A CRITICAL DISCOURSE OF METAPHOR AND SIMILE USED TO PRESENT WOMEN IN THE SELECTED DHOLUO OHANGLA SONGS

Abstract

Metaphor and simile are rhetorical devices employed by musicians to depict female representations. This is primarily because they effectively evoke emotions and convey sentiments associated with the respective imagery. Furthermore, they serve as potent interpretative tools that shape the context of the female representation. In African context, particularly in Kenya, Ohangla artists have utilized metaphor and simile to illustrate women through various portrayals. While numerous studies have explored the use of metaphors and similes in presenting women across different songs, there remains a paucity of research examining how these figures of speech reflect feminity within Dholuo Ohangla music specifically songs sung by Wuod Fibi. The study adopted Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), focusing on examining language in connection to society, ideology, and power. (Fairclough, 1992). Qualitative Content Analysis was used to analyze textual data of this major artist. It employed data in the form of words downloaded from You Tube. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the songs known for their emotional, cultural depth and have wealth of lyrical content. The study sought to address an objective such as; identifying the instances of metaphor and simile within the chosen Dholuo songs. The study aimed to advance knowledge of language use in African music, specifically Dholuo. The findings of the study indicated that women are degraded socially. They are portrayed as vessels that can be taken advantage of in various discourses in Ohangla music for instance, Wuod Fibi describes a lady as a potato, sugarcane, among other descriptions. He terms these notions as ‘nonsense’ such that in case a lady/woman accepts the descriptions and decides to give a chance to any male who is rooted into these opinions, they again refer to them as; worthless, imbecile beings. To mean, the terms he presents in his music can never be ‘nonsense’ they cannot be terms to listen to and brush over due to the fact that listeners listen, and comprehend the words which can be used negatively against women and the ladies. He leaves great social impact on the audience listening and to the ladies who remain ‘useless’ as far as the impact created goes. The observations made led to the conclusion that, the singer's aim can be inferred from the context of an utterance.