THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SYMBOLS IN TANURE OJAIDE’S DELTA BLUES AND HOME SONGS

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the complexity and multi-layered nature of
Ojaide’s poetic style, and the richness and social relevance of his vision.
The paper identifies symbols used by Tanure Ojaide in portraying a
mangled environment in Delta Blues and Home Songs, discusses the
sociological and ideological implications of each symbol identified and
relates the symbols to the change imperative that underlines Ojaide’s
poetry. The ecocritical theory was used to analyse the class and
environmental issues conveyed through the symbols in the text. The
results show that the poet employs symbols such as cobra, hyena,
cockroach, vulture and crow to signify the political and military
dictators that have ruled and misgoverned the country since
independence. From the analysis, it is discovered that the class most
affected by the country’s political maladministration and
environmental degradation is the lower class whose condition is
impoverished by the rich and powerful in society. The paper concludes
that symbols serve as a rhetorical strategy for expressing contemporary
socio-political issues in the text, emphasising that corrupt and wicked
political leadership calls for environmental revivalism and sociopolitical change.