LITERATURE AND EMERGING NATIONAL CHALLENGES: A STUDY OF ELNATHAN JOHN’S BORN ON A TUESDAY

Literature is a piece of writing or oral presentation which deals with creativity and imagination using words as tools. It is of great importance in the sense that it is a rich source of pleasure to man even as it informs, educates and teaches moral lessons. It is also a means through which some historical and cultural events are preserved. Literary artists, over time, have contributed immensely to solving the problems of the society in which they find themselves. They advocate for change and seek redress on some issues which are out of order. This paper uses Elnathan John’s Born on a Tuesday to discuss the effects and functions of literature in addressing some emerging national challenges. In other words, it investigates some national challenges in Nigeria and how they are addressed so as to heal the society. Such challenges include: corruption in politics and government, intimidation and harassment of the masses by members of the security forces, hate speeches and actions, street children phenomenon, high rate of early marriage and domestic violence, and football obsession. This analysis is done using the sociological theory as literature is a product of the society. It is found out that the author condemns these ills in their totality using strong descriptive words. This paper, therefore, concludes that literature addresses the emerging national challenges in its peculiar way.