Volume-2, Issue-7, July 2026

Abstract

This article synthesizes five foundational texts—Ian McEwan's The Cockroach, Rawi Hage's Cockroach, K. Raghavendra Rao's The Cockroach Man, Kenzaburō Ōe's The Silent Cry, and George Orwell's Animal Farm—to investigate the intersection of insectoid surrealism, political satire, and underground resistance in international literature. This paper builds a theoretical framework for analyzing a conceptual "Cockroach Janata Party"—a metaphorical collective representing the resilient, unflushable, and ubiquitous marginalized masses rising against oppressive political climates—by operating at the intersection of postcolonial theory, biopolitics, and literary animal studies. With an emphasis on similarities to India's current socio-political environment, the analysis interprets these pieces as intentional artistic interventions against corporate-bureaucratic state machinery, majoritarian populism, and state-sanctioned authoritarianism. This article shows how bug and animal allegories transform from historical instruments of colonial dehumanization into powerful mechanisms of democratic dissent, ideological subversion, and radical subaltern agency by examining tropes of metamorphosis, subaltern survival, and decentralized resistance.

Keywords: Animal Allegory; Subaltern Agency; Political Satire; Insectoid Surrealism; Biopolitics.

References

1. Hage, R. (2009). Cockroach. W. W. Norton & Company.
2. McEwan, I. (2019). The Cockroach. Anchor Books.
3. Nations, J. M. (2018). Resisting the market university: Political challenges to the locus of authority in public university tuition policy. Social Science History, *42*(3), 575-600. https://doi.org/10.1017/ssh.2018.19
4. Ōe, K. (1994). The Silent Cry (J. Nathan, Trans.). Serpent's Tail. (Original work published 1967)
5. Orwell, G. (1945). Animal Farm. Secker and Warburg.
6. Part A. (2020). AQAR report 2019-20_new. Annual Quality Assurance Report of Osmania University (pp. 1-29). Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Osmania University. https://www.osmania.ac.in/iqac/Annual%20Reports/AQAR-report%202019-20_new.pdf
7. Part A. (2024). Annual Quality Assurance Report of Osmania University 2022-2023. Yearly Status Report - 2022-2023 (pp. 1-107). Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Osmania University. https://www.osmania.ac.in/iqac/files/AQAR%202022-23%20Report.pdf
8. Rao, K. R. (2002). The Cockroach Man. Popular Prakashan.
9. Roy, A. (2017). The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Alfred A. Knopf.
10. Spivak, G. C. (2010). Can the subaltern speak? In R. C. Morris (Ed.), Can the subaltern speak? Reflections on the history of an idea (pp. 21-78). Columbia University Press.

Abstract

This paper explores the role of leadership in perpetuating food insecurity in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow. Rooted in the escalating crisis of ecological degradation, colonial legacy, political bureaucracy, and the commodification of food systems, it demonstrates the intricate relationship between power dynamics and food insecurity in African literary discourses, with a focus on Wizard of the Crow. Through a critical analysis of the novel, this study examines how Ngũgĩ critiques the role of systemic injustice, political bureaucracy, and failed leadership policies in perpetuating or alleviating food insecurity. By employing geocriticism, ecocriticism, and food system theories, this research reveals the complex interplay between governance, economic policies, and food security, highlighting how authoritarian regimes and neoliberal financial institutions exacerbate food insecurity. This study demonstrates that Wizard of the Crow serves as a powerful critique of failed governance, ecological destruction, and social instability, offering a piercing commentary on the intersections between leadership, environmental exploitation, and the struggle for survival. Ultimately, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between power, politics, and food security in African contexts.

Keywords: Geopolitics, Food Insecurity, Power, Ecocriticism, Food System Theory.

