QUEST FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN REMI RAJI’S POETRY

ABSTRACT

A major function of literature is to bring about a positive change in the society. Remi Raji has produced six poetry collections with various themes that centre on social life. The concerns of critics are virtually focused on Raji’s linguistic creativity and thematic inferences. However, the goal of the writer is to achieve an end. This study examines the quest for social justice in three of Raji’s poetry collections. It is focused on how the poet makes his quest for justice through his works to reform the social system and identifies the ways in which the poet explore social realities to decry class oppression by deploying literary devices. The quest for justice by the poet is achieved through conscientisation/mobilisation of the masses, protest against injustices, warning the masses and the leaders, and cursing/abusing the perpetrators of injustices. Another objective is the means by which the poet exposes and condemns injustices by deploying literary devices such as satire, sarcasm, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, rhetorical questions, etc. to achieve his quest for justice. The study synthesizes both the Sociological and Marxist theories based on issues of social relation and class oppression. Both theories form the framework of the primary objective of this study by which the poet makes his quests to bring a revolutionary change for a ‘New Hegemony’ that will truly represent the oppressed, according to Marxist’s perspective. The achievement of the set objectives, which depends on content analysis and interpretation, calls for the adoption of a qualitative research method and essentially an analysis of three purposively selected primary data which include: A Harvest of Laughters (1997), Webs of Remembrance (2001), and Gather My Blood Rivers of Song (2009); and also secondary data which are sourced substantially from the library. The study establishes Raji’s poetry as tendentious through his quests and the incorporation of both critical theories that are means and tools to achieve a positive change in society.