Tradition and Modernity
Senior 4 · English (Languages)
Tradition and Modernity
Lesson 2 of 5
45 min
Let's begin
Every family has a conversation that repeats itself across the generations: the older person says that things were better done in the past; the younger one says that times have changed. Both are usually partly right. The skill that matters, in life and in this lesson, is listening closely enough to hear what each side is really worried about. You will listen to a grandmother and her granddaughter disagree, and slowly understand each other, and then you will bring a family scene to life on your feet, using your voice, your body and the space around you.
Definition
Words and idioms you will hear
Important
Listening script: for two readers
Only the readers open the script. About four minutes. Grandmother Mukandori and her granddaughter Ineza are imagined. Read with feeling: the grandmother begins sharp and becomes warm; Ineza begins defensive and becomes curious.
Grandmother: Ineza. Ineza! Three times I have called you. Is that thing glued to your hand?
Ineza: Sorry, Grandma. I was helping Aimable with his maths. He sent me a photo of the problem.
Grandmother: A photo of a problem. In my day, if a child had a problem, he walked to his cousin's house and sat down. And when a visitor came, children stood up and greeted him with both hands. This morning Mutoni's mother came in, and you said "Hi" without lifting your eyes.
Ineza: (pause) That's true. I'm sorry. I didn't see her properly.
Grandmother: That is exactly my complaint. You don't see anyone properly.
Ineza: But, Grandma, the phone isn't only for chatting. Last week I found a video that explained the chemistry topic our teacher rushed through. And Aimable lives in Rubavu; I can't walk there every evening.
Grandmother: Hm. Your aunt says the same. She says I should keep up with the times. At my age! Old habits die hard, child.
Ineza: Can I ask you something? What did you do in the evenings, when you were my age?
Grandmother: We wove. All the girls of the hill sat on one mat with our grass and our needles and talked until the light went. That is where I learned everything worth knowing: who was courting whom, which plants heal a cough, how to keep your temper with a mother-in-law. The basket was almost an excuse.
Ineza: So you were on a kind of… network.
Grandmother: (laughing) A network, she says! Yes, perhaps. A network you could touch.
Ineza: Would you teach me? To weave, I mean. Properly.
Grandmother: You want to learn? With those fingers that only know how to tap glass?
Ineza: I want to learn. And in return, I'll show you how to call Uncle Didier in Canada and see his face while you talk.
Grandmother: (a long pause) See his face? Every Sunday?
Ineza: Every Sunday, if you like.
Grandmother: Then bring the grass tomorrow, and bring that machine too. We may not see eye to eye about everything, you and I. But perhaps we can have the best of both worlds.
At which moment does the conversation change from a complaint to an exchange? Quote the line.
| Topic | Grandmother's view | Ineza's view |
|---|---|---|
| The phone | … | … |
| Greeting visitors | … | … |
| Learning | … | … |
| The agreement they reach | … | |
First listening: When Ineza asks, "What did you do in the evenings, when you were my age?" She stops defending herself and shows interest in her grandmother's life.
Two views: The phone: Grandmother: it stops Ineza seeing people around her; Ineza: it lets her help a cousin far away and learn from videos. Greeting: Grandmother: children should stand and greet with both hands; Ineza: she admits she was wrong. Learning: Grandmother: she learned everything worth knowing on the weaving mat; Ineza: she learned chemistry from a video. Agreement: Grandmother will teach Ineza to weave; Ineza will teach her to make video calls to Uncle Didier.
Tone and meaning: 1. By admitting her fault at once, Ineza lowers the tension; respect makes the grandmother willing to listen. 2. The real purpose of the evenings was talking and learning together; the weaving gave them a reason to sit together. 3. Ineza uses a modern word, "network", for an old practice; the grandmother accepts it but adds that hers was physical and face to face, unlike online networks. 4. In my day (when I was young); keep up with the times (change with the present); old habits die hard (it is hard to change long habits); see eye to eye (agree completely); the best of both worlds (the advantages of both). 5. Arguably the grandmother: she moves from sharp complaint ("Is that thing glued to your hand?") to agreeing to use "that machine" every Sunday. (Accept Ineza, with evidence: she moves from defending the phone to asking to learn weaving.)
Acting is not reciting. A scene comes alive when the actors use four tools.
| Tool | What to work on | In the grandmother's opening line |
|---|---|---|
| Voice | volume, pace, pitch, pause, stress on key words | Rising volume on each "Ineza!"; stress on "Three times" |
| Body | posture, gesture, facial expression, eye contact | Hands on hips or a pointed finger at the phone |
| Space (blocking) | where each actor stands or sits, and when they move | Grandmother standing, Ineza sitting: the elder dominates the space |
| Status | who has more power in the moment, and how it shifts | High status at the start; it becomes equal when they make their deal |
Worked example
Rehearsing one moment: "Would you teach me? To weave, I mean. Properly."
Tip
Put the phone down on the right word. Props and movements are strongest when they land on a key line. Decide in rehearsal exactly which word each action belongs to, and practise until the action and the word arrive together.
Warning
Don't play the elder as a joke. It is easy to get laughs by exaggerating an old person's voice or walk, but it turns the scene into a cartoon and is disrespectful. Play the grandmother as a real person with real worries; the humour will come from the situation.
In groups of three or four, create and perform a 3–4 minute scene in which two generations disagree about a tradition and find a way forward. Choose a situation, or invent one:
Structure it in three parts: the clash (the disagreement is clear), the turn (someone listens or asks a real question), the deal (each side gives something). Rehearse with the four tools, then perform.
| Feedback checklist | Yes / Not yet |
|---|---|
| Voices were clear, varied and audible at the back. | |
| Gestures and movements matched the words. | |
| Positions in the space showed the relationship and how it changed. | |
| The turn was believable. | |
| Both generations were played with respect. |
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Quick check
What is the grandmother's main complaint at the start?
