http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1004 Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:13:57 GMT 2026-04-14T23:13:57Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/12159 ‘Othered Bodies’: Interrogating Disability in the African Novel Aduse, Poku Samuel In recent times, there has been a growing interest in the study of how disabled characters are represented in African literature. This is partly inspired by the call for researchers and scholars to present the African perspective on the ongoing disability discourse which hitherto, was considered to be dominated by Western thoughts and ideas. In this research, I examine the representation of disabled characters in The Last Duty by Isidore Okpewho, The Beggars Strike by Aminata Sow Fall, Silence is My Mother Tongue by Sulaiman Addonia and The Book of Memory by Petinah Gappah. All these literary texts are novels by African writers and they involve the representation of characters who are disabled. By situating my discussions within disability studies, I examine how these characters are ‘othered’ by their respective societies as a result of their perceived body differences. I offer the hybrid interpretative framework as a viable way of reading the selected texts. This approach involves applying relevant perspectives on disability studies as they have developed over the years through a close reading of the texts while maintaining an eye on what may be described as ‘African’ as far as issues pertaining to disability representation is concerned. This study shows that characters whose bodies do not meet the societal perception of the ideal body are ‘othered’ based on their body difference. This therefore makes them victims of labelling, stigmatisation, stereotyping and marginalisation. In this regard, cultural and religious beliefs play a critical role in how bodies are perceived and treated in these societies. Again, this research shows that the intersection between sex and disability is at the core of the texts understudied. Even though the disabled characters are initially denied participation in the sexual activities in their societies, they find ways to fight for inclusion. I conclude that in their quest to present a realistic presentation of the disabled in their texts, the selected authors risk being accused of presenting mainly negative narratives about the disabled characters. xii, 242p:, ill. Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/12159 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/11873 Political Corruption In Postcolonial African Literary Works: A Post-Coloniality Study Of Selected Nigerian Plays ISAAC, HORSU The goal of this study is to examine how political corruption is depicted in post-colonial literature, specifically in Altine's Wrath, Midnight Hotel and Harvest of Corruption. African literary artists, and African literary works produced during both colonial and post-colonial eras have been described by many critics as being based on nationalism, protest, and disillusionment. The texts contain the necessary elements of politics such as deception and victimisation. The study aims to close the gap on the devastating effects of political corruption in the post-colony by critically examining and analysing how the playwrights portray politics in the post-colony. The study adopts the qualitative textual analysis approach and post-coloniality theory in order to evaluate how politics is portrayed in the selected plays: Femi Osofisan's Altine's Wrath, (2002), and Midnight Hotel (1986), Ogbeche Frank Ogodo's Harvest of Corruption (2013). This study also aims to examine the devastating effects of political corruption in the post-colony. The findings reveal that forms of political corruption such as graft, nepotism, moral decadence, disillusionment and maladministration of public offices, as portrayed in the selected plays, have a negative influence on the general population. Political corruption affects the citizens who are mostly the less fortunate in society, causing economic loss, inefficiency, poverty, inequality, intimidation, and discomfort. Except for individuals who are a part of the corrupt network, everyone else may experience some sort of negative consequence. The findings also reveal that through satire, the playwrights are able to confront societal realities such as oppression, exploitation and resistance, and expose corrupt characters. They also reveal that post-coloniality theory in the selected plays is used to call for justice. The study concludes that the playwrights disapprove of the social injustice, corruption, and oppression that often puts a nation’s life in peril. The study recommends that there should be a call to action for individuals to speak up against corruption and fight for fairness in society. x,248p:, ill. Sun, 01 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/11873 2023-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/11866 Enslaved women’s traumas and resistance to slavery: a study in four selected novels. Apio, Lydia The thesis examines the trauma that enslaved women encounter at various stages of their capture and enslavement, the ways in which they resist the brutalities of slavery, and how these are represented in the four literary texts under study. The study is subjected through the lens of the psychoanalytic theory of trauma and Slaves resistance to enslavement. The study also employs a qualitative research by doing a close reading of the texts and enhancing the analysis with further information from texts books, journals and articles. Character is the tool used to answer the research questions. Critical analyses of the texts reveal that trauma is not only physical but psychological as well. The findings further suggest that trauma could be Transgenerational. Some female characters did not experience first-hand traumas from the Transatlantic Slave Trade but they are subjected to Transgenerational traumas from their enslaved parents and ancestors. In addition, another important finding is that enslaved women devise several forms of resistance to enslavement such as running away, committing suicide, infanticide, and using negotiation. The study concludes by recommending Africans to resist all forms of enslavement. ix, 186p;, ill. Wed, 01 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/11866 2023-11-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/11144 Evaluative Language in Examiners’ Reports on Mphil Theses in University of Cape Coast Twumasi, Rita Akele Academic writing is not impersonal and objective; it is interactive and evaluative. The present study examined the evaluative language in examiners’ reports on 100 MPhil theses purposively selected from four departments, namely English, History, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Population and Health, by, specifically, investigating the types of evaluative comments, evaluated entities, and examiner roles. The present study focused on the Theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and key concepts like ‘Evaluation’ and ‘Feedback’ together with adopted analytical framework by Holbrook et al. (2004a) and Starfield et al. (2017). Applying qualitative content analysis to the data set in University of Cape Coast, the study revealed three major findings. First, examiners employed more negative evaluative comments than positive evaluative comments. The negative comments, however, were mitigated, using such strategies as praise and criticism pairs, hedging devices, and personal pronouns. Second, the thesis and the candidate were the major entities evaluated in the data and these were realized largely in Material and Relational processes. Finally, aside their core mandates as examiners and evaluators of what the candidate had done, examiners assumed six other different roles. The study adds to the usefulness of SFL and analytical framework in interpreting evaluative language in thesis examiners’ reports. The study, also, provides insights into the need for supervisors and students to situate their coaching and writing skills respectively to meet institutional and genre requirements. ii, ill: 470 Sun, 01 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/11144 2021-08-01T00:00:00Z