THE POETICS OF ORALITY IN SELECTED POETRY COLLECTIONS OF TWO FEMALE NIGERIAN POETS

Abstract

The dynamic nature of orality has indeed created opportunities for modern Nigerian forms of poetic expressions. This implies that the critical features or principles of oral traditions are employed in the exploration of thematic issues, technique and other devices in written modern Nigerian poems. The variegated use of the traditional forms/methods of orature (proverb, aphorisms, Igbo vernacular norm and communal voice, poetic celebration of freedom, songs of exultation/praise poetry, chants, and other narrative poetry) is evident in Flora Nwapa’s Cassava Song and Rice Song (1986) and Ifeoma Odinye’s At Sunset (2018). This study has examined the extent the female poets infused traditional eloquence in their written poetry while echoing experiences violated by sociocultural change. The study has discovered that Nwapa adopted Feminist consciousness laced with praise poetry in discussing two metaphoric subjects of “Cassava and Riceâ€, while Odinye employed various subjects and elements of poetry in exploring her subject matter thereby making her work emotionally sensitive. The study concludes that the selected poets’ poetics of orality blends with nationalistic consciousness to tackle sensitive issues of corruption and civil disorder.