Literature
- New Formulae For Governance And Distinction
Books: The Shepherd Leader and The Quest for DistinctionAuthor:Isokari Francis OloloReviewer:Sumaila UmaishaPublisher:CreateSpace, SC, USA (2012); FriesenPress, Canada (2013).Pages? 253, 125 The major problem of man is the inability to take advantage...
- Dan Agbese Redefines Column Writing
The Columnist?s Companion (The Art and Craft of Column Writing) by Dan Agbese, reviewed by Sumaila Umaisha, published by MayFive Media Limited, Lagos (2012), pages ? 305. The name ?Dan Agbese? does not only ring a bell, it bears a special ringtone that...
- Shehu Sani?s Recipe For Peaceful Co-existence
To say the security situation in Nigeria has reached an alarming rate is to understate the obvious. For, unlike the recent past when only some parts of the country were identified with incessant crises, everywhere across the country today is either in...
- Redefining The Place Of The Girl-child (review)
Since the 1995 Beijing conference in which women from all over the world assembled to discuss gender related matters, the place of the girl-child in the scheme of things has been underscored by various writers. While some writers choose to fictionalise...
- In The Web Of Poverty (review)
Cobweb in the Sky by Patrick Tagbo Ogbuejiofor is an exciting novel set in Obunagu village, a typical Igbo community in the Eastern part of Nigeria. The story is centred on Anayo, a promising young man who found himself entangled in the web of poverty....
Literature
Agabi?s gripping tale out f school
Sumaila Umaisha?s review of Chinyere Agabi?s The Survivor, published by FirstBorn Sevices Partner (2011); pages - 200.
Dr. Chinyere Agabi?a new book, The Survivor, is a children?s story based on a teenager?s struggle for admission and subsequent strive the school. In order words, it is an interesting story on the challenges faced by the teenager, Blessing, in the course of her seeking for admission, her eventual success in gaining admission and the further challenges she had to contend with in the process of her studies. With Blessing?s success at the end of the story, the author makes a powerful statement on the fact that hard work pays and nothing good comes easy.
As a children?s story, the 200- page book is full of moral lessons. But the lessons are not just for children but adults as well, as it is also critical of some societal vices perpetrated in the adult world with dire consequences on both grown-ups and children.
The novel is divided into sixteen chapters, with the first chapters dealing with Blessing?s quest for admission, the middle chapters focusing on her life in the campus and the last chapters highlighting the culmination of her efforts in resounding academic success at the end of her studies.
The moral and philosophical statements come subtly in a simple narration that holds the reader from the very first page to the last. The lessons range from the consequences of ?unserious? behaviours which we often neglect but which have far-reaching effects on our lives to some obviously bad behaviours. Examples of these could be seen in virtually all the pages of the book. For instance, on page 3, Blessing is advised against biting her fingernails. ?It is not healthy to bite your nails all the time. If you continue at this rate you?ll soon have no fingers to bite from,? the man had whispered into my ear. It was at this point I realized that I had been nibbling at my nails.
On page 24 is another moral lesson where Blessing entrusted her fate in the hands of God as Musa tries to rape her: ?Oh God, is this the path you want me to follow? Is this why you delayed my university admission, so that I become desperate enough for men like Mr. Musa to take advantage of me, using the UME admission letter to entrap me?? As I went into communion with God in my heart, Mr. Musa?s voice became distant. ?God this is your test and not mine. Whatever happens today between Mr. Musa and me, I accept as having your divine approval.? The fact that Musa eventually decided against carrying out his evil plan shows the strength of her faith and underlines the potency of good moral upbringing.
The author?s principles of life are also reflected in many instatnces in the book. One can see how dishonesty could boomerang when least expected. A typical case is that of Rosaline who changed the score in her English from F9 to F8 in order to gain admission. She actually got the admission, but just as she is concluding her studies, the forged result is discovered and she is summarily dismissed. And she laments: ?I will go and tell my parents the truth. What makes it so painful is that I have worked very hard at my studies these past four years. And I have made very good grades without cheating at any exam. Now, in spite of all that, I?m going home empty-handed, without a degree?? (page 101).
Though a children?s story, The Survivor is also a kind of protest against the ills of the society, especially the failures of our leaders. The author talks about the ?clumsiness of our postal servants? on page 13, and how Blessing nearly lost her virginity to Musa, an officer at the exam office in exchange for an admission letter. The decay is everywhere including the academic environment where academics are expected to live above board. A typical case is that of lack of electricity and water on the campus due to the neglect and corruption on the part of the school authority.
?Wake-up Delta girls! We are tired of reading with candle lights! We are tired of carrying buckets on our heads in search of water! We are tired of bathing with water from stagnant pools. We cannot write any exams under this condition. The University Authority must do something about this or else?? (page 61). This is the battle cry of one of the students as they go on rampage. And in response to the protest, the problem is resolved without further delay! This is a true reflection of the Nigerian situation where government would, for instance, not do the right thing unless workers go on strike or threaten to strike. This style, which is generally referred to as ?fire-brigade approach? is the bane of our nation, and as implied in this moving, topical story, the situation will continue unabated as long as the leadership remains insensitive to the plight of the masses.
