Language, Power, and Female Subjugation: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Patriarchal Ideologies in John Kargbo’s Let Me Die Alone

Abstract

This study investigates a comprehensive Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) of Let Me Die Alone by John Kargbo to explicate how language constructs, legitimizes, and sustains patriarchal ideologies. The relevance of the study lies in its engagement with cultural practices that continue to affect women, in contemporary African societies. The importance of this work is underscored by the persistence of traditional norms that restrict female autonomy despite legal and social advancements. The study is informed by the problem of gender-based discrimination embedded in cultural practices, especially in contexts where tradition is used to justify inequality.  Drawing on Michelle Lazar’s feminist framework, the study analyzes fifteen purposively selected textual excerpts through detailed line-by-line coding. The findings reveal that gendered subjugation is discursively enacted through lexicalization, modality, representation, ideology, and speech acts that naturalize male dominance and delegitimize female authority. The findings reveal that Kargbo uses the narrative to expose the harmful effects of certain cultural norms and to advocate for reform. The study contributes to African feminist literary scholarship by foregrounding discourse as a critical site of ideological reproduction and resistance. In addition, this study emphasizes the complementarity of language and Drama as they exist in a mutually reinforcing relationship: language gives structure and meaning to drama, while drama animates and contextualizes language through performance and human interaction.