Literature: The Mirror of Society

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Adewale Amoo

Literature has been in all three major genres including poetry, drama, and prose, a means of reflecting the issues affecting society. Literature is believed to serve as an intermediary between writers and readers (society), in which it creatively renders a painstaking commentary on the deficiencies, or sometimes eulogises, the leaders and the led. As we believe, no society can be free from anomalies, and it is the responsibility of writers to hold leaders accountable. Through this, literature has surpassed the belief of acting for its own sake to acting for the sake of humans. Literature cannot emanate from a vacuum, but it has to be generated from human activities. Hence, it deals with various dimensions such as socio-political, socio-economic, cultural and historical realities.

As it is, literature has different definitions, and many scholars and students of literature have various definitions for it because literature is dynamic in terms of its subjective nature. We can affirm that its definition has to do with the opinions and experiences of scholars. Ngugi Wa Thiongo asserts that it is "a product of a people’s culture and a means through which language carries their history, identity and worldview." In this perspective, literature originates from society, in which it captures what is going on in human activities.

Literary writers have creatively and imaginatively commented on the weaknesses and strengths of society. In English literary periods, for instance, writers of each period deeply capture the issues affecting the whole society, in which each writer creatively comments on the ongoing occurrences in their era. Many writers of each period of English literature thematically comment on society's concerns, including gender equality, othering, post-colonialism, patriarchy, fate and free will, disillusionment, migration and many more.

For instance, Omobowale E.A.'s The President's Physician creatively captures the corruption of political leaders in Africa. Through the dramatisation of both major characters in the play, Warunga and Bituki, the President's Physician and the President respectively, Omobowale imaginatively comments on the common issue reversing the progress of the continent for many decades. Bituki, as a President, collectively represents African leaders who are often driven by their personal goals and the desire to stay in power as long as they are alive. They do whatever it takes to ensure that political power resides on their side. For instance, he assassinates those soldiers who want to change the status quo of bad governance. Hence, the play demonstrates the power of literature, which serves as a mirror of society. The play creatively interacts with the socio-political dynamic between those in power and the populace.

In Efua T. Sunderland's The Marriage of Anansewa, the writer wonderfully thematises the issues of patriarchy, poverty, marriage dynamics, socio-class and others. In the play, Sunderland creatively passes across the message of the inequality of socio-class in her immediate society. This factor contributes to the thematisation of patriarchal reality in society. For instance, Ananse seizes the opportunity of his daughter, Anansewa, to migrate from his class into a higher socio-economic reality. As a man, he independently possesses the authority to make a choice for whom his daughter must marry. As a result, he uses the opportunity to exploit the suitors of his daughter. In a patriarchal society, she cannot make her own decision in choosing her future husband. In significance, the play comments on the socio-economic consequences which emanate from society and cultural beliefs of many tribes that favour the patriarchal system.

Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King's Horseman carefully comments on the issues of cultural clash, religious beliefs, colonialism, and many more. The play is set during the colonial era in the country, Nigeria, precisely in the town of Oyo, which leads to the misinterpretation of the religious beliefs of Yoruba people by white colonial masters. They believe that our ways of life, including religious and cultural practices, are primitive and claim that we are pagans. Elesin Oba, a companion of the King, according to traditional belief, is supposed to die and accompany the king on a life-after journey where he joins his ancestors. But due to the intervention of the colonial masters, they misinterpret the traditional belief of the Yoruba. They affirm that the attempted killing ritual of Elesin Oba is a purely barbaric and ungodly act, which later turns into tragic consequences in the play, while Elesin Oba's son carries out his father's responsibility. In essence, this literary output dramatises the issues of misinterpretation of cultural beliefs. The play also creatively captures the socio-political reality of the time.

Furthermore, William Shakespeare's Macbeth is another literary text that reinforces the significance of literature in society as it mirrors the realities of human experiences on a daily basis. Shakespeare imaginatively captures human weaknesses such as over-ambition, fate and free will, greediness and many others. For instance, in the play, Shakespeare uses the power of literature to draw awareness to the negative consequences of excessive ambition, especially when one does not consider future possibilities. Shakespeare uses the character of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, to thematise the traits of over-ambition, fate and free will and egoism, in which at the end of the play, the justification of their actions results negatively. As a result, Shakespeare uses literature as a mirror that captures and creatively interprets human traits.

Another literary output that truly serves as an intermediary between the writer and the audience is Niyi Osundare's The Leader and the Led. In the poem, Osundare comments on the socio-political reality of the country, Nigeria. As we are familiar with the political structure of Nigeria, during elections, politicians come out to seek the support of the electorate to occupy positions of power. During this period, every candidate presents what they are going to do if elected. All these campaigns are metaphorically captured in the poem through Osundare's use of animal characters. The poem mirrors the political process of who is going to become king among them.

The above illustrations foreground that literature originates directly from society, and both are indispensable. Both work hand in hand. Literature has the power to re-create and refine society. Despite being an imaginative creation, literature enables us to know beyond our immediate environment. For instance, enthusiastic readers of literature have access to different opportunities, such as understanding human behaviour, learning about diverse cultural beliefs, broadening their horizons, serving didactic purposes and ultimately traveling far from their vicinity without acquiring a visa.