References

1. Bello, W. (2009). The Food War. Verso.
2. Brown, L. (2011). The new geopolitics of food: From the Middle East to Madagascar, high prices are spawning land grabs and ousting dictators. Welcome to the 21st century food wars. Foreign Policy.
3. Dagar, J. C., et al. (2015). Climate change and agriculture: Adaptation strategies and mitigation opportunities for food security in South Asia and Latin America. Advances in Agronomy, *137*, 1-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.12.005
4. Davis, M. (2019). Public health leadership in the 21st century. Journal of Public Health, *41*(2), 215-220.
5. Easton, D. (1953). The Political System: An Inquiry into the State of Political Science. Knopf.
6. Efe, J. J., & Anyanwu, P. N. (2024). Politics and class dialectics in Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow. Journal of African Literature and Culture, *10*(1), 1-15.
7. Iheka, C. (2018). Naturalizing Africa: Ecological violence, agency, and postcolonial resistance in African literature. Cambridge University Press.
8. Lasswell, H. D. (1936). Politics: Who gets what, when, how. McGraw-Hill.
9. Lenin, V. I. (1918). The State and Revolution. Progress Publishers.
10. Mamdani, M. (1996). Citizen and subject: Contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism. Princeton University Press.
11. Mkandawire, T. (2001). Thinking about developmental states in Africa. Cambridge Journal of Economics, *25*(3), 289-314.
12. Mohan, R. (2023). Food and culture: An anthropological analysis. International Journal of Research and Review, *10*(8), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230860
13. Nampewo, C. (2013). Saving Mabira rain forest: Using public interest litigation in Uganda to save Mabira Forest and other rain forests. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, *40*(2), 522-553.
14. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. (2006). Wizard of the Crow [eBook edition]. Anchor Books.
15. Okuyade, O. (2013). Literature and the environment in contemporary Africa. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
16. Oyeniyi, A. (2019). Food insecurity and African literature: Narratives of hunger and survival. Routledge.
17. Prosekov, A. Y., & Ivanova, S. A. (2018). Food security: The challenge of the present. Geoforum, *91*, 73-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.02.030
18. Tally, R. T., Jr. (2013). Spatiality. Routledge.
19. UNCTAD. (2019). World Investment Report 2019. United Nations.
20. Westphal, B. (2011). Geocriticism: Real and fictional spaces. Palgrave Macmillan.

Abstract

This study critically analyses women's condition in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Set against the backdrop of the Victorian era, a period defined by strict social norms and profound gender inequalities, the novel sheds light on women's living conditions through the protagonist's journey from a marginalized orphan to an independent woman. Drawing on feminist and literary theories, this research explores how the narrative portrays female oppression through restricted educational access, economic dependence, and rigid societal expectations. Furthermore, it highlights the various strategies used by female characters to assert their identities and independence. The analysis contrasts Jane's trajectory toward autonomy and love with the experience of Bertha Mason, who embodies an alternative, more tragic facet of Victorian womanhood. The findings reveal that Brontë uses her narrative as a means of depicting the hardships faced by women, positioning Jane's resilience, moral strength, and persistent desire for equality as a powerful symbol of resistance against patriarchal norms. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that Jane Eyre not only critiques the historical condition of women but also advocates for female emancipation through education, self-determination, and personal integrity.

Keywords: Women, Oppression, Independence, Feminism, Victorian Society.

References

1. Armstrong, N. (1987). Desire and domestic fiction: A political history of the novel. Oxford University Press.
2. Beauvoir, S. de. (1989). The second sex (H. M. Parshley, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published 1949)
3. Brontë, C. (1847). Jane Eyre. Smith, Elder & Co.
4. Davidoff, L., & Hall, C. (1987). Family fortunes: Men and women of the English middle class, 1780–1850. Hutchinson.
5. Eagleton, T. (1975). Myths of power: A Marxist study of the Brontës. Macmillan Press.
6. Eagleton, T. (1976). Marxism and literary criticism. University of California Press.
7. Gilbert, S. M., & Gubar, S. (1979). The madwoman in the attic: The woman writer and the nineteenth-century literary imagination. Yale University Press.
8. Marx, K. (1990). Capital: A critique of political economy (Vol. 1). Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1867)
9. Marx, K., & Engels, F. (2002). The Communist manifesto. Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1848)
10. Moglen, H. (1976). Charlotte Brontë: The self conceived. W. W. Norton & Company.
11. Poovey, M. (1988). Uneven developments: The ideological work of gender in mid-Victorian England. University of Chicago Press.
12. Rhys, J. (1966). Wide Sargasso Sea. André Deutsch.
13. Rich, A. (1979). Jane Eyre: The temptations of a motherless woman. In On lies, secrets, and silence: Selected prose 1966–1978 (pp. 89-106). W. W. Norton & Company.
14. Rigby, E. (1848). Vanity Fair—and Jane Eyre. Quarterly Review, *84*(167), 153-185.
15. Showalter, E. (1977). A literature of their own: British women novelists from Brontë to Lessing. Princeton University Press.
16. Spivak, G. C. (1985). Three women's texts and a critique of imperialism. Critical Inquiry, *12*(1), 243-261.
17. Wollstonecraft, M. (1988). A vindication of the rights of woman. Norton. (Original work published 1792).

