirely truthful. The narrator in this story is a teenage girl named Zibusiso.
After being attacked by a dog, she loses the use of her legs and is confined to a wheelchair. The
events in the story have the potential to be devastating. Zibusiso, however, (often humorously)
narrates these events in a way that not only shows her maturity, but also rejects a victim mentality
and celebrates people overcoming adversity.

Some examples from the story:

• Zibusiso loses the use of her legs in a vicious dog attack. Instead of narrating this event
with resentment or depicting herself as a victim, she offers a seemingly logical
explanation of why the event occurred: She argues that because the dog had not been
fed for a week, it mistook her legs for lamb shank (Nkutha 2013:185). She furthermore
says that she had fantasised about eating the dog from hunger, but the dog simply acted
first (Nkutha 2013:185). In this way, Zibusiso manages to depict this tragic event, in a
more positive light.
• The story tells us that Zibusiso, because of her disability, is regarded as little more than
her mother’s property (Nkutha 2013:189). The customers who frequent her mother’s
casino therefore pay no attention to her. Again, Zibusiso manages to turn this into
something positive: from the vantage point of her wheelchair, she is able to observe all

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the customers, old and new, who enter the casino. Recognising someone new is “a
service which [she] offered [her] mother for free” (Nkutha 2013:190). Her mother would
use this information to “hustle those whose defences had not been solidly build up yet”
(Nkutha 2013:190). The fact that she is seen as little more than a “not fully functional”
(Nkutha 2013:189) possession, is therefore used to her advantage to benefit her
mother’s business.
The first-person narration used in this story describes events in a particular way so that even
tragic events are seen in a positive light. The narration, in turn, reinforces themes of hope and
rising above one’s circumstances.

2. Discuss the story’s setting and analyse how Zibusiso manages to describe her
surroundings and the hardship her family is faced with, with wry humour. (10)

Setting: The concept is explained in TL501 as an element of fiction where the author
“[...]position[s] her or his characters in a specific space and at a particular moment in time. Where
and when the characters exist have an impact on the choices they make as well as on the options
available to them in the story” (43). The concept of setting thus refers to time, place and space
and includes the general location in which a story unfolds as well as the historical significance of
when the story is set.

The story takes place in an impoverished community, and although the story tells us about these
surroundings, the events in the story are restricted mostly to “the capsule” (Nkutha 2013:189) that
Zibusiso, her mother and her uncle (Malum’ Justice) live in and from which Sis’ Ncedi runs her
casino. Zibusiso’s wheelchair limits her movements from “house, to the shops, and from school
back to [her] house again” (Nkutha 2013:185). Although descriptions of the setting point to the
abject poverty that the people of the community are faced with, Zibusiso manages to describe the
poverty with wry humour. Wry humour suggests that Zibusiso’s narration is ironic, and at times
mocking, but it lacks true bitterness, which could be expected from someone who has been
through what she has.

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Examples from the story:

• The most prominent example is Zibusiso’s explanation of why the dog attacked her.
This is not because of any “intentional ill-feeling on the dog’s part (Nkutha 2013:185),
but because the dog was simply ravenous. She tells us that dog mistook her legs for
lamb shank, and that she had been so hungry that she had also imagined eating the
dog. The only difference between her and the dog is that the dog acted on its hunger
first (Nkutha 2013:185). While humorous, this description also manages to underscore
the hunger experienced by people and animals in the community. This is made even
more acute by Zibusiso’s ability to empathise with the dog’s hunger.
• Zibusiso draws on the idiomatic expression “as poor as a church mouse”. This is
regarded as the superlative form of being poor. She tells us that her mother was even
poorer than this: “In fact, there were church mice that had managed a level of affluence
greater than hers, by both human and mouse standards” (Nkutha 2013:186). This
description, while emphasising their privation, does so in a humorous way.
• Poverty is described as a contest. Bra Phandi loses his job, and Sis’ Ntokozo is unable
to continue taking in laundry because of her arthritis. This “ma[kes] them first runners-
up in the privation contest” (Nkutha 2013:187). Describing poverty as a contest adds a
mocking, humorous dimension to the description of the setting in the story.
Furthermore, the description of Bra Phandi as the “first male washerwoman” (Nkutha
2013:187) and the neighbourhood children as “overzealous army of sales
representatives” (Nkutha 2013:187) adds a further comical dimension to Bra Phandi’s
strife to overcome poverty.
• Jacqoubeth is referred to as the Green Mamba, or the Green One (Nkutha 2013:188)
because Malum’ Justice says: “There is nothing else that anyone who walks around
wearing a skunky towel so green and worn-out that it brings up images of a snake
shedding deserves to be called other than Green Mamba.” (Nkutha 2013:188) Although
this description is humorous, it again points towards the poverty faced by the
community. It also suggests that beneath the “worn-out” skins of the community, they
are shiny and new. Poverty is not an indication of worth.

