CHAPTER THREE HEROES AND GODDESSES WITH A THOUSAND FACES: 1 DEMYSTIFICATION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCE AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPREHENSIONS

Abstract

CHAPTER THREE HEROES AND GODDESSES WITH A THOUSAND FACES: 1 DEMYSTIFICATION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCE AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPREHENSIONS المؤلفون IKRAM AHMED ELSHERIF تاريخ النشر 2016/6/22 مجلة Challenges and Channels: English Language and Literature at a Crossroads of Cultures الصفحات 77 الناشر Cambridge Scholars Publishing الوصف The study and teaching of literature can be a journey of adventure, a pleasant experience of exploration of meaning and value in which both teacher and student explore not only what the literary text and its writer may have to say, but also explore the different ways of seeing and understanding they themselves may bring into the reading of the text. These different ways of reading and seeing can be enriching for both the text and reader. Yet, every journey of exploration has its challenges; and the challenges of teaching English language and literatures in the Middle East and the Gulf countries are many. Teachers of English language and literature in this part of the world may have to contend with many obstacles. Students, especially those who are educated at government (public) schools, generally lack background knowledge and are mostly educated in an exam-oriented environment which does not often promote literary tastes and/or critical and analytical thinking. Significantly, too, the English language and its literature often stand suspect in the minds of many because of its association with colonialism and imperialism. This, however, is somewhat confusing and may appear to be, as Darius Krishnarajputs it,“blatant hypocrisy” because “one can see the pervasive consumption of British and American culture throughout… society”(53) 2.