A FEMINIST READING OF EYIWUMI OLAYINKA’S BEHIND THE CURTAINS AND IFI AMADIUME’S PASSION WAVES

ABSTRACT

This essay is a feminist reading of the poetry of Amadiume and Olayinka, and it shows that these poets use their poems to protest against physical assault, against psychological trauma and show how radicalism can serve as solution to patriarchal hegemony. In the first instance, we see the poets employ an imaginary female speaker to register protest against physical assault. The scale of her protest demonstrates the impact of masculine control in her life. In another area, the poets again employ another speaker to protest against psychological trauma as used by men against the female gender. While the introduction of radicalism to serve as solution against masculine control was also demonstrated. In the course of thee analyses, the literary dispositions of the poets were shown as figurative expressions such as metaphor, euphemism, irony and imagery were used to emphasize the theme of feminism. Finally, the reading of the poems of Amadiume and Olayinka as feminist poets has further expand on understanding of the concept feminist and the evils of patriarchal hegemony.