Literature: A Vehicle for Social Change
Chapter One
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The aim of this research work is to sensitize the society on the need to develop a reading culture on literary works. It is also aimed at exposing the hidden powers that literature possesses. Literature is not just for pleasure. There is more to it in our quest for societal changed.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
The literature review will be undertaken with regards to the social, cultural, historical, religious and political implications of literary works done by scholars. This examination will definitely cut across, the various genres of literature, namely prose, drama and poetry.
Background have also means environment; which in literature includes location, language and people. To a, large extent, environment cultures people: often twines, peoples; behaviour is traceable to their environment.
And in literature, the issue of location forms one of the nucleus of literary features. The writer largely draws of lot of inspirations from his environment. This is called “setting” in literature which includes location, participants and theme, as the case may be.
An environment that is largely agrarian will be reflected in the writers work. For instance, we see that in J.P. Clark poems. His riverine background is reflected in his poem. The racial discrimination in South Africa formed the theme of most South Africa writers. We also see Soyinka unveiling Yoruba cosmology on the cyclical nature of life in his poem Abiku.
LITERATURE REVIEW ON OPINION OF SCHOLARS
I earlier made a reference to a writer and critics statement, Kole Omotoso in the first chapter which also may be relevant at this point also, saying:
The society has to use what it produces for literature to be relevant. For instance, had Lenin not responded to some of the 18th and 19th century novels depicting the suffering in Russia, the Russian revolution would not have happened. It was when a member of the British parliament read Charles Dicken’s representation of’ poverty in London in Oliver Twist that they decided in 1832 to come up with an education act. I still insist that literature has no function except what is given it by those who read it. On its own, it cannot change anything unless someone responds to the work and does something with it if there is no response to literature, there is little literature can do. (Ezeigbo 2000:13)
What Omotoso is saying is that literature can be a catalyst to revolutionary changes if only people can read and apply what they read.
LITERATURE AS A TOOL FOR CORRECTING SOCIETAL ILLS.
All over the world, literature performs the same function. We can attempt to look at this from a broader perspective and then narrow it down to our immediate environment.
Geoffrey Chauser captured the English society of his time in his Canterbury Tales through the representation of different human characters and exposed the hypocritical nature of the society on their pilgrimage to Thomas Beckets’ tomb. The aim was not just to expose it but to correct through the literary tool of literature. Chauser wrote a long narrative epic in the 14th century under what we now refer to as old English. The fact that his works live on today, shows the power of literature to transcend time and space. Widespread knowledge of Chauser’s work is attested to by the many poets who imitated or responded to his writing. John Lygate was one of the earliest poets to write a continuation of Chauser who understood that literature can change and shape characters in any given society, even through poetry.
LITERATURE AS A TOOL FOR PROJECTING THE DREAM OF YOUNGER GENERATION
The great American writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) also captured the restless, pleasure – hungry, defiant mood of the 1920s. fitzgerald’s characterization and theme, expressed poignantly in The Great Gatsby, is the tendency of the youth’s golden dreams to dissolve in failure and disappointment. Fitzgerald also elucidated the collapse of some key American ideals, set out in the declaration of independence, such as liberty, social unity, good governance and peace, features which were severely threatened by the pressures of modern early 20th century society.
CHAPTER THREE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND SYNOPSIS
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we shall be looking at two texts, The Last Duty by Isidore Okpewho and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie, for analysis. This analysis will cover such areas as plot structure, theme, setting, character, as well as language.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR, THE LAST DUTY
Isidore Okpewho was born in Abraka, Delta State in 1941. He attended St. Patrick’s College, Asaba and University of Ibadan from where he earned a first class honours degree in classics in 1968. For a brief period, he worked in Longman, Nigeria before .leaving for the University of Denver, Columbia (USA) where he received a Ph.D in comparative literature in 1975. In 1976, when The Last Duty was published, Okpewho, returned to his alma – mater where he taught oral literature and creative writing for fourteen years. Professor Isidore Okpewho has been the chair of the Department of African Studies of the University of Binghamton in New York and has written more novels, The Victims (1970) and Call me by My Rightful Name (2004). Our author is happily married and has five children.
THE LAST DUTY
BACKGROUND TO THE STORY
The novel is a record of a pattern of experiences of the people who lived in a particular border area of Nigeria (“Zonda” of the novel) during the Civil War (1967 – 1970). Seemingly disjointed and largely episodic, the various segments of the novel, read together, begin to make meaning because they constitute a sharp focus on what life was in the border areas during that war. Although the Igabo and the Simba are fictive geographical locations and settlements in the work, they correspond to what we already know in relation to the war period Nigeria.
