According to literary history of the English literature, ‘Beowulf’ belongs to the Old English or Anglo- Saxon period. The major genre of literature at this period was epic prose. Generally, epic prose or poetry centres on the activities, adventures and… … Read the rest
Category: Essays
Aeschylus’ ‘Prometheus Bound’ as a Tragedy
Aristotle defines a tragedy as the imitation of an action which is serious and complete in itself. According to his definition of the tragic here, the tragic hero is a man who is characterised by good and evil. He is… … Read the rest
TS Eliot’s “Tradition and the Individual Talent”
TS Eliot’s essay addresses the issue of tradition and the individual talent in relation to poetry and by extension, creative writing in general. Here, Eliot emphasises that a work of literature should be a blend of the past (tradition) and… … Read the rest
Influences of Traditional and Cultural Differences on Modern African Drama
Modern traditional drama is usually a blend of oral African tradition with Western tradition. The form or structure of Modern African drama is usually patterned after Western theatre. The content, however, generally reflects the African world view, language pattern, beliefs,… … Read the rest
Oral Literature in Efik-Ibibio Community
It is not an exaggeration to say that before the emergence of the European form of written literature with the introduction of the western education, oral literature had already existed in most communities in Africa in general and Nigeria in… … Read the rest
Post-Colonialism: An Example of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross
This essay is attempt at examining Post-colonialism as a literary theory and situating such within the context of prose fiction, using the Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s, Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross as a case study. The essay points … Read the rest
The Complexities of the Human Condition in Hamlet
Human beings are complex beings. We do not just respond to stimuli in the environment; we reason, make choices and take responsibility for our actions and inactions. We struggle with some seen and unseen forces which influence our feelings, actions… … Read the rest
How Gender is Reflected in Wole Soyinka’s Childe Internationale
This essay focuses on how gender is reflected in Wole Soyinka’s Childe Internationale. Gender refers to “the many aspects of human affairs concerned with the experience of being male or female in a particular culture.” That men have penises and… … Read the rest
Self-Identity in The Final Passage by Caryl Phillips
Abstract There is no doubt that one of the greatest searches of man is the search for self-discovery. Arguably, man has been able to discover many things in his environment but fails to discover himself. For a people such as… … Read the rest
Autobiography of Malcolm X and African-American Literature
Abstract Like other continental literatures, Afro-American or Africa-American Literature mirrors the social conditions of Americans of African descent. It looks at the pains, prejudices, racism and anguish faced by African-Americans both in the past and present. This paper, Autobiography Malcolm… … Read the rest