INTRODUCTION-themes, backgrounds, setting, styles,anaylsis. - SS1 Literature Lesson Note

Introduction to African Prose

African prose is a diverse and vibrant body of literature that encompasses a wide range of genres, including novels, short stories, and plays. It is written in a variety of African languages, as well as in English, French, and Portuguese.

African prose emerged in the late 19th century, as African writers began to use the written word to express their unique experiences and perspectives. Some of the early pioneers of African prose include Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Wole Soyinka.

African prose is characterized by its rich storytelling traditions, its exploration of complex social and political issues, and its celebration of African culture and identity. It is a powerful tool for giving voice to the African experience and for challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about Africa.

Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta

Second Class Citizen is a 1974 novel by Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta. It is a semi-autobiographical novel that tells the story of Adah, a young Nigerian woman who travels to London to pursue her education and a better life. However, she soon encounters the challenges of racism, sexism, and poverty in London.

Adah is forced to work long hours in menial jobs to support herself and her children. She also experiences abuse from her husband, who sees her as inferior because she is a woman and an immigrant. Despite these challenges, Adah remains determined to achieve her goals. She eventually graduates from university and becomes a successful writer.

Second Class Citizen is a powerful and moving novel that explores the themes of racism, sexism, classism, and the immigrant experience. It is a story of resilience and hope in the face of adversity.

Background of the Playwright (Prose)

Buchi Emecheta was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1944. She married at the age of 16 and had five children by the age of 22. In 1962, she emigrated with her husband to London, where she worked as a librarian and studied sociology at night.

Emecheta began writing in the early 1970s. Her first novel, In the Ditch, was published in 1972 and was based on her own experiences as a single mother in London. Second Class Citizen was published in 1974 and was her first novel to be set in both Nigeria and London.

Emecheta wrote over 20 novels, as well as several short stories and plays. Her work explores a variety of themes, including gender discrimination, racism, and the immigrant experience. She is considered to be one of the most important African writers of her generation.

Background and Setting of the Play

Second Class Citizen is set in both Nigeria and London in the 1960s and 1970s. The novel begins in Ibuza, Nigeria, where Adah is growing up. She is a bright and ambitious young woman, but she is also aware of the limitations placed on women in her society.

When Adah is 18 years old, she marries Francis, a Nigerian man who is studying in London. She moves to London with him, hoping to start a new life. However, she soon encounters the challenges of racism and sexism in British society.

Adah is forced to work long hours in menial jobs to support herself and her children. She also experiences abuse from her husband, who sees her as inferior because she is a woman and an immigrant. Despite these challenges, Adah remains determined to achieve her goals.

Plot Summary

Second Class Citizen follows Adah's journey from Nigeria to England, where she hopes to build a better life for herself and her children. However, she soon encounters the challenges of racism, sexism, and poverty.

Adah is forced to work long hours in menial jobs to support herself and her children. She also experiences abuse from her husband, Francis, who sees her as inferior because she is a woman and an immigrant.

Adah eventually leaves Francis and becomes a single mother. She struggles to make ends meet, but she is determined to give her children a good education. She also finds refuge in her writing.

Adah eventually graduates from university and becomes a successful writer. She achieves her goals despite the many obstacles she faced along the way.

Second Class Citizen is a powerful and moving novel that explores the themes of racism, sexism, classism, and the immigrant experience. It is a story of resilience and hope in the face of adversity.

The themes of Buchi Emecheta's prose Second Class Citizen include:

Racism: Adah experiences racism in both Nigeria and England. In Nigeria, she is discriminated against because she is a woman and because she is not from a wealthy family. In England, she experiences racism because she is black.
Sexism: Adah experiences sexism throughout the novel. She is discriminated against because she is a woman and because she is a mother. She is also abused by her husband, Francis, who sees her as inferior because she is a woman.
Classism: Adah comes from a poor family and experiences classism in both Nigeria and England. In Nigeria, she is discriminated against because she is not from a wealthy family. In England, she experiences classism because she is a working-class immigrant.
The immigrant experience: Adah moves from Nigeria to England in search of a better life. However, she soon encounters the challenges of racism, sexism, and poverty in England. The novel explores the struggles of immigrants in a new country.
Resilience and hope: Despite the many obstacles she faces, Adah remains determined to achieve her goals. She eventually graduates from university and becomes a successful writer. The novel is a story of resilience and hope in the face of adversity.
Other themes that are explored in the novel include:

Education: Adah is a strong advocate for education and believes that it is the key to a better life.
Motherhood: Adah is a loving and devoted mother to her children. She struggles to raise them on her own, but she is determined to give them the best possible life.
Identity: Adah struggles to reconcile her Nigerian identity with her new life in England. She eventually comes to embrace both cultures.
Second Class Citizen is a powerful and moving novel that explores the complex experiences of women, immigrants, and people of color. It is a timeless story that continues to resonate with readers today.

Languages and styles used by buchi emecheta
Buchi Emecheta's prose in Second Class Citizen is characterized by its simplicity, clarity, and directness. She uses simple language and sentence structures to effectively communicate her story. She also uses a variety of stylistic devices, such as similes, metaphors, and personification, to bring her characters and setting to life.

Emecheta also incorporates Igbo words and phrases into the novel. This helps to create a sense of authenticity and to ground the novel in its Nigerian setting. For example, she uses the Igbo word "odogwu" to describe Adah's husband, Francis, which means "strong man."

Overall, Emecheta's writing style is simple, yet effective. She uses language and stylistic devices to create a vivid and engaging story for her readers.

Here are some examples of Emecheta's use of language and style in Second Class Citizen:

Simplicity: "She was a good girl. She helped her mother with the housework and looked after her younger brothers and sisters. She also went to school."
Clarity: "Adah was angry. She was angry at Francis for being so selfish and uncaring. She was angry at herself for being so naive and believing that he would change. She was angry at the world for being so unfair."
Directness: "Adah looked at Francis with disgust. 'I hate you,' she said."
Simile: "Her heart was as heavy as lead."
Metaphor: "Life was a battleground for Adah."
Personification: "The city seemed to close in on her, suffocating her."
Emecheta's use of Igbo words and phrases:

Odogwu: "Adah's husband, Francis, was a big, strong man. He was a real odogwu."
Oyibo: "Adah was afraid of the white people, the oyibos. She had heard stories about how they were cruel and racist."
Osu: "Adah's mother was osu, a person who was considered to be an outcast in Igbo society."
Emecheta's writing style is an important part of what makes Second Class Citizen such a powerful and moving novel. She uses language and stylistic devices to create a vivid and engaging story for her readers, while also incorporating elements of Igbo culture to create a sense of authenticity.