Abstract

This paper is a close literary and socio-cultural analysis of food, hunger, and power in Easterine Kire's A Terrible Matriarchy (2013). It explores how alimentary practices such as the preparation of food, its distribution, withholding, and symbolism function as a mode of domination within the domestic sphere of Angami Naga society. Drawing upon feminist food studies, postcolonial theory, and Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus and social capital, the paper argues that Kire deploys the politics of the kitchen and dining not merely as indigenous cultural backdrop but also as the very site where patriarchal authority is conceived, reproduced, internalized, and enforced—paradoxically by women themselves. The central irony of the novel is that the household, which is run by a "grandmother," constitutes a "terrible matriarchy" and is shown to rest fundamentally on economies of hunger: who gets to eat first, who receives the big pieces of meat, and who labors to feed others while depriving herself. The protagonist Dielieno's navigation of this hierarchy reflects how food scarcity or abundance are not merely material conditions but also mechanisms of gender formation in a deeply biased and unequal society. By placing Kire's text in dialogue with theories of culinary capital and nutritional inequality, this paper attempts to examine food in A Terrible Matriarchy as a simultaneous weapon of control, a site of resistance, and an embodiment of indigenous women's subjectivity.

Keywords: Alimentary Politics, Feminist Food Studies, Postcolonial Feminism, Culinary Capital, Hunger.

References

1. Althusser, L. (1971). Ideology and ideological state apparatuses. In Lenin and philosophy and other essays (B. Brewster, Trans.). Monthly Review Press. (Original work published 1969-70)
2. Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Harvard University Press.
3. Counihan, C. M. (1999). The anthropology of food and body: Gender, meaning and power. Routledge.
4. Dastider, M. G. (2020). Food and gender symbolism in Easterine Kire's A Terrible Matriarchy. Rock Pebbles, XXIV(III), 4.
5. Douglas, M. (1972). Deciphering a meal. Daedalus, *101*(1), 61-81. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024058
6. Kire, E. (2013). A Terrible Matriarchy. Zubaan. (Original work published 2007)
7. Pou, K. B. V. (Ed.). (2023). Keeper of stories: Critical readings of Easterine Kire's novels. Highlander Press.
8. Sachdeva, S., & Rani, R. (2023). Food politics and culinary capital: A critical reading of Easterine Kire's A Terrible Matriarchy and Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar's They Eat Meat. Dialog, *41*, 248-264.
9. Spivak, G. C. (1988). Can the subaltern speak? In C. Nelson & L. Grossberg (Eds.), Marxism and the interpretation of culture. University of Illinois Press.
10. Zama, M. C. (2013). Emerging literatures from Northeast India: The dynamics of culture, society and identity. Sage.

Abstract

C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia underlines moral growth by means of courage and temptation. This paper investigates how Lewis employs these motifs to provide moral and spiritual direction across the seven volumes of the series. Through Aslan, the Pevensie siblings, and Prince Caspian, Lewis reveals courage, selflessness, and tenacity. The temptations of Edmund, Eustace, and Digory reveal the hazards of greed, power, and moral uncertainty. Each book's bravery and temptation are investigated to see how they shape the journeys and narrative of the protagonists. Edmund's lies and atonement in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe show how courage and pardon transform lives. Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader stress moral perseverance through internal and external struggles. Jill and Eustace's struggle to rescue Prince Rilian in The Silver Chair shows their resilience as well as the attraction of suffering and luxury. Lewis writes engaging stories with timeless human nature ideas, contrasting courage and temptation. Using The Chronicles of Narnia to highlight bravery and temptation, the paper next examines how these topics remain pertinent in contemporary literature and life.

Keywords: Bravery, temptation, character development, ethical guidance, moral integrity.

