Igbo Naming Cosmology and Name Symbolization in Chinua Achebe's Tetralogy
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Bible Translation and Language Elaboration: the Igbo Experience
Bible Translation and Language Elaboration: The Igbo Experience A thesis submitted to the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), Universität Bayreuth, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. Phil.) in English Linguistics By Uchenna Oyali Supervisor: PD Dr. Eric A. Anchimbe Mentor: Prof. Dr. Susanne Mühleisen Mentor: Prof. Dr. Eva Spies September 2018 i Dedication To Mma Ụsọ m Okwufie nwa eze… who made the journey easier and gave me the best gift ever and Dikeọgụ Egbe a na-agba anyanwụ who fought against every odd to stay with me and always gives me those smiles that make life more beautiful i Acknowledgements Otu onye adịghị azụ nwa. So say my Igbo people. One person does not raise a child. The same goes for this study. I owe its success to many beautiful hearts I met before and during the period of my studies. I was able to embark on and complete this project because of them. Whatever shortcomings in the study, though, remain mine. I appreciate my uncle and lecturer, Chief Pius Enebeli Opene, who put in my head the idea of joining the academia. Though he did not live to see me complete this program, I want him to know that his son completed the program successfully, and that his encouraging words still guide and motivate me as I strive for greater heights. Words fail me to adequately express my gratitude to my supervisor, PD Dr. Eric A. Anchimbe. His encouragements and confidence in me made me believe in myself again, for I was at the verge of giving up. -
Purple Hibiscus
1 A GLOSSARY OF IGBO WORDS, NAMES AND PHRASES Taken from the text: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Appendix A: Catholic Terms Appendix B: Pidgin English Compiled & Translated for the NW School by: Eze Anamelechi March 2009 A Abuja: Capital of Nigeria—Federal capital territory modeled after Washington, D.C. (p. 132) “Abumonye n'uwa, onyekambu n'uwa”: “Am I who in the world, who am I in this life?”‖ (p. 276) Adamu: Arabic/Islamic name for Adam, and thus very popular among Muslim Hausas of northern Nigeria. (p. 103) Ade Coker: Ade (ah-DEH) Yoruba male name meaning "crown" or "royal one." Lagosians are known to adopt foreign names (i.e. Coker) Agbogho: short for Agboghobia meaning young lady, maiden (p. 64) Agwonatumbe: "The snake that strikes the tortoise" (i.e. despite the shell/shield)—the name of a masquerade at Aro festival (p. 86) Aja: "sand" or the ritual of "appeasing an oracle" (p. 143) Akamu: Pap made from corn; like English custard made from corn starch; a common and standard accompaniment to Nigerian breakfasts (p. 41) Akara: Bean cake/Pea fritters made from fried ground black-eyed pea paste. A staple Nigerian veggie burger (p. 148) Aku na efe: Aku is flying (p. 218) Aku: Aku are winged termites most common during the rainy season when they swarm; also means "wealth." Akwam ozu: Funeral/grief ritual or send-off ceremonies for the dead. (p. 203) Amaka (f): Short form of female name Chiamaka meaning "God is beautiful" (p. 78) Amaka ka?: "Amaka say?" or guess? (p. -
Chinua Achebe — It Is the Storyteller Who Makes Us See What We Are
caryl phillips Chinua Achebe — It is the Storyteller who makes us see what we are ’d like to say a few things about Chinua Achebe, which hope- Ifully resonate somewhat with our title — “It is the Storyteller who makes us see what we are.” I’ve been thinking about this title and have come to the conclusion that in the case of Chinua Achebe he was also a Storyteller who made us see who we are, or at least he certainly did in my case. I make the distinction between “what” and “who” as a way of suggesting that a personal encounter with him is likely to engender a transformation that is at least as profound as one we might receive by reading the remarkable body of his work. He was such an extraordinarily charismatic man, and having had the privilege of knowing him a little I would like to speak about both “what we are” because of his example, and more specifically “who we are” — or “who I am” — because of a personal encounter. First, Chinua Achebe is a storyteller whose very existence made it possible for a whole generation of writers to imagine that it might be possible for them to begin to think of themselves as writers. From 1958 onwards, his face was there on book jackets, in the newspaper columns, as part of an ongoing global literary conversation, and he established a presence at a very young age for a writer. As we know, Things Fall Apart quickly became a worldwide publishing sensation and not too long after- wards there was a canonical intervention; syllabi and university courses had to be — sometimes reluctantly — cantilevered into new shapes and groupings to include Achebe and his work, and the work of others like him. -
Achebe's Defense of Civilized Ibo Culture Via Proverbial Language In
