Dr. Josias M. DJAGRI T. | University of Lome (original) (raw)
Papers by Dr. Josias M. DJAGRI T.
Particip’Action Vol. 13- n°2 – Juillet 2021, 2021
Abstract Though not systematically explored and studied in Mary Shelley’s days, research supervis... more Abstract
Though not systematically explored and studied in Mary Shelley’s
days, research supervision happens to be, according to new developments in the research pedagogy, a key factor in the successful completion of a research project and, above all, in the quality of research findings. Using Reader-response criticism as the theoretical approach, this paper attempts to reveal the main cause of the failure of Victor Frankenstein's research project by studying the pedagogy of research supervision at the University of Ingolstadt as portrayed by the English writer, Mary Shelley, in her novel Frankenstein. The analysis shows that most of the supervisory activities in the novel are in line with recent developments in the field of research supervision. However, it can be postulated that the lack of feedback between Victor Frankenstein and his research supervisor at some crucial moments of the research journey has led to unwanted results.
Keywords: scientific research, supervision, Victor Frankenstein, failure.
DJIBOUL, 2021
In George Orwell’s 1984, the act of knowing is portrayed through characters who, to a large exten... more In George Orwell’s 1984, the act of knowing is portrayed through characters who, to a large extent, are intellectuals. Knowledge is presented as an embodiment of power as knowledgeable characters prevail over those who are not. As such, it is taken for granted that an amount of information at one’s disposal is enough to make one
powerful. However, this paper holds that knowledge is neither power nor a source of power unless it is purpose-oriented. It cannot effect change as it is commonly believed until an end (a purpose) of its use is clearly and convincingly set up. Out of a Marxist criticism, the paper reveals that knowledge holders like Syme and other elites from Big Brother’s party wield power that helps them to achieve whatever goals they set. Yet,
George Orwell designs them all to remain vulnerable as individuals when their knowledge does not, any longer, match with the main ideology of the ruling party.
Keywords: education, awareness, knowledge, Marxist criticism
Résumé:
Dans 1984 de George Orwell, l'acte de savoir est dépeint à travers des
personnages qui, dans une large mesure, sont des intellectuels. La connaissance est présentée comme une incarnation du pouvoir, car les personnages bien informés l'emportent sur ceux qui ne le sont pas. Ainsi, il est considéré comme acquis qu'une quantité d'informations à disposition suffit à rendre une personne puissante. Cependant,
cet article soutient que la connaissance n'est ni un pouvoir ni une source de pouvoir si elle n'est pas orientée vers un but précis. Elle ne peut pas provoquer de changement, comme on le croit généralement, tant qu’une finalité (un but) de son utilisation n'est pas clairement définie et convaincante. À partir d'une critique marxiste, l'article révèle que
les détenteurs du savoir comme Syme et d'autres élites du parti de Big Brother exercent un pouvoir qui les aide à atteindre les objectifs qu'ils se fixent. Pourtant, George Orwell conçoit qu'ils restent tous vulnérables en tant qu'individus lorsque leurs connaissances ne correspondent plus à l'idéologie principale du parti au pouvoir.
Mots clés : éducation, éveille de conscience, connaissance, critique marxiste
Citation: Djagri T., M. (2020). Marxist Critical Analysis of Synecdochical Use of the Hand in Hard Times. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(11), 20 – 28., 2020
The aim of this study is to analyse the use of the "Hand" as a synecdoche and to show the power i... more The aim of this study is to analyse the use of the "Hand" as a synecdoche and to show the power it gives to capitalists in their relationship with workers in Hard Times by the English novelist Charles Dickens. In the light of a Marxist analysis, it emerges that the "Hand" that replaces the worker is not charged with human values of dignity, sympathy, love, justice, equity and sharing. Therefore, at an epoch dominated by capitalism, it is obvious that the ideology that can justify the exploitation of the worker cannot do without a synecdochical use of the Hand. Thus, employers or capitalists are more tranquil when it comes to the oppression and exploitation of "Hands" than of the workers.
