Using a literary text studied on any third year literature courses, identify and discuss the various voices the respective authors employ, how effective are these voices in the articulation of the themes and characters of the respective texts. ASHABA MERCY, NAMBALIRWA ELIZABETH, OBUA JUDITH AND NALUSWA MOHAMMED

In literature, polyphony is a feature of narrative which includes a diversity of point of view and voices. The concept was introduced by Mikhail Bakhtin using a metaphor based on the musical term polyphony. Bahtin’s theory mentions polyphony as dialogism. He argues that polyphony is basically “a new theory of authorial point of view” polyphony literally means “multi voicedness” polyphony arises infliction when the special position of the author allows great freedom of interaction to the character. The characters in a polyphonic novel are allowed maximum freedom so that they can argue with each other and even with their author. That is in polyphonic novels different centers of consciousness are allowed to interact on the plane of the novel. According to David Lodge, a polyphonic novel is “a novel” in which a variety of conflicting ideological positions are given a voice and set a placed and judged by an authoritative authorical voice. The multi voiced nature of fiction allows different ideological perspectives to enter the novel. ºBakhtin’s interested in such speech phenomena as stylization, parody and dialogue and thinks these phenomena require special treatment in the study of novels. The phenomena according to him are the best expressions of dialogicality/ polyphony belong to the category of double voiced discourse. We used the literary text, song of Lawino by Okot P’ Bitek to bring out the different voices and how effective they are in the articulation of the themes and characterization. One of the major themes in Okot P’ Bitek’s song of Lawino is that tradition versus modernization. Okot’s song of lawino is multi voiced and in this we see two major characters Lawino and Ocol. Ocol has a derogatory view of Africans and their culture believing that it holds back the people. Lawino is also another mind set and tries to show Ocol all that is good in their culture. The two clash literally, physically and philosophically to present the theme. Okot uses his mouth pieces Lawino a female protagonist a rural un Westernized , traditional woman married to Ocol, An African who has received western education influenced by western education, Ocol abandons his rural wife Lawino consequently Lawino addresses her husband in an attempt to reason with him. From the beginning of the poem, the tone is sharpened Lawino dresses the husband directly in the second person and the same time speaks in manner which reduces him to a level of a fool. In chapter twelve Lawino lampoons Ocol by telling him directly how stupid he is to ape and be subservient to whit people Lawino pleads with her husband but in a manner that ridicules him. This brings out the character of Lawino to be loving, caring but abusive. Okot uses the voice of Lawino to bring out the theme of love as developed by Lawino. She cherished the husband and tries to bring him back to his sense. Okot uses statistical monologues in his poem.  There are different types of voices as shown below that apply in literary texts. Epistolary voice – makes use of letters and documents to convey the message and reveal the story. It may use multiple person’s voice or there cud be no narrate at all, e.g. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, she uses a sequence letters to express the voice of the narrator. 5. Third person subjective voice. A narrator describes feelings, thoughts and opinions of one or more characters. For examples Herper lee’s to kill a mocking bird is a good e.g. where the character narrates the whole story. (White Teeth) ➢ First person narrative is used to create a realistic sense, (3) Unrealizable voice ➢ Writer tries to deceive the readers. As the stay proceeds, readers are able to notice that the voice is unusual. Character directly talks to the readers showing highly exaggerated style. Format through narrators/ authors tell their story. It is the author’s way of writing/ point of view. 1. Author’s voice (particular style) 2. Character’s voice (voice of the main character, how he views the world. Examples of voices Stream of consciousness voice ➢ Narratives voice that comprises of thoughts process of the characters’. 2. Character voice. To and never publish anything under their own name. Narration; narrate the story without showing the character’s feelings and thoughts and gives unbiased and objectives point of view. Polyphony- voices in a literacy text, meaning of a literacy based on the voices. 