Directorate: Curriculum FET
ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
REVISION FOR SHORT STORIES
2021
Grade 12
This revision program is designed to assist you in revising the critical content and
skills required to answer the NSC exams paper 2 for short stories. The purpose is
to prepare you to understand the key concepts and to provide you with an
opportunity to establish the required standard and the application of the
knowledge necessary to succeed in the Grade 12 examination.
The revision program covers all short stories with the following topics:
Title, Plot, Setting, Climax
Characterisation
Themes
, 2
Short Stories
Story/ Plot Characterisation Themes
1. A Chip of Glass ruby - Nadine
Gordimer
Summary: Characters
Title: Taken from Proverbs 31: 10 Mrs. Zanip Bamjee
(King James Bible) “Who can find a
virtuous woman? For her price is far o Virtuous; fulfils her
above rubies”. duties as mother and
By the end of the story Mr Bamjee wife; caring – for her
realises his wife’s value as an extended family, the Some Themes:
honourable woman. underprivileged; a o Sacrifice
Setting: Apartheid South Africa in the political activist o Conflict
1950s; a town near Johannesburg; the o Political activist - o Justice/ injustice
living room of the Bamjee home printing leaflets o Family values
Plot: This short story is about an o Mother of 9 children - o Racism – maltreatment of non-whites
Indian-African Muslim woman who wanted to help those in o Political activism
wanted to make a difference. Her need
name is Zanip Bamjee. She lived with Mr. Yusuf Bamjee
her husband, Mr Bamjee, her son o character that changes Discuss these themes
Jimmy, and daughter Girlie. They lived the most by referring to
with other African and Indian families in o a food and vegetable examples from the
a poor neighbourhood. Zanip was a vendor; at first he does
short story.
political activist who felt obligated to not understand his
help the people in need. One way she wife’s involvement in Can you identify more
helped her community was by making the black resistance themes?
leaflets and protesting against the campaign; racist; an
government. She did this because the egotist; undergoes a
black community was being taken change in character
away from their homes and deep down when he realizes his
, 3
she felt like that was going to happen wife’s worth.
to them too. Her son Jimmy was by her
side because he felt the same way Jimmy - Son
about the government as she did. Mr o same political views as
Bamjee, on the other hand, saw things mother
differently and thought they were going Girlie – Daughter
to get themselves into trouble. Girlie o same political views as
felt the same as her mother and mother
brother did. Mr. Bamjee began to
wonder why he even married his wife,
and Girlie reminded him that he
married her because Mrs Bamjee
doesn’t want anybody to feel left out,
and no one else is like that. Mrs
Bamjee was later thrown into jail with
other activists who tried to make a
difference
2. Village people – Bessie Head
ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
REVISION FOR SHORT STORIES
2021
Grade 12
This revision program is designed to assist you in revising the critical content and
skills required to answer the NSC exams paper 2 for short stories. The purpose is
to prepare you to understand the key concepts and to provide you with an
opportunity to establish the required standard and the application of the
knowledge necessary to succeed in the Grade 12 examination.
The revision program covers all short stories with the following topics:
Title, Plot, Setting, Climax
Characterisation
Themes
, 2
Short Stories
Story/ Plot Characterisation Themes
1. A Chip of Glass ruby - Nadine
Gordimer
Summary: Characters
Title: Taken from Proverbs 31: 10 Mrs. Zanip Bamjee
(King James Bible) “Who can find a
virtuous woman? For her price is far o Virtuous; fulfils her
above rubies”. duties as mother and
By the end of the story Mr Bamjee wife; caring – for her
realises his wife’s value as an extended family, the Some Themes:
honourable woman. underprivileged; a o Sacrifice
Setting: Apartheid South Africa in the political activist o Conflict
1950s; a town near Johannesburg; the o Political activist - o Justice/ injustice
living room of the Bamjee home printing leaflets o Family values
Plot: This short story is about an o Mother of 9 children - o Racism – maltreatment of non-whites
Indian-African Muslim woman who wanted to help those in o Political activism
wanted to make a difference. Her need
name is Zanip Bamjee. She lived with Mr. Yusuf Bamjee
her husband, Mr Bamjee, her son o character that changes Discuss these themes
Jimmy, and daughter Girlie. They lived the most by referring to
with other African and Indian families in o a food and vegetable examples from the
a poor neighbourhood. Zanip was a vendor; at first he does
short story.
political activist who felt obligated to not understand his
help the people in need. One way she wife’s involvement in Can you identify more
helped her community was by making the black resistance themes?
leaflets and protesting against the campaign; racist; an
government. She did this because the egotist; undergoes a
black community was being taken change in character
away from their homes and deep down when he realizes his
, 3
she felt like that was going to happen wife’s worth.
to them too. Her son Jimmy was by her
side because he felt the same way Jimmy - Son
about the government as she did. Mr o same political views as
Bamjee, on the other hand, saw things mother
differently and thought they were going Girlie – Daughter
to get themselves into trouble. Girlie o same political views as
felt the same as her mother and mother
brother did. Mr. Bamjee began to
wonder why he even married his wife,
and Girlie reminded him that he
married her because Mrs Bamjee
doesn’t want anybody to feel left out,
and no one else is like that. Mrs
Bamjee was later thrown into jail with
other activists who tried to make a
difference
2. Village people – Bessie Head
