Aesthetics of Resistance in Tanure Ojaide’s The Activist and Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study is to examine the aesthetics of resistance in Tanure Ojaide’s. The Activist and Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel.
This research, shall examine how the two authors have beautifully explored and satirized the society using various characters and events to depict resistance.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
New Historicism is a critical theory that developed in the late 1970s and during the 1980s. New Historicism is indebted to Marxism. While Marxism focuses on material relations of production and class struggle, New Historicism tends to talk more on history and power not as of class struggle (Marxism) but how it extends throughout the society. New historicism is a historical approach to the analysis of a text.
Prominent in this school of though are: Michel Foucault, Clifford of Geertz, Louis Montrose, Gina Hens – Piazza, etc. Michel Foucault bases his approach as collective cultural knowledge and a broad array of documents in order to understand the episteme of a particular time (Http://En.Wikipedia.Org/Wik/New_Historicism). Foucault says that emphasis should be placed on cultural knowledge and also the history of the literary work.
Louis Montrose has it that ‘the historicity of texts and textuality of history (Montrose 1982, 806). Here, history affects the production of text and those histories are embedded in language.
Clifford Geertz believes in underlying structures of local events and local interactions, and form those interaction generalizes whole societies. Geertz is view is questionable and stereotyped as one can not depend on local interaction to over generalize. Greetz’s theory was more for his selfish reason as he wanted to justify his works. A little population cannot be always used as a yardstick for the whole society.
Anonymous in http/www.wisigeek.com/what-is-newhistoricism.hts gives a summary of main assumptions and common strategies of new historicism.
All history is subjective in interpreting historical facts or identifying historical context, the commentator actually expresses his or her own beliefs, habits of thoughts a biases.
In the above extract, a critic in interpreting history is not objective as he mixes facts of history with his own thoughts. Another stand is that:
…Literature, dramatizes a battle ground of competing ideas and values within a culture. Directly or indirectly the literary text contains a variety of voices with which the reader must discourse to find meaning (http/www.wisegeek.com/what-is-newhistoricism.htm).
Also:
Reader begins by describing the complex web of attitudes, values, ideas and point-of-view in the literary text that comprises its expression of the poetics of culture, the episteme of that historical moment. The critic, must consider how the circumstances of the writer’s life may influence the discourses contained within the text. Reader must also acknowledge his own predispositions and cultural biases while exploring how the multiple voices within a text are balance reconciled or subverted(http/www.wisegeek.com/what-is-newhistoricism.htm).
Emphases are on the historical period in which the text is set and when it was published to determine a lot of happenings. It also states that literature must find meaning. In New Historicism, the reader is also allowed to view things based on the history that of literary work.
New Historicism suggests that literature must be studied and interpreted from three major aspects. The aspect of the historical context the author’s background and also form the point of view of the reader/critic.
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
To understand something fully, we have to understand the background. History is important because it is studied so that the future can be predicted and also to know why things happened the way they happened. Akin Akinola, define history as a sort of memorial to the achievement and endeavors of people or communities, either collectivity or as individuals (Akinola, 25) he adds:
In keeping with the nature of man and his society, the scope of history is as wide as it is complex. Human activities, human institutions, human relationships and the likes are important elements in the subject matter of history. Indeed it is through a recourse of history that communities, groups and peoples often defense their identities and ruling groups establish their legitimacy (Akinola, 25).
The historical context can influence the style and structure of the text and also the themes and setting of the books. The style of a literary work, often follows the particular style of the times for example sensational styles in novels such as Wilkiecollins’s ‘Woman in while’ were popular in the 1860s and 1870s. the modes of production tied to historical context have also influenced the form which literature takes. In the 18th century, the novel became a popular and accepted literary firm. The themes and setting of literary works are often influenced by the historical context in which the author writes.
CHAPTER THREE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter, will attempt to analyze The Activist by Tanure Ojaide in line with the chosen theory (New Historicism) characters and events used to show the aesthetics of resistance in the text will also be explored.
The Activist is a historical novel Ojaide aesthetically weaves facts of history with fiction to recount the plight of the oil rich Niger Delta area of Nigeria in the 1990s under military dictatorship. With the discovery of oil in 1957 in Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa, different oil companies began to drill for oil which inturn, pollute the environment making life difficult of the Niger Delta people. Ojaide presents resistance through various characters and events as a tool that can lead to socio change.