Résumé
L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser l'utilisation de la "Main" comme synecdoque et de montrer le pouvoir qu’elle donne aux capitalistes dans leur relation avec les travailleurs dans Hard Times du romancier anglais Charles Dickens. À la lumière d'une analyse marxiste, il ressort que la "Main" qui remplace le travailleur n'est pas chargée de valeurs humaines de dignité, de sympathie, d'amour, de justice, d'équité et de partage. Par conséquent, à une époque dominée par le capitalisme, il est évident que l'idéologie qui peut justifier l'exploitation du travailleur ne peut se passer d'une utilisation synecdotique de la "Main". Ainsi, les employeurs
ou les capitalistes sont plus tranquilles quand il s'agit de l'oppression et de l'exploitation de la "Main" que des travailleurs.
Mots clés: exploitation, substitution, idéologie, ouvriers, employeurs
Numéro Varia Volume X (2) Novembre 2020 REVUE YOUROU Revue semestrielle [en ligne] de sémiotique, des études et théories littéraires du Groupe de Recherches Sémiotiques-Côte-d' Ivoire (GRS
This paper discusses rhetorical situations (purpose, audience, context) in George Orwell’s Animal... more This paper discusses rhetorical situations (purpose, audience, context) in George Orwell’s Animal Farm by showing how rhetors succeed in making use of them to persuade their audience of the relevance of their concerns. It heavily draws on Lloyd F. Bitzer’s conceptualisation of a rhetorical situation and its role in language use. To achieve this
purpose, the paper relies on Hermeneutics as a theorical approach in order to adequately discuss the implications of rhetorical situations in the delivery of persuasive speeches in Animal Farm.
Key words: purpose, audience, context, rhetor, power
Résumé
Cet article examine les situations rhétoriques (objectif, public, contexte) dans Animal Farm de George Orwell en montrant comment les rhétoriciens réussissent à s'en servir pour persuader leur public de la pertinence de leurs préoccupations. Il s'inspire largement de la conceptualisation d'une situation rhétorique de Lloyd F. Bitzer et de son
rôle dans l'utilisation du langage. Pour atteindre cet objectif, l'article s'appuie sur l'herméneutique comme approche théorique afin de discuter de manière adéquate des implications des situations rhétoriques dans la prononciation de discours persuasifs dans Animal Farm.
Mots clés : objectif, public, contexte, rhétoricien, pouvoir
Landscape and human beings make an ecosystem in a given area. Interconnectedness and harmony betw... more Landscape and human beings make an ecosystem in a given area. Interconnectedness and harmony between man and environment are very crucial for their balance and survival. Any damage of at least one of them is prejudicial to the well-being of the rest. An Eco critical analysis of Charles Dickens’ Hard Times shows how industrial landscape and cities are destroyed by activities of human beings and how this destruction has, in turn, affected human life negatively. The paper finds that both nature and man are degraded and that the latter is fully responsible for such ecological tragedy. It underpins that solutions to ecological crisis are more social than scientific concerns and that a change of capitalistic ideology can bring a more responsible attitude among men toward environment.
Key words: Eco critical analysis, landscape, man, ecology, degradation.
Classified as modern English drama, A Man for All Seasons reconfigures a historical event of a mo... more Classified as modern English drama, A Man for All Seasons reconfigures a historical event of a monarchy which goes back to Shakespeare's epoch. Though modernist playwrights claim their demarcation from traditional tragedy and its construction of a tragic hero, it is, however, observed that many of them are still hunted by Aristotelian and Shakespearean style of the tragic. Using reception theoretical approach to generate meaning and interpretation, this paper tries to show that Robert Bolt's construction of the tragic hero is drawn heavily on Shakespearean style at the expense of the literary demands of his epoch. It then criticises the playwright's assertion that Thomas More is a hero of 'selfhood' by showing how clumsy and inconsistent More's claims (of uprightness) are. It holds that, unlike Shakespeare's tragic heroes, the lack of sophistication in the construction of the tragic flaw fails to allow catharsis (pity and sympathy) to be aroused and realised after the hero's downfall.
