An analysis of the praises of domestic animals.
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Date
1992
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Abstract
It occured to me that scholars who undertake to explore praises
in Zulu have centred much analysis on praises of human beings and
very little on those of domestic animals.
Domestic animals are very close environmental company to any
Black person in South Africa, especially to those who reside in
farming areas. This study demonstrates that the domestic animal
merits praise because it constitutes a kind of relative and
colleague to a Black person.
The first chapter gives a general layout of those to follow. What
one has to note in the first chapter is the assessment of the
extent to which scholars have made studies towards assessing
praises of domestic animals. To be more precise, about six books
have been identified containing some gleanings on the praises of
domestic animals . This scarcity of documented sources for these
praises together with the fact that praises of domestic animals
are still mainly part of oral tradition constitute the main
reason prompting this study.
Chapter Two analyses hopefully in depth the social aspect of
praises of domestic animals. We deduce from the numerous facts
emerging from the inter-relationship between owner and animal
that the main reason for the existence of the praises in
question, is to forge links that bind poet and animal together.
Aspects discussed in Chapter Two are, among others, the purpose
of praising which examines the effect of praises on both the
animals themselves and the community at large. The chapter also
looks at the various poets in this field, the occasions during
which domestic animals are praised, and the kind of audience
anticipated when praising these animals.
Though almost all the poets in this regard are wholly nonliterate,
the praises they compose are nevertheless rich in
literary constructions. They decorate the praises with all sorts
of poetic expressions. One may even imagine that the praises of
domestic animals were composed by modern learned poet who
composed them by transcription and had all the skills to adopt
the most impressive literary forms.
Chapter Four sums up the role of praises of domestic animals on
society as well as the literary richness that the praises
possess. On the other hand this chapter Four is also to be taken
as the summary and distillation of the previous ones.
Description
Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1992.
Keywords
Laudatory poetry, Zulu--History and criticism., Animals in literature., Zulu poetry--History and criticism., Theses--Isizulu.