The problem of cultism in the campus as portrayed in Chapter Eight is also a sad comment on the prevailing situation in the country. Ebere is so intimidated by an unknown member of a campus cult that she had to drop out of school. Everyone was afraid of accusing anyone, because it was in the era of campus cultism, an era of anyhow behaviour, and no one was sure of who was who, or who could do what. It was an era in which everyone was afraid of anyone who talked anyhow or behaved anyhow. Ebere did not report any of these threats to anyone or the University officials, probably because she was not sure of who was who or who did what. She rather chose to drop out of school? (page 96 ? 97).
The spiritual undercurrent in the story has greatly heightened the philosophical perspective of the narration. There are so many instances where God is mentioned in relation to man?s destiny. When, for instance, Blessing escaped from being raped by Musa, she said, ?I came to the understanding that God had really intervened in my favour. (page 27). In another incident where she narrowly escaped a lecturer?s threat to fail her if she didn?t succumb to his amorous moves, she again attributed it to God?s favour: I went through the list carefully and saw that all the courses were correctly entered, including Dr. Asha?s courses, I made the sign of the cross and exclaimed: ?God, I thank you!? (page 136).
What makes the author?s statements convincing and appealing is the fact that they are expertly crafted in compelling literary devices like imagery, allusion, irony, humour and appropriate characterization. The behaviour of Blessing, the main character, is so human that one cannot but believe in the reality of her situation. She is portrayed as a well brought up girl, God-fearing and determined to succeed. In spite of her strength of character, however, she nearly fell prey to the machinations of a lecturer, Tony, who promised to marry her. This goes to show how human she is, thus, enhacing the credibility of the story.
Glaring samples of the use of literary techniques include the allusion to the ?pound of flesh? (pages 5-6) in Shakespeare?s Merchant of Venice, and imagery of ?deflated balloon? page (8). All these helped to reinforce her appealing style of telling serious tales in a humorous manner.
Being a children?s story writer, the author uses simple and comprehensible language laced with both familiar and new words that would add to the readers? vocabulary. She also used pidgin English to give the story some local colour.
Indeed, The Survivor would have been perfect but for some few typos like vane efforts instead of ?vain efforts? (page 9), and ?executing is threats? instead of ?executing his threats? (page 137). There are also cases of missing punctuation marks especially on page 25: ?Let?s go? he said? instead of ??Let?s go,? he said??, ?Here we are? he said? instead of ??Here we are,? he said??
On the whole, The Survivor is a worthy addition to Dr. Chinyere Agabi?s numerous children?s story books. A holder of Bachelor?s degree in English Education, a Master?s degree and a PhD in Economics of Education from the University of Port Harcourt, the author has brought her wealth of knowledge and experience to bear on this work. Even though the story is meant for students, the general readers will gain from this rich literary harvest.
As a children?s story, the 200- page book is full of moral lessons. But the lessons are not just for children but adults as well, as it is also critical of some societal vices perpetrated in the adult world with dire consequences on both grown-ups and children.
The novel is divided into sixteen chapters, with the first chapters dealing with Blessing?s quest for admission, the middle chapters focusing on her life in the campus and the last chapters highlighting the culmination of her efforts in resounding academic success at the end of her studies.
The moral and philosophical statements come subtly in a simple narration that holds the reader from the very first page to the last. The lessons range from the consequences of ?unserious? behaviours which we often neglect but which have far-reaching effects on our lives to some obviously bad behaviours. Examples of these could be seen in virtually all the pages of the book. For instance, on page 3, Blessing is advised against biting her fingernails. ?It is not healthy to bite your nails all the time. If you continue at this rate you?ll soon have no fingers to bite from,? the man had whispered into my ear. It was at this point I realized that I had been nibbling at my nails.
On page 24 is another moral lesson where Blessing entrusted her fate in the hands of God as Musa tries to rape her: ?Oh God, is this the path you want me to follow? Is this why you delayed my university admission, so that I become desperate enough for men like Mr. Musa to take advantage of me, using the UME admission letter to entrap me?? As I went into communion with God in my heart, Mr. Musa?s voice became distant. ?God this is your test and not mine. Whatever happens today between Mr. Musa and me, I accept as having your divine approval.? The fact that Musa eventually decided against carrying out his evil plan shows the strength of her faith and underlines the potency of good moral upbringing.
The author?s principles of life are also reflected in many instatnces in the book. One can see how dishonesty could boomerang when least expected. A typical case is that of Rosaline who changed the score in her English from F9 to F8 in order to gain admission. She actually got the admission, but just as she is concluding her studies, the forged result is discovered and she is summarily dismissed. And she laments: ?I will go and tell my parents the truth. What makes it so painful is that I have worked very hard at my studies these past four years. And I have made very good grades without cheating at any exam. Now, in spite of all that, I?m going home empty-handed, without a degree?? (page 101).
