CLASS STRUGGLE AND POLITICAL EXPLOITATION IN JUDE DIBIA'S BLACKBIRD

Abstract

Literature stands as the mirror through which the society is reflected, the major functions of literature is to replicate the happenings in every human society, encourage virtues, expose vices and proffer solutions to them. This paper explores the schisms of class Struggles and political exploitation as reflected in Jude Dibia’s Blackbird. This research interrogates the dynamics of social inequality and exploitation within African society as represented in the novel. This research tends to address persistent socio-political and economic divide that perpetuates class struggle, suppresses the working class, and empowers the ruling elites, thereby creating structures of oppression. The hallmark of the paper re-examines and provide an insight into the dynamics of power, inequality, social changes in an African society. The theory employed in this research is the Marxist literary theory. Marxist criticism is a theory rooted in the ideas and propositions of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, that focus on literature as a product of material conditions, economic structures, and class relations. This research intends to analyze how literary texts reflect, reinforce, or resist the ideology of the ruling class while foregrounding the voices and experiences of the oppressed. This theoretical lens is suitable for uncovering Jude Dibia’ present class antagonisms, exploitation, and the power dynamics that shape their characters’ realities. This study adopts a qualitative and textual analytical approach. The primary data consists of the novel understudy, while secondary data is derived from scholarly texts, journal publications, and critical works on Marxism, class struggle, and African literature. The findings reveal that the literary work understudy articulates the harsh realities of political exploitation, corrupt leadership and continued subjugation of the working class. This study further shows how literature mirrors people’s plight and can serve as a voice and form of resistance. As a solution, it proposes that literature be more consciously harnessed as a tool for awakening societal consciousness and demanding systemic change.