Socio-Political Disenchantment in Odia Ofeimun’s Collection of Poems: The Poet Lied

Abstract

This study reflects on poetry as a tool for remolding and reformation. It portrays how poetry as one of the genres of literature can be used as a major tool for tackling social issues and by extension the relevance of poetry in the society. The main focus is on the works of this poet: Odia Ofeimun and his use of satire . Satire is the act of criticism, ridiculing and mocking with the sole aim of instructing and correcting. This African poet used his poetry to offer realistic solutions to the problems facing his society. Also, this research mirrors the society the poet found himself in, and he points fingers at the root cause of his society’s problems and what could be done in order to arrive at a well reformed society. The researcher uses both primary and secondary sources: textbooks, journals, internet, etc. The researcher explored the theoretical frame work using Marxist and Sociological theories. The study selected Odia Ofeimun’s The Poet Lied. Here, the depiction of class struggle, poverty, and socio-political disenchanment in our society is observed. The study also pointed out the importance of poetry in the society, and the extent poetry can go in remolding, educating and reforming the society to get rid of the evils in the society.