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Literary Reading in EFL classroom - “Clothes” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

1. Introduction

Dealing with literary texts has many great benefits for teaching English as a foreign language (cf. Diehr and Suhrkamp 2015: 21). For instance, literary texts offer learners various perspectives on the target language as well as on the social and cultural situations of foreign countries (cf. ibid.). They provide opportunities to address concepts of reality and thus contribute to personal development of learners (cf. ibid.).

So, literature is an inevitable component of teaching English at secondary schools, and however, the many benefits of literary reading are well-known, the educational policy developments, such as “Bildungsstandards für den mittleren Schulabschluss“ (BiSta) reveal considerable gaps (cf. ibid.). In the course of the development of BiSta, it became clear that literary competences are quite difficult to capture (cf. ibid.). This might be one essential reason for the fact that the reception of literary texts is often identified with pure information retrieval (cf. ibid.). But literary reading or more precisely literary competencies require more than just reproducing the main statements of a literary text (cf. ibid.). Accordingly, a number of other skills and abilities (competencies) have to be developed in order to make literary texts educationally significant and to fully develop their potential in terms of language learning, personal growth of learners etc.

In order to fill this crucial gap, literature didactics have attempted to model concepts of literary competence in recent years, which refer to competencies of literary reading (cf. ibid). But up to now, none of these approaches could be integrated into the curriculum standards. An essential reason for this might be that an agreement on a model (of literary reading) could not be reached yet and that the issue of grading literary competences is still largely unresolved (cf. ibid. and Burwitz-Melzer 2007: 127 ff.).

Anyhow, one attempt towards filling the gaps in the educational policy standards is the model of literary reading and understanding, created by Burwitz-Melzer.

One purpose of this paper therefore is to examine why literature didactics had to come up with literary models of competence. At this, the developments towards models of literary competence will be addressed briefly.


A secondary emphasis is to deal with one literary model of competence. According to this, the model of literary reading and understanding will be presented in detail. And subsequently, its relevance for teaching of literature will be pointed out.

The third emphasis will be on connecting theory with practice. Therefore, the drawn conclusions will be used to construct a teaching unit. That way, the model of literary reading will be applied on the narrative short story “Clothes” written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

And in the final part of the term paper, the central points of the whole topic will be recapitulated. In addition to that, the consequences for teaching English as a foreign language will be pointed out as well.


2. Germany: Trends and historical developments in foreign language teaching

Since the shocking results of the PISA-study measures were needed urgently to improve the learning performances of learners in Germany (cf. Bausch 2005: 7). For that reason, curricular concepts as well as concepts of teaching methods have been reorientated (cf. ibid.). The Conference of Education Ministers (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK) introduced therefore the “Bildungsstandards” in 2002 (cf. ibid: 57).

This educational consequence determines the competences, which learners should have acquired when completing a particular school year and focuses on the output orientation (cf. ibid.). That way, the Bildungsstandards should serve as a support especially for teachers in their profession. The question that arises here is whether these education standards really serve as a support in terms of teaching and fostering competences.

When considering the “Bildungsstandards für die erste Fremdsprache (Englisch/Französisch) für den Mittleren Schulabschluss (KMK 2004)“, it can be seen that these standards focus on teaching foreign languages in Germany, but however, involve just a one-sided statement regarding the reading process, for example (cf. Burwitz-Melzer 2007: 130). The reading comprehension is described as follows: Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können weitgehend selbstständig verschiedene Texte aus Themenfeldern ihres Interessen- und Erfahrungsbereiches lesen und verstehen (B1+). (Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 2004: 8)

At this point, it becomes clear that the reading process is formulated inexactly. Besides that, there are no descriptors for literary texts given. Burwitz-Melzer (ibid.) also criticizes the weakness in the operationalization of the required competencies and concerning this point, there are no consistent tools for evaluating learner performances (cf. ibid.).

In general terms, it can be noted that neither the “Bildungsstandards” nor the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) have sufficiently dealt with the teaching of literature (Literaturdidaktik) (cf. ibid.: 136). Therefore, the next chapter will reflect upon a new way of competence-oriented approach, namely a “model of literary reading”.


