Browsing by Author "Yimer Kifle"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Alienation in Three Amharic Novels: Fik'ir Iskä Mäk'abir, Adäfris and Kadmas Bašagär
    (Addis Ababa University, 2002-06) Misrak Tarekegn ; Yimer Kifle
    The aim of this thesis, "Alienation in three Amharic novels: Fik'ir iskä Mäk'abir, Adäfris and Kadmas Bašagär,'' is to explore the way human nature and social relationship are treated in the selected three novels from the perspective of Marx’s theory of alienation. By way of investigating the notion of alienation this research exposes how the consciousness of an individual formulates his/her world view that is the overall perception of one’s social position. In this regard an attempt has been made to show how the past controls the present and the extent of human freedom. In order to reveal these points the different aspects of alienation are displayed with subtitles such as, alienation of man from man, alienation from self, dereified consciousness, education and alienation and intellectual alienation. This study has five chapters. The introduction explains why the topic is chosen. It also shows the aim, method, scope and significance of the research. The second chapter reviews available studies that have relations with the research topic. This includes both published and unpublished works. In this chapter the framework of analysis is also presented, beginning from the etymology of the term alienation, its intellectual development, Marx’s concept of alienation and the application of the notion after him.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Female Roles and Sacrifice In Political Drama and film: a comparative study of ‘death and Maiden’ and ‘THE Father’ From A Feminist Perspective
    (Addis Ababa University, 2008-06) Eskinder Hailu ; Yimer Kifle
    The growing interest in gender issues, relationships, family constructs etc can be seen in academia and elsewhere. The power of literary texts, plays, films and dramas in the formation and perception of women’s images is immense. These perceptions change with time and ideology. Change in ideology, always mark a paradigm shift in the way we understand and interpret social, economic and political agendas. The introduction of Marxist ideology in a society is an example. The theoretical feminist framework is established in the second chapter. It covers core issues like the concept of women as the ‘other’, the underlying mechanism of patriarchy inherent in society, and radical feminism. An emphasis is further made on Marxist as well as Black/African feminist thought. These two aspects of feminism add a class and race element to the issues raised. Feminist literary criticism attempts to explain how representations in literary texts are at odds with women’s experiences. The ‘images of women’ school of thought, by analyzing and dissecting literary works explains how the actual lives and experiences of women is lacking. Gynocritcism, on the other hand suggests that women’s writing should be the central concern for critical analysis. Feminist film theory is also concerned with the contradictory representations of the actual lives of women versus what is presented in cinema. Psychological and Marxist feminist theory attempts an explanation to the how and why of this disparity. This research focuses on two genres, a film and a play to show how they are used in the portrayal of men and women within a socialist setting. The film chosen is the ‘Father’ and the play is “Death and the Maiden’. A central issue in both of them is the issue of sexual abuse and rape. The power relationship between men and women as portrayed in the two media is examined. Using feminist as well as film theories as theoretical tools an attempt is made to examine, the roles and sacrifice of men and women in societies that are going through a transition.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Ideology In Selected East African Anglophone Novels: A Comparative Study of Post- Colonial Experience
    (Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Fisseha Tesfu ; Yimer Kifle
    Appropriate interpretation is one major aspect in literary study. However, it has been observed that there exists a problem of interpretation. in the field of-literature. This problem has led and is leading people who are engaged in literary study to wrong perception of reality which results in social practices that are misleading. This is a critical problem and requires careful attention from scholars in the field .In this connection, literature is basically related to ideology which directly or indirectly controls discourses. Literary discourses are also expressions of ideology. This point implies that no work of literature is devoid of ideological content. For this reason, in any literary analysis, the inclusion of ideological structure is necessary. To be more specific, African literary texts in general and political novels in particular are in one way or another related to ideology . . " Concomitantly, the African tradition of thought and African literary tradition are two basic categories which are intimately or closely related to the long African history. The African tradition of thought has got expression through its oral tradition which later developed into written literature. In this connection, it may be noted that modern African literature has sprung from its own history which is characterized by domination. This also implies that African literature reflects the African experience in the course of domination which ranges from the slave-trade to the post-colonial era. The idea of domination is linked to politics, ideology and power because domination is impossible without political power. In this regard, most African authors are preoccupied with portraying the colonial and post-colonial experience of Africa through their works.All of the points indicated above clearly show . " that there is a link among African history, African politics, African ideology, African domination and African literary texts. This link presupposes a closer examination of ideology through which all forms of control are carried out.In addition, the study of ideology in the African context is very limited. Taking these points