The Igabos are a cluster of ethnic groups of the Delta region on the Federal side while “the rebel Simba” are the Igabo found on the western end of the erstwhile secessionist Biafra. One is encouraged by this – notwithstanding the author’s warning on a preliminary page of the novel, namely that this story is all fiction – because of the nature of the names of his major and minor characters. Such names as Toje, Onovwakpo, Akpolembo, Onagwokor, Ovuede, Mukoro Oshievere, Rukeme, Oghenovo and Onome, to mention a few, suggest the cluster of Urhobo, Itsekire, Edo and Izon ethnic groups who suffered the occasional reprisal attacks of Zonda forces as well as the guerrilla onslaughts of the Biafra, whose predicament their victims still recall today with sadness and bitterness.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
INTRODUCTION
The data for analysis are the two texts The Last Duty by Isidore Okpewho and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie. The text will be presented with a view to analyzing how and exposing how literature effects changes in the’ society. They shall be taken one after the other.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
Much has been done in trying to define literature and its impact on society. This attempt virtually cuts across the three genres of literature with reference to English and American, literary works, down to Africa and our own nation, Nigeria. The impact of literature of the society cannot be overemphasized.
RESPONSE TO RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The question remains, has literature the ability to change the society? If it has, to what degree?
All these questions have been answered in the text used in this research. For instance, in The Last Duty by Isidore Okpewho, an understanding of the author’s work is that war destroys, not only lives, but bonds and ties. He then cautions against anything of such. As earlier remarked, no country which has witnessed war would wish it to happen again. This account for the reason the Nigerian nation is doing everything to subvert any future outbreak of war, despite such attempts in the past. Presently, the unity of the country is overtly threatened by the Islamic fundamentalist, otherwise known as Boko Haram.
Okpewho also reveals how need could destroy self-dignity. The events of the war have created for Aku the need for love, protection, comfort and assurance. The detention of her husband, Mukoro, an event brought about by the war robs her of her legal lover. Aku was faithful, dependable but the war changed the whole experience. Nigeria learnt her lesson in a hard way. Literature served as a tool for this caution.
In Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie, warns on religious extremism. As goes the saying, “Too much of everything is too bad”. There is need for balancing of gift as endowed to us by God. Eugene one of the major characters in novel is not just a religious zealot, but cruel. There is no freedom in the family as long as he lives. His exist, as far as the family is concerned is “a good riddance to bad rubbish”.
Adichie In the novel, reveals the need for economic and intellectual empowerment. If Kambili’s mother were empowered, the idea of poisoning the father of her children could not have arisen. This novel, kind of, is a wake-up call for Nigerian women against social, religious and cultural barriers that limit them.
FINDINGS
The following observations were made;
Any society that lacks reading culture will not experience development. A writer and critic, Kole Omotoso observed; “for instance, had Lenin not responded to some, of the 18th and 19th century novels depicting the sufferings in Russia, the Russian revolution would not have happened?. People should be encouraged to read.
One remarkable thing about literature is its ability to embrace history, language and .culture. This ability distinguishes literature from other fields in arts. It is the vehicle that drives them.
Literature transcends time and space. It recalls the events of the past, brings them to the present and makes them relevant for the future. We see that in The Last Duty.
Literature teaches morals. It has the ability to shape characters and make them responsible.
Bad leaders do not like writers. Experience has shown in the past that writers have had confrontations with past government in their various countries. We saw that in Nigeria as well as in Kenya.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The study strongly recommends the following;
The society must be encouraged by government to develop reading culture by establishing local libraries and making books affordable. A wise man once said, “Reading makes a great man, while writing an exact man”. A society that reads is bound to be great.
The society should not stop at reading, it should go further to apply the discoveries made. Since literature mirrors the society, we can use other people mistakes to correct ourselves.
The government should encourage up-coming artists by relaxing certain laws that makes it difficult for them to write in order to sustain the impetus already created by the former artists.
Stage-drama should be revived. As observed by a notable playwright, Ahmed Yerima, drama is dying in Nigeria. The state. of insecurity in the country is not allowing people to go to theatre houses to watch stage-drama.
REFERENCES
- Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. (2003). Purple Hibiscus. Agonquin Books Kachifo Limited (Nigeria) Kwani Trust (Kenya).
- Duerden, Dennis and Cosmos, Pirese (eds) (1972); African Writers Talking, London. Heinemann Educational Books. Ngugi Interviewed by Dennis Duerden and Aminu Abdullahi.
- Egudu, Romanus. (1973). The Nigerian Literary Artist and his Society. In Ufahamu, African Studies Centre, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, Vol, IV, No 1,.
- Ezeigbo, Theodora Akachi (2008). Literature in the Service of Society. University of Lagos, Inaugural Lecture Series: Artistic Creativity.
- Fitzgerald, F.S. Scott. (1926). The Great Gatsby. Pengium Books Limited,
- Harmondsworth, Middle Sex, England, Pengium Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria Australia.
- Nwachukwu, J.O.J; Agboda, A., Oyeleye, Lekan., Chijioke, Uwasomba. (2005). Exam Focus, Literature-in-English 2006 – 2010 for WASSCE – University Press Plc, Ibadan 2005.
- Okpewho, Isidore. (1976). The Last Duty. Longman Group Limited, Longman House, Burnt Hill, Harlow, Essex. ISBN 0582-78535-9
- Onwueme, Tess. (1992). The Reign of Wazobia and other Plays. Ibadan: Heinemann.