Lexico-Semantic Features and Rhetorical Devices in Joe Ushie’s A Reign of Locusts

This study is aimed at exploring meaning-conveying devices in Joe Ushie’s anthology of poems, A Reign of Locusts. This would be in harmony with Geoffrey Hutchings' submission of stylistics as being fundamentally “concerned with meaning” (84). This approach at exploring meaning conveying devices entails looking at various linguistic resources such as lexis, syntax as well as other text-forming techniques and rhetorical strategies in selected poems from the text. A full understanding of a given text can only emerge when these devices, as they feature in the selected poems, are carefully examined. Our focus will be on a systematic examination of some of these aspects. The study will more specifically examine lexical manipulations and semantic subversions, the function of certain pronouns in the poems, as well as cohesive strategies as conveyors of meaning. Also, the nature of sense relations, metaphorical representations in the study texts, symbolism and dimensions of orality features in the poetry will be considered. This examination will be guided by insights from critical discourse analytical tool of stylistics.

Keywords: Lexico-Semantic Features Rhetorical Devices Orality Stylistics A Reign of Locusts

Author

• Miriam Stephen Inegbe,
  Department of English,
  Akwa Ibom State University,
  inegbemiriam@gmail.com, miriaminegbe@aksu.edu.ng