The novel is written in a chronological order using the omniscient narrative point of view whereby the author narrates the story and has a total grasp of the characters’ activities. Using appropriate words images and figures of speech, Ojaide paints a mental picture of the novel.
THE NIGERIAN – NIGER DELTA SITUATION
Nigeria as at that time was under military rule. There were no laws except those made through the military government guns and decrees; the country was in a bad state. The country is described as:
…a jungle life…with all the armed robbers and those ruthless soldiers…The witchcraft…with all the relatives and friends bothering you to death with request for money…with HIV and AIDs spreading like harmattan blaze… without a single good hospital…a militarized state…a land without law and order (Ojaide, 24).
The Niger Delta, used to have a very good landscape that was both aesthetic and resourceful. It was a paradise rich in farm produce like yams, vegetables and fruits. The rivers had various seed food that the people fed on but now, with oil exploration, ‘the oil companies are pouring poisons into them, giving the natural sustainers of the people a final death blow’ (Ojaide, 24), hence famine. The Niger Delta people were daily faced with:
The poisonous methane gas from gas flares, leaking old oil pipes, blowouts and spillages in the area that had rendered the evergreen wetlands poisoned the wildlife dead, the aquatic life also dead, and humans in these areas suffering from undiagnosed diseases (Ojaide, 25).
CHAPTER FOUR
INTRODUCTION
Waiting for an Angel by Helon Habila is a novel set in Nigeria in the 1990s under military dictatorship. Habila uses Lagos the hub of commercial activities to portray Nigeria. Habila mixes facts of history with fiction ‘Faction’ (a term first used by Kole Omotoso) to show the state of the Nation. Habila addresses issues like military dictatorship, human right abuse, poverty, injustice, imprisonment, lack of press freedom and corruption.
Habila captures the aesthetics of resistance through a head long battle by the characters, using actual names, places and events to give the reader an actual feel. Habila carefully weaves his plot haphazardly in an aesthetic way that makes the reader move back and forth in time. In a simple but revealing language the sets the tone of the novel ranging from melancholy, anger, fear and hope. He uses the first person and third person narrative points of view to tell the story.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
This study, has undertaken an investigation into the Aesthetics of Resistance in Tanure Ojaide’s The Activist and Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel. We examined the nature of aesthetics, how it guides literary production and how the artist has taste for colourful language while conveying his message. We also examined Resistance as a tool that can lead to socio-change. Resistance is refusing the notion of the marginalized.
We also took a review of the theory and on the writers, showing the dexterity of the writers. Although Ojaide is better known as a poet, this work has analyze the part of Ojaide as a novelist who’s, poetic words conveys the struggle of the Niger Delta people who live in irony. Despite that fact that the Niger Delta is rich and it contributes a lot to the Nigeria’s revenue. The people and their environment gain nothing instead they are faced with diseases, pollution. Though different characters like Chief Tobi Ishaka, the Activists Ebi, Pere and the area boys, Omagbomi and student, Mrs Tylor and the women of the Niger Delta, Ojaide creates events of resistance such as the Nude protest, sending a delegation to UNO, student protest, the patriot newspaper, Ojaide is able to create a story that suggest that for change to occur in our society all young and old men and women must write and speak the same voice of resistance.
Helon Habila captures life under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida and basically General Sanni Abacha. Were people are faced with terror, dehumanization caused by the military government. Through Lomba, Joshusa, Mao, and brother we see people struggling for a better nation. The novel ends on a hopeful note . Habila urges us to protect our democracy beautifully written in ground poetic language Habila uses two narrative point of view to tell his story. Habila keeps mixing facts with fiction (faction) and actual names and places like, Dele Giwa, Abiola, Ken Saro Wiwa.
The two novels are distinct and similar. Both novels are in the Nigeria society, they talk about military regime and their ills, the media as a medium for societal change, dead martyrs like Ken Saro Wiwa, and they give hope to the country, beautiful language, praise the contribution of women to national development and they both mix fact of history and fiction which gives the novels a true feel.
Through the novels, we have come to realize that history is very important in literary production as it cast our minds to the days that have gone. Mistakes and virtues in the past should be used to better the state. It has also shown that the people have power if they decide to use it right. It is safe for us to say that there is Aesthetic in resistance in Tanure Ojaide’s The Activist and. Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angle.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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