DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERATURE

This study examines the theme of poverty, unemployment, and exploitation as an economic challenge facing the current Nigerian state, as represented in Niyi Osundare's "Songs of the Season" and Kola Eke's "May 27". The poets proffer solutions from their perspective. The findings reveal how Kola Eke and Osundare use everyday language, incorporating literary devices to convey the situation of poverty affecting the masses, the extent of inequality leading to exploitation, and the devastating effects of unemployment on citizens. This was viewed through marxist literary theory, which depicts a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, a reality currently captured in the Nigerian context. The findings challenge the idea that poverty is a result of laziness; instead, they highlight poverty as a tool used by the ruling class to weaken workers. The poets call for a revolution, emphasizing the need for equitable distribution of resources to eradicate poverty, unemployment, and exploitation

This project explores the theme of suppression and survival of queer characters in Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare and Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees. Both set in Zimbabwe and Nigeria, the novels confront the cultural, religious, and political forces that marginalize non-heteronormative identities in African societies. The study examines how queer characters navigate environments marked by homophobia, societal expectation, and institutional repression. Dumisani’s covert existence and eventual ostracization in The Hairdresser of Harare, alongside Ijeoma’s journey from silence to self-assertion in Under the Udala Trees, reflect different strategies of survival in oppressive contexts. Drawing on queer theory and postcolonial perspectives, this analysis highlights the complex interplay between personal identity and societal norms. This study argues that these narratives not only expose the realities of queer suppression in Africa but also celebrate the resilience of queer individuals who assert their right to live and love freely despite enduring stigma and resistance.

The purpose of this study is to examine how Nigerian TikTok creators employ language as a tool for identity construction and performance in digital spaces. As social media becomes an increasingly significant arena for self-expression, this study seeks to explore the linguistic choices, code-switching patterns, accents and discursive strategies Nigerian TikTok users deploy to project and negotiate multiple facets of their identities including ethnic, gendered, regional, religious, and socio-political identities. The study aims to uncover how these linguistic performances reinforce, subvert, or reimagine existing societal norms.

This study examined the interplay between moral obsession and scientific ambition in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark (1843). Using the theoretical framework of Moral Criticism, the research explored how both authors dramatized the consequences of human overreaching and the ethical dilemmas that accompanied scientific pursuit. The analysis demonstrated that while ambition fueled human progress, it became destructive separated from moral responsibility. Victor Frankenstein’s attempt to create life and Aylmer’s effort to perfect it both revealed the peril of subordinating ethical restraint to intellectual pride. Drawing insights from philosophers and critics such as Hans Jonas, Neil Postman, Martha Nussbaum, Jürgen Habermas, and Rachel Carson, the study situated these literary works within broader philosophical and ethical debates about the limits of science and human responsibility. The findings revealed that both Shelley and Hawthorne constructed moral fables warning against the dangers of unchecked ambition and the loss of humanity in the pursuit of perfection. Ultimately, the research concluded that moral responsibility had to guide scientific progress, and that literature continued to serve as a vital medium for exploring the ethical dimensions of knowledge and power

This research reveals the complex nature of manhood in the context of contemporary Nigerian society by examining the challenges of masculinity in Chigozie Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities and Elnathan John's Born on a Tuesday. Through a detailed analysis of the texts and with insights from masculinity studies and gender performativity, the project delves into how the characters struggle against, the rigid and traditional expectations of masculinity that emphasise strength, emotional restraint, and financial provision. The project emphasises that masculinity is a dynamic social construct that experiences crises when control, financial stability, and external validation are endangered by analysing the challenging pathways of Chinonso and Dantala. The study challenges the conventional belief that equates male strength with physical dominance or emotional suppression, shedding light on the vulnerabilities and futility inherent in a masculine identity built on violence and superficial measures of success. In the
end, the research advocates for a deeper and more compassionate understanding of manhood, the one that recognises the emotional complexities, psychological demands, and significant influence of socio-political circumstances on men's lives.

This study examines conversational implicature in three Nollywood films Lionheart (2018), The Wedding Party (2016), and King of Boys (2018) focusing on how dialogue conveys implied meaning and reflects Nigerian cultural values. Using a qualitative approach and Grice’s Cooperative Principle as an analytical framework, the research identifies instances where characters flout the maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner. The study highlights the role of linguistic elements such as proverbs, code-switching, innuendo, idioms, and humor in creating and interpreting conversational implicatures. Findings reveal how indirect speech shapes character development, advances plot progression, and reinforces thematic concerns, including hierarchy, social negotiation, and interpersonal relationships. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of pragmatic meaning in Nollywood cinema and demonstrates how Nigerian filmmakers employ dialogue to communicate cultural, social, and narrative significance.

This study examines the representation of class struggle, capitalism, power relations, and materialism in Trust by Hernan Diaz and The Candy House by Jennifer Egan through the lens of Marxist literary theory. The research explores how both novels portray the influence of wealth, technology, and social structures on human relationships and individual identity in contemporary society. Using qualitative textual analysis, the study applies key Marxist concepts such as class conflict, commodification, alienation, ideology, and economic determinism to interpret the narratives and characters in the selected texts.
The findings reveal that both novels expose the inequalities created by capitalist systems and demonstrate how economic power shapes social experiences and personal ambitions. Trust critiques the concentration of wealth and the manipulation of financial narratives among the elite, while The Candy House interrogates the commodification of memory, technology, and human interaction in a digitally driven capitalist culture. The study concludes that the two novels present capitalism as a system that perpetuates exploitation, social division, and loss of authentic human connection. The research contributes to contemporary literary criticism by highlighting the relevance of Marxist theory in understanding modern American fiction and its reflection of socio-economic realities.

In this essay, we will examine symbolism, racism and language used by Nigerian writer and activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her novel Americanah with special reference to some points used in the essay for better understanding. Using the concept of racism, which is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against other people because they are of a different race or ethnicity. Using racism for my analysis helps this essay provides example of several symbols, types of racism and the language of the novel to show different level of struggle for self identification of blacks in the United States of America. This essay shows the struggles of discrimination in education, socialisation, identity and even in colors. The project is guided by a thesis Statement for better understanding of each chapters and it ends with a summary and conclusion to better provide a panacea for racism

The purpose of this study is to examine the themes of trauma and resistance as depicted in Abubakar Ibrahim's Season of Crimson Blossoms and Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero. Both novels offer profound insights into the experiences of women navigating oppressive societal structures and patriarchal systems, highlighting the resilience and agency of individuals in the face of adversity.

This essay focuses on the social and cultural shift of Nigerian women from the pre-colonial to the post-colonial era in Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood and Chimamada Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, Using post-colonial theory to explain the struggles of women which subsequently leads to their transformation and development over these eras. This essay employs a qualitative methodology to explore the elements of patriarchy and feminism in the novels . This essays concludes with examining gender roles expectation, issues relating to womanhood and more contemporary developments like carrier, marriage and adoption and how this developments creates as sense of hostility between individual freedom and the preservation of cultural heritage.