NB: There two versions of Question 3: the one in TL101 and the other posted on the
ENG1501 module site. Understanding that not all students were aware of this discrepancy,
we accepted answers to both questions, with the following possible answers.

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3. In the short story, Bra Phandi's wife suffers from ill health, and he is forced to take
over her job. Focusing on characterisation, discuss how Bra Phandi makes a
success of a job that has traditionally been done by women. (10)

Characterisation is discussed in TL 501, pages 45 – 48. Characterisation has to do with how

the characters are described: what they wear, how the speak, their age, whether they are male
or female, their level of education, their economic status, personality traits, their experience of
conflict or turmoil, and their development or growth throughout the story. We accepted students’
engagement with any aspects of characterisation in their answers.

Bra Phandi is characterized as a flexible and innovative man. When Sis’ Ntokozo develops
arthritis, which leaves her unable to do the washing (which is their only source of income), Bra
Phandi decides to take over and “establish himself as the neighbourhood’s first male
washerwoman” (Nkutha 2013:187). This shows his flexibility in embracing the identity that other
people in his society could find embarrassing, since traditionally, the chore of doing laundry is
associated with women. In spite of people’s gossip and name-calling, he does not cower; instead,
he makes every effort to become a household name. His innovative character is demonstrated
when he “improvise[s] [a] billboard,” then distributes “ubiquitous pamphlets bearing his name and
the services he offer[s]” (Nkutha 2013: 187). Rather than hiding the work he is doing because it
is associated with women, Bra Phandi challenges patriarchal perspectives by advertising his
services, thus revealing to all and sundry that he is a "male washerwoman". In so doing, he makes
a success of this job, in which he is a pioneering male.

OR
3. In this story, gender roles and expectations are subverted. Focussing on the
characterisation of Danisile and Bra Phandi, consider how the story undermines
gender roles and expectations. (10)

Characterisation is discussed in TL 501, pages 45 – 48. Characterisation has to do with how

the characters are described: what they wear, how the speak, their age, whether they are male
or female, their level of education, their economic status, personality traits, their experience of

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conflict or turmoil, and their development or growth throughout the story. We accepted students’
engagement with any aspects of characterisation in their answers.

Bra Phandi: Traditionally, men are seen as the breadwinners of the family. After losing his job at
the gold mine, Bra Phandi’s wife, Sis’ Ntokozo, becomes the sole breadwinner. This is the first
instance in which traditional gender expectations are challenged because Sis’ Ntokozo is
financially the head of the house. Sis’ Ntokozo, however, develops arthritis which leaves her
unable to do the washing which is their only source of income. Bra Phandi decides to take over
and “establish himself as the neighbourhood’s first male washerwoman” (Nkutha 2013:187). The
description of “male washerwoman” is significant: keeping the term “washerwoman”, instead of
simply washerman, establishes this occupation as traditionally belonging to women: women do
the washing. By placing the qualifying term “male” in front of “washerwoman”, the story also
emphasises that Bra Phandi is subverting the norm, by entering an occupation traditionally
reserved for woman. (Think, for instance, of describing someone as a male waitress or female
construction foreman!) Interestingly, Green Mamba describes Bra Phandi as being “manly enough
to take care of his wife” (Nkutha 2013:188). Taking on a job traditionally reserved for women, for
Green Mamba, therefore reinforces his masculinity. In a complex manner, the subversion of
gender roles and expectations also reinforces these same roles and expectations.