International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-2, Issue-6, Nov - Dec, 2017 https://dx.doi.org/10.24001/ijels.2.6.12 ISSN: 2456-7620 Achebe’s defense of civilized Ibo culture via proverbial language in Things Fall Apart Gohar Ayaz1, Nadia Anjum2 1HEC PhD Scholar, BZ University, Multan, Pakistan 2Fauji Foundation Model School, Abbottabad, Pakistan Abstract— This paper is an attempt to explore the the story of an Ibo village and one of its great men, proverbial language of Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Okonkwo, who is a very high achiever being a champion Apart in support of the civilized Ibo culture. Chinua wrestler, a wealthy farmer, a husband to three wives, and Achebe has put many proverbs in his mouth pieces. All a man with titles. Okonkwo's world is disrupted with the the proverbs used in this novel belong to the Ibo culture. appearance of the first white man who tries to inflict his The proverbs used by Ibo people in the novel are worthy religion on the Umuofia natives. Okonkwo, a high enough to claim that they have a strong heritage and tempered man, later kills a British employed man and history which is symbol of civilized culture. The language eventually takes his own life. of the Ibo people when compared with whites, it becomes Proverbs could be described as short, popular crystal clear that whatever they say is proved or followed witty sayings with words of advice or warning. Proverbs by strong arguments of proverbs. Whites say things could also be viewed as a repository of native intelligent, imperatively and lack strong arguments in their talks. -
TABLE of CONTENTS Cover Art: Aran Islands Cliffs by Sara Sutthoff
TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Art: Aran Islands Cliffs by Sara Sutthoff Kayla Belser 4 Poetry, June Allison Wendling 5 Poetry, Staying with You is Self-Mockery Mercede Maschinot 6 Poetry, Broken Silence Breanna Tanksley 7 Fiction, A Trip to the End of the World Julia Manning 11 Poetry, Sandman Bianca Calipo 12 Poetry, History of Hands Mary Catherine Thomas 14 Poetry, Flight Risk Onyinye Miriam Uwolloh 16 Fiction, Ezinulo Fureduri. Sara Sutthoff 21 Art: Photography, Dublin Castle Stained Glass Brittany Haney 22 Art: Photography, Bird Perch Caitlin Kemme 23 Art: Photography, A New Beginning Thanh-Mai Tran 24 Art: Digital, Self Portrait 1 Thanh-Mai Tran 25 Art: Digital, Hong Kong Cora Angel 26 Art: Photography, OTR Sneakers Adil Akhtar 27 Art: Photography, Child Digging Through Trash Gabriella Delaney 28 Art: Photography, Hibiscus Shower Jason Houston 29 Art: Photography, A Peak into Norse Nation Maria DeWald 30 Art: Photography, Fate Maria DeWald 31 Art: Photography, Phases Bianca Calipo 32 Art: Drawing, Selkie Split by Past and Future Mikaylah Porter 33 Poetry, on the inside Cameron Wells 34 Poetry, Spinning Wheel Kayla Belser 35 Poetry, Playground Camden Mecklem 36 Fiction, The Nature of Things Alexandria Roy 43 Poetry, Our Mountains 2 Breanna Tanksley 44 Poetry, I’ve Been Trying to Write an Honest Poem Elizabeth Osifalujo 46 Poetry, Letter to HEART Allison Wendling 47 Creative Non-Fiction, Biological Retention Contributors 52 3 Kayla Belser June I pray in front of plants named after my ancestors. I hear my grandmothers voice before I dare leave the house without a winter coat, change a baby’s diaper without fresh powder, or mend and mold yeast rolls without patience. -
Origin of Igbo Surnames, Past and Present
International Journal of Theology & Reformed Tradition Vol 3 Origin of Igbo Surnames, Past and Present Felicia N. Ibemesi Abstract The formal use of Igbo surnames, which started with the coming of Western Education and the development of white-collar jobs, show by their contents and contexts past and present values. They have been identified in five different classes namely: Patronymic, matronymic, occupational, toponymic and pseudonymic/nicknames. Interest in Igbo names and their meanings continue to be on the increase as scores of entries on the websites show. 1. Introduction This paper is not an attempt to produce a collection or a dictionary of Igbo personal and surnames. A large amount of literature already exists in that direction (Njoku, J.E.: 1978). An earlier work on a group of Igbo names we classified as “Assumed Names” made references to the long works on Igbo personal and surnames (Ibemesi, F.N.:1988). Interest in Igbo names continues to increase as people realize that there is much in name and in naming, particularly with respect to Igbo. Some entries in the websites even show that foreigners married to Igbo in the diaspora are seeking for Igbo names and their meanings for use for their children (Ladejobi-Ukwu,Dele: 2009; Zahymaka:2006). Naming is as old as humanity. The origin and development of family names do however vary among different nations of the world. 2011 Page 149 International Journal of Theology & Reformed Tradition Vol 3 Some of the many descriptions of Igbo names show among other things, that they are not just mere identification tags on the bearers, but that they are also records of family and community history (Ubahakwe, Ebo: 1981). -
Dictionary of Ò,Nì,Chà Igbo
