The Mythological Icons in Amos Tutuola the Palm-wine Drinkard
Chapter One
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The most significant aim of myth is based on the element of supernatural and mysteries. This is done to create fear in bath the minds of the reader. In traditional African literature most of things done are shrouded in mysterious. Thus modern African playwrights rely heavily on these apparatus to create the desired effects in their text. African modern literature in its attempt to capture the mystic effects of the traditional literature, relies on costuming which has to correspond with the culture and belief of the Africans.
The former aim at the most general statement, focus on myth as one general factor in human thought, the teller emphasise the variety of myths. Efforts are made on one hand to father the inner meaning of myth because of the authoritative, indeed revelatory function they have for human existence, while on the other hand, there is tendency to deal with myth in term of general theory of man that may be inspired biologically, psychologically or any other way.
The original Greek term for myth (mythos) denotes “word” in the sense of a decisive, final pronouncement. Myth present extraordinary events without trying to justify them, people have sometimes assumed that myth are simply unprovable and false stories and thus have made the word a synonym for fable.
However, through indept study of myth was discovered that there are distinct differences between myth and fable.
All survey of myth scholarship done by inquests, anthropologists, folklorists and literary critics reveal that a concensus of what the term ‘myth’ means has never seen achievement within any of these fields let alone among them. Even a simple rehearsing of the arguments that has taken place would lead us far away from our topic, so we will need to accept for the time being the working definition of myth in this work.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
NATURE OF MYTH
Distinguished philosophers and folklorists represent opposite extremes in the study of myth. The Oxford English Dictionary defines myth “as a purely fictitious narrative usually involving supernatural persons, action, or events and embodying some popular idea concerning natural or historical phenomena” myth is a collective term used for one kind of “symbolic communication and specifically indicates one basic form of religious symbolism as distinguished from symbolic behaviour (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects”. Myths in (plural) are specific account concerning gods or superhuman beings and extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is altogether different from that or ordinary human experience.
Myth occurs in the history of all human traditions and communities and it is a basic constituent of human culture.
Wole Soyinka describes it as “a continuous source of the knowledge needed for critical problems in man’s existence: war and peace, life and death, truth and falsehood good and evil”. Every myth presents itself as authoritative and always as an account of fact no matter how completely different they may be from ordinary world. It is properly distinguished from legend and allegory but often used vauely to include any narrative having fictitious elements.
1Rigther Williams in Myth and Literature, says that myths “are accounts with an absolute authority that is implied rather than stated; they relates events and states of affair surpassing the ordinary human world, yet basic to the world”. The time in which the related events take place is altogether different from the ordinary historical time of human experience (and in most cases in un arrangenable long ago). The actors in the narratives are usually gods or other extra ordinary beings such as animals, plants or specific of real men who changed human condition with their deeds.
2Frazer in the Golden Bough says that “myths are reenactment in figurative language of events once acted out in magical ceremonies”. Echero attaches much importance to myth partly because it gives form and meaning to experience. Myth he argues, gives clear outlines to dramatic action whose sequence of events is invariably of a deliberate kind” from this talk of a pattern of ordered events. It is obvious that he is concerned with the Aristotelian unified plot structure, with logical cause and effect progressive in time.
Butcher also says that: Myth is the unwritten literature of an early people whose instinctive language was poetry. It has their philosophy their history and it is enshrined in both their conscious and unconscious theories of life. It recorded all they know about their own past, about their cities, families, the geographical movement of their tribes and the exploits of their ancestors.
CHAPTER THREE
ELEMENTS OF MYTH IN AMOS TUTUOLA THE PALM-WINE
DRINKARD
Traditional African societies have by and large normally been referred to as primitive societies by the western scholars. Some of the reasons adduced for this biased assertion … indude the belief that African societies are devoid of complexities and challenges of life due to lack of western education. But contrary to this erroneous belief is the fact that African, are rich in complex symbolism and wide scope for the individual to express his own insight and awareness of human existence.
Past and present literary works by African writers shows that the cultural, political, sociological economic and ethical welfare of the Africans are entrenched in these systems and beliefs which revolve around myths. Myths occur in the history and traditions of the African communities, they are the basic constituents upon which it existence is based. They also act as continuous source of the knowledge needed for actual problems in the people’s day to day activities, war and peace, life and death, truth and falsehood good and evil.
Among the Yorubas there are various types of myths created to bridge the gap between the early race and the present generation. Essential there are myths about the creation of earth and all the living things. There are also myths defining the relationship between the people and the gods, ancestors and other supernatural beings. Myths are also created to institutionalized events and issues so as for them to have permanent effect in the people. Virtually all facets of human endeavouring and linked with one myth or the other.
CHAPTER FOUR
TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SOCIETAL OVERVIEWS AND CONCLUSION
By definition, traditional African society refers to the indigenous African community as distinct from the European Influenced town or city in Africa today.
The population of the indigenous village society is usually homogenous, usually comprising only one ethnic or sub linguistic group. This is opposed to the towns and cities which have a mixture of ethnic populations. In traditional African society, the inhabitants are usually farmers, fishermen or livestock keeper or hunters, depending on the natural geography of the location. There is division of labour usually according to sex.
CONCLUSION
Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material broadly speaking, “literature” is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including work of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience.
Amos Tutuola like most of the African writers has been able to debunk the assertion of the western scholars about the primitive of the African. Through his works the writer portrays to the world the dynamision and complexity that characterized the African beliefs and customs. He effectively uses myth in most of his works to depict the richness and uniqueness of the people’s customs and traditions.
The writer further portrays African as being rich in literature, in symbolism. Being a traditionalist, he uses his creative imagination to present to the world the level of esteem at which his customs and belief are hold. He infuse into his works, mysticism that characterized the beliefs of the Yoruba as regard gods and ancestors. The book was based on Yoruba folktales, but was largely his own invention using pidgin of man who follows a palm wine tapster into the land of the dead ore “Dead’ Town.” There he find a world of magic, ghosts, demins, and supernatural beings. The books earn out in 1952 and received accolades from Dylan Thomas as well as other western intellectual figures of the time.
All in all, the writer has been able to utilize the various functions of myth as explanatory and narrative channel through which natural, social, cultural and biological facts about the Yoruba are explained. It depicted a drunk, used pidgin English, and promoted the Idea Africans were superstitious.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRIMARY SOURCES
- Amos Tutuol, The Palm-wine Drinkard and my Dead Palm-wine Tapster in the Dead Town Faber publisher Ltd, 1952.
SECONDARY SOURCES
- Awolalu, J. Omosade. Yoruba Beliefs and Sacrifice Rites (London: Longman group limited 1979).
- Awodiya, Muyiwa. The Drama of Femi Osofisan; A critical perspective (Ibadan Kraft 1995).
- Booth Newell, African Mythology A key to understanding African religion; (NOK publisher Ltd, New York: 19), p.117
- Chidi Amuta, the theory of African literature :implication for practical critism (London: Book craft lith, bath, 1989).
- Clark J.P., Ozili, Oxford University press Ltd, 1960 Cox David, Myths, History and Religion Oxford 1962
- Dunmade, Femi. “Tradition and Individual Talent: Aesthetics and categorization in modern African literature” in Adegbeja E.E (ed) The English language and literature in English: An Introductory Handbook (Ilorin: the Department of Modern European Language, 1999).
