8 research outputs found
Patriarchy, feminism and the African woman’s quest for happiness in Aidoo’s Changes and Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood
No full textSex Strike in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, J.P Clark’s Wives’ Revolt and Julie Okoh’s Edewede
No full textIssues of injustice, exploitation and dehumanisation on the domestic setting are usually downplayed. They become national points only and when women revolt against such indignities. The three plays chosen for this study centre on women’s protests incessant wars, unjust sharing formula and circumcision. The women in the plays are fearless against a patriarchal system that tries to stifle their social, economic, personal, medical, and psychological rights. Thus, the paper interrogates female dynamism and bonding and the nature of their protest in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, J. P. Clark’s Wives’ Revolt and Julie Okoh’s Edewede. Issues common to their protest are the critical identification of the root of the problem, democratically discussing it, taking of oaths to enforce compliance from weaker ones and most importantly, the refusal of sex to men. This denial is a sacrificial step needed to register their dissatisfaction and disenchantment with the status-quo. In the three plays, sex strike as a significant icon becomes the point of men’s capitulation. Its viability or otherwise will be interrogated. Using such concepts as Radical and Cultural Feminism as theoretical orientation, the paper critically examines how women can transform their lives and situation without lifting physical weapon but by asserting their dignity and uniqueness using what they have and employing their differences as instruments of social re-ordering
A Comparative Analysis of the Poetics of Anger in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Femi Osofisan’s The Chattering and the Song
No full textAnger is a basic human emotion which has a force for constructive or destructive
ends. Its expression in any circumstance can be a trigger for a desire to change a
prevailing situation. In all cases, anger is a fundamental component of art. This
study examines the use of anger in Osborne’s Look Back in Anger and Osofisan’s
The Chattering and the Song. Osborne and Osofisan are two writers who are very
anxious to change their societies through their art. In spite of differences in their
origin (Osborne was a Briton while Osofisan is a Nigerian), they wrote at a time of
certain social and political upheavals in their countries. They also share similar
concerns and attitude towards art. My focus in this paper is on the early plays of
Osborne and Osofisan where anger is strongest and where their artistic triumph is
most poignant. Working within the formalist approach, the paper reveals that in
Osborne and Osofisan, extreme anger is both material and style and is what marks
their art out. The reification by the intellect provides a potent instrument for
investigating society. Anger becomes the point of departure for their art, it is not
mere hysterics but a cerebral one and it is the motivating force for their writings
“Come and Chop”: Representations of the Parliamentarian in Ola Rotimi’s If and Emeka Nwabueze’s A Parliament of Vultures
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The Hero as Villain in Armed Resistance: A Comparative Study of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s "The Trial of Dedan Kimathi" and Ahmed Yerimah’s "Hard Ground"
No full textAn armed situation like a liberation movement is a trying time for the people. It is a time when events are unsettled and lives are at risk. In such situations, there emerges central figures who become the rallying points for oppressed people searching for change. Such a central figure is seen as hero by one side and as villain on the other. Such are the situations graphically dramatized in Ngugi’s “The Trial of Dedan Kimathi” and Yerima’s “Hard Ground”. Against this background, this paper examines the character of the heroes of the two plays against the backdrop of the Mau Mau and the Niger Delta insurgencies in Kenya and in Nigeria, respectively. It seeks to investigate the heroes’ actions and motives in carrying out their revolts. In what dramatic tropes have the playwrights represented them in the plays? In what ways do they achieve heroic stature? Working within the Marxist literary theory, we apply such concepts as oppression, ideological underpinning and exploitation to the actions and events of the plays. A close reading of the texts and a rigorous critical interpretation of the character of the heroes reveal that “one man’s freedom fighter is, indeed another’s terrorist.” The paper concludes that, rather than uncritically accepting ‘establishment’ or ‘official’ categorisation of leaders of insurgency/ armed struggles as devilish, brutal and bloody ogres, a nuanced understanding of their social and political conditions that necessitated their actions must be considered. Thus, Dedan and Baba (protagonists in these plays) are innately gentle, committed and caring leaders that are driven by the quest to liberate their people
Ritual Language: Soyinka’s Contributions to the Debate on Language Use in "Death and the King’s Horseman"
No full textThere is an agelong debate on the issue of language in African literature. Many African countries were colonised by the West and they enforced their languages on the colonised. African writers are, however, divided over which language that best conveys their thoughts, culture and tradition. While Ngugi wa Thiong’o advocates the use of indigenous languages, in this case, Gikuyu and Swahili, Chinua Achebe promotes the use of the language of the colonialists in so far as it is used creatively to express the African worldview. This paper examines Wole Soyinka’s use of ritual language in Death and the King’s Horseman as a unique contribution to the controversy about the ideal language for African literary expression especially in drama. The paper is a theoretical analysis of the language debate in which Soyinka’s text is considered as an exemplification of Achebe’s position. Nonetheless, references will be made to instances of ritual language such as the use of chants, rites, incantations, drumming and dancing. Analysis of the play reveals that Soyinka’s usage is ritualistic yet dramatic but also couched in African imagery and anecdotes even as it is accessible to the world. The paper concludes that although Soyinka has been accused of difficulty, complexity and inaccessibility in his use of words (Jeyifo xviii) in many of his creative works, his use of language in Death and the King’s Horseman encapsulates creativity, an index of ritual language of African identity and culture