into account, this research sets out to deal with problems of interpretation taking ideological analysis as its reference point.For this purpose,this study has evolved an integrated framework of ideology consisting' of three major paradigms.vis.iauthorial.aesthetic and' dominant ideologies. This framework has been applied to the interpretation of six selected East African Anglophone novels:Nuruddin Farah's first trilogy,Ngugi's Petals of Blood,Mwangi's Kill Me Quick and Serumaga's Return to the Shadows. This thesis contains seven chapters. The first chapter deals with the rationale that necesitates ideological study in literary texts in line with the background of African literary tradition. The second chapter is mainly concerned with critical views on many issues in relation to African literature .Chapter three primarily focuses on reorganizing theories of . \ ideology to form an integrated model of ideology . In addition, this section attempts to show how ideological universals can be contextualized based on African ideology and historical experience. Chapters four to six elucidate the nature of ideology in each selected novel based on ideological structures that are considered as a paradigm for analyzing African literary texts .Chapter seven forwards the similarities and differences among the selected novels in terms of their ideological structure. Finally, chapter eight winds the thesis up by providing relevant concluding remarks, findings and recommendations.The major findings of this study are:global theories of ideological interpretation of literary texts need African contextualization;there has to be meaning relationships among the different interpretations of the same text;and it is possible to make a distinction between the implied author and the real author.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Portrayal of Women in Dhaabaa's Selected Oromo Prose Fiction
    (Addis Ababa University, 2004-06) Teshome Egere; Yimer Kifle
    This study is an attempt to analyze the portrayal of women in Dhaabaa Wayyeessaa's selected pro se fiction . A s discussed in the introduction part and the first section of the second chapter, creative writing in Oromo language is the recent phenome non . Besides , almost no a s rious study as faras the researcher knows , is undertaken in the works under discussion. More specifically , the portrayal of women in these works has not been touched upon . Therefore , examining how women are portrayed in these selected prose fiction arises from this fact. In this study , three Oromo prose fiction of Dhaabaa, which are believed to be thematically important are select ed for analysis. This thes is is divided into four chapters. The first chapter deals with the background of the study, the reason why the texts are selected, the objectives ,scope and methods of the study. Chapter two discusses two aspects. The first o ne is assessing th e historical overview of O romo creat ive wri tin g. Second ly , it discusses the theoretical frameworks of femini st lite rary criti c is m from glob al and black co ntexts. The third chapter cri ti ca ll y exa m ines the diverse problems of wo men characters based on the texts a nd interv ie ws co ndu cted regarding Gumuz women . In the former's reg ard , how a sin glecharacter passes thro ugh both positi ve and negative stereotype s is examined i.e. a nalyzing in detail of how a female character is depicted as victim of m ale violence , object of sex and marriage by exchange , home lessness , poverty and at ti mes exe rcis es her own agency in changing her life. Moreover, responses from the intervie w c ondu cted are also used to support the evidence from the text. This is done to cross check to what extent the author depicts the female characters in the text Gurraacha Abbayyaa for its setting is in Gumuz ethnic group and the author is an Oromo. In the last chapter a brief conclusion based on the analysis is given. Lastly, the appendix, which presents the full text of the interview conducted with selected Gumuz people, is attached . In the study most women characters are depicted to be the victims of male violence,homelessness, poverty and subordination. On the other hand, some of these women characters are revealed as agents that exercise their power, determination and courage either to overcome or get rid of the oppression or burden imposed on them.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A Study of The Influence of Marxism on Bealu Girma’s Three Novels: Haddis, Yekey Kokeb Tiri, and Derasiw
    (Addis Ababa University, 2008-06) Michael Fiquremariam ; Yimer Kifle
    Marxist critics see art as a reflection of the social foundations of their societies. Through literature, they seek for a greater understanding of the inner workings of a society as well as evidence of rejection/propagation of the dominant ideology. This paper has attempted to see the influence of Marxism in Bealu Girma’s three novels: Haddis, Yekey Kokeb Tiri and Derasiw. It has tried to see whether the novels reinforce Marxist principles and Socialist ideals. Furthermore, it has made an effort to look into Bealu’s ideological outlook as reflected by the novels. The foundation of the research is laid in chapter one. In this section the background of the study, the statement of the problem, purpose, significance, scope and methodology of the study have been discussed. To realize the objectives that are set in the first chapter, detail explanation is given on the central concepts of Marxist literary criticism in the second chapter. In this section, an endeavor is made to examine how literatures reflect the realities of the period in which they are composed or set. In addition, this section attempted to indicate how dominant ideologies manifest themselves in literary works. Moreover, the beliefs and perceptions that different Marxist critics held concerning art and literature has been discussed. This section also contains a survey of different research papers that deal with Bealu’s novels. Here an attempt is made to show how this research paper is different from the ones that have already been conducted. In light of the theoretical concepts of Marxist literary criticism an attempt is made to analyze the novels under study in chapter three. In this part, each novel has been analyzed one by one by taking into 7 account the time in which the novels are set. The themes and characterization of the major characters have been critically analyzed to find out whether the novels reinforce Marxist agenda. An attempt has also been made whether the novels reflect the social, economic and political condition of Ethiopia during the time they are set. Chapter four concludes the study with some findings. As it has been shown in the analysis of the novels under study, Bealu was able to reflect the socio-political realities of the country at different time in history. Furthermore, he indicated his socialist vision through the portrayals of optimist, caring, kind and committed characters
