A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF FEMINIST REPRESENTATION IN GIWA’S I’D RATHER DIE!

Abstract

In patriarchal societies, women are often represented as passive and powerless, a condition reinforced by socialisation processes that normalize male dominance and silence female voices. This study employs Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of CDA, which comprises textual analysis, discursive practice, and social practice in order to interrogate the representation of female characters in Audee T. Giwa’s I’d Rather Die!. The data for the study were derived from selected excerpts within the novel that portray gendered interactions, with particular focus on the linguistic choices, narrative patterns, and ideological positions embedded in the text.  The qualitative analytical method was adopted as a methodology and it involved detailed textual examination and interpretive analysis with a view to uncover the ideological implications of language use. The findings of the study reveal that while the female characters are initially depicted through conventional stereotypes of weakness and dependence, they progressively assert agency and self-determination, thereby subverting patriarchal constraints. The study thus concludes that Giwa’s deliberate linguistic strategies empower his female characters, which enable them to reclaim their voices and challenge the dominance of male-centred discourse. This research contributes to the ongoing scholarly dialogue on gender representation, power relations, and discourse in African literary studies.