Browsing by Author "Olaleru, O."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A stylistic exploration of Tanure Ojaide's Narrow Escapes, the poetic diary of the Corona Virus pandemic
    (2024) Akanmu, T.M.; Olaleru, O.; Olugbodi, M.T.
    Stylistic analysis deals with the art of using linguistic rules and regulations to characterise a genre of language use. Critical stylistics sets out to uncover how social meanings are manifested through language. This research work elucidates how language is part of creating world views by poets to convey social meanings. This research project focuses on the critical stylistic features identifiable in selected Tanure Ojaides' collection, Narrow Escapes. The data for the study were three randomly and purposively selected poems from Tanure Ojaides' poetic diary of the coronavirus pandemic, “Narrow Escapes”. The poems were analysed using three tenets of the conceptual approach of Critical Stylistics—naming and describing, equating and contrasting, as well as syntactic frames. The study found that the poet uses proper nouns among other features for analogical creation, and other noun types for creating mental images in the minds of the readers and for accurate and precise description of the Covid-19 phenomenon. The poet also made use of spatio-temporal deixis, synonyms, antonyms, borrowing and specific figures of speech to achieve linguistic variation, and reflect his sociolinguistic background. In conclusion, the use of the critical stylistic approach to the analysis of the poems has helped to unravel the the underlying poetic intents as well as the hidden meaning in the lines of the poems.
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    Between text and texture: An exploration of the sociostylistic imports in selected songs of Ololade Asake
    (2024) Olaleru, O.; Olugbodi, M.T.
    It is no doubt that aside the peculiarity of melody and sound instruments in music, the formal and linguistic aesthetics of music are also associated to its markedness as a genre of spoken discourse. Apart from this, the artistic deployment of both text and texture in lyrical components creates a musical brand. The aim of this study is to examine the socio-stylistic imports in selected songs of Ololade Asake so as to evaluate how the artistes’ linguistic identity has contributed to his entertainment brand. To achieve the aim of the study, five purposively selected songs of Olalade Asake were analysed using a blend of theoretical and conceptual approaches of Tajfel and Turner (1986); Social Identity Theory and Critical Stylistics of Jeffries (2010). From the data analysis, it has been found that Asake employs clear narrative structure, figurative languages and repetitive phrases, which enhance musicality as well as the poetic quality in the songs, create vivid and evocative images in the listeners’ minds, emphasise the artiste’s themes, and enable the creation of coherent and engaging lyrics. Asake also pragmatically illustrates thematic issues of social concern so as to create a positive and uplifting atmosphere for listeners. In conclusion, while the artistic aesthetics of Asake’s songs conform to entertainment, a closer look at the underlying lyrical texts and textures situates Asake’s music within the purview of social advocacy.
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    Between text and texture: An exploration of the sociostylistic imports in selected songs of Ololade Asake
    (2024) Olugbodi, M.T. &; Olaleru, O.
    It is no doubt that aside the peculiarity of melody and sound instruments in music, the formal and linguistic aesthetics of music are also associated to its markedness as a genre of spoken discourse. Apart from this, the artistic deployment of both text and texture in lyrical components creates a musical brand. The aim of this study is to examine the socio-stylistic imports in selected songs of Ololade Asake so as to evaluate how the artistes’ linguistic identity has contributed to his entertainment brand. To achieve the aim of the study, five purposively selected songs of Olalade Asake were analysed using a blend of theoretical and conceptual approaches of Tajfel and Turner (1986); Social Identity Theory and Critical Stylistics of Jeffries (2010). From the data analysis, it has been found that Asake employs clear narrative structure, figurative languages and repetitive phrases, which enhance musicality as well as the poetic quality in the songs, create vivid and evocative images in the listeners’ minds, emphasise the artiste’s themes, and enable the creation of coherent and engaging lyrics. Asake also pragmatically illustrates thematic issues of social concern so as to create a positive and uplifting atmosphere for listeners. In conclusion, while the artistic aesthetics of Asake’s songs conform to entertainment, a closer look at the underlying lyrical texts and textures situates Asake’s music within the purview of social advocacy.
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    Idioms of Migration Narratives in Selected Poems of Niyi Osundare
    (2025) Olaleru, O.
    Immigration and Diaspora have become global issues of concern in our contemporary times, engendering almost equal media and scholarly attention and focus. Scholars have regularly looked at impacts of different forms of relocation on individuals and by extension, a nation. Regardless of possible underlying sense of excitement, the prospects of leaving familiar terrain for strange lands abroad, often render sojourners vulnerable. As a result, the nature of encounters at the first points of entry often add to a prospective migrant’s anxieties. This paper explores experiences, couched as idioms and metaphors through varied immigration experiences in four poems selected from by Niyi Osundare’s Waiting Laughters (2002), “Entry Point Encounter”, “Waiting for the Anxious Fumes”, and “Feathered Heels”, and “If Only the Road Could Talk” in If Only the Road Could Talk (2017). In the poems, the poet highlights immigrants’ unpleasant and sometimes comic experiences with border officers, using the poetic diction of sarcasm, but that is both idiomatic and metaphorical, thereby deflecting what may have appeared to be sharp criticism of migrant treatment at entry. Adopting Postcolonial theory as framework, the paper explores diaspora realities such as identity, race issues, and power dynamics, and how they interconnect. The paper concludes that non-white migrants are often subjected to racial profiling, psychological trauma, as well as to deliberate disrespect using preconceived biases, while lawfully exercising their rights to free movement as free citizens of the earth.
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    Patriarchy and the Concept of Power in Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter
    (2025) Olaleru, O.
    Whereas the human species is biologically and inherently delineated in dispositions, yet socio-cultural, and even religious institutions continually project other attributes unto them. These contrived gender attributes, largely synthetic tend to mould the genders into forced constructs within which they must operate, or else society will be displeased. Moreover, the contrived male-female categorisations determine their personalities, abilities and capability, in short, their power of being. Within the African cultural space, behavioural attitudes, reinforced by entrenched belief systems, persistently endows the man as characteristically strong, honourable, and having authority, but the woman as feeble, of minimal-intellect and emotionally unstable, and therefore feeble in critical decision-making capabilities. This paper sets out to debunk the fallacy of this patently false portraiture of the gender types; and argues rather that women are able to, and have taken courageous actions in the face of difficult challenges just as men. The paper contends also that women are not emotionally stable, but they are no less secure as men when dealing with difficulties of life. Employing the Liberal hypothesis of the Feminist theory, the paper argues using qualitative analytical method that the patriarchal concept of power being strictly male-domiciled, is demonstrably false, as it overlooks the particular variables of personality, inner strength as well as the resourcefulness and intelligence of individual women. This paper’s textual analysis of Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter reveals how the well-judged actions of Ramatoulaye and Aissatou rescued them from becoming victims of their strongly patriarchal society, thus upturning the prevailing male-female power dynamics. Having suffered societal-enabled and devastating marital betrayals, these women competently handled the accompanying fallouts without falling apart. Their individual and successful, overcoming of culturally-engendered tragedies disprove received notions about male superiority. Ramatoulaye and Aissatou, by their strong actions in the face of overwhelming societal opposition and hostility, proved that when women strategically confront cultural stereotyping, the status-quo is reversible. The paper therefore concluded that the concept of absolute male power and female feebleness is only a false contrivance of the patriarchal system.