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Psychological Response to Negative Paradoxical Metaphors of Terminal Illness in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy

Received: 10 April 2021     Accepted: 16 October 2021     Published: 5 November 2021
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Abstract

Creative writers wield literary tropes in exemplifying thoughts in the minds of characters. As literature is given impetus by the thoughts and actions of humans, the utilization of literary tropes in depicting preoccupations in the minds of characters is a reflection of the human mind, which harbours thoughts laden with these tropes, especially metaphors. Hence, textual representations of characters experiencing pain from terminal illnesses often feature paradoxical metaphors (para-metaphors). Existing studies on illnesses/diseases privileged trauma, depraved mental and physical conditions, however, inadequate attention has been given to the effect, which the literary representations of illnesses, through debasing paradoxes and metaphors, have on affected characters. This study, therefore, investigates the impact of para-metaphors on the character, Sefi, who suffers from cancer in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy. The primacy of the unconscious and repression, facets of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, are used to account for the psychological state of affected characters. The theory bears relevance to the text, which is purposively selected and critically analysed to highlight the destructive influence of para-metaphors related to the underlying disease in the text. As the major character, Sefi, holds on to the paradoxically metaphoric ideas, her cognitive psychological state continues to diminish. She becomes paranoiac, schizophrenic; depressed, which are additional derailing weights to the underlying disease she suffers from. As a literary endeavour, meanings are implicit in the para-metaphorical expressions distilled from the selected illness-text; this has implications, both on patients’ understanding of their ailments and on the critical reception of the text.

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 6)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Illnesses, Diseases and Medicalisation in African Literature

DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11
Page(s) 251-260
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Literature and Medicine, Paradoxical-metaphors, Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasm, Terminal Disease, Mental Preoccupations, Paradoxical Metaphors, Cancer, Terminal, Psyche

References
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[7] Omobowale, E. B. Literature and Medicine: A Study of Selected Creative Works of Nigerian Physicians. PhD Thesis, University of Ibadan, (Unpublished 2001).
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[9] Evans, M. Roles of literature in medical education. Mindreadings: literature and psychiatry. Ed. Oyebode, F. London: RCPsych Publications. 2009, 15-24.
[10] Owonibi, S. Patient-Writers’ Portrayal of Disease and Psychological Trauma. Ph.D Thesis submitted to the Department of English, University of Ibadan (Unpublished, 2010).
[11] Kekeghe, S. E. Psychiatric Conditions in Selected Nigerian Literary Texts. Ph.D Thesis in the Department of English, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, (Unpublished, 2018).
[12] Caiman, Kenneth C. Literature in the Education of the Doctor. The Lancet 350, no. 9091 (1997): 1622-1624.
[13] Sontag, S. Illness as Metaphor. New York: Ferrar, Straus and Giroux. 1978.
[14] Sontag, S. AIDS and Its Metaphors. Toronto: Collins Publishers. 1988.
[15] Gilbert, S. F. The Metaphorical Structuring of Social Perceptions. Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 1979. (62.2). 166-186. https://www.jstor.org.
[16] Ferrara, K. W. Therapeutic Ways with Words. New York: Oxford University Press. 1994.
[17] Quine, W. Paradox. Scientific American. 1962. (206.4). 84-99. https://www.jstor.org.
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[21] Mandal, A. Cancer History. News Medical Life Sciences. News.medical.net. 2017.
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[24] Eze, U. Disease, Trauma and Literary Introspections in Norman Cousin’s The Healing Heart and Robert J. Grant’s Love and Roses from David. MA Dissertation in the Department of English, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. (Unpublished, 2015).
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Joy Eyisi Jr, Emmanuel Babatunde Omobowale. (2021). Psychological Response to Negative Paradoxical Metaphors of Terminal Illness in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(6), 251-260. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11

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    ACS Style

    Joy Eyisi Jr; Emmanuel Babatunde Omobowale. Psychological Response to Negative Paradoxical Metaphors of Terminal Illness in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(6), 251-260. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11

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    AMA Style

    Joy Eyisi Jr, Emmanuel Babatunde Omobowale. Psychological Response to Negative Paradoxical Metaphors of Terminal Illness in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(6):251-260. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11,
      author = {Joy Eyisi Jr and Emmanuel Babatunde Omobowale},
      title = {Psychological Response to Negative Paradoxical Metaphors of Terminal Illness in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy},
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {9},
      number = {6},
      pages = {251-260},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210906.11},
      abstract = {Creative writers wield literary tropes in exemplifying thoughts in the minds of characters. As literature is given impetus by the thoughts and actions of humans, the utilization of literary tropes in depicting preoccupations in the minds of characters is a reflection of the human mind, which harbours thoughts laden with these tropes, especially metaphors. Hence, textual representations of characters experiencing pain from terminal illnesses often feature paradoxical metaphors (para-metaphors). Existing studies on illnesses/diseases privileged trauma, depraved mental and physical conditions, however, inadequate attention has been given to the effect, which the literary representations of illnesses, through debasing paradoxes and metaphors, have on affected characters. This study, therefore, investigates the impact of para-metaphors on the character, Sefi, who suffers from cancer in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy. The primacy of the unconscious and repression, facets of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, are used to account for the psychological state of affected characters. The theory bears relevance to the text, which is purposively selected and critically analysed to highlight the destructive influence of para-metaphors related to the underlying disease in the text. As the major character, Sefi, holds on to the paradoxically metaphoric ideas, her cognitive psychological state continues to diminish. She becomes paranoiac, schizophrenic; depressed, which are additional derailing weights to the underlying disease she suffers from. As a literary endeavour, meanings are implicit in the para-metaphorical expressions distilled from the selected illness-text; this has implications, both on patients’ understanding of their ailments and on the critical reception of the text.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    AU  - Joy Eyisi Jr
    AU  - Emmanuel Babatunde Omobowale
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    AB  - Creative writers wield literary tropes in exemplifying thoughts in the minds of characters. As literature is given impetus by the thoughts and actions of humans, the utilization of literary tropes in depicting preoccupations in the minds of characters is a reflection of the human mind, which harbours thoughts laden with these tropes, especially metaphors. Hence, textual representations of characters experiencing pain from terminal illnesses often feature paradoxical metaphors (para-metaphors). Existing studies on illnesses/diseases privileged trauma, depraved mental and physical conditions, however, inadequate attention has been given to the effect, which the literary representations of illnesses, through debasing paradoxes and metaphors, have on affected characters. This study, therefore, investigates the impact of para-metaphors on the character, Sefi, who suffers from cancer in Promise Ogochukwu’s Sorrow’s Joy. The primacy of the unconscious and repression, facets of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, are used to account for the psychological state of affected characters. The theory bears relevance to the text, which is purposively selected and critically analysed to highlight the destructive influence of para-metaphors related to the underlying disease in the text. As the major character, Sefi, holds on to the paradoxically metaphoric ideas, her cognitive psychological state continues to diminish. She becomes paranoiac, schizophrenic; depressed, which are additional derailing weights to the underlying disease she suffers from. As a literary endeavour, meanings are implicit in the para-metaphorical expressions distilled from the selected illness-text; this has implications, both on patients’ understanding of their ailments and on the critical reception of the text.
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Author Information
  • Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

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