1. Stream of consciousness voice. Thought process of the character’s 2. Character voice- character narratives the story. Also first person narrative. Okot uses Lawino to bring out the theme of tradition us modernization in that we see the way the two characters think and perceive each others culture for example Lawino through the stream of consciousness voice perceives the while people’s culture is strange and actually goes on ahead to pity her husband ……….. “I do not understand the ways of the foreigners. Lawino defends her Acoli tradition while Ocol on the other hand despises Lawino and her “backwardness”, he believes the ways, and of the Acoli is Savage, primitive. “Black people’s food is primitive…. Black people’s food is dirty” So stream of consciousness voice brings out the theme of tradition us modernization through their thoughts we see how the two characters think about the life style of the other. It also brings out the theme of the loss of culture at the expense of progress. This is seen through character voice, we see how the character Ocol despises the Acoli tradition he is willing to lose his culture at the expense of living like a white man we see this first of all from the way Ocol speaks about the Acoli African tradition. “Black people’s food is primitive” This clearly shows that Ocol is not interested in his own culture to a point of calling his traditional food primitive. He prefers to calling to the white man’s ways. He does not care about losing his cultural. Also through Lawino’s voice, we use theme of cultural loss being portrayed. Lawino through her lamination clearly shows us that Ocol, her husband is so taken up by the Western culture that he wants nothing to do with the tradition of the Acoli. “My husband is angry because he says I can’t keep time. And donot know how to count the years” Ocol doesn’t chat with me… He says he has no time” (7) My husband says I’m useless because I waste time… Thus through the character voices of these character’s, we see that the theme of loss of culture is portrayed through both Lawino and Ocol’s perspective. Another theme is the theme of impact of colonial education on African societies. This theme is portrayed through the character voice, first person narrative, that is to say, we can clearly see the impact of colonial education on African and one of the victims is Ocol. Ocol is a clear example, because he has been badly affected while Lawino hasn’t been affected by this impact. Therefore, we look at the impact in positive and negative way; Ocol has been affected by this impact of colonial education negatively because he no longer sees value in his tradition in what he really (5). He prefers to be someone he’s not (Western) and has completely deserted his culture. For example he prefers to eat the Whiteman’s food, dress, like them dance like them and insults, Lawino because she doesn’t follow in his footsteps. “My husband looks down upon me… chapter 8” “He says he is ashamed of me” “Ocol laughs at me because/ can’t cross myself properly” Ocol insult Lawino in this chapter simply because she cannot make the sign of the cross and doesn’t have a Christian name, he calls her “Jok” Therefore we see that the impact of colonial education on Ocol is negative. However on the other hand, the impact on Lawino is totally different, she unlike her husband treasures and strongly approves of her culture. She sticks to her ways and even after being insulted by her husband, she still sticks to her culture and tradition. The impact doesn’t move her though at one point she confesses she gets a little jealous of Clementine or the white people. In chapter 2. She says “She resembles a wild cat…… And it looks so pale” “The smell of carbolic soap makes me sick” This shows how Lawino is not like her husband. She goes on to praise her culture and the black to Acoli woman in her, she is proud of her culture. “I don’t deny I’m a little Jealous. It is not good lying” “: a black woman’s hair is thick and curly” (chapter 5) We can also look at this theme in a different point of view. The impact of colonial education on African societies has also affected Lawino in that she represents woman whose husbands have fallen prey to the western ways. That is to say she suffers because of Ocol. He insults her, calls her names live “Jok” pagan etc so much as Lawino still sticks to the Acoli customs. This impact has negative side on her. “Ocol says I look extremely ugly when I’m fully advanced for the dances.” (Chapter 4). In song of Lawino, Okot foregrounds a black female speaker whose pride in the traditional Acoli ways of life inspires her to criticize a husband who has become a product of colonial attitudes. This post colonial text advocate’s pre- colonial society through the voice of Lawino who takes prides in her black identity. Okot P’ Bitek lamely shows his own attitudes towards black feminine difference in song of Lawino. Song of Lawino is based on a real social problem experienced in many rural places in East Africa. Initially in East Africa men received education up to higher levels than women. Some even went abroad for future studies leaving their rural wives in villages. The result was that there was an often trouble when a husband with all his western ideals returned to live with his wife who remained entrenched in African values. Such marriages sometimes dissolved especially if the husband behaved like Ocol and had contempt for all the African ways of life held by the wife and family. Okot utilizes the dramatic impact of such a common domestic problem to express his points about the future of Africa.   REFERENCES 1. THE IMAGE OF THE WOMAN IN OKOT P’BITEK’S SONG OF LAWINO WWW.MEMOIREON.COM 2. WWW.BOOKRAGS.COM THEMES IN SONG OF LAWINO 3. 5144 BANKS II PROOF CHAPTER 5 4. THOUGHT AND TECHNIQUE IN THE POETRY OF OKOT P’BITEK BY MONICA NALYAKA WANAMBISI. 5. WWW.AMAZON.COM 6. WWW.PUBLISHINGCRAWL.COM