الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract During the periods of massive change like the post revolution or the post-independence periods, there appear different and opposing ideologies that contradict each other. Those opposing ideologies have devastating influences upon the illiterate social subjects who cannot grasp their essence. Such opposing ideologies can make the illiterate question their set of values. The thesis entitled “The Ideology of the Illiterate: A Marxist Reading of Okot p’ Bitek’s ‘Song of Lawino’ (1966) and Abdul Rahman Alabnudi’s ‘The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ’” (1969). The thesis explores how the illiterate adopt or reject different beliefs via an implicit process that depends mostly upon experiencing and practicing. It also focuses on how the illiterate characters of both texts use their indigenous ideology as a touchstone to judge any changes occurring in their societies. The thesis also highlights the role of both Okot p’Bitek and Abdul Rahman Alabnudi as two committed poets who propagate the ideology they believe in through what Engels calls tendentious writing. In p’ Bitek’s case, the main ideology propagated is the 2 appropriateness of the African culture to the African land as well as nationalism facing neo-colonialism; Alabnudi on the other hand seems to adopt a semi-socialist pro-proletariat ideology. By doing so, both poets help in reshaping their readers’ consciousness. To illustrate the ideology of the illiterate in the two works of art and the role of the different ISAs and the intellectuals in this process, the thesis is divided into four chapters and a conclusion. Chapter one is an introductory chapter that exhibits the theoretical framework of reference. It illustrates the attempts of different thinkers to define ‘ideology’ and introduces the sense in which the researcher uses the term while defining other terms used in the thesis. The reasons behind choosing both texts are also clarified in this introductory chapter. Chapter two entitled “Lawino the Nationalist Sage Exposing Colonial Capitalism” is dedicated to illustrating the effect of colonial capitalism in reshaping the consciousness of the working class via the ISAs and their representatives; this should enable the reader to grasp the essence of the Ugandan text Song of 3 Lawino. The chapter attempts to show how Lawino acts as a nationalist sage resisting colonial capitalist powers, their mode of production and their exploitation of the Acoli people. Chapter three entitled “New Consciousness of the Egyptian Illiterate Proletariat” is dedicated to exploring the effects of the 1952 Revolution and its socio-economic consequences upon the Egyptian couple Ḥiraaji il-guṬ and his wife FaṬnah Ahmed Abdel Ghɑffɑɑr whose exchange of letters constitutes Abdul Rahman Alabnudi’s The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ. The chapter explores how the illiterate acquire ideology in an implicit manner based upon observing and toiling. It investigates whether those illiterate proletariat are aware or unaware of the changes that the revolution brought. The chapter also explores the ways they re-view and reform their beliefs as a result of these changes. The chapter introduces both Ḥiraaji and FaṬnah as advocates of a cultural revolution in their village that is a symbol of Egypt as a whole in a transitional moment. 4 Chapter four entitled “Different Faces Same Features: Song of Lawino Compared to The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ”, a comparison between the different cultures and ideologies affecting the illiterate characters is given by the researcher to illustrate the process through which the consciousness of the illiterate is being reformed. The chapter also highlights the role of the form and language of both texts in studying the ideology of the illiterate. Comparisons between the different characters of the texts and their authors are given in this chapter. Chapter four asserts that both Song of Lawino and The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ belong to the category of tendentious literature written by two committed poets, p’ Bitek and Alabnudi. The conclusion sums up the findings of the thesis and asserts that the illiterate re-form their ideology in an implicit manner that depends upon noticing and experiencing while using their indigenous ideology as a touchstone |