Dictionary of Ònìchà Igbo 2nd edition of the Igbo dictionary, Kay Williamson, Ethiope Press, 1972. Kay Williamson (†) This version prepared and edited by Roger Blench Roger Blench Mallam Dendo 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Fax. 0044-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7967-696804 E-mail [email protected] http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm To whom all correspondence should be addressed. This printout: November 16, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations: ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Editor’s Preface............................................................................................................................................... 1 Editor’s note: The Echeruo (1997) and Igwe (1999) Igbo dictionaries ...................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Earlier lexicographical work on Igbo........................................................................................................ 4 2. The development of the present work ....................................................................................................... 6 3. Onitsha Igbo ................................................................................................................................................ 9 4. Alphabetization and arrangement.......................................................................................................... -
A Personal History of Biafra
BOOK REVIEWS Chinua Achebe, There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra. Penguin Books, 2013. 352pp, ISBN-10: 014312403X There once was a country called the Republic of Biafra. Its brief existence, from May 1967 to January 1970, was an affront to the leaders of Nigeria, from which Biafra, occupying the nation's southeast corner, had seceded. Nigeria, which had gained independence from Britain just seven years prior, took military action to suppress Biafra's bid for sovereignty. In a brutal civil war that lasted thirty months, perhaps as many as 2 million Biafrans perished -- directly from the violence or from the starvation and disease resulting from a blockade imposed by Nigerian forces. The Biafran War was, according to the most famous Biafran, the writer Chinua Achebe, "a cataclysmic experience that changed the history of Africa." Before the humanitarian disasters in Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, and elsewhere, it was one of the first dirty wars to run its course on the world's TV screens. One of the authors of the Ahiara Declaration, proclaiming the new nation's liberal founding principles, Achebe also served Biafra as a diplomatic envoy. His absorbing new memoir, There Was a Country, recounts the doleful history of Biafra from the perspective of a disappointed partisan and within the context of the author's life through 1970. Although Achebe has been living in the United States -- currently resident at Brown University -- for more than twenty years, this is a book about Africa and its author's experiences there. He begins by recalling his childhood at the crossroads of traditions, in the town of Ogidi, where he was open to the influences of his father, a Christian teacher and evangelist, as well as to the ambient Igbo culture. -
A Portrayal of Nigerian After Civil War in Chinua Achebe's Civil Peace
Anjar Dwi Astuti – A Portrayal of Nigerian after Civil War A PORTRAYAL OF NIGERIAN AFTER CIVIL WAR IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S CIVIL PEACE (1971) Anjar Dwi Astuti Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Mulawarman Jalan Harmonika Nomor 1, Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur Pos-el: [email protected] ABSTRACT African literature has strong relation with colonialism, not only because they had ever been colonized but also because of civil war. Civil Peace (1971), a short story written by Chinua Achebe, tells about how Nigerian survive and have to struggle to live after Nigerian Civil War. It is about the effects of the war on the people, and the “civil peace” that followed. The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted annexation of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra. The conflict was the result of economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. Knowing the relation between the story and the Nigerian Civil War, it is assured that there is a history depicted in Civil Peace. In this article, the writer portrays the history and the phenomenon of colonization in Nigeria by using new historical and postcolonial criticism approaches. Keywords: history, colonization, civil war ABSTRAK Karya sastra Afrika memiliki hubungan yang kuat dengan kolonialisme. Hal tersebut bukan hanya karena Afrika pernah dijajah oleh bangsa lain tetapi juga karena terjadinya perang saudara. Civil Peace (1971), sebuah cerp6en yang ditulis oleh Chinua Achebe, menceritakan tentang bagaimana orang-orang Nigeria korban perang saudara yang selamat dan kemudian berusaha berjuang untuk bertahan dan melanjutkan hidup seusai perang. -
