Table of Contents

Gender (Dis) Placement in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah

Olumide Ogunrotimi                                                                                                               1 – 26

Une Analyse Des Personnages Dans On Ne Badine Pas Avec L’amour D’Alfred De Musset (The Analysis of the Characters in the Play “One Does Not Joke With Love” By Alfred De Musset)

Yekini Tokunbo M.                                                                                                                   27 – 39

Cohesion and Graphology in “Journey On, Comrade Iyayi” by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Nsukka Zone, Nigeria

Samuel, Adebayo Omotunde                                                                                                   40 – 59

Methodist Education in Sagamu, Nigeria: A History (1946-2012)

Abiodun A. Adesegun and Eregare, O.E.                                                                                  60 – 69

Hindu Philosophical Traditions and the Gender Question in India: A Re-Assessment

Ele Samson                                                                                                                              70 – 85

La Literature Orale Africaine: Une Traduction en Transformation

Uruentsone, Lucky O.                                                                                                               86 – 93

Hindu Philosophical Traditions and the Gender Question in India: A Re-Assessment

Ele Samson

Department of History,

Gombe State University, Gombe, Nigeria

E-mail: elesamson@gmail.com

Abstract                                                        

The gender question in India has attracted international attention consequent on the intensity of discrimination and violence against women in that part of the Asian subcontinent. The phenomenon is manifested in women’s low access to education, credit facilities, employment opportunities in the organized public sector and landed assets. Again, it could be gleaned from the preponderance of gang rape, dowry deaths, female feticides and infanticides e.t.c. It has been argued that the Hindu philosophical tradition is responsible for the gender question in the country due to the Caste System and Patriarchal ideology it entrenched in the society. It is against this backdrop that the paper re-evaluates the causes and nature of gender discrimination and violence in India. It established that Hinduism cannot be solely projected as the springboard for the gender issues as capitalism and the quest for private wealth accumulation, the comparative advantage of, and economic value attached to the male-child, instilled a monopolizing culture amongst the male folks bent on dominating all spheres of the Indian society from politics to economy even socially. This, in no small measure, culminated in the relegation of women to second class citizens and/or at the commencement of life, unwanted foetus and infants. Yet, there have been series of Conventions aimed at addressing the gender question worldwide which amongst others include the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Convention which endorsed 30% women representation in politics. Despite government ratification of these and the enactment of laws to halt the tides, the gender issues in India are still on the increase.The paper therefore recommends attitudinal change towards the female gender to pave way for their contributions in the attainment of sustainable national development in India. 

La Literature Orale Africaine: Une Traduction en Transformation

Uruentsone, Lucky O.

Department of French

College of Education, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria.

E-mail: idegwucc@yahoo.com

Avant Propos

Dans ce texte nous avons essayé de parler d’un sujet essentiel à nous en Afrique : la tradition orale. Il est divisé en trois parties viz : L’introduction, discussion et la conclusion. Dans l’introduction on essaye de donner un aperçu général sur la tradition orale et en même temps de faire sortir son importance, son essence et sa positon dans un monde moderne toujours en transformation voire en transition. En plus, dans la discussion (le corps), nous discutons sur la transition ou les transformations, subies par cette tradition orale – les efforts et les soutient de la part des individus (chercheurs) et des organisations et gouvernements d’une part et exposer quelques buts ou rôles joués, et peut jouer encore, par la tradition orale dans la société africaine qui s’évolue. En fin, dans la conclusion nous avons essayé de montrer l’importance de l’oralité dans la conscience et la vie quotidienne de l’individu en particulier et de la société en général.

Methodist Education in Sagamu, Nigeria: A History (1946-2012)

¹Abiodun A. Adesegun and ²Eregare, O.E.

