DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2016.v04i10.002

Pages: 1226-1232

Abstract: The Gῖkữyữ oral narratives employ complex use of stylistic devices and symbols of ogre in developing the themes. The study therefore analyses the themes and stylistic devises including symbolism of ogres as portrayed in Gῖkữyữ oral narratives. The objective of the study is to look at the themes and various stylistic devices especially symbolism of ogres in the Gῖkữyữ community. The research is guided by structuralism and post structuralism theory where the Structuralists argued that one symbol can have more than one meaning depending on the social context while the Post Structuralists emphasized on the role of the language use in analyzing the social structure, meaning and their interpretations in terms of self-consciousness where language is taken as the main axis in giving both the real meaning and the derived one. The data was collected in Nyandarua County by Snowball sampling then transcribed for analysis. A purposeful sample of five narratives whose main characters are the ogre was then chosen from the collected narratives. The data collected finally was analyzed descriptively the various symbols of ogres as portrayed in the Gῖkữyữ oral narratives and other stylistic devices. The study findings are useful to the oral literature scholars to have an in depth understanding of this genre and their significance as well as preserving oral narratives in literature.