3. A Model of Literary Reading

Before presenting the model of literary reading for the foreign language classroom, it is first of all necessary to outline the meaning of the term ´competence´ (cf. Burwitz-Melzer 2007: 137).

According to Groeben (2002: 13) the term ´competence´ comprises both: combination of skills and ability for use (2007: 137). Moreover, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), DeSeCo Project (2005) report, states:

A competency is more than just knowledge and skills. It involves the ability to meet complex demands, by drawing on and mobilising psychosocial resources (including skills and attitudes) in a particular context. For example, the ability to communicate effectively is a competency that may draw on an individual’s knowledge of language, practical IT skills and attitudes towards those with whom he or she is communicating. (OECD 2005: 4)

Relating to these definitions, the term “competence” implies an individual’s abilities and skills which should be applied in practical and concrete situations. With reference to everyday school life or lessons, it can be said that learners have to develop different competencies in order to be able to solve concrete tasks and requirements.

One major competence when dealing with literary texts is the ´reading literacy´ (reading competence). According to Groeben (2002: 13), reading competence can be seen as a concept which deals with the area of reading literary texts in the foreign language classroom. This concept includes both relevant task-oriented skills and general abilities in specific, problem-related situations (cf.

Motivational competencies

Cognitive and affective competencies

Intercultural competencies

Competencies of follow-up communication

Reflective competencies (ibid.: 138)


The above mentioned competencies include skills and abilities that can be practiced and promoted in class, this means, they are both workable and mostly


evaluable (cf. ibid.). Furthermore, if these subcomponents of reading competence are combined with relevant tasks (process stage), it can be expected that they gain more importance for the educational work (cf. ibid.).

The process stages can be realized in various ways, which means they can be accomplished one by one in chronological order or in no particular order (cf. ibid). Indeed, the sequence can be determined roughly, but cannot be observed strictly, in case learners want to work in a different way (cf. ibid.). This is due to the fact that the aesthetic stances of reading premise a “natural process of reception” as possible (cf. ibid.). By this means, the educational reading process should respond to spontaneous reactions of learners (cf. ibid.). By way of example, learner´s suggestions for interpretation of a story or characterization of a figure etc. should not merely be accepted in particular times or process stages, but rather preferably every time when learners make suggestions (cf. ibid: 138-139).

Moreover, depending on the type of text, age and level of competence of the learner group, some of the process stages can be omitted (cf. ibid.: 139). Burwitz-Melzer describes the process stages for the foreign language literary classroom as follows: The first process stage ´motivational competencies´ can be understood as the learners´ degree of involvement; therefore, it is about having expectations of a literary text and maintaining the anticipation continuously during the textual work (cf. ibid.). The second process stage ´cognitive and affective competencies´ involves intellectual and affective/emotional reaction towards text contents, and is about constructing an individual and interindividual meaning of a text or briefly it deals with the knowledge of and about literature (cf. ibid.). The third process stage ´intercultural competencies´ refers to (inter-)cultural aspects and is interested in fostering intercultural competencies (cf. ibid.). The fourth process stage ´competencies of follow-up communication´ includes, for example, interpretation and analysis and negotiation of meaning (cf. ibid.). And last but not least, the fifth process stage ´reflective competencies´ focuses on developing research competencies, by extension, it includes reflecting processes of constructing meaning (cf. ibid.).

Thereby, this model supports the foreign language literary classroom in following ways (cf. ibid): Firstly, it allows the formulation of learning objectives for specific process stages in the foreign language (literary) classroom (cf. ibid). Secondly, it provides a more accurate operationalization of work stages, which may be important for the instruction of tasks or the planning of teaching units (cf. ibid).

And thirdly, it creates the basis for an assessment of learning progress for both teachers and learners (cf. ibid). Accordingly, learners will be able to monitor their own learning progress and teachers will be able to measure the learning status, difficulty of tasks and quality of the learning results (cf. ibid).

