A LINGUISTIC STYLISTICS ANALYSIS OF SELECTED POEMS IN CHINYELU AGWU’S IT’S NO FANTASY AND HALIMA AMALI’S I WANT TO JOIN THEM

Abstract

This study conducts a linguistic stylistic analysis of selected poems from It’s No Fantasy by Chinyelu Agwu and I Want to Join Them by Halima Amali, with the objective of examining how linguistic and stylistic features convey meaning, reflect cultural identity, and engage with pressing social and political themes. Adopting a qualitative, descriptive, and interpretive research design, the study applies Paul Simpson’s (2004) stylistic model to analyse poems purposively selected for their thematic and stylistic richness. Through close reading and textual analysis, the study investigates diction, syntax, imagery, repetition, and rhetorical devices across both anthologies, which span the period from 2016 to 2022. Findings reveal that Agwu’s reflective and symbolic language emphasises postcolonial healing, memory, and cultural rootedness, while Amali’s direct, chant-like style foregrounds resistance, urgency, and political defiance. Both poets use stylistic features deliberately to align with their ideological aims whether reconstructing national identity or dismantling structures of oppression. The study concludes that poetry functions as a civic intervention, bridging personal experience and collective resistance. It recommends the inclusion of such works in educational curricula, interdisciplinary research, and advocacy. Further suggestions include supporting emerging sociopolitical poets and digitally archiving their works for broader impact and preservation.