Otherness consists in ascribing and applying negative values to individuals who are very often fr... more Otherness consists in ascribing and applying negative values to individuals who are very often from minority and less powerful groups in order to show how inferior they are as compared to dominating groups. The discourse produced in this regard by the dominating groups which consider themselves as the Self gives birth to xenophobia and hatred toward the dominated groups labelled as the Other. In the light of Postcolonial criticism, this article attempts to discuss Otherness in Buchi Emecheta " s The New Tribe in order to expose mechanisms through which the Self and the Other are constructed and show inconsistencies in the discourse produced by some characters in this regard. It will also show strategies mobilised by Buchi Emecheta in her narrative to bring the Self and the Other into dialogue in order to lay bare prejudices which nourish this bipolarisation in human encounters.
Résumé : L'altérité consiste à attribuer et à appliquer des valeurs négatives aux individus qui sont très souvent issus de groupes minoritaires et moins puissants afin de montrer combien ils sont inférieurs par rapport aux groupes dominants. Le discours produit à cet égard par les groupes dominants qui se considèrent comme le Soi donne naissance à la xénophobie et à la haine envers les groupes dominés étiquetés comme l'Autre. À la lumière de la critique postcoloniale, cet article tente de discuter de l'Autre dans The New Tribe de Buchi Emecheta afin d'exposer des mécanismes par lesquels le Soi et l'Autre sont construits et montrer des incohérences dans le discours produit par certains personnages à cet égard. Il mettra également en exergue les stratégies mobilisées par Buchi Emecheta dans son récit pour faire dialoguer le Soi et l'Autre afin de mettre à nu les préjugés qui alimentent cette bipolarisation dans les contacts humains.
Abstract This paper intends to analyse Pride and Prejudice in the light of Marxist perception of ... more Abstract
This paper intends to analyse Pride and Prejudice in the light of Marxist perception of works of art. With this approach, this article seeks to show, on the one hand, the false consciousness of characters due to manmade-laws which govern the created society and on the other hand to show how materialism, especially money, not only determines the choices in marriage but also helps characters to say which marriage is successful and which one is not
Keywords: false consciousness, materialism, characters, society.
Particip’Action Vol. 13- n°2 – Juillet 2021, 2021
Abstract Though not systematically explored and studied in Mary Shelley’s days, research supervis... more Abstract
Though not systematically explored and studied in Mary Shelley’s
days, research supervision happens to be, according to new developments in the research pedagogy, a key factor in the successful completion of a research project and, above all, in the quality of research findings. Using Reader-response criticism as the theoretical approach, this paper attempts to reveal the main cause of the failure of Victor Frankenstein's research project by studying the pedagogy of research supervision at the University of Ingolstadt as portrayed by the English writer, Mary Shelley, in her novel Frankenstein. The analysis shows that most of the supervisory activities in the novel are in line with recent developments in the field of research supervision. However, it can be postulated that the lack of feedback between Victor Frankenstein and his research supervisor at some crucial moments of the research journey has led to unwanted results.
Keywords: scientific research, supervision, Victor Frankenstein, failure.
DJIBOUL, 2021
In George Orwell’s 1984, the act of knowing is portrayed through characters who, to a large exten... more In George Orwell’s 1984, the act of knowing is portrayed through characters who, to a large extent, are intellectuals. Knowledge is presented as an embodiment of power as knowledgeable characters prevail over those who are not. As such, it is taken for granted that an amount of information at one’s disposal is enough to make one
powerful. However, this paper holds that knowledge is neither power nor a source of power unless it is purpose-oriented. It cannot effect change as it is commonly believed until an end (a purpose) of its use is clearly and convincingly set up. Out of a Marxist criticism, the paper reveals that knowledge holders like Syme and other elites from Big Brother’s party wield power that helps them to achieve whatever goals they set. Yet,
George Orwell designs them all to remain vulnerable as individuals when their knowledge does not, any longer, match with the main ideology of the ruling party.
