In My Eyes : Bob’s Progress
When I met Bob over three weeks ago, he could not speak in English. Bob could tell that the language being spoken was foreign. He could make this guess of course from the accent and the words in use. I’m thinking he was left out the same way I get lost when someone speaks in Khoisan or Koine. Putting myself in his shoes then is nothing but a catastrophe. It’s chaotic. It feels like the recent tension in the southernmost country on the African continent. His illiteracy even aggravated the situation. Bob, however, does not have any confirmed medical cases of a hearing disorder. Also, he does not seem to exhibit traits of a birth defect that may have triggered his pathetic state of illiteracy. Bob just did not get the golden opportunity to go on with his studies. He had to leave school at the peak of his primary school life. This was because his own father could not raise enough for their school fees.
Bob, nostalgic with emotion, recalled how his father could barely feed the family of nine children. Getting to afford the basic three meals in a day was quite a task. They lived on a hand to mouth existence. Bob’s father worked as a labourer in farms. Just like his son, Bob’s father dropped out of school in his final year in primary school. Yes, history repeats itself they say. However, according to Bob, this will not be so for his two-year-old child. Bob is so determined to learn English and much more. He feels like, specially in our conversations, he is left out and wishes to be a part of this other world — the one where people live. In one of my reading encounters, I learnt that this notion of living in a world where are people do not exist, yet they are with us in the very same society, is true. Al puts this more elaborately in one of his write-ups.
Meet bob today and you wouldn’t believe that this was the same person that would not get the gist of basic greetings expressed in English some weeks back. Bob is even the one who reminds me now to answer his greetings in the same language- English. His unbridled enthusiasm is immense. I love it! It really shows that change with action is quite possible. Bob is able to slowly but surely introduce himself in English. Bob has learnt how to say hi in both formal and informal ways. He can tell which greetings to use in whatever context and at a certain time.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. — Nelson Mandela
This highly motivated lad is able to say (in short complete sentences) his name, his age, his occupation and also his hobbies or interests. Even more enthralling, he never forgets to mention his marital status. In fact, his wife is one of the very reasons why he is so keen on learning the language. Bob wishes to impress his young wife by letting her hear him speak in this language — but only when he feels like he has learnt the basics, like all the essentials.
At the onset of this noble course, and in the middle of our conversations, Bob made it clear that he wished to keep his mission (his literacy journey) discreet. He would not have wished his young wife to know whatever he was doing. This was because of two reasons: One, Bob felt that if his wife knew that he was into studying, she would demoralize him. It is the norm in the adult literacy world. That many a people think when you begin learning to read and write as an adult you are considered unintelligent. Also, he felt that if she would be disdainful and would have looked at him from a different angle , one of inferiority. This inferiority complex would in turn ruin his marriage. Talk of the male ego and how it manifests itself naturally in humans, this is a good example.
I bought his idea and thought it would act as a stimulus, an impetus, a motivation which this guy really needs for him to acquire a new language as is my goal. How lit it is to be able to make someone learn something new! The satisfaction that comes with it is quite overwhelming. I mean, if you can do anything in such a world, it would be making someone’s life better. For Bob, every day is a day to look forward to courtesy of the knowledge being presented to him.
Bob still envisions himself in such tremendous growth. It is so as he has already learnt the essentials of the Queen’s language. You see, learning a language involves mastering the phonetics first. Next, one joins the sounds that form words. Words can then be combined with other words to form phrases. Subsequently, phrases are joined to come up with sentences. A paragraph may be formed when several sentences are merged. Eventually, someone can come up with an article just like this one. Simple! My dear Bob knows, at this point, the words that make up a language. Grammarians will tell you that the technical term to use here is ‘parts of speech’. Do not fret. You will learn with us.
In an English class, the parts of speech are basically: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. These parts of speech indicate how the word functions semantically (in meaning) and syntactically (grammatical structure) within a sentence. There’s a different school of thought that adds ‘articles’ to the list as well. It is still debatable at the moment. Because of the fact that an ambitious Bob wants to learn quick, we have been mentioning examples in contexts. Most of the time, we talk about topics that are relatable to our everyday lives like farming, culture and societal norms.
Bob is set to sit for a test soon. He is so sure that he will pass. He has been working on this for quite some time. One would think his life is actually pegged on it. I am now used to getting random calls with greetings and so many questions as a package from him. His drinking from the well of education is surely quenching his thirst. To imagine Bob giving a speech in English or just randomly sharing nitty gritties about his passion for farming in this language catapults me to self-actualization. What do you live for?
