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Summary ENG1501: Short story "A Matter of Taste" by Alex La Guma. Suggested responses for (2024) assignment 02

Course
Foundations in English Literary Studies (ENG1501)

Institution
University Of South Africa (Unisa)

This document advise on how to write a reflective essay. It also provide suggestions on how to respond to the question of spatial setting, drawing from the short story "A Matter of Taste". Furthermore, it analyses Chinaboy's physical description and dialogue. It also discuss the humour used in the ...

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Uploaded on May 4, 2024
Number of pages 8
Written in 2023/2024
Type Summary

matteroftaste

Institution
University of South Africa (Unisa)
Course
Foundations in English Literary Studies (ENG1501)

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Short story: “A Matter of Taste”, Alex La Guma

This document contains suggested answers to UNISA module
ENG1501 assignment 02 (2024). The document provides
notes on how to write a reflective essay. It also provides
solutions to literary devices used in the short story and they
include: spatial setting, physical description and dialogue;
humour and theme of the desire for a better life.

Author: Malesela

maleselamakwesa1@gmail.com

,SECTION A: Reflective Essay: Short Story (Unit 3)

This section requires you to write a 250—350 word essay in respond to the
questions to be discussed below. My take here is that you could write a three
paragraph essay of 100-120 words at the most, where each paragraph answers the
set questions. The good part about reflective essay is that there is no strict way to
how you put your response. You only need to answer it as true as possible. In
reflective essay your answers will never look like someone else’s as they draw from
personal experience. So, these 15 marks are yours to gain. Now let us look at the
assignment questions reproduced below and suggestions on how to respond to
them.

1. Do you like fiction? Have you ever read short stories before this module? Do
you have a favourite short story? If so, please tell us the title and author.

If you take a closer look you will notice that this question is divided into three parts.
First part: “Do you like reading fiction?” here the first thing to say is yes/no. The
answer to this part cannot be long. It can be something as “yes, I like fiction because
I enjoy being transported to imagined worlds. Or yes, because I get fascinated by the
creativity of authors that invent worlds and people that don't exist in real life. Second
part: “Do you have a favourite short story?” Of course you should have one because
how would you find words to complete a 100-120 paragraph. Here the first thing to
say is yes/no and then state the reasons why it is your favourite story. Maybe this
short story is your favourite because you relate to the main character who goes to on
to overcome a learning impairment or prejudice because of gender or race.
Sometimes the main character lacked confidence at first but as the story progresses,
realised that he/she was in control of her life, and it's only that previously she did not
look deep into herself. What is important is that there must be values that connect
you to this short story, and as a result they inform the reasons it is your favourite. In
the last part of the question you have to provide the title and author of this short story

2. Which section(s) in this unit did you find particularly enjoyable or
interesting, or gave you more insight into short stories? Please be as specific
as possible (quote from the section and provide page references).

1

,The answer for this question should come from Unit 3 of the study guide which
discusses the short story. These sections include concepts such as setting;
characterisation; narration and theme, all of which make the elements of a short
story. Now in your respond you are going to mention the concepts you've enjoyed
during your reading of this section. Remember that the instruction of the question
stated that you need to be as specific as possible. Let us work an example. Let us
say you have found the discussion of narration interesting. Why? It is because prior
to taking this module you could not make a clear distinction between first-person
narration and third-person narration. However, the detailed explanation of these
concepts with exemplary use of the short story “I could have loved gold” which uses
first-person narration (UNISA 2021:53), provided me with the insight to distinguish
between the two in future. So, here your answer is specific in that it selects a
particular part of the concept in the unit that had since improved your understanding
of the short story. You can add another concept that you had but even so, be just as
specific and also provide a reference of the page you have quoted from.

3. Which section(s) in this unit did you find the least enjoyable or difficult to
understand? Please be as specific as possible (quote from the section and
provide page references).

This question is the reverse of the above question. Perhaps you've found the
concept of theme in page (UNISA, 2021:55) of the study guide difficult to understand
because it was discussed briefly with little details and you wish they had used more
examples to elaborate on the concepts. As an example, you also struggle to
understand the concept of the ‘plot’, particularly in a short story because it was not
explained thoroughly besides the definition provided in page 48 of the study guide
(UNISA 2021). Perhaps the concept would have been better illustrated with the use
of a graph. These are simply examples. Yours is to convey your experience drawn
from the reading of unit 3. Of importance here is that the lecture need to be
convinced that indeed you have consulted this unit of the study guide.

2

, SECTION B: A Matter of Taste, by Alex La Guma

This section will provide you with a discussion of each question and suggested
answers to the question posed in the assignment. There are 5 questions of 8 marks
each. One of the instructions state that your answers should be written as a
paragraph of between 10 and 15 lines. This means that in total we are going to write
5 paragraphs of between 10 and15 lines. Another instruction state that answers
should begin with a topic statement that reflects the main topic of the paragraph. The
implied main topics of each paragraph will be highlighted in bold in the assignment
answers provided below.

1. Comment on the spatial setting described on the first page of the story
(p.428), explaining how it contributes to the theme of poverty.

This paragraph will discuss the spatial setting of the story and how it
contributes to the theme of poverty (this has now become our topic sentence
because it indicates aspects to be discussed in this paragraph). First, let us explain
‘spatial settings it reflects to elements found in the setting when events of the story
take place. What stands out is that the story takes place outside, where Chinaboy
and the narrator are sitting around a fire (page 1). This is suggested by the phrase
“ragged moon” (paragraph 1); “sand” (paragraph 3) “embarkment” (paragraph 4) and
“bush and wattle” (paragraph 5). Elements found in this setting include “the tin used
to boil water and condensed-milk tins used for cups” (paragraph 1 and 4); “ruins of a
one-time siding” and “corrugated iron office with roofless interior” and “old sleeper”
(paragraph 4). Now how do these elements contribute to the theme of poverty? First,
let us look at the fire, in this context it suggests poverty because it imply that the men
are homeless they camp outside, and therefore have no proper kettle or stove to
brew their coffee. This homelessness is also suggested by an “old sleeper” the
narrator used. Meaning they have no bed and cannot afford a new sleeping bag.
“Ruins of a one-time siding” suggest that the site is void of economic activity as was
assumingly abandoned by the former employer of the men, “the railways”. In
reference to South Africa, corrugated iron structures are often associated with
poverty. This one we learn that it is roofless, which suggested that “passers-by”
(paragraph 4) who might be impoverished, helped themselves to the sheets used to

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