Keywords: education, awareness, knowledge, Marxist criticism
Résumé:
Dans 1984 de George Orwell, l'acte de savoir est dépeint à travers des
personnages qui, dans une large mesure, sont des intellectuels. La connaissance est présentée comme une incarnation du pouvoir, car les personnages bien informés l'emportent sur ceux qui ne le sont pas. Ainsi, il est considéré comme acquis qu'une quantité d'informations à disposition suffit à rendre une personne puissante. Cependant,
cet article soutient que la connaissance n'est ni un pouvoir ni une source de pouvoir si elle n'est pas orientée vers un but précis. Elle ne peut pas provoquer de changement, comme on le croit généralement, tant qu’une finalité (un but) de son utilisation n'est pas clairement définie et convaincante. À partir d'une critique marxiste, l'article révèle que
les détenteurs du savoir comme Syme et d'autres élites du parti de Big Brother exercent un pouvoir qui les aide à atteindre les objectifs qu'ils se fixent. Pourtant, George Orwell conçoit qu'ils restent tous vulnérables en tant qu'individus lorsque leurs connaissances ne correspondent plus à l'idéologie principale du parti au pouvoir.
Mots clés : éducation, éveille de conscience, connaissance, critique marxiste
Citation: Djagri T., M. (2020). Marxist Critical Analysis of Synecdochical Use of the Hand in Hard Times. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 4(11), 20 – 28., 2020
The aim of this study is to analyse the use of the "Hand" as a synecdoche and to show the power i... more The aim of this study is to analyse the use of the "Hand" as a synecdoche and to show the power it gives to capitalists in their relationship with workers in Hard Times by the English novelist Charles Dickens. In the light of a Marxist analysis, it emerges that the "Hand" that replaces the worker is not charged with human values of dignity, sympathy, love, justice, equity and sharing. Therefore, at an epoch dominated by capitalism, it is obvious that the ideology that can justify the exploitation of the worker cannot do without a synecdochical use of the Hand. Thus, employers or capitalists are more tranquil when it comes to the oppression and exploitation of "Hands" than of the workers.
Résumé
L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser l'utilisation de la "Main" comme synecdoque et de montrer le pouvoir qu’elle donne aux capitalistes dans leur relation avec les travailleurs dans Hard Times du romancier anglais Charles Dickens. À la lumière d'une analyse marxiste, il ressort que la "Main" qui remplace le travailleur n'est pas chargée de valeurs humaines de dignité, de sympathie, d'amour, de justice, d'équité et de partage. Par conséquent, à une époque dominée par le capitalisme, il est évident que l'idéologie qui peut justifier l'exploitation du travailleur ne peut se passer d'une utilisation synecdotique de la "Main". Ainsi, les employeurs
ou les capitalistes sont plus tranquilles quand il s'agit de l'oppression et de l'exploitation de la "Main" que des travailleurs.
Mots clés: exploitation, substitution, idéologie, ouvriers, employeurs
Numéro Varia Volume X (2) Novembre 2020 REVUE YOUROU Revue semestrielle [en ligne] de sémiotique, des études et théories littéraires du Groupe de Recherches Sémiotiques-Côte-d' Ivoire (GRS
This paper discusses rhetorical situations (purpose, audience, context) in George Orwell’s Animal... more This paper discusses rhetorical situations (purpose, audience, context) in George Orwell’s Animal Farm by showing how rhetors succeed in making use of them to persuade their audience of the relevance of their concerns. It heavily draws on Lloyd F. Bitzer’s conceptualisation of a rhetorical situation and its role in language use. To achieve this
purpose, the paper relies on Hermeneutics as a theorical approach in order to adequately discuss the implications of rhetorical situations in the delivery of persuasive speeches in Animal Farm.
Key words: purpose, audience, context, rhetor, power
Résumé
Cet article examine les situations rhétoriques (objectif, public, contexte) dans Animal Farm de George Orwell en montrant comment les rhétoriciens réussissent à s'en servir pour persuader leur public de la pertinence de leurs préoccupations. Il s'inspire largement de la conceptualisation d'une situation rhétorique de Lloyd F. Bitzer et de son
rôle dans l'utilisation du langage. Pour atteindre cet objectif, l'article s'appuie sur l'herméneutique comme approche théorique afin de discuter de manière adéquate des implications des situations rhétoriques dans la prononciation de discours persuasifs dans Animal Farm.
