The Marxist Formula in Emechetas The Joys of Motherhood Essay

The Marxist Formula in Emechetas The Joys of Motherhood Marx states that we atomic number 18 truly free only when people place themselves in a sic to control their own historical destiny(Slaughter 25).Britains imperial colonization of Africa triggered vast qualifying within the tribal civilizations thriving on the continent prior to European occupation. For the Africans, these changes altered every level of their culture language, religion, as well as ancient tribal customs. But one of the most devastating aspects of the British colonization in Africa was the European economic system capitalism. Capitalism leftfield many Africans reeling from its destructive impact on tribal economies. Nowhere is this to a greater extent evident than in The Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emechetas tale of the British occupation of Nigeria in the thirties and 1940s. Emechetas skillfully constructed story uses various literary devices to develop empathy for her characters suffering at the hands of the English. However, underlying these literary techniques -- and boosting the storys political objectives -- exists a Marxist economic analysis of the colonial system. Emechetas Marxist examination provides an abbreviation for illustrating how imperialistic capitalism alienated Africans from their culture, and from one another, causing irreparable change to the social fabric of Nigeria. The Marxist argument in The Joys of Motherhood demonstrates how the seed of the characters downfall is the socioeconomic shift from the tribal economic paradigm to the exploitative, capitalistic system used by the British.However, Emecheta also criticizes her tribal cultures oppressive hierarchy, illustrating the Ibo intervention of slaves and of women. So although European colonialism... ...Marx and the Sources of fine Theory. young Jersey Rowman and Littlefield, 1981.Jameson, Fredric. Marxism and Form Twentieth-Century dialectical Theories of Literature. 2nd ed. Princeton Princeto n UP, 1974.Magubane, Bernard, and Nzongola-Ntalaja, eds. Proletarianization and Class Struggle in Africa. Contemporary Marxism Series. San Francisco Synthesis, 1982.Richter, David. The Critical tradition Classic and Contemporary Trends. 2nd ed. Boston Bedford, 1998.Selden, Raman, and Peter Widdowson. A Readers spotter to Contemporary Literary Theory. 3rd ed. Lexington UP of Kentucky, 1993.Slaughter, Cliff. Marxism, Ideology and Literature. London Macmillan, 1980.Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today A User-Friendly Guide. New York Garland, 1999.Wallerstein, Immanuel. Africa The Politics of Independence. New York Vintage, 1961.