Satire as a Weapon of Criticism: a Critical Reading of Leye Adenle’s “when Trouble Sleeps” and Nina Iphechukwude Anyianuka’s “disowned” and “nnenna’s Loss”

Abstract of Satire as a Weapon of Criticism: a Critical Reading of Leye Adenle’s “when Trouble Sleeps” and Nina Iphechukwude Anyianuka’s “disowned” and “nnenna’s Loss”

The study examines satire as a weapon of criticism: a critical reading of Leye Adenle’s “when trouble sleeps” and Nina Iphechukwude Anyianuka’s “disowned” and “Nnenna’s loss”. It deals with the critical investigation of satire as a tool of political and social criticism in three African texts, namely: Leye Adenle’s When Trouble Sleeps, Nina Anyianuka’s Disowned and Nina Ayianuka’s Nnenna’s Loss. Two major theories are appropriated in this study. Firstly, Leye Adenle’s text is probed through Marxist theory with emphasis on class and social stratification. This marxist approach served to examine several political vices and acts of injustice in contemporary Nigerian societies such as corruption, nepotism, hypocrisy, prostitution, jungle justice and robbery, to mention but a few.

The study adopt a descriptive qualitative analysis for the analysis of data. A purposive sampling method was used to select the three texts Leye Adenle’s When Trouble Sleeps, Nina Anyianuka’s Disowned and Nnenna’s Loss.

Th study revealed that; Satires have always been worthy tools used in ridiculing societal menaces and political decadence and were used in this study’s discourse; Adenle ridicules acts of political nepotism, favouritism and partiality that prevail in most African nations, projecting the outcome of such forceful and dictatorial governance; In the two feminist texts, Disowned and Nnenna’s Loss, by Nina Anyianuka, this study has been able to show the existence of feminist concerns through the depiction of a society where women are violently discriminated upon; Nnenna’s Loss also satirises certain cultures against women in the African society.

In Conclusion, Satire has proven to be a useful tool for social and political criticism in the novels of most Nigerian novelists.

This use of the satirical technique shows that not only have African novelists been able to successfully adopt this style of socio-political criticism without necessarily being influencial, they have also been able to master the operational tools of the concept whilst still producing fine pieces of art.

In other words, this study serves as an all encompassing foray into the realities of most African countries both sociopolitically and in terms of gender relations.