LITERARY DEVICES IN NGUGI WA THIONG’O’S WEEP NOT CHILD

ABSTRACT

The attempt to dissect a literary piece in the contemporary literary square roves beyond form and content. It also must lend itself to social relevance and aesthetics. There have been narratives that have been written on the subjected of the use of narratives techniques as elements used in the appraisal of the theme and content of a text. However, none of them has been devoted so much dexterity, linguistic competence and aesthetic satisfaction to discussing the subject of the Mau Mau war as much as Ngugi Wa Thiong’o does through the deployment of several narrative techniques. These techniques hence, do not only reveal the subject matter and themes of the text but also they help foreground the aesthetic values of the literary text. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Weep Not, Child reveals the ordeals of Kenyas when they had contact with European and the advent of Mau Mau war which does not take away their land from them, but also some loved ones are killed and the once beautiful African homes thereby causing alienation between Africans. It is therefore the thrust of this paper reveal how Ngugi presents the effect of the Mau Mau war both on the land and his characters in the novel.