A.O. Eruaga

This study explores the theme of slavery and the quest for freedom in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing. It analyses how both authors use narrative tecniques and characterisation to portray the struggles and resilience of enslaved Africans and their descendants. The research shows that freedom, in both novels,goes beyond physical liberation to include emo tional and psychological emancipation.

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 explored the use of irony and feminine craftiness as survival strategies in Lola Shoneyin’s, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. It analysed how wives in polygamous households utilize their cunning ways to navigate their complex personal dynamics and marital competition, thereby securing their survival. The study adopted a qualitative approach, as Sociological and feminist theories were used to highlight the societal injustice faced by women in polygamous homes. The study also purposively sampled relevant examples from the play to determine the effective ways of addressing this social injustice in polygamous homes The study found that irony is used to expose social ills, hypocrisy and power dynamics that characterise polygamy in Nigerian homes. It also revealed that women adopted different forms of feminine craftiness for survival in polygamous marriages including marital, sexual, physical, spiritual and conception craftiness

This study explored the use of irony and feminine craftiness as survival strategies in Lola Shoneyin’s, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. It analysed how wives in polygamous households utilize their cunning ways to navigate their complex personal dynamics and marital competition, thereby securing their survival. The study adopted a qualitative approach, as Sociological and feminist theories were used to highlight the societal injustice faced by women in polygamous homes. The study also purposively sampled relevant examples from the play to determine the effective ways of addressing this social injustice inpolygamous homes The study found that irony is used to expose social ills, hypocrisy and power dynamics that characterise polygamy in Nigerian homes. It also revealed that women adopted different forms of feminine craftiness for survival in polygamous marriages including marital, sexual, physical, spiritual and conception craftiness.