Snail-Sense Feminist Application for Women Empowerment in Selected Works of Ogochukwu and Adichie

Abstract

In an attempt to analyse the challenges encountered by women in
Nigerian literary context, Akachi Ezeigbo came up with Snail-sense
feminism as a viable option to tackle women's problems and to fill the
gaps of non-consideration of western education and self-identity to
promote women empowerment. The aim of this study is to deploy the
Snail-sense feminist model, derived from the habit of the snail and
which advocates dialogue, negotiation, good education and individual
empowerment, to advocate for women emancipation and
empowerment in Ogochukwu Promise's In The Middle of The Night and
Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus. The objectives of the study
include locating the challenges encountered by women in the selected
novels, projecting the need for effective dialogue, western education
and self-identity in pursuit of success as strategies for women
emancipation and empowerment. The qualitative research
methodology is used to analyse the non-numerical data represented in
the selected novels. The findings of the study include; (i) lack of sound
western education limits the attainment of greater heights for women(ii) lack of effective dialogue and conciliatory approach are
contributory factors to the inability of women's emancipation and
empowerment as portrayed in the novels. This study concluded that the
application of indigenous Snail-sense strategies can complement other
feminist strategies to achieve the desired women emancipation and
empowerment. This study thus recommended Snail-sense feminist
theory as suitable for literary analysis in Nigeria in particular and Africa
in general.