JAMB 2019 Literature in English · Question 59

_______ is used to describe the situation where a character recognize his mistake

Options

  1. A.Tragic flaw
  2. B.Hubris
  3. C.Denouement
  4. D.Anagnorisis

Answer: D. Anagnorisis

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the literary term that describes the moment a character recognizes their mistake (or discovers a truth they had not seen before).

Step 2: Explain the concepts

  • Tragic flaw (hamartia): The character trait or error in judgment that leads to the hero's downfall. This is the cause of the tragedy, not the recognition of it.
  • Hubris: Excessive pride or overconfidence, often the specific flaw that brings a hero down (e.g., Oedipus's pride).
  • Denouement: The final resolution of the plot, where loose ends are tied up. It concerns the structure of the story, not a character's realization.
  • Anagnorisis: A Greek term, used by Aristotle in his Poetics, for the moment of recognition, when a character moves from ignorance to knowledge and realizes their mistake or the truth of their situation.

Step 3: Apply to the question The key phrase is "recognize his mistake." The word anagnorisis literally means "recognition" or "discovery." A classic example is Oedipus in Oedipus Rex, who realizes he has killed his father and married his mother. Another is Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart, whose tragic flaw is his fear of weakness, though the term for his realization would be anagnorisis.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is **D.

Exam tip: Link the words to their roots:

  • Hamartia = the mistake (tragic flaw)
  • Anagnorisis = the recognition of the mistake ("Ana-" = up/again, "gnosis" = knowledge, so "coming to know")
  • Peripeteia = the reversal of fortune
  • Catharsis = the release of emotion in the audience

Remembering this sequence (flaw → reversal → recognition → catharsis) will help with many Literature in English questions.

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