The importance of context

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

(The Ballad of East and West by Rudyard Kipling)

Most of us would remember the first line of Kipling's ballad and I can remember the line being used to describe the cultural gulf between the peoples in the West and those in the East. Each group is on the other side, forever weighing each other, forever looking on with suspicion and disdain at the other's ideas and values. However, if one were read on, one would note Kipling also made an exception to the idea contained in the first verse. Anyone quoting Kipling's first line does him an injustice for, according to Kipling, there are moments when the `twain' shall meet, when the gulf dissipates into nothingness and exists no longer.

Taken out of context, we can do a writer injustice. His thoughts become fodder for alternative ideas that have no links with the author. Therefore, context in any kind of reading is important. And that is why, at The Pear Tree Centre for Education, we teach English Language skills in context. Whether it is to enhance basic comprehension skills, critical thinking skills or to teach a writer's craft through the use of literature, we feel it is imperative to use a work that is as complete as possible; therefore, even if an extract is used, the idea encapsulated in it has to be complete and not half-expressed. Let me demonstrate what I mean with a couple of examples which are extracted from Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein.

Extract 1:
I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of the opinion.

Extract 2:
I was partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of of  this opinion. For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness. These motives urged me to comply with his demand. We crossed the ice, therefore, and ascended the opposite rock. The air was cold, and the rain again began to descend: we entered the hut, the fiend with an air of exultation, I with a heavy heart and depressed spirits. But I consented to listen; and, seating myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began his tale.

In the first extract, the information is insufficient and one could easily come to the conclusion that Frankenstein's sole purpose at that point was to find out if the creature he had created had indeed murdered his brother. However, more motives are offered in the second extract.  What may these motives be? Why would the second extract make for a richer reading and hence, a more comprehensive understanding of what's happening in the story? Possible answers and interpretations will be offered in The Pear Tree's blog on Thursday, 12/3/2015.