A gendered construction of the father figure in Children's literature: a case study of nairobi Province

Abstract

This study is a comparative analysis of the portrayal of the father figure in children's literature. It analyses the similarities and differences in texts written by men against those written by women. The purpose is to determine whether the portrayal ofthe father differs depending on the gender of the writer. The study begins with an introduction which includes the statement of the problem, objectives, hypotheses, justification, theoretical framework, methodology, scope and limitation. The literature review included exposes the need for this study since the previous researchers have not delved into this area. We also include the working definition for this study. We focus on the following texts: Misa the Precious Cow and The Boys in Kakamega by Jimmi Makotsi, No Place to Hide by D. K Wacira, Moses and Moses and Mildred by Barbara Kimenye and Jande's Ambition by Asenath Odaga in order to have a broad view of the father figure presented in children's literature. The writers also have been chosen bearing in mind their gender status since it is a comparative study. We have therefore paid attention to the characterisation and stylistic devices used by the writers in presenting the father in the selected texts. The underlying assumption for this study is that the writers, depending on their gender, lay emphasis on different roles that a father is expected to carry out in the society. We, thus, compare the presentation of the father figure by the male writers to the female writers depiction of the same. The study also considers the responses of the children in order to ascertain whether the father figure appeals to them. We have embarked on this study so as to contribute to the research that other scholars have undertaken in children's literature and comparative analysis of texts written by male alongside female writers