A critical appraisal of Saule’s portrayal of women as Amadelakufa (resilient)

Molubo, Rendani

Title: A critical appraisal of Saule’s portrayal of women as Amadelakufa (resilient)
Creator: Molubo, Rendani
Subject: Women in literature
Subject: Feminism -- Africa
Subject: Saule, N -- Vuleka Mhlaba
Subject: Saule, N -- Inkululeko Isentabeni
Subject: Saule, N -- Libambe Lingatshoni
Subject: Xhosa fiction -- History and criticism
Date Issued: 2020
Date: 2020
Type: text
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143982
Identifier: vital:38300
Description: This study seeks to explore how Professor Ncedile Saule’s works Vuleka Mhlaba (2006), Inkululeko Isentabeni (2010) and Libambe Lingatshoni (2017), depict female characters to reveal the inner resilience women embody. It is important to portray females as bold, intelligent and courageous beings as African women are subjected to major patriarchal myths. South Africa prides itself with a progressive Constitution and Bill of Rights that speaks of gender equality and the liberation of all persons. However, in practice women still live under patriarchal bondages and their efforts are side-lined, thus, the essentiality of writings that contributes towards the empowerment of women through displaying their resilience. Women in literature are mostly depicted as subordinate, submissive and emotional. At times they are portrayed as victims. They are very seldom portrayed as heroes or independent beings. They are constantly placed behind a man instead of in front of a man. This research aims to display women as heroes in their own capacity, without having to be dimmed by a man. The researcher decided to utilise writings of a male author so as to provide a different perspective from the norm that most male authors are known to write about in issues pertaining female characters. This is also deliberately done to encourage more male writers to change the mythical narration about women and start admiring their contributions without having them shadow any man. The projection of female resilience through the gaze of a male author gives hope that there are men who see and admire women’s efforts. It also indicates that men realise now that African feminisms are not against men and instead advocate for equality between men and women and recognise the greatness that could come out of a partnership between the two genders. Women’s behaviour and characteristics are mostly socially constructed, hence the need to exhibit the boldness that black women possess, instead of them only being utilised as nurturing sources and household caretakers. One of the purposes of this research study is to illustrate the resilience that women possess and analyse the forms of torment that women in Saule’s chosen novels have experienced and how their experience engenders resilience and a determination to succeed. The women in Saule’s three novels selected for this study break the traditional status quo. The approach that this paper will utilize is that of African Feminisms, focusing on Walker’s Womanism, Ogunyemi’s Africana Womanism, and Stiwanism as the theoretical approaches. This is because African Feminisms concentrates on the issues related to gender, race and class that African women across spectrums face.
Format: 137 pages
Format: pdf
Publisher: Rhodes University
Publisher: Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures
Language: English
Rights: Molubo, Rendani

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