Metaphoric Topicality in Femi Osofisan’s Drama

Clement Olujide Ajidahun

doi:10.4236/als.2013.11001

Abstract

This paper examines the functional and the significant role of metaphors in literary works. It discusses the centrality of metaphors as a dominant literary device consciously deployed by Femi Osofisan to project the theme of oppression, dehumanization, social injustice and poverty in his plays. The paper focuses on the use of animal and predatory metaphors in Osofisan’s plays to launch an offensive literary attack on the rich and the ruling elite in the society who use their privileged positions to brazenly oppress and brutalize the poor and the downtrodden. The paper, on the other hand, examines the appropriate use of animal metaphors to enlighten and educate the poor on their precarious condition as preys in the hands of the carnivorous ruling class. Finally, the paper discusses the settings and the titles of Osofisan’s plays, the quest motif and the traditional modes as metaphors for oppression.

Highlights

Metaphor is indisputably a linguistic and literary tool employed by the writer to communicative effectively his message to his audience
According to the classical view on the literal language theory, which can be traced to Aristotle, metaphor is seen as extraneous to language and it requires a special interpretation
Femi Osofisan differs from the classical school of thought on the role of metaphor in literature

Summary

Introduction

Metaphor is indisputably a linguistic and literary tool employed by the writer to communicative effectively his message to his audience. Writers, irrespective of their genres, find this figure of speech compelling and indispensable in their literary works. According to the classical view on the literal language theory, which can be traced to Aristotle, metaphor is seen as extraneous to language and it requires a special interpretation. Femi Osofisan differs from the classical school of thought on the role of metaphor in literature. He is perfectly in agreement with the romantic view that makes no difference between the figurative and non-figurative language. This paper is, an examination of the dominance of the use of metaphors in the drama of Femi Osofisan

Textual Analysis

Monster Bilisi Lion

Conclusion