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The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West

Authors: SOTUNSA Mobolanle

Publication Type: Chapters in Books

Journal: Kraft Books Limited, Ibadan

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Abstract

This study investigates construction of male gender identity within the social milieu in which the male child is socialised, and the reality of his existence as a man. The male gender is normatively constructed to be rational, intelligent, emotionless, macho, hypersexual, fearless, powerful, aggressive, father figure, good husband, breadwinner and head of his family. The study focuses on the similarities and differences in the enactments of these masculinity traits and stereotypical sex roles of the Black African and African American male gender in order to draw a line between illusion and reality of the male identity. The paper adopts a qualitative approach which involves a literary text analysis of Irene Isoken-Salami's More Than Dancing and Pearl Cleage's Flyin' West to penetrate the superficial images of the African and African-American characters in order to reveal his true identity and social conditions defined by socio-economic realities, race and politics. The study employs psychoanalysis and masculinity as framework to analyse traits and sex roles in the selected texts for the study. It discovers that no black male character has been able to achieve the statuses constructed to make him a man. The study also discovers that the inability of male characters to live up to their social construction leads to violence, emasculation, diminishing self-esteem and humiliation. It is therefore recommended that a reconstruction of the male gender identity should be emphasised by parents in the socialisation process of the male child.

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SOTUNSA,M. . (2018). The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West, 1 (), 481-481.

SOTUNSA,M. . "The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West" 1, no (), (2018): 481-481.

SOTUNSA,M. and . (2018). The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West, 1 (), pp481-481.

SOTUNSAM, . The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West. 2018, 1 ():481-481.

SOTUNSA,Mobolanle , . "The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West", 1 . (2018) : 481-481.

S.Mobolanle , "The Illusion of Male Archytype: A Comparative Study of Irene’s More than Dancing and Pearl’s Flyin’ West" vol.1, no., pp. 481-481, 2018.

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