1. Cultural Model. This model represents the traditional approach to teaching literature.

Such a model requires learners to explore and interpret the social, political, literary and
historical context of a specific text. By using such a model to teach literature we not only
reveal the universality of such thoughts and ideas but encourage learners to understand
different cultures and ideologies in relation to their own. Advocates of this model believe that
the value of literature lies in its unique distillation of culture. In this model, the class reads
fiction or poetry as part of their instruction about history, politics, social mores and traditions .
 Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral
Savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother
sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that
irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
 Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under the weight of
humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying no to the whip under the midday
sun?
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded
flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.
2. The Language Model. Given that literature is built from language, it opens a
path for students to construct their own understanding of words and phrases.
According to this model, reading is of value for the same reason it’s valuable in
a student’s native language: it gives them the tools for more effective
communication. It also improves vocabulary and development. This approach
lends itself well to the repertoire of strategies used in language teaching - cloze
procedure, prediction exercises, jumbled sentences, summary writing, creative
writing and role play - which all form part of the repertoire of EFL activities
used by teachers to deconstruct literary texts in order to serve specific
linguistic goals. Carter and McRae (1996) describe this model as taking a
‘reductive’ approach to literature. These activities are disconnected from the
literary goals of the specific text in that they can be applied to any text. There is
little engagement of the learner with the text other than for purely linguistic
practice; literature is used in a rather purposeless and mechanistic way in order
to provide for a series of language activities orchestrated by the teacher.
3. Personal Growth Model. It aims to one achieve lasting pleasure and deep
satisfaction in reading. This model attempts to bridge the cultural model and the
language model by focusing on the particular use of language in a text, as well as
placing it in a specific cultural context. Learners are encouraged to express their
opinions, feelings and opinions and make connections between their own
personal and cultural experiences and those expressed in the text. Another
aspect of this model is that it helps learners develop knowledge of ideas and
language – content and formal schemata – through different themes and topics.
This function relates to theories of reading (Goodman, 1970) which emphasize
the interaction of the reader with the text. As Cadorath and Harris point out
(1998:188) "text itself has no meaning, it only provides direction for the reader
to construct meaning from the reader's own experience".
 What does the text have to do with you,
1.

personally, and with your life (past, present or

future)?
2. How much does the text agree or clash with
your view of the world, and what you consider
right and wrong?
3. How did you learn, and how much were your
views and opinions challenged or changed by this
text, if at all?
4. How well did you enjoy the text (or not)
as entertainment or as a work of art? Use
quotes or examples to illustrate the quality
of the text as art or entertainment related
to the text.
5. What is your overall reaction to
the text? Would you read something
else like this, or by this author, in the
future or not? Why or why not? To
whom would you recommend this
text?