Danisile: Initially, Danisile is referred to as “it” (Nkutha 2013:191) because Zibusiso is unable to
determine whether she is a man or a woman (she is therefore an androgynous character): “Right
before [her] eyes, the figure changed from resembling a man to resembling a woman with such
speed that [Zibusiso] could not keep up” (Nkutha 2013:191). The difficulty in determining Dan’s
gender, is made more difficult by the fact that “poor people never make much of a fuss about the
gender of their clothing” (Nkutha 2013:191). Danisile wears a masculine corduroy jacket, but this
jacket has feminine shoulder pads (Nkutha 2013:191). Her masculine shoes, as also too small
to be a man’s. The way she walks, with “a swanky rhythmic right heel forward, right shoulder
back, a shuffle-like drag of the left foot forward, and a jive-like twist of the left shoulder forward”
convinces Zibusiso that she is a man (Nkutha 2013:191). It is only when she speaks that she is
revealed as a woman (Nkutha 2013:192). Danisile’s characterisation therefore subverts and
disrupts traditional notions of femininity and masculinity, through the style of her dress, but also
through her deportment. Danisile’s characterisation is further complicated by her romantic
relationship with Zibusiso’s mother which challenges the idea of heterosexuality.

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4. The praying mantis functions as a symbol in this story. Briefly explore the
symbol of the praying mantis and how it contributes to the story’s meaning. (10)

The praying mantis, as the name suggests, is often associated with religious belief or with the act
of praying. In the short story, the mantis speaks about Zibusizo to “Gold”. Gold refers both to
God and Gold, as Zibusiso says you need to “pay to speak to him” (Nkutha 2013:192). Zibusiso
does not believe that Go(l)d listens or cares. She argues that he is “[h]ard of hearing” and that it
would be better if he “relocated from that place on the other side of the sky” to somewhere closer
(Nkutha 2013:192). Still, through the mantis, she voices her own hopes, dreams and prayers.
The mantis acts as an intermediary between Zibusiso and Go(l)d, praying on her behalf. It prays
for “a golden future” and for Gold to “help her walk again!” (Nkutha 2013:192). The mantis is a
therefore a symbol of hope. Danisile’s presence in the lives of Zibusiso and her family result in
the guitar being played again, and in laughter and happiness entering their home. The praying
mantis then “let it slip that now that her prayers had been answered, she might not be around for
much longer” (Nkutha 2013:198). Although “her” in this quote refers to the mantis, it is actually
Zibusiso’s prayers that have been answered. The mantis, consequently, “stopped its
conversations with Gold” (Nkutha 2013:198). The mantis’ presence is no longer needed, not
because all hope is lost, but because Zibusiso, as a result of Danisile (re)entering their lives, is
strong enough to hope and pray on her own.

5. The title of the story can be understood as referring both to positive and
negative events in Zibusiso’s life. Discuss these events and how they relate to the
title. (10)

The title of the story is “Rock”, and this is also the nickname of the protagonist. After being
attacked by a dog, Zibusiso has to rely on a wheelchair to move around. The children in the
neighbourhood whisper “Rock ‘n Roll” every time she passes, referring to how she “rock[s] and
wheel[s] [her]self” between school, home and shops (Nkutha 2013:185). The name “Rock” in this
instance, is a derogatory term, referring to the movements of her wheelchair. Zibusiso herself
refers to her wheelchair as her “Rockmobile” (Nkutha 2013:189). Zibusiso, whose preferred
music style is “rock and roll and nothing else” (Nkutha 2013:185) also dreams of learning to play

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the guitar. The name “Rock” therefore refers to this dream. This dream is partly realised when
Danisile joins their household, and the guitar, which until then is not played or spoken of, is again
taken up. The title “Rock”, refers to the protagonists use of a wheelchair (a result of a negative
event in her life), but also her dream of playing rock music, which is made possible through the
positive event of Danisile’s entrance into her life.

Content: 50 marks

Use of language, (grammar and expression): 50 marks

Total: 100

4.2 Understanding the marking rubric

For this assignment, your total mark was out of 100. The total was broken down into two
subtotals:
1. Content (10 marks per question): 50 marks
A mark for the content of what you wrote. In other words, how correct your answers to the
questions were.

2. Use of language, (grammar and expression): 50 marks

A mark for how well you wrote. In other words, did you write sentences that were grammatically
correct? Did you avoid making spelling mistakes? Was it possible to understand what you were
trying to say? Did you use topic sentences in each of your paragraphs? Did the individual
sentences in your paragraphs follow on each other in a logical way? (If you lost a lot of marks
here, revising pp. 13-19 in Tutorial Letter 501 will help.)

END

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