This paper undertakes to read the queered sexualities and identities in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Damon Galgut’sIn a Strange Room and Sello Duicker’s Thirteen Cents from the critical lenses of a puritan Christian. The study, thus, deploys the Reader-Response and Queer theories as its theoretical frameworks. The study is motivated by the growing ideological spaces allotted to African queer studies; and aims to join the discussion by offering a puritan’s angle to the African queer arguments. Among the specific LGBTQ identities and sexualities interrogated in the paper include bestiality/zoophillia, phytophilliac or dendraphilliac, Spectorphilli, incest, rape/molestation, masturbation, polyamorous relationship, homoerotic, homosocial, and heterosexuality. These identities and sexualities are read or interpreted based on laid down Bible principles not necessarily to generate homophobic sentiments but rather to query the moral and didactic underpinnings of these practices in the light of societal mores, stability and progress of the human race, as problematised in the selected texts. The reading reveals that certain queer practices run counter to extant Bible precepts and do not make for a harmonious world order as they are seen to be products of dysfunctional societal institutions. Thus, they are predicated on exploitation, oppression, destruction and unequal, unbalanced and unnatural relationships.

Http://escipub.com/international-journal-of-social-research/ 0001Ima Usen Emmanuel, IJSR, 2017; 1:1Http://escipub.com/international-journal-of-social-research/ 0002

International Journal of Social Research(ISSN:2576-5531) Feminine Language in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo's Last of the Strong OnesLiterature generally evolves from a people's historical and cultural experiences. Though both male and female writers explore their culture for sources of inspirations, and occasionally, for their techniques, the linguistic items employed by both writers to portray their visions are slightly different in the nature of language use as seen in Akachi Ezeigbo's The Last of the Strong Ones. This paper investigates language use in Ezeigbo's work using the feminist discourse approach with particular reference to Elaine Showalter's 'Gynocriticism', which is the study of women as writers. This theoretical thrust provides critics with four models concerning the nature of criticism of female writers' works. The paper affirms that in spite of what patriarchy calls the feminine in language use, which are gender differentiated linguistic behaviours Ezeigbo like most other female writers, employs language for distinctiveness and identity to express genuinely female consciousness in a personal, intimate tone. The preponderance of personal pronoun 'I' helps to present things in an involved and relational way; the frequent use of rhetorical questions are signs of conversational control, whereas the recurrent reference to land, nature and culture reaffirms women as great mothers. In all, Ezeigbo endows women with the power of speech as subjects in their use of linguistic features. Since the novel is a diversity of social speech types, language use also predisposes both sexes along linguistic differences. In conclusion the paper submits that language use as reflected in the feminist world-view, deals with women's development and identity and not 'otherness' as patriarchy perceives it. Therefore, through the careful selection of the linguistic items, Ezeigbo extends the limits of the English language to accommodate her perceptions of African cultural world view from the female perspective. Key words: Gynocriticism, gender, the biological model, the linguistic model, the psychoanalytic model and the cultural model Dr. Ima Emmanuel DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF UYO, UYO ABSTRACTHttp://escipub.com/international-journal-of-social-research/ 0001Ima Emmanuel, IJSR, 2017; 1:5 Http://escipub.com/international-journal-of-social-research/

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This paper set out to interrogate Sexual Orientation Identity in select African and African American novels, using the Queer theory. Some heterosexual writers inadvertently dwell on queer relationships in their works. Toni Morrison in both The Bluest Eye and Beloved portrayed bestiality/zoophillia, phytophilliac or dendraphilliac, Spectorphilli, incest, rape/molestation, masturbation, polyamorous relationships, homoerotic, homosocial, and heterosexuality. Whereas, Damon Gulet’s In a Strange Room and Sello Duiker’s Thirteen Cents depicted lesbianism, homosexuality and bisexuality. With the likes of Geraldine in Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Mr Lebowitz in Duiker’s Thirteen Cents, I agree with Tyson on biological essentialism, that the rest of the population is naturally heterosexual. I also agree with other critics that all human beings have the potential for sexual activity that does not fit into heterosexual framework. I share the opinion of social constructionism; that LGBTQ sexuality and heterosexuality are products of social, not biological forces; our societies are fast losing their mores, hence these evil practices. Since patriarchy is the law, no stiff penalty is effected on their wide spread jeopardizing habits. Queerness is a generational destroyer of both moral and humanity. This paper is emphatic that stiff penalties be brought on the practitioners of psychology of peadophile.