Satire as a Literary Device for Socio-Economic Develoment in Nigeria: A Study of Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People

Abstract

This paper began with the definition of satire which is to ridicule the oddities of society for corrective purpose for a positive change. In this way, it becomes a vehicle for socio-economic development. The purpose of the study is to analyse Achebe’s use of satire in A Man of the People. Satirical passages were sampled and analysed using a simple expository approach. Furthermore, to justify Achebe’s deployment of satire in the novel and corruption as a major theme, there is a review of what other scholars have written on this cankerworm called corruption. The rot with the polity during the First Republic as well as the insincerity and dishonesty of our leaders has been exposed. Corruption has been described as the bane of socioeconomic development in Nigeria. It has been discovered that literary texts that employ the device of satire can bring about the desired change in society. The writer is of the opinion that satire as a device in literature could be used to reshape Nigeria for socio-economic development.