stephen ogene | Nnamdi Azikiwe University (original) (raw)

Papers by stephen ogene

The extent of development of any society can be determined by the level of provision of the basic... more The extent of development of any society can be determined by the level of provision of the basic amenities and infrastructure that satisfy the need and comfort of the people who dwell in that society. A nation that lacks such basic necessities as good housing, education, employment opportunities, food, portable water, health care, clean environment, security of life and property, plus sound moral values cannot be said to be developed. Literature plays a vital role in the criticism, sustenance of aesthetics, language use and policy, historical record and other societal values in any given society. It does not only satisfy the aesthetic needs of a people through arts, but redesigns, reconstructs and redirects the focus of that given society. Through the medium of criticism, literature studies, analyses and judges the ethics and mores of a given society. It therefore stands as a moral thermometer for measuring and healing the identified social maladies. This is contrary to Plato's idea. This paper examines the contributions of literature to the national development. Festus Iyayi's Violence and Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen are used as reference texts to assess the values of literature and its contributions to the sustainable development of the country. The paper employs the use of the concept of humanism as a term applied to a variety of beliefs, methods, and philosophies that place central emphasis on the human beings. Since the main source of inspiration of humanities deeply lies in the efforts and contributions of the classical literature, the paper revisits Plato's ideas about literature which is negative to the discipline. Analyzing Iyayi's Violence and Emecheta's Second Class Citizen, the paper concludes that they have not only exposed the big gap that existed between the rich and the poor, but have frowned at this social malaise that has bedeviled the Nigerian society.

Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a ... more Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics subtile; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.

Gothicism and ghost lore. These sub-genres of Literature are attracting less attention from schol... more Gothicism and ghost lore. These sub-genres of Literature are attracting less attention from scholars due to their peculiarity in delving into such areas like the supernatural, the deserted and haunted buildings, the haunting shadows, the fanciful, the dead among the living, antiquities and other appurtenances that trigger off the feeling of fear and awe. This study examines the aspects of this sub-genre of Literature in Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and Umeasiegbu's Ghost Stories. It identifies that the common factors in these novels under analysis are setting and atmosphere that are predominated by mystery. The study establishes the view that the Igbo of Nigeria have a way of interpreting this mystery of ghosts quite different from the English. The study concludes that Umeasiegbu has championed a new literary sub-genre in Nigerian literature which is not strictly confined to folktale narrative techniques but is purely categorized as ghost lore.

In the pre-colonial Nigeria, a peaceful atmosphere prevailed as there were no quarrels over what ... more In the pre-colonial Nigeria, a peaceful atmosphere prevailed as there were no quarrels over what roles that women played in the society along that of their male counterparts. The coming of the white man to the country changed the whole situation as the western education, religion and culture were absorbed by Nigerians and this affected their new outlook to life. The idea of freedom of women enshrined in such movement as feminism contradicted most of the earlier beliefs held by the traditional African societies of which Nigeria is part. Feminism in Nigerian context assumes a different face from what is obtainable in Europe and other Western countries. The cultural differences existing in Nigeria make it difficult, if not impossible for men and women to share equal rights and also be treated as equals in the social, political and economic spheres. No wonder a different term, 'womanism' is given to both African and Black -American women writing and that of their counterparts that engage in discourses on gender issues. This study is an overview of different consciousness created by some female Nigerian writers to combat and possibly discredit the traditional images created of them. It focuses on the writers' use of the novel as a means of women narrative discourses. Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta and Ifeoma Okoye have distinguished themselves as strong voices that discussed women issues and new dimensions to these problems. The result is that the novel genre has projected women in different new faces of strong and successful characters, contrary to the negative traditional image and perception earlier built of them.

Some time ago, a female student in one of the universities in the country was invited by a male c... more Some time ago, a female student in one of the universities in the country was invited by a male colleague, forced into a room upstairs and raped by four other students. The

Twenty-fifth December every year is very remarkable as it marks the day that Christians all over ... more Twenty-fifth December every year is very remarkable as it marks the day that Christians all over the world celebrate the most popular festival known as Christmas. In Nigeria, the season of Christmas is at times ushered in by the dry chilly wind from the Sahara Desert known as the harmattan.