Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal

Abstract

This paper offers a deconstructive reading of Nana Asma’u’s “Elegy for Bello” as the reflection of her own personal life. The virtues she extols for the deceased on the surface meaning of the text turn to be interpreted as self-admiration of her own personal characters and qualities. Derrida’s Deconstructive theory, then, provides other perspectives upon which to interpret the poem. An Elegy in this sense then turns to be read as a Semi-Autobiography; the persona does celebrate her personal values and establish her identity to the reader. People interpret themselves simply through mirroring themselves by eulogizing other people. Whatever one says about others returns to claim their position in them.    

Keywords: Elegy, Eulogy, Dirge.

Impact Statement 

The impact of this research is to vindicate the literary practice in Northern Nigeria which exists since before the colonials introduce Western Education in the region. The research also establishes the dexterity of Islamicaly educated women, like Nana Asma’u who had her education not from the conventional university, but from her parents and siblings. This research encourages African women to actively participate in literary creative critical endeavour.

The article, Elegy as Self-Eulogy: A Deconstructive Analysis of Nana Asma’u’s “Elegy for Bello” offers an interpretation of the poem as a reflection of the poet’s virtues. The poem is primary a dirge for the death of her brother, Sultan Bello, but this paper provides a different perspective of the work using Derrida’s deconstructive model as the theoretical framework.    

Author’s Profile

Name: Isa Bin Harun

Qualification: MA English Literature

Institution: Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies (KASCEPS), P.M.B. 3145, Airport Road, Kano State, Nigeria

Department: department of English and European Languages

Rank: Lecturer II

Conferences and Seminars: “Analysis of Errors in the Use of Simple Past in the Essays of NCE 1 one Students in Some Selected Colleges of Education in Kano”, presented on June 20, 2022at a seminar at Aminuddeed College of Education, Kano State Nigeria; “The Influence of Social Media on the Academic Performance of Literature-in-English Students in Kano State: A Case Study of Federal College of Education, Kano; Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, Kano, and Aminuddeen College of Education, Kano”, a College Seminar presented on  February 9, 2024 at Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies (KASCEPS), Kano State, Nigeria; “Political Egomaniac: A Deconstructive Reading of J. P. Clark’s A Reed in the Tide” a One Day Multidisciplinary International Conference on Contemporary Global Challenges and Opportunities in Education, Languages, Sciences and Humanities held on January 15, 2023 by the Department of English, I.N.M. PG College Meerut and ICERT; “Elegy as Self-Eulogy: A Deconstructive Analysis of Nana Asma’u’s ‘Elegy for Bello’” at the One Day International Multidisciplinary Conference on “Recent Advances in Science & Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences towards Sustainability” on UN International Day of Women and Girls in Sciences, February 11, 2024, at MM.D.S.D. College, Ambala City Haryana India, jointly organized with ICERT. 

Publication: “The Influence of Social Media on the Academic Performance of Literature-in-English Students in Kano State: A Case Study of Federal College of Education, Kano; Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, Kano, and Aminuddeen College of Education, Kano” Published on November 14, 2023, in Scholars International Journal of Linguistics and Literature, DOI: 10.36348/sijil.2023.v06i11.001.

Cite this Article

APA 7th Style: Harun, I. B. (2024). Elegy as self-eulogy: A deconstructive analysis of Nana Asma’u’s “Elegy for Bello”. Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 3(02), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.59231/SARI7689

Chicago 17th Style: Harun, Isa Bin. “Elegy as Self-Eulogy: A Deconstructive Analysis of Nana Asma’u’s ‘Elegy for Bello’.” Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal 3, no. 2 (2024): 77–85. https://doi.org/10.59231/SARI7689.

MLA 9th Style: Harun, Isa Bin. “Elegy as Self-Eulogy: A Deconstructive Analysis of Nana Asma’u’s ‘Elegy for Bello’.” Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 3, no. 2, 2024, pp. 77-85, https://doi.org/10.59231/SARI7689.

Statements & Declarations

Review Method: This article underwent a double-blind peer-review process by independent experts in Comparative Literature and African Studies to evaluate the application of Derridean deconstruction to 19th-century Sokoto Caliphate poetry.

Competing Interests: The author Isa Bin Harun declares that there are no financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that could have inappropriately influenced the literary analysis or the research findings presented in this manuscript.

Funding: This research was conducted through the academic support of the Department of European Languages, Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, Nigeria. No specific external grants were received for this study.

Data Availability: The analysis is based on the primary text “Elegy for Bello” by Nana Asma’u and established literary theory frameworks. All referenced poetic excerpts and theoretical sources are cited within the manuscript.

License: Elegy as Self-Eulogy: A Deconstructive Analysis of Nana Asma’u’s “Elegy for Bello” © 2024 by Isa Bin Harun is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. This work is published by the International Council for Education Research and Training (ICERT).

Ethics Approval: As this study is a literary and theoretical analysis of historical poetry and does not involve human or animal subjects, it was deemed exempt from formal ethical review while adhering to all standards of academic integrity.

References

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