DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS OF AFFIXES IN WITHERED FLOWER
INTRODUCTION
The Withered Flower is a novel written by Jasper Eberendu. The novel specifically portrays a character named Jenifer who’s arrogant and obnoxious behaviours lead her into regrets.
The author uses her as an example to advice ladies in our contemporary Nigeria society who sees beauty as ‘‘immortal’’ without knowing the implications that ‘‘beauty withered’’ when it time comes.
Jenifer on the other hand come from a wealthy family of Mr./Mrs. Williams, a business man. Due to pride, she refuses to marry when suitors were running around her to get her hand in marriage. Before she realized, her beauty withered.
In the same vein, her pride landed her into regrets and tears. Her education ends in her father’s house without a husband or a child of her own who can call her mummy.
In a nutshell, the author uses Jennifer to bring to light by educating the society especially to young ladies to understand the ethics of life, what life entails by making decisions for good, keeping moral characters, keeping away pride and living a Christian life for the joys of every woman is her family.
SUMMARY OF THE THEME OF THE WITHERED FLOWER
The Theme of Pride: Pride is one of the major themes in the text under study. Pride means having a feeling of being good and worthy. This theme of pride centres in the life of Jennifer  the heroine of the novel who was so proud and full of pride because she is beautiful, intelligent in school as well as her family background. She never respects nor treats anyone who comes her way gently including her suitors.
Due to pride, her entire life was shattered after her graduating as she was unable to marry a man of her choice. In the same vein, why at fifty, her school mates are married with children.
Moreover, her neighbours mocks her by calling her ‘‘Nnagaalu’’ meaning a daughter to be married by her father.  She ends up without a husband, child, or family of her own (P. 82).
Thus, this is pride makes Jennifer to miss the opportunity of getting marriage at her youthful age. She never stops crying as her parents try to console her as she continues living a sorrowful life. In the end, she has no option than to live with her parents.
According to the author, it was like starting a life from scratch. She hardly go out, her life was full of shame sometimes she feels like committing suicide whenever she sees those persons whom she treated badly, including her suitors, most of them are married blessed with kids.  The foregoing forms  the central theme of ‘‘pride’’ in The Withered Flower as author portrayed above.
THE PURPOSE OF READING THE WITHERED FLOWER
The main purpose of reading The Withered Flower is to understand a broad background of the text, knowing the structure of what the text entails. It also helps in understanding the writer’s construct paragraphs that have a big inning, middle and end.
Also, it helps provide a framework for adding details of transitional words, phrases or paragraphs that change the topic. In the same vein, the purpose of reading the above text is to identify what the author entails in the book in terms of moral lessons.
THE TECHNIQUES OF SKIMMING AND SCANNING
Skimming and scanning are reading are techniques used by students or readers with a rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming for instance is a technique of reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material.
While scanning is a technique of reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Thus, skimming is like snorkelling, and scanning is more like pearl diving.
DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS OF AFFIXES IN WITHERED FLOWER
THE TEN (10) AFFIXED THEIR DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS IN THE TEXT ARE
Following denotative and connotative meanings of affixes in The Withered Flower are:
| S/N | AFFIXES WORDS | DENOTATIVE MEANING | CONNOTATIVE MEANING |
| 1 | Welcome
|
Something unusual is uncommon, it’s odd, weird or out of the ordinary in some way. | Something unusual is uncommon. It’s odd, weird or out of the ordinary in some way. |
| 2 | Outside
|
Disclosed, disclosing to known reveal or uncover, to disclose a secret. | To make known, reveal or uncover, to disclose a secret to cause to appear, allow to be seen, lay open to view. |
| 3 | Recommended
|
Too extraordinary and improbable to be believed making incredible claims. | Too extra ordinary and improbable to be believed making incredible claims. |
| 4 | Textbook
|
Existing or occurring at the same time | Existing or occurring at the same time. |
| 5 | Classroom
|
To see, get knowledge of team of find or find out, going sight or knowledge of something previously unseen. | To see, get knowledge of team of find or find out, going sight or knowledge of something previously unseen. |
| 6 | Unlike | Marked by inequality unequal | Not like marked by lack of resemblance |
| 7 | Disappointed | Feeling sad, unhappy or displeased because something was not as good as expected. | Depressed or discourage by the failure of one’s hope or expectation. |
| 8 | Inform | To give information. To import information or knowledge. | Inform, implies the imparting of knowledge especially of facts. |
| 9 | Disrespected | To lack special regard or respect for, to have disrespect. | Lack of respect or courtesy. |
| 10 | Â Upsurge
|
By this or that time; prior to at some specified or implies time. | Prior to specified or implies past, present or future time. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the text, The Withered Flower informs and educate every youths on why one should learn how to be good and to be of moral standard, for posterity. Jenifer’s friends end up in getting marriage, living a good life with their children.  But, Jennifer ends up in tears and regrets because of pride.
The text also has element of moral lessons. For instance, after Jennifer realizes herself on pride, she becomes patience and asked her parents to pray for her. She also promises to be nice with anyone that comes her way. And the rude characters are not in her again.
These show some element of moral lessons to Jennifer and also make the reader of this work to learn about the consequences and disadvantages of pride.
My Name is Joselyn Nya
A Publisher in Project Boss Team.
I’m a Nigerian
I’m a graduate/Educational Researcher.
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