A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF REMI RAJI’S WEB OF REMEMBRANCE AND IDRIS AMALI’S WAR OF ANTS

 

Abstract

Stylistics over the years has proven to be a field capable of accounting for the structural and functional intricacies of language and its style of use. This is owing to the fact that it is a field that allows for the empirical and thorough analysis of texts (both literary and non-literary), through its vast and apt analytical tools. In lieu of this, this study is a stylistic analysis of Remi Raji’s Web of Remembrance and Idris Amali’s War of Ants. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the various textual intricacies of the poems. In achieving this, a total of ten poems were selected based on their thematic preoccupation, and the stylistics tools of phonology, syntax and lexico semantics; the concept of stylistics pluralism with reference to Halliday’s metafunctions were the analytical tools. Furthermore, the findings of this study were that the phonological features -alliteration, assonance, and consonance- present in the poems help in giving the lines of the poems a flow of musical fluidity so that they aid and improve the memorability of the poems. Other than this, the syntactic features – anaphora, epiphora, rhetorical question, enumeration, aposiopesis, word classes, and sentence typology- all summed up to provide a niche of compactness to the lines of each poem, so that the poems in each text takes on a flowery show of stylistics dexterity. Hence, the lexico semantics features -metonymy, personification, oxymoron, and collocation- were used to portray the exact feelings of the poets, and stir the conscience and emotions of the readers through ample use of deviant words. The metafunctions of these poems, therefore, reveals the various information about the experiences of the poet, the relationship that holds in the poems, and the textual cohesion of the poems. Thus, going by the aforementioned findings, this study concludes that the poems in both Remi Raji and Idris Amali’s Web of remembrance and War of ants aims at construing memories from the past, about the present, and raise questions concerning the future; with the silent hope that together we all can look at our past mistakes and jolt our present situation for the benefit of a better future.

Table of Contents

Title page                                                                                                                                i

Certification                                                                                                                            ii

Dedication                                                                                                                              iii

Acknowledgments                                                                                                         iv

Abstract                                                                                                                                  vi

Table of Contents                                                                                                                   vii

List of Tables                                                                                                                          x

List of figures                                                                                                                         xi                                                                                                                                                        

                                                               Chapter one

                                                            General Introduction

1.1       Background to the study                                                                                            1

1.2       Statement of Problem                                                                                                 2

1.3       Aim and Objectives                                                                                                    3

1.4       Research Questions                                                                                                     3

1.5       Scope of the Research                                                                                                            4

1.6       Justification of Study                                                                                           5

1.7       Research Methodology                                                                                               6

1.8       Biography of the Poets                                                                                               7

1.9       Summary                                                                                                                     8

 

                                                            Chapter Two

                                                      Literature Review

2.1       Introduction                                                                                                                9

2.2       Stylistics as a Discipline                                                                                              9

                        2.2.1    A Brief Historical Development of Stylistics                                     12

2.3       The concept of Style                                                                                                   15

                        2.3.1    Approaches to Style                                                                            17

2.4       Linguistics Stylistics                                                                                                   20

2.5       Linguistic Features of Stylistics                                                                                  22

                        2.5.1    Phonology                                                                                           22

                        2.5.2    Syntax                                                                                                 24

                        2.5.3    Lexico Semantics                                                                                30

2.6       Conceptual Framework                                                                                               31

2.7       Summary                                                                                                                     39

                       

                                                            Chapter Three

                                                            Data Analysis

3.1       Introduction                                                                                                                40

3.2       Phonological Analysis                                                                                     40

                        3.2.1    Alliteration                                                                                          40

                        3.2.2    Assonance                                                                                           42

                        3.2.3    Consonance                                                                                         43

3.3       Syntactic Analysis                                                                                                      45

                        3.3.1    Anaphora                                                                                            45

                        3.3.2    Epiphora                                                                                              49

                        3.3.3    Rhetorical Question                                                                            50

                        3.3.4    Enumeration                                                                                        52

                        3.3.5    Aposiopesis                                                                                         53

                        3.3.6    Word Class                                                                                         55

                        3.3.7    Sentence Typology                                                                             65

3.4       Lexico Semantic Analysis                                                                                           69

                        3.4.1    Metonymy                                                                                           69

                        3.4.2    Personification                                                                                    70

                        3.4.3    Oxymoron                                                                                           71

                        3.4.4    Collocation                                                                                          72

3.5       Metafunction                                                                                                              74

3.6       Discussion                                                                                                                   98

3.7       Summary                                                                                                                     100

 

Chapter Four

                                                Summary, Findings, and Conclusion

 

4.1       Introduction                                                                                                                101

4.2       Findings                                                                                                                      101

4.3       Conclusion                                                                                                                  107

References                                                                                                                              108

Appendixes                                                                                                                             112

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            List of Tables

Table 1: The three metafunctions of language                                                                        33

Table 2: Example of material Process                                                                         34

Table 3: Halliday’s Classification of Mental Process                                                             35

Table 4: Example of mental process                                                                                       35

Table 5: Example of Relational process                                                                                  36

Table 6: Example of behavioral process                                                                                  37

Table 7: Example of interpersonal metafunction                                                                    38

Table 8: Example of textual metafunction                                                                              39

Table 9: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 1, The hyenas are here.                                73

Table 10: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 1, Watching Gaza live                                76 Table 11: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 1, Gaza: a breakfast                                  81 Table 12: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 1, Rolls of crescent                                  83 Table 13: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 2, Cyclone II                                         86 Table 14: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 2, Day and night                                               89 Table 15: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 2, A song for fools                                             92 Table 16: Analysis of the metafunctions in Text 2, A song for bandits                                96   Table 17: Frequency table indicating the numbers of word classes employed in the poems                                                                                                                                                        99

 

 

 

 

List of Figures

Fig. 1:  A Bar Graph representing the Cumulative Word Class in the two poems                                                                                                                                                                             103

Fig. 2:  A Bar Graph representing the Sentence Typology Present in the poems                                                                                                                                                                               104

Fig. 3: A Bar Graph representing the Ideational processes present in the poems                                                                                                                                                                               105

Fig. 4: A Cone Graph representing the Interpersonal metafunctions present in the poems                                                                                                                                                               106

Fig. 5: A Pyramid Graph representing the textual metafunction present in the poems                                                                                                                                                                      107