Eguria

Revision of Poetry By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Poetry is one of the genres of literature. It is an expression of one’s ideas and feelings through imaginative language. Poetry is rich with imagery and is unique for its use of distinctive style and rhythm. Types of Poetry • Lyric: This refers to poetry that expresses personal emotions such as love, joy, hate, disappointment. Examples of lyrical poems are: a) ‘Nigeria’ b) ‘The young, old virgin’ c) ‘The sea eats our land’ by Kwesi Brew • Dirge/Elegy: This refers to mournful poem that laments the dead. Examples: a) ‘The Forgotten Hero’ by Goodive Sidney Ntiri b) ‘Songs of Sorrow 1 and 2 by Kofi Awoonor-Williams Songs of Sorrow II ‘Something has happened to me The thing so great that I cannot weep; I have no sons to fire the gun when I die And daughter to wail when I close my mouth…. West African verse.p.74 • Epic: This is a long traditional narrative poem that tells about the adventures and achievements of a traditional hero or a legend...

Revision of Figure of Speech By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Figures of Speech Figures of speech are words and expressions used by writers of prose, poetry and drama to make their works interesting and memorable. Writers using figures of speech deliberately deviate from the literal sense of the word. Figures of speech create images or mental pictures in the reader’s mind. The following are examples of figures of speech: • Simile: A simile compares two things that have certain qualities in common by using as or like. Examples are: a) The house where the old woman lives is as quiet as a graveyard. b) The girl is as cunning as a fox. c) Nigeria, our country, is as beautiful as a damsel – see the poem ‘The young, old virgin’. Line 3 of the poem, ‘Lucky old sun’ – ‘work like the devil for my pay’ (Stanza 1, line 3) • Metaphor: This is a direct comparison of two things without using as or like. Examples are: a) That boy is a pig. b) In the poem ‘Nigeria’ –metaphors are used by writers in the some ...

Mythology By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Myths These are ancient stories that our forefathers used to explain their beliefs such as the existence of God, philosophies, sciences, natural and historical phenomena, such origin of a people. Many believe them to be true but they are not true, both Africans and Non-Africans have their own myths but the themes are the same-they all give explanation for something. Originally, myths were transmitted from generation to generation by mere word of mouth (orally) but now many of them have been documented. In African for example, myths are passed on to the younger generations through storytelling, proverbs, chanted poems or songs, and they vary from one community to another. African Myths Examples of African myths: • Why there is day and night. • The Fulani creation story (Poem). • The Fulani myths about milk. • How the sky came to be. • The birth of Osiris, the lord of all things (Egypt). • Where the world began (A Yoruba myths). Non-African myths E...

Folktales By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Types of Prose: Folktales Human beings love telling stories and had been doing so long before the advent of writing. Our forefathers used folktales to entertain themselves and the younger generation after a day’s work. Folktales were also used to keep records of history of their communities and to teach morals to the younger ones. Today, even with the advent of writing, folktales are still serving the same purposes. Many of them have been documented and you can now enjoy them even without your grandparents telling them to you. Every society has its own folktales, African and Non-African. The themes are almost the same and they serve the same purposes. Some have human characters while some have animal characters. Below are examples of African and non-African folktales. Features of Folktales • Didactic: Folktales teach moral lesson to children and adults, Africans and non-Africans. The story of the cunning tortoise below, for example, teaches pe...

THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA (CAPITAL I AND 2) BY EGURIASE S. M OKAKA Lagos and Year of making it Capital Lagos was the first federal capital of Nigeria. It was made the capital of Nigeria in 1914 following the amalgamation of the Southern and the Northern Protectorates. Lord Fredrick Lugard became the first Governor-General of Nigeria when Lagos was made the federal capital of Nigeria. Before 1914, Lagos had been the crown colony of the British Government. When Nigeria gained independence in 1960, with the creation of states in 1967, Lagos remained the federal capital of Nigeria. Therefore, between 1914 and 1991, Lagos served as an independent state and as a federal capital of Nigeria. The location of the capital of Nigeria in Lagos was Ikoyi. Abuja and Year of making it Capital Abuja is the current federal capital of Nigeria. The then Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed proposed the relocation of the federal capital of Nigeria from Lagos to Abuja in 1975. Abuja was ...

CREATION OF STATES IN NIGERIA BY EGURIASE S. M. OKAKA Nigeria is located in West Africa. It is one of the most populous nations in Africa. Looking at the country one is tempted to think how it’s developed into 36 states as it is today or as at the time of writing this article. My late father was the first person who told me about the developments of states in Nigeria. It started with regions before developing into states as it is today. Nigeria was organized into three regions in 1946. The division of Nigeria into three regions was as a result of the emergence of the Richards Constitution of 1946. The three regions were: Northern, Eastern and Western Regions. In 1963, the fourth region was created when Nigeria became a republican nation on 1st of October, 1963. This was called Mid-Western Region. Thus, the regions in Nigeria were: • Northern Regions • Eastern Region • Western Region • Mid-Western The Northern region is occupied by these major ethnic groups: Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, ...

Writing Compositions By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Types of Composition Introduction Essay writing is very important aspect of English language. The primary purpose of essay writing is to pass on a message that is clear to the reader about a particular subject. To do this effectively, you need to keep the interest and the background of the reader in mind. There are different types of composition and each has its own features and a different approach. The purpose of all compositions; however, is to assess students’ ability to use English language as an effective means of communication. • Narrative This is the act of telling story. The story may be real or imaginary or a combination of reality and imagination. In this type of composition, you are expected to tell a story and also describe characters, events, and actions vividly so that the reader understands, very well, the story that is being narrated. This means that narration has some elements of description. Narrative compositions fo...