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English and Linguistics Department
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CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
This chapter will look into the background and the general introduction of feminism using Buchi Emecheta and Zaynab Akali's 'The Joys of Motherhood and 'The Stillborn' respectively. Also, it shall discuss purpose and scope of the study and finally the biography of the two authors.
1.1 Background of the study
Feminist ideology is found on the need to develop a female tradition of creativity to cause awareness on the plight of women as the oppressed, deprived, subjugated and unfulfilled gender. This ideology is known in European Africa continents.
On the European scene, in the 18th century, the male writers like snake spare, Chaucer, John and Milton had made their names as great author and set tradition for stale and form in literature. However, their writings hardly focused on the female character but when female authors like Austen, George Eliot came to the scene in the 19th century, their works suffered rejection for what was regarded as '19th century critics' as their female trivialities and frivolities in their choice of themes and in their characterization.
In order to make a thorough investigation, the research has adopted two authors as a case study with the view of scholars in other works reviewed in the study.
Justification of the Study
This study is being undertaken to find out what is slowing down the emergence of feminism in Nigeria and Africa as a whole and also to determine the feminist inclination of both works in the society.
Another significance of this work is the contribution unto the knowledge which hopefully will make a new insight into the literary merit of the two author's novel.
Another significance of this study is the fresh argument which will raise as regards the question of feminism and male domination in the African novel.
1.4 Biography of the two Authors
Zaynab Alkali according to wikipendia came from a Islamic family in a village in Borno state, Nigeria but they moved to a Christian village in Gongola state where she was brought up. The entrance of Zaynab into being fond of Nigeria female writers is significant to a historical scene as well as the scene of her contribution to our literary tradition. She a lecturer of English in the University of Maiduguri, since 1975 even a female voice from the North acute sensitivity to a typically female issue experience and problem, we may well expect that Zaynab would contribute illuminately southern female writer such as Flora Nwapa, Tessy Onwene, Cathererine Achlonu and others.
The female tradition of writers in which Zaynab is now itching her place is least now pivoted on how main stream on the other hand are the resolute of the feminist writer such as Buchi Emecheta and vigorous literary critics through their contently regorals writings. She attempts to correct prevalent erroneous male perception of women and demonstrate the class of female writers who just vigorously deny any claim to the ideology of feminism as in the example of Zulu Sofola and others in any case of their works who do not primarily concern themselves with the feminist literary concept.
Like her predecessors, Zaynab is deeply conscious of fundamental conflict that confronted the emergent and will as a Nigeria women whether she lives in the village or in the crowd of character that sometimes confuse the thread of the first story we can outline the emotional development of the precious girl-hero in an attempt to heighten Li's role in the novel. Alkali surrounds her main character who plays only transient role in the story.
Buchi Emecheta according to Wikipedia was born on July 21, 1944 in Lagos to Igbo parents. Due to gender bias of the time, the young Buchi was initially kept at home while her younger brother was sent to school but after persuading her parents to consider the benefits of education, Buchi spent her early school at an All-girls missionary school. Buchi received a full scholarship to the Methodist Girl's school a year after her father died, where she remained until she was married to Sylvester Onwordi at sixteen years old. After her marriage, she bore five children in six years but it was an unhappy oft-violent marriage. To keep her sanity, Emecheta wrote at her spare time, however, her husband was deeply suspicious of her writing and he ultimately burnt her first manuscript. At the of 22, while working as a Librarian at the British Museum, Dr. Emecheta left her husband and supported all five children while earning a Bsc degree in sociology at the University of London. She also wrote prolifically, publishing articles about Black British in several journals and newspaper. In 1972, she published her first book of shorts in the ditch'. The semi-autobiography book chronicled the struggle of a main character named Adah who is forced to live in a housing estate while working as a librarian to support her five children.
From 1969-1976, Dr. Emecheta was a youth worker and a sociologist for the inner London Education Authority. She then visited the United State as a community worker in Camden , New Jersey from 1976-1978. as a successful author and visiting professor, she has traveled throughout the world visiting Universities both locally and intentionally.
Dr. Emecheta once described her stories as 'stories of the world (where) women face the universal problem of poverty and oppression and the longer they stay no matter where they have come from originally, the more the problems become identical'. In 1982, Emecheta and her journalist son ran the Ogwugwu Afor publishing company, whose intention was to promote and financially support the Black artist; Her works include 'The Bride price' 1976, 'Our own freedom' 1981, 'The Joys of Motherhood' among others. The Joys of Motherhood is a fictional record of her true feeling at a point in time.
1.5 Endnote.
📄 Pages: 65 🧠 Words: 8937 📚 Chapters: 5 🗂️️ For: PROJECT
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