Problem
Attached is an excerpt from Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee.) Before reading the passage, you should:
1) Consider the author
Look up interesting information on J.M. Coetzee.
2) Consider when the book was written and think critically, connecting the time to the text
Look up important information about the historical time during which this book was written/published. Note some important changes or movements that occurred at that time. Write out three facts from your research about that time period and compare it to today. What has changed since then?
Then, think/ predict how the changes or the peculiarities of the time could be depicted in the passage.
3) Consider the title and the visuals. Make predictions!
Think about the title of the passage below and the image from the cover of Waiting for the Barbarians; note your thoughts and interpretations. Consider these questions to generate some ideas about the book:
a) Who might the figures in the image be? What is the significance of their dress?
b) What can you say about the boy in the portrait? How can you connect the title of the book with the image?