Citations in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People

Abstract

This study investigates the use of citations in A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe. We used the post-structuralism approach, with Julia Kristeva drawing inspiration from Mikhail and adopting a notion and method called intertextuality. Many excerpts from this novel are analyzed in terms of citation types and functions. The results reveal that citations are used more frequently by the writer in the novel in quotation marks, in italics, and indenting. They fulfill the didactic function, the apellative function, and the aesthetic function. A Man of the People is generally influenced by the political context which constitutes the plot of the prose. The citations portray a typical Nigerian socio-political context. The findings reveal that citations in the text are basically used to satirize, ridicule, and mock the political class and also show how politicians coax and persuade the masses with citations.