Mots clés : objectif, public, contexte, rhétoricien, pouvoir
Landscape and human beings make an ecosystem in a given area. Interconnectedness and harmony betw... more Landscape and human beings make an ecosystem in a given area. Interconnectedness and harmony between man and environment are very crucial for their balance and survival. Any damage of at least one of them is prejudicial to the well-being of the rest. An Eco critical analysis of Charles Dickens’ Hard Times shows how industrial landscape and cities are destroyed by activities of human beings and how this destruction has, in turn, affected human life negatively. The paper finds that both nature and man are degraded and that the latter is fully responsible for such ecological tragedy. It underpins that solutions to ecological crisis are more social than scientific concerns and that a change of capitalistic ideology can bring a more responsible attitude among men toward environment.
Key words: Eco critical analysis, landscape, man, ecology, degradation.
Classified as modern English drama, A Man for All Seasons reconfigures a historical event of a mo... more Classified as modern English drama, A Man for All Seasons reconfigures a historical event of a monarchy which goes back to Shakespeare's epoch. Though modernist playwrights claim their demarcation from traditional tragedy and its construction of a tragic hero, it is, however, observed that many of them are still hunted by Aristotelian and Shakespearean style of the tragic. Using reception theoretical approach to generate meaning and interpretation, this paper tries to show that Robert Bolt's construction of the tragic hero is drawn heavily on Shakespearean style at the expense of the literary demands of his epoch. It then criticises the playwright's assertion that Thomas More is a hero of 'selfhood' by showing how clumsy and inconsistent More's claims (of uprightness) are. It holds that, unlike Shakespeare's tragic heroes, the lack of sophistication in the construction of the tragic flaw fails to allow catharsis (pity and sympathy) to be aroused and realised after the hero's downfall.
Otherness consists in ascribing and applying negative values to individuals who are very often fr... more Otherness consists in ascribing and applying negative values to individuals who are very often from minority and less powerful groups in order to show how inferior they are as compared to dominating groups. The discourse produced in this regard by the dominating groups which consider themselves as the Self gives birth to xenophobia and hatred toward the dominated groups labelled as the Other. In the light of Postcolonial criticism, this article attempts to discuss Otherness in Buchi Emecheta " s The New Tribe in order to expose mechanisms through which the Self and the Other are constructed and show inconsistencies in the discourse produced by some characters in this regard. It will also show strategies mobilised by Buchi Emecheta in her narrative to bring the Self and the Other into dialogue in order to lay bare prejudices which nourish this bipolarisation in human encounters.
Résumé : L'altérité consiste à attribuer et à appliquer des valeurs négatives aux individus qui sont très souvent issus de groupes minoritaires et moins puissants afin de montrer combien ils sont inférieurs par rapport aux groupes dominants. Le discours produit à cet égard par les groupes dominants qui se considèrent comme le Soi donne naissance à la xénophobie et à la haine envers les groupes dominés étiquetés comme l'Autre. À la lumière de la critique postcoloniale, cet article tente de discuter de l'Autre dans The New Tribe de Buchi Emecheta afin d'exposer des mécanismes par lesquels le Soi et l'Autre sont construits et montrer des incohérences dans le discours produit par certains personnages à cet égard. Il mettra également en exergue les stratégies mobilisées par Buchi Emecheta dans son récit pour faire dialoguer le Soi et l'Autre afin de mettre à nu les préjugés qui alimentent cette bipolarisation dans les contacts humains.
Abstract This paper intends to analyse Pride and Prejudice in the light of Marxist perception of ... more Abstract
This paper intends to analyse Pride and Prejudice in the light of Marxist perception of works of art. With this approach, this article seeks to show, on the one hand, the false consciousness of characters due to manmade-laws which govern the created society and on the other hand to show how materialism, especially money, not only determines the choices in marriage but also helps characters to say which marriage is successful and which one is not
Keywords: false consciousness, materialism, characters, society.