Topic: Representation of Women character in ‘Things Fall Apart’, ‘Grain of Wheat’, and ‘Swamp Dweller’Name: Rasila JambuchaSemester: 4Paper: 14 The African LiteraturesRoll no: 22Year: 2013-2015Submitted to: Smt. S.B.Gardi, Department of English M.K.Bhavnagar University.

Representation of Women in,

Swamp Dweller

Soyinka presents stereotyped images of women like,

The foolish virgin in rural setting

The female fatal in urban setting

Masculanised matron

contrast between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law

FaithfulConsistent to husbandSimple and honest

Alu

UnfaithfulInconsistentMaterialistic

Desala

Things Fall Apart only one women respected Chielo- priestess and spiritual leader “Beware of exchanging words with Agbala. Do what you are told woman.” Achebe presented image of an idealized women, opening the space for women to become active and involve themselves with men in the nation-building activities. also find, deconstructing male identities

another side, Okonkwo has many wives - beats his second wife for Okonkwo, - anything strong was linked to man and anything weak to women Ezinma’s character(daughter)

wants to carry okonkwo’s chair to the wrestling match.

but, he replies, “No, that is boy’s job”.

comment that, “she should have been boy”.It shows, Achebe’s poverty in describing women

character in patriarchal world.

both things (find in text) - giving respect to one women and also not giving respect to another womenMarginalization of women character

Grain of Wheat

Ideal petriotic women - fighting for freedom courage and role of women in freedom fighting Thiongo wants to demonstarate that,“If African women had not been such an innerforce, kenyan would have never been what it is today.” end, Mumbi tied a beld around her waist and took on man’s work, it shows African women can prove to be both unmanly and take the role of men when needed.

on the other side, Mumbi and General R’s mother, both are beaten by their husband contrast between two women character

StrongIndependentresourceful

Mumbi

WeakFragileunstable

Margery

Waiting for Barbarian

victimization of Barbarian girl

Symbol of colonized

Use of her body as object

Barbarian girl

Relation with magistrate

shows slave & master

Coetzee’s choice for a girl……to put a girl as symbol of colonized, slave and

barbarian indicates women’s position in society and men’s mind.

Conclusionall work shows changing potrayal and use of women character for different purposes social restriction on womens is greatest banes of African society. African lite portrayed women poorly women have not their own identity - portrayed as less heroic than man

work citationhttp://studyquestion.blogspot.in/2012/11/portrayal-of-women-in-contemporary.html

https://www.wou.edu/las/humanities/english/MeyerPrize/Bauman_2010.pdf

http://www.palgrave-journals.com/fr/journal/v17/n1/full/fr198435a.html