Gender Consciousness and Women’s Voices in Poetic Discourse: A Review of Selected Poems

Abstract

The issue of gender has remained a central point of negotiation in the African milieu, where traditional patriarchal structures frequently dictate and confine women's roles. Modern African poets have utilized their works to artistically document and challenge these societal representations. Drawing on key concepts from feminist literary criticism, this study investigates the articulation of gender consciousness and the assertion of women's voices in selected poems by three prominent female Modern African poets: Titilope Sonuga, Catherine Acholonu, and Finuala Dowling. Employing a Feminist Stylistic and Thematic Analysis, the paper analyses how these poets utilize linguistic, structural, and thematic strategies to contest marginalization, define self-agency, and envision new roles for women. The findings reveal that their poetry serves as a vital platform for dismantling entrenched stereotypes and transforming gender discourse, thus asserting the female voice as a primary catalyst for social change in contemporary Africa.