Ash Wednesday as a spiritual Journey to Easter: A linguistic Study of T. S.Elliot's'Ash Wednesday vi' George Herbert's 'from Easter' and Wole Soyinka's 'Easter'

UDABA, R. O. (2018) Ash Wednesday as a spiritual Journey to Easter: A linguistic Study of T. S.Elliot's'Ash Wednesday vi' George Herbert's 'from Easter' and Wole Soyinka's 'Easter'. Journal of the Literary Society of Nigeria (10). pp. 1-14. ISSN 2251-0095

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Abstract

The linguistic approach to the study of literary works has proved to be vibrant and all embracing. Noam Chomsky with his introduction of Transformational Generative Grammar (TGG) has provided a theory on which successful studies of the language of literary works are based. This is the case of this paper which examined the language use in three poems namely: ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T. S . Eliot, ‘from Easter’ by George Herbert and ‘Easter’ by Wale Soyinka. This paper forges a spiritual link for the poems, proving that the Ash Wednesday starts a spiritual journey to Easter, by using the levels of linguistic analysis as provided by the theory of Transformational Generative Grammar. The linguistic levels used are graphology, phonology, syntax and lexico-semantics while the approach is comparative. The paper finds out that while Eliot vehemently emphasizes absolute withdrawal from the empty worldly life and rededication to the divine, Herbert anticipates the great joys that Easter brings along with it, especially for anyone who has devotedly ‘suffered’ with Christ during the period of forty days started by Ash Wednesday, whereas Wale Soyinka, in his poem ‘Easter’, admires the figure who laid His life to save mankind from damnation but chIdes Christ’s followers for their lack of good behaviour and lack of reciprocity for their redemption. He insistently accuses many Christians of merely ritualising the feast of Easter by watching the children wave their palm fronds in commemoration of Easter, without having a deep thought of Its significance. He expresses his feelings with disgust, and hopes the followers of Christ will have a re-think and change their unhealthy behaviours so as to be worthy of Christ’s suffering and death for them.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics
Divisions:	Faculty of Management and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	mrs chioma hannah
Date Deposited:	25 Sep 2019 16:11
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2019 16:11
URI:	http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/2127

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