Though a children?s story, The Survivor is also a kind of protest against the ills of the society, especially the failures of our leaders. The author talks about the ?clumsiness of our postal servants? on page 13, and how Blessing nearly lost her virginity to Musa, an officer at the exam office in exchange for an admission letter. The decay is everywhere including the academic environment where academics are expected to live above board. A typical case is that of lack of electricity and water on the campus due to the neglect and corruption on the part of the school authority.
?Wake-up Delta girls! We are tired of reading with candle lights! We are tired of carrying buckets on our heads in search of water! We are tired of bathing with water from stagnant pools. We cannot write any exams under this condition. The University Authority must do something about this or else?? (page 61). This is the battle cry of one of the students as they go on rampage. And in response to the protest, the problem is resolved without further delay! This is a true reflection of the Nigerian situation where government would, for instance, not do the right thing unless workers go on strike or threaten to strike. This style, which is generally referred to as ?fire-brigade approach? is the bane of our nation, and as implied in this moving, topical story, the situation will continue unabated as long as the leadership remains insensitive to the plight of the masses.
The problem of cultism in the campus as portrayed in Chapter Eight is also a sad comment on the prevailing situation in the country. Ebere is so intimidated by an unknown member of a campus cult that she had to drop out of school. Everyone was afraid of accusing anyone, because it was in the era of campus cultism, an era of anyhow behaviour, and no one was sure of who was who, or who could do what. It was an era in which everyone was afraid of anyone who talked anyhow or behaved anyhow. Ebere did not report any of these threats to anyone or the University officials, probably because she was not sure of who was who or who did what. She rather chose to drop out of school? (page 96 ? 97).
The spiritual undercurrent in the story has greatly heightened the philosophical perspective of the narration. There are so many instances where God is mentioned in relation to man?s destiny. When, for instance, Blessing escaped from being raped by Musa, she said, ?I came to the understanding that God had really intervened in my favour. (page 27). In another incident where she narrowly escaped a lecturer?s threat to fail her if she didn?t succumb to his amorous moves, she again attributed it to God?s favour: I went through the list carefully and saw that all the courses were correctly entered, including Dr. Asha?s courses, I made the sign of the cross and exclaimed: ?God, I thank you!? (page 136).
What makes the author?s statements convincing and appealing is the fact that they are expertly crafted in compelling literary devices like imagery, allusion, irony, humour and appropriate characterization. The behaviour of Blessing, the main character, is so human that one cannot but believe in the reality of her situation. She is portrayed as a well brought up girl, God-fearing and determined to succeed. In spite of her strength of character, however, she nearly fell prey to the machinations of a lecturer, Tony, who promised to marry her. This goes to show how human she is, thus, enhacing the credibility of the story.
Glaring samples of the use of literary techniques include the allusion to the ?pound of flesh? (pages 5-6) in Shakespeare?s Merchant of Venice, and imagery of ?deflated balloon? page (8). All these helped to reinforce her appealing style of telling serious tales in a humorous manner.
Being a children?s story writer, the author uses simple and comprehensible language laced with both familiar and new words that would add to the readers? vocabulary. She also used pidgin English to give the story some local colour.
Indeed, The Survivor would have been perfect but for some few typos like vane efforts instead of ?vain efforts? (page 9), and ?executing is threats? instead of ?executing his threats? (page 137). There are also cases of missing punctuation marks especially on page 25: ?Let?s go? he said? instead of ??Let?s go,? he said??, ?Here we are? he said? instead of ??Here we are,? he said??
On the whole, The Survivor is a worthy addition to Dr. Chinyere Agabi?s numerous children?s story books. A holder of Bachelor?s degree in English Education, a Master?s degree and a PhD in Economics of Education from the University of Port Harcourt, the author has brought her wealth of knowledge and experience to bear on this work. Even though the story is meant for students, the general readers will gain from this rich literary harvest.
Reviewed by Sumaila Umaisha.
- New Formulae For Governance And Distinction
Books: The Shepherd Leader and The Quest for DistinctionAuthor:Isokari Francis OloloReviewer:Sumaila UmaishaPublisher:CreateSpace, SC, USA (2012); FriesenPress, Canada (2013).Pages? 253, 125 The major problem of man is the inability to take advantage...
- Dan Agbese Redefines Column Writing
The Columnist?s Companion (The Art and Craft of Column Writing) by Dan Agbese, reviewed by Sumaila Umaisha, published by MayFive Media Limited, Lagos (2012), pages ? 305. The name ?Dan Agbese? does not only ring a bell, it bears a special ringtone that...
- Shehu Sani?s Recipe For Peaceful Co-existence
To say the security situation in Nigeria has reached an alarming rate is to understate the obvious. For, unlike the recent past when only some parts of the country were identified with incessant crises, everywhere across the country today is either in...
- Redefining The Place Of The Girl-child (review)
Since the 1995 Beijing conference in which women from all over the world assembled to discuss gender related matters, the place of the girl-child in the scheme of things has been underscored by various writers. While some writers choose to fictionalise...
- In The Web Of Poverty (review)
Cobweb in the Sky by Patrick Tagbo Ogbuejiofor is an exciting novel set in Obunagu village, a typical Igbo community in the Eastern part of Nigeria. The story is centred on Anayo, a promising young man who found himself entangled in the web of poverty....