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A Study of the Influence of Marxism on Bealu Girma’s Three Novels: Haddis, Yekey Kokeb Tiri, and Derasiw
    (Addis Ababa University, 2008-07) Michael Fiquremariam ; Yimer Kifle
    Marxist critics see art as a reflection of the social foundations of their societies. Through literature, they seek for a greater understanding of the inner workings of a society as well as evidence of rejection/propagation of the dominant ideology. This paper has attempted to see the influence of Marxism in Bealu Girma’s three novels: Haddis, Yekey Kokeb Tiri and Derasiw. It has tried to see whether the novels reinforce Marxist principles and Socialist ideals. Furthermore, it has made an effort to look into Bealu’s ideological outlook as reflected by the novels. The foundation of the research is laid in chapter one. In this section the background of the study, the statement of the problem, purpose, significance, scope and methodology of the study have been discussed. To realize the objectives that are set in the first chapter, detail explanation is given on the central concepts of Marxist literary criticism in the second chapter. In this section, an endeavor is made to examine how literatures reflect the realities of the period in which they are composed or set. In addition, this section attempted to indicate how dominant ideologies manifest themselves in literary works. Moreover, the beliefs and perceptions that different Marxist critics held concerning art and literature has been discussed. This section also contains a survey of different research papers that deal with Bealu’s novels. Here an attempt is made to show how this research paper is different from the ones that have already been conducted. In light of the theoretical concepts of Marxist literary criticism an attempt is made to analyze the novels under study in chapter three. In this part, each novel has been analyzed one by one by taking into v account the time in which the novels are set. The themes and characterization of the major characters have been critically analyzed to find out whether the novels reinforce Marxist agenda. An attempt has also been made whether the novels reflect the social, economic and political condition of Ethiopia during the time they are set. Chapter four concludes the study with some findings. As it has been shown in the analysis of the novels under study, Bealu was able to reflect the socio-political realities of the country at different time in history. Furthermore, he indicated his socialist vision through the portrayals of optimist, caring, kind and committed characters.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A Thematic Analysis of The Works of Makonnen Endalkachew
    (Addis Ababa University, 1986-06) Yimer Kifle
    The main obje~tive e f this research is to analyze and comment critically on the various subtleties of the visi, n ~ e f life that Makennen Endalkachew presents in his works under three sections: Religious, Moral, and Political. When the uplifting of the cultural level and aesthetic appreciation of our people has been e fficially undertake n, it is h ~ ped that such studies of early wri ters would be very imp ~ rtan t Befor e delvin~ into the subject, a brief biography of the artist with an emphasis on his family background and social erientation is provided in the first chapter . Besides, he is compared with two early eminent writers o f his time in order to examine the kind of worl d butleok he possesses. ,This historical survey has provided the r esearcher with a I firm ground to establish the class Ma~l"I nnen EndalkacheH to, the aristocracy , while the contrast enables to note bel" ngs the glaring difference between his contempe r ary writers and h im in their preoccupations. The contrast has revealed that the twoartists Hant to introduce changes in their society for its development Vlhereas Ilakormen seeks to preserve the status quo . In the second chapter, regarding his perception of the r eligious lthemes of the artist life ln this ~rld and the werld to come, his concern a ~ out the salvation e f the soul, his belief in the supernatural, his devotion t e the Christian faith, his reflections en the nature o f man, and fat e and time are brought out and are commented upon, 1-7ith r elevance to t he betterment of human conditipns . The ethical values, social norms and mores which the artist presents in his works are dealt 1-7ith in the third chapter . His understanding of virtue and vice, his sense of right and wrong are evaluated and appraised critically from a class point ofvie1-7. The soc i al conflicts between the slaves and their masters, the sprouting bourgeoisie and the nobility and the conflicts within the nobility for holding the reign of government and receiving the highes t titles mirror the realit i es of his time and that his resolutions to such (conflicts reveal the underlying motives of the artist' s endeavour t o sustain the political and economic supremacy of his class over the other sections of the society . Finally, the c - ncluding chapter tries to put the findings of this research t.gether and place Makonnen in the tradition of our literary heritage. The ma1n aim of the researcher is to assess critically the thematic appeal in the works of Makonnen from the point of view of the present social situation in Ethi. pia. The researcher has tried to expl ~r e and expose the role Makonnen has played in his society.