^1&2Department of History and International Studies,

Babcock University, Nigeria

E-mail: abiodunadesegun@gmail.com, dreregare@gmail.com

Cohesion and Graphology in “Journey On, Comrade Iyayi” by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Nsukka Zone, Nigeria

Samuel, Adebayo Omotunde

                       Department of English and Literary Studies

Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

E-mail: samueladebayo980@yahoo.com

Abstract

This paper investigates cohesion and graphology in a poem of national, historical and contemporary significance in Nigeria titled “Journey On, Comrade Iyayi”. This poem was chosen because its subject matter is one of the consequences of the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ (ASUU) strike (which lasted for almost six months) in Nigeria which drew both national and international attention. Hence, a poem written on one of the martyrs of the struggle is worth investigating especially in the area of what makes the poem to be meaningful (i.e., cohesion). The poem above was written on the late academic icon on Dec. 8, 2013 at his burial. The theoretical framework adopted for the analysis is Systemic Functional Grammar as put forward by M.A.K Halliday especially as it relates to the textual function of language recognized by the theory. It is discovered that both grammatical and lexical cohesion are important in the poem. Specially, it is revealed that the additive conjunctive relation “and” and conjunctive adversative “but” in the poem are meant to serve as semantic signboard for passing across special bits of information regarding the death of the late icon. Relating to the above is the conspicuous ellipsis in stanza II which puts in special focus the various symbolic representations of the “piece of metal” that killed the professor. Apart from the above, lexical repetition is very important in the poem mainly for reinforcing the theme of death. Collocation as another form of cohesive device gives clarification of some phrases in the poem. Lastly, graphological consideration of the poem reveals that the number of stanzas in the poem and the near absence of full stop and commas are signification of the theme of death on which the poem revolves.

Une Analyse Des Personnages Dans On Ne Badine Pas

Avec L’amour  D’Alfred De Musset

(The Analysis of the Characters in the Play “One Does Not Joke With Love” By Alfred De Musset)

Yekini Tokunbo M.

French Department

Federal College of Education, Kontagora, Niger State, Nigeria.

E-mail : yetba4159@gmail.com

Abstrait

Souvent, l’auteur révèle ses émotions et ses expériences les plus internes à travers les personnages de ses œuvres littéraires. Cette caractérisation, expose quelquefois les moments les plus caché  et chéri de sa vie. Ceci ne veut dire forcément que le statut, la situation ou les sentiments de l’auteur égaux  ceux de ses personnages. Un auteur peut être divorcé totalement de ses personnages. Les personnages de ses œuvres sont souvent des créations de son esprit ou les représentations directes des gens réelles dans la société. Soient fictifs ou réels, les personnages dans l’œuvre littéraire ont des traits physiques et psychologiques qui les définissent. On Ne Badine Pas Avec L’amour d’Alfred De Musset fait étalage des personnages ayant les traces des émotions et expériences personnelles d’auteur. Cette œuvre analytique expose cette correspondance entre auteur et personnage, en vérifiant à travers la pièce, les attraits et les moments intimes réels à l’auteur.

Gender (Dis) Placement in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and

Anthills of the Savannah

                                       Olumide Ogunrotimi

                       Department of English and Literary Studies

                    Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

                   E-mail: olumighty_2004@yahoo.com

Abstract

How do African literary texts project gender? Principally because human experience is gender distinct, male writers could possibly be ‘writing’ from the vantage position of the ‘superior’ gender, and the female writers, while not necessarily ‘writing’ from the position of the ‘oppressed’ gender, could possibly be more interested in writing about the experience of the female than the male writer is interested in the life of the male. That is, the works of most female writers are at their core, feminist oriented, while those of the men cannot be said to be masculinist. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah, a comparative exploration of gender configuration in the novels shows that the novelist, though neither a ‘masculinist’ nor a feminist, still finds it difficult to locate significant roles for his female characters. The male protagonists are caught in the vortex of phallocentrism and are destroyed by its values. The female characters are either socially invisible or made lethargic by patriarchal oppression. What we have then, is a sort of gender displacement, a compromise which encourages gender complementarity but to which the author could not give a solid foundation.