Moreover, according to Burwitz-Melzer it is important to pay attention to the fact that this didactical concept should not be considered as an evaluation pattern – since neither each learner performance nor each learning objective mentioned here must be evaluated (cf. ibid.: 143). Learning objectives and learner performances required in the cognitive and affective competencies and in the competencies of follow-up communication, can be evaluated.

A grading is justified here because enough objectifiable criteria can be sited (cf. ibid.).

Whereas a grading in motivational competencies seems to be difficult, since these competencies involve motivational aspects which in turn involve individual dispositions of the learners (cf. ibid.).

Outcomes of the reflective competencies should not be evaluated in almost the same manner afore-mentioned, because these competencies should rather serve as opportunities for learners to evaluate their learning process and if necessary to plan a new way of learning for the future (cf. ibid.).

On the other hand, it is not so easy to evaluate a change of perspective (cf. ibid.). Because change of perspectives include learner´s degree of maturity and informs about their moral dispositions. As such, these can be fostered and appreciated but should not be evaluated (cf. ibid.).

Furthermore, two other aspects, which play an essential role in action-oriented classrooms, can be named as: text production and performance (cf. ibid.). As such, these aspects concern writing tasks or tasks which require presentations, roles plays etc.

Text production and performance competencies do not only cover reading skills and abilities but also writing, speaking and listening and performing skills (cf. ibid). It must be noted here, that these types of tasks have to be related to the original text in order to support the reading comprehension successfully (cf. ibid.).


4. Teaching unit

Before analyzing the subject of the following teaching unit, it is first of all necessary to consider the features and working conditions of the learner group. Hence, preconditions of the learners as a group, as well as preconditions of each learner will be ascertained in the following part of the term paper.


The (hypothetical) group of learners consists of 20 learners aged to 15-17, and is attending the 10th grade of a middle school (Realschule). The learners are open-minded, willing to learn and highly motivated. As interaction and active use of language are always center of attention in this class, the learners were able to develop an extended vocabulary. Therefore, working with unknown literary texts does not pose a problem in this class.

The learners are generally familiar with working with narrative short stories and thus are able to identify and point out characteristic features of narrative short stories. Furthermore, the extended vocabulary of the learners offers a basic precondition for sensible discussions. They are able to comment on different issues and contribute to discussions. The general language competences (writing, speaking, listening and reading) can be classified, with regard to the Common European Framework of Reference, as “B1/B2 level”.


Besides, partner or group work can be implemented without problems due to the fact that the learners get along well with each other and are trained in these types of working. As the learners of this group are from different cultures and backgrounds and live in a multicultural society, it is useful and essential to foster in addition to other competencies, also the intercultural competencies.


4.2 Subject – Sachanalyse of the short story “Clothes”

At this part of the paper, a closer look at the subject of the following teaching unit will be taken. Firstly, the content will be summarized below.

The short story “Clothes” is written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and published in the collection “Arranged Marriage” in 1995. The collection deals with Indian women torn between two cultures as well as their struggle of finding their identity and place in the world.

Clothes” is about a young woman from India, Sumita, whose parents arrange her marriage with an Indian man, Somesh, living in the United States. Sumita leaves her homeland India and moves to California to live with her husband and his parents. The marriage works out well, her husband is a kind man and so his parents are, though a bit strict and traditional than their son.

Sumita discovers a whole new world and wants to make the best of her new life. Her dreams are shattered as her husband is killed. She has to manage her future on her own and has to choose between going back to India, living with her in-laws or staying in the United States.

According to that, the importance of clothes can also be derived from the title itself.

The first unit of meaning, Sumita´s bride viewing, implies the meaning of saris and their importance for Indian women, their traditions and their culture. As 9


Indian women traditionally wear imposing saris at their weddings, they can be seen as a symbol of starting a new life. Just from the beginning of the story, it is interesting to note that Sumita describes her thoughts and feelings as well as her hopes through her clothing and the carefully chosen colors. The first example is given at the women´s lake where Sumita takes a bath in a lake to prepare herself for the bride-viewing day, she describes her sari as “[…] wet and yellow, like a sunflower after rain […]” (Divakaruni 1997: 17).

