Abstract:
This thesis provides a feminist stylistic analysis of fifteen (15) selected poems: Mother by Bronwen A Beukes, There’s depth in mother’s strength by Anne-Marrie Issa Brown Garises, Unconditional Love (a letter to my mother) by Gloria Ndilula What’s wrong? By Saara Kadhikwa, Stir not my dear one by Anneli Nghikembua, You broke me, Daddy by Jane Mungabwa, Domestic worker by Ina-Maria Shikongo, Dear perpetrator by Tulipomwene Kalunduka, Violence by Kina Indongo, Let me be by Saara Kalumbu, It never happened by Veripuami Nandeekua Kangumine, Perm blues by Maria-Oo Haihambo, Hail to the queen by Zemha Gawachas, Darkness by Tuli Phoenix, and This is not a Poem by Omaano Itana, from one anthology titled : My Heart In Your Hands: Poems from Namibia. The purpose of conducting this study was to examine language and gender in My Heart In Your Hands: Poems from Namibia from a feminist stylistics perspective. The research sought to achieve the following objectives: To examine how lexis is used to represent women in the selected poems; to analyse how syntax is used to show roles of women in the society and to evaluate how gender issues are communicated at discourse level. The female poets disclosed the subjugation of women by the patriarchal system. Women characters were represented as second to men, wicked, weak and victims of sexual, verbal and physical abuse at the hand of their loved ones. In the poems, women are represented as emotional, and worthless. Furthermore, the poets used linguistic devices to show the roles of women in the society. Women are portrayed as domestic workers, care takers, and child bearers. They are given household duties as their roles throughout the selected poems. Finally, the poets used discourse level to communicate the gender issues faced by women such as oppression, discrimination, exploitation and they are voiceless as men shut them through abuse when they speak up. The study concluded that women writers/poets of the selected poems used language to represent women in the negative way and give them the stereotyped roles based on their gender and brought gender issues faced by women through discourse and feminist stylistics approach was successful in bringing these presentations to light.