William Shakespeare and Chinua Achebe: a Study of Character and the Supernatural
University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2010 William Shakespeare and Chinua Achebe: A Study of Character and the Supernatural Kenneth N. Usongo University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the African Languages and Societies Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, and the Comparative Literature Commons Recommended Citation Usongo, Kenneth N., "William Shakespeare and Chinua Achebe: A Study of Character and the Supernatural" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1387. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1387 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND CHINUA ACHEBE: A STUDY OF CHARACTER AND THE SUPERNATURAL __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Kenneth N. Usongo June 2011 Advisor: Linda Bensel-Meyers ©Copyright by Kenneth N. Usongo 2011 All Rights Reserved Author: Kenneth N. Usongo Title: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND CHINUA ACHEBE: A STUDY OF CHARACTER AND THE SUPERNATURAL Advisor: Linda Bensel-Meyers Degree Date: June 2011 Abstract This study examines how Shakespeare and Achebe use supernatural devices such as prophecies, dreams, beliefs, divinations and others to create complex characters. Even though these features are indicative of the preponderance of the belief in the supernatural by some people of the Elizabethan, Jacobean and traditional Igbo societies, Shakespeare and Achebe primarily use the supernatural to represent the states of mind of their protagonists. -
Language, Identity and the Cultural Context of Names in Selected Nigerian Novels
International Journal of Language and Literature June 2018, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 29-37 ISSN: 2334-234X (Print), 2334-2358 (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v6n1a5 URL: https://doi.org/10.15640/ijll.v6n1a5 Language, Identity and the Cultural Context of Names in Selected Nigerian Novels Chibuike Smart Mbarachi1 & Esther Igwenyi2 Abstract Names are a reflection of a people's language and culture hence novelists often adopt names to capture their sociocultural background, the society in which their texts are set, or the background of their fictional characters. Using the framework of Anthroponomastics which leans on linguistic anthropology, this study examines names in four selected Nigerian novels, namely Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah, and Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun. The analysis of the names extracted from the novels shows that in names, language and culture intertwine to bequeath an identity to the named person. This identity may mirror the expected character, roles or the circumstances surrounding the conception and birth of the named one, or may generally reflect the worldview of his/her society. The meaning of names is contextual and derives from a society’s cultural and sociolinguistic reservoir which is accessible to members whenever they need names that capture their intended meaning. The names in the novels also indicate the individual and the group identity of the bearers and their society, but expressed through language and they often have multi-faceted meanings. -
Translation, Transculturation and Diasporic Images In
Prague Journal of English Studies MD ABU SHAHID ABDULLAH Volume 6, No. 1, 2017 ISSN: 1804-8722 (print) South African Novel.” 2011. Web. http://othes.univie.ac.at/14477/1/2011- '2,10.1515/pjes-2017-0006 ISSN: 2336-2685 (online) 05-10_0506703.pdf. Tal, Kali. Worlds of Hurt: Reading the Literatures of Trauma. Cambridge: New Transatlantic African Writing: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print. Translation, Transculturation and Diasporic van der Kolk, Bessel A. and Rita Fisler. “Dissociation and the Fragmentary Nature of Traumatic Memories: Overview and Exploratory Study.” Journal Images in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s The 1 of Traumatic Stress. 8.4 (1995): 505-525. Print. Thing Around Your Neck and Americanah Vickroy, Laurie. Trauma and Survival in Contemporary Fiction. Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 2002. Print. Whitehead, Anne. Trauma Fiction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, Elena Rodríguez Murphy 2004. Print. Described as one of the leading voices of her generation, Nigerian writer Chimamanda MD ABU SHAHID ABDULLAH is a Ph.D. Fellow at Otto-Friedrich Ngozi Adichie has become one of the many African authors who through their narratives University Bamberg, Germany. He completed his M.A. in the European have succeeded in challenging the literary canon both in Europe and North America Joint Master’s Degree in English and American Studies programme from the while redefi ning African literature from the diaspora. Her specifi c use of the English same university in 2014, including one exchange semester at the University of language as well as transcultural writing strategies allow Adichie to skilfully represent Graz (Karl-Franzens University) in Austria.