Essays - Grades 8 -12
Case studies – here are some examples of case studies that can be used for essay writing. Please be creative and use as many situations as possible. There are newspaper articles on a daily basis about drugs and alcohol which can be used as material for essays: family killings, TV programmes, etc.
This is also one way of gauging the learners' attitudes to substances.
- Mary is 16 and her Mom has a drinking problem, she takes most of the responsibility at home; cooking, cleaning and looking after her younger brother and sister. Her boyfriend helps her with the chores and sympathises with lot – he smokes dagga.
Where is Mary at 20? - Tony is 17 and is a high achiever – he was offered dagga at party but "he wouldn't touch it". He does drink socially though and finds that quite acceptable. On his 18th birthday he had a huge party and enormous fun. Everyone went to the beach to watch the sun come up and Tony drove the car on the way back home – he doesn't have a licence, and he is drunk but he's 18 and wants to celebrate. A small child runs in front of the car... .
Describe the next six months for Tony and his family.
- Jane is excited, she's been invited to a rave party and even though she's 14 and isn't meant to go, her parents have given permission. She has to be home by midnight. The police find her on the other side of the city at 10 o'clock the next morning. She's confused and can't remember what happened last night.
What did happen?
- Marlon tried glue when he was 10, smoked dagga at 12, mandrax at 13 and now he's 15 he's smoking "rocks". He's addicted and needs a lot of money to support his habit. He dropped out of school and started doing crime and he hasn't been caught yet, but the police are getting closer and closer. He's scared of going to jail. Someone suggested he sell drugs to get money, as it would be safer. He took a consignment of drugs to sell but he used them himself. Now he owes the dealers R10 000.
What does he feel, think and do?
- Everyone was at Jodie's funeral. He was so popular. Everyone said what a pleasure he was when he was at primary school (and really bright); when he got to senior school he did well, and passed matric with university exemption. He'd wanted to be a vet since he was 10, and never changed his mind. But at university he changed. He became secretive and isolated, he didn't do his work and lost weight. He started to look dirty and unkempt. Everyone was worried. He said there was nothing wrong and they should all mind their own business.
Today is his funeral – he killed himself.
Why, what happened?
- Mr Adams has a good job, nice home, pretty wife and two great children. He didn't ever drink during the week but he really partied at week-ends – just a regular guy. Then he started having a drink when he came home from work every night and his wife and kids were always asking him to cut down. He said it's his way of relaxing, he has to "work so hard, under so much pressure because of them" – the house, clothes, school etc. His boss tells him he has to stop because his work is suffering – he's hungover most days and makes mistakes. Sometimes he doesn't come in on a Monday and Mrs Adams phones to say he's "ill" and if he leaves the office for lunch he comes back smelling of alcohol. His boss gives him a final warning that unless he stops he'll be fired. His children aren't doing well at school – they can't concentrate. They're worried – they heard an argument when their Mom said she was going to leave, and take them with her, if the drinking doesn't stop.
Write two paragraphs as: Mr Adams | The Daughter | The Boss | Mrs Adams | The Son
POETRY LESSON : Grade 8 - 12
Read the following poem aloud and discuss the questions that follow it.
The Efficacy of Prayer
By Casey Motsisi , South Africa, 1932–1977
They called him Dan the Drunk.
The old people refuse to say how old he was,
Nobody knows where he came from - but they all
Called him Dan the Drunk.
He was a drunk, but perhaps his name was not really Dan.
Who knows, he might have been Sam.
But why bother, he's dead, poor Dan.
Gave him a pauper's funeral, they did.
Just dumped him in a hole to rest in eternal drunkenness.
Somehow the old people are glad that Dan the Drunk is dead.
Ghastly!
They say he was a bad influence on the children.
But the kids are sad that Dan the Drunk is no more.
No more will the kids frolic to the music that used to flow out
Of his battered concertina. Or listen to the tales he used to tell.
All followed him into that pauper's hole.
How the kids used to worship Dan the Drunk!
He was just one of them grown older too soon.
'I'm going to be just like Dan the Drunk,' a little girl said to
her parents of a cold night while they crowded around a sleepy brazier.
The parents looked at each other and their eyes prayed.
'God Almighty, save our little Sally.'
God heard their prayer.
He saved their Sally
Prayer. It can work miracles.
Sally grew up to become a nanny…
QUESTIONS ON DAN THE DRUNK
- The word, "Dan the Drunk' form a label. What impression does this label provide?
- Explain the irony in this poem.
- Why are the old people glad and the kids sad about Dan's death? What does this tell you about different values?
- What kinds of 'tales' do you think Dan used to tell? Could you dramatise this?
- What does the poet mean by the words, "He was just one of them grown older too soon?"
- Do you know anyone similar to Dan? Write a short piece about this person.