The color yellow at this point might signify hope, optimism and happiness and therefore might be reflecting Sumita´s feelings about the forthcoming changes in her life like the marriage and with that her transition to America. Her statement “like a sunflower after rain” might indicate again a hopeful attitude towards the marriage. The next sari is the special sari for the bride-viewing day which she gets from her father.

During the plane trip to the United States, Sumita is very nervous and tries to keep calm by thinking about her sari. She is wearing a “midnight blue sari with a thin red border” (ibid.: 20). Again the color is chosen carefully “because blue is the color of possibility, the color of the sky through which she would be traveling” (ibid.). Whereas the color red is seen as a sign of good luck and should bring luck to married Indian women: “Mother said there must be red in it because red is the color of luck for married women” (ibid.). Consequently, her sari in these two colors symbolizes luck and possibility and also reflects her hopeful feelings while traveling.

The second unit of meaning, transition to life in the United States, implies Sumita´s first struggle of finding her place in her new life. She tries on western clothes, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt which her husband bought her. “The T-shirt is sunrise-orange—the color, I decide of joy, of my new American life” (ibid.: 25). As Sumita says, it is “the color of joy” and reflects again her hopes and feelings about a pleasurable new life.

In front of her in-laws she has saris on and fulfils her duties as a daughter in-law, and in front of her husband in her bedroom, she tries on her western clothes and dreams about a career as a teacher or just about assisting his husband in his store 7-Eleven. This struggle of two different identities, being an Indian woman or a western woman, is illustrated vividly by the different clothes and their colors.

Building on this, her confused feelings become clear in these lines:

I feel caught in a world where everything is frozen in place, […]. It is a world so small that if I were to stretch my arms, I would touch its cold unyielding edges. Then I am ashamed, Mita, I ask myself you are growing westernized. Back at home you would never have felt this way. (1997: 26)

The last unit of meaning, identity and self-fulfillment, brings another major change in Sumita´s life. Her husband is murdered and Sumita has to wear a white sari – “White. Widow´s color, color of endings” (ibid.: 29). And now she is possibly expected to go back to India to live as a dependent woman with her in-laws (ibid.: 31) but as she remembers her dreams for the future which she planned together with her husband, she does not want to go back (ibid.). Her dreams of going to college and being an independent woman or working in the store make her want to stay in the United States.

In conclusion, Sumita´s choice of clothes in the different phases of her life represents how her identity changes throughout the story.

Furthermore, formal aspects of the short story should also be taken into consideration: The story is written in the first person “I” and is told from the point of view of Sumita. Additionally, the storyline takes place in the present, so the reader can accompany the main character throughout the story and gets a feel for being in the midst of the events. As the narrator is caught between two worlds, the setting plays also an important role for the story.

On the one hand, there is India where the story begins and on the other hand, the United States where the story ends – two countries with different cultures and a young Indian woman who has to balance her life between these two different worlds.

As the title suggests, clothes play an important role in this story. Sumita´s struggles in finding her place in a whole new world and the many new experiences she has to face are symbolized by her choice of clothing and especially the colors she decides to wear. Thus, these challenges in Sumita´s life are pictured and intensified by the metaphorical language use throughout the story.


4.3 Didactic implications

First of all, working with short stories offers opportunities to teach a variety of language-related concerns like grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, the four basic language skills and all kinds of discussion about content (cf. Wajnryb 2003: 16).

The short story “Clothes” is relevant for teaching English as a foreign language because it provides an insight into different cultures, different lifestyles, other traditions and much more. It deals with interesting themes like identity, arranged marriage, clash of cultures and integration. Accordingly, it offers an opportunity to come in contact with other cultures and beliefs.

At this point, working with this text and its themes may help to broaden learners’ previous knowledge and overcome cultural bias. It may help to increase learners´ positive awareness of other cultures and to support intercultural encounters with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Consequently, an appreciative attitude towards ourselves and others, which is a precondition for a peaceful coexistence, can be fostered.


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