Literary Analysis Essay on Girls at War

Introduction

This paper will intensively discuss sources which talk about the Biafran war in Nigeria and how they can help a reader of the short story Girls at War by Chinua Achebe under the situation captured in the book. The short story tells about this girl Gladys in terms of war and famine in Nigeria. The background stories about the Biafran war tell the situation of the war, the causes and the results of the war. The short story setting is on the time of war and famine where people are getting relief foods. The sources provided include Nigeria: Biafran secession and Civil war 1967-1970, Biafran Gains Costly as War Becomes a Major Conflict and lastly the article on What is the country? Reimagining National Space in Women's writing on the Biafran War.

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To begin with, the article on Reimaging National Space in Women Writing on the Biafran War, women took part in the fighting in different ways. To start with they have been soldiers or rarely as leaders, and most importantly they have been providers of army materials, producers and traders of goods like food, they have also acted like nurses, organizers of relief food and materials and lastly as protectors of the weak and the injured during the war, Kwesi Wiredu (2009).In the Biafran war, women were given a chance to participate.

In the short story, the friend to Gladys who she had gone to visit in Douglas Road was a supplier during the war. She had fled to Libreville and would come back in an arms plane which was loaded with shoes, pants, wigs, bras, and cosmetics which she could sell and get money. The arms plane was loaded with arms and weapons apart from the cosmetics that she was to have. She supplied the arms of the soldiers in which she got money after the exchange. Gladys was a soldier who helped in searching the vehicles and making sure that no dangerous weapon was being ferried. Women were physically involved in wars with the example of Gladys and her friend.

The source about Biafran Gains Costly as War Becomes a Major Conflict talks about the expenses and the consequences that were suffered by the Biafra people during the war. Many people were killed, some suffered extreme injuries and were admitted in hospitals and clinics; this is a report by the Red Cross Society, New York Times (1923-Current file). The war is costly because many get killed and during the war, nothing of importance is happening; hence drought and famine are occupying the area. In the short story, the minister of justice Reginald Nwankwo travels to the depot to get foodstuff because of the famine that is affecting the region, Achebe (2010). The minister is lucky because a friend helps him to find some food stuffs. People are dying of famine and the crowd of people seeing the minister pack foods they shout that the war can continue.

In the provided source about Biafran Secession and Civil War of 1967-1970 Nigeria was subjected to a lot of issues which included lawlessness. Ethnicity, corruption, political intolerance and many more, PAOLU O (2004). There was a massive division of the people, and people who belonged to the Igbo tribe detached themselves from the other tribes of Nigeria. The head of the military of Ghana, General Ankrah came in to restore peace in the country, but all was in vain. A cold war which later leads to the civil war was ignited by the decision of declaring Biafra a republic which was rejected by the federal government of Nigeria.

In the short story, there is a division between men and women. The minister of Justice Reginald Nwankwo views women as people who should not take part in the militia. He tells Gladys to go back to school to and stop joining the military but she has passion in the same, and she later becomes a soldier. The white man at the party brought chaos by saying that the girls inside there are worthless and stinging, although a man friend of his tried to cool him down he did not make it, and at long last, he was taken out with slaps on his face. This reflects the situation in Nigeria which caused civil wars.

Conclusion

To conclude when one goes through the background sources on the Biafran war he or she can understand the Girls at War short story even if one had not witnessed the war.T he situations and actions of the short story reflect the steps that took place during the Biafran war in Nigeria. When one goes through the sources, he understands the reasons that made Chinua Achebe write the short story and the purpose is to capture the actions that take place during the Biafran war in Nigeria. The composers of the articles capture the activities of the war. Chinua Achebe in the short story actions co-relate to the activities of the Biafran war but not literally.

Work Cited

OBI-ANI, PAUL O. "Nigeria: Biafra Secession and Civil War, 1967-1970." Encyclopedia of African History, edited by Kevin Shillington, Routledge, 1st edition, 2004.

Achebe, Chinua. Girls at war and other stories. Anchor Canada, 2010.

New York Times (1923-Current file); Jun 2, 1969; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times pg. 15

Kwasi Wiredu, 'An Oral Philosophy of Personhood: Comments on Philosophy and Orality', RAL 40:1 (2009), 16-17