Resistance, Power and Ideology in Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Keywords:
Resistance, Power, Ideology, Half of a Yellow, Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieAbstract
Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie is a sociopolitical narrative of postcolonial Nigeria in which the author reveals the impact of the colonial past, hierarchical classes, and patriarchy on human life. Adichie builds a story that defies the ideological domination by literature as a weapon of resistance and through the use of language and representation. This study explores the discursive practices of Adichie by building narratives of resistance, power, and ideology and it also explores the way Adichie is representing class hierarchy, colonialism, and patriarchy in the text. Using the Critical Discourse Analysis model by Fairclough (2013), the study uses the thematic analysis to analyze linguistic patterns, characterization and ideological discourse throughout the narrative framework of the novel. It can be seen that Adichie counters colonial and patriarchal authority by means of code-switching, expressiveness of indigenous cultures, and female agency, and discloses internal hierarchies in the postcolonial Nigeria. This study concludes that Half of a Yellow Sun is a discursive performance of decolonization in which Adichie makes language one of the spaces of power and resistance and ideological change.
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