References

1. Boger, J. (2019). "You cannot want wrong things any more, now that you have died": Problems of purity, temptation, and redemption in The Chronicles of Narnia. The Graduate Review, *4*(1), 86-97.
2. Brown, D. (2005). Inside Narnia. Baker Books.
3. Downing, D. C. (2005). Into the wardrobe. Jossey-Bass.
4. Edwards, B. L. (2005). Not a tame lion. Tyndale House.
5. Ford, P. F. (2005). Companion to Narnia: A complete guide to the magical world of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Harper San Francisco.
6. Guroian, V. (1998). Tending the heart of virtue. Oxford University Press.
7. Jacobs, A. (2005). The Narnian: The life and imagination of C. S. Lewis. Harper One.
8. Lewis, C. S. (1994a). Prince Caspian. ZonderKidz.
9. Lewis, C. S. (1994b). The Horse and His Boy. ZonderKidz.
10. Lewis, C. S. (1994c). The Last Battle. ZonderKidz.
11. Lewis, C. S. (1994d). The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. ZonderKidz.
12. Lewis, C. S. (1994e). The Magician's Nephew. ZonderKidz.
13. Lewis, C. S. (1994f). The Silver Chair. ZonderKidz.
14. Lewis, C. S. (1994g). The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. ZonderKidz.
15. Lewis, C. S. (2001). The Screwtape letters. Harper San Francisco.
16. Loconte, J. (2015). Thomas Nelson. [Note: Incomplete reference; please verify]
17. Manlove, C. N. (1993). The Chronicles of Narnia: The patterning of a fantastic world. Twayne Publishers.
18. Miller, L. (2008). The magician's book. Little, Brown & Company.
19. Nicholson, M. (1995). Lewis and the scholarship of imagination in E. Nesbit and Rider Haggard. Children's Literature, *23*, 1-25.
20. Rodolph, S. A. (1996). The Chronicles of Narnia: A rhetorical analysis.
21. Savarimuttu, R. C. S. (n.d.). The Chronicles of Narnia: A hermeneutical reading. Academia.edu.
22. Schakel, P. J. (1979). Reading with the heart: The way into Narnia. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
23. Schakel, P. J. (2002). Imagination and the arts in C.S. Lewis: Journeying to Narnia and other worlds. University of Missouri Press.
24. Ward, M. (2007). Planet Narnia. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313871.001.0001
25. Ward, M. (2010). The Narnia code. Tyndale House.
26. Wood, R. C. (2003). The gospel according to Tolkien. Westminster/John Knox Press.

Abstract

English is an important skill for students in the globalized world because it is used as an international language in many areas, such as education, technology, business, and communication. However, many students still struggle to use English actively, especially in speaking skills. One way to improve this ability is by making it a habit to use English in everyday conversations. This study aims to examine students' English language skills by looking at how they use English in daily conversations and to identify factors that affect the effectiveness of its application. The research uses a descriptive qualitative method with data collection techniques including observation and documentation. The research subject consists of students who have experience using English in daily communication activities, whether in school, family, or social interactions. The data collected was analyzed to find out the relationship between the intensity of English language use in daily conversations and the development of students' English language skills. The research results show that using English regularly in daily conversations has a positive impact on improving speaking ability, vocabulary mastery, pronunciation, and understanding of language structure. In addition, the habit of communicating in English has been shown to help students feel more confident when expressing their opinions and interacting with others. The factors that help improve this ability include a strong study motivation, a supportive environment for using English, access to learning materials, and regular practice done consistently. Using English in everyday conversations can be an effective way to help students improve their language skills continuously and apply them in real-life situations.

Keywords: English language skills, daily conversation, students' speaking ability.

References

1. Chaer, A., & Agustina, L. (2010). Sociolinguistics: An introduction (Rev. ed.). Rineka Cipta.
2. Crystal, D. (2003). English as a global language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
3. Herman, H., Siallagan, H., Fatmawati, E., Sherly, S., Ngongo, M., Lubis, H. T., & Syathroh, I. L. (2025). Exploring the emerging domain of research on media for teaching learning process: A case on improving reading comprehension skills. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, *14*(4), 354-366. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v14n4p354
4. Herman, H., Sudarmo, S., Suardi, S., Judijanto, L., Fatmawati, E., Syathroh, I. L., Saputra, N., & Manik, C. G. (2026). Students' perceptions of code-switching in English as a foreign language classrooms: A qualitative study of internal and external influencing factors. International Journal of Special Education, *41*(7s), 474-491. https://internationalsped.com/index.php/ijse/article/view/3254
5. Hewi Murdaningsih, T. (2014). English speaking anxiety among female students in the English language education study program: A case study at Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto. Journal of Language and Literature, *14*(1), 45-58.
6. Lubis, A. H. (2012). Analysis of English speaking errors among second-semester female students in the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, UISU Medan. Journal of Indonesian Language and Literature Education, *1*(2), 77-89.
7. Moleong, L. J. (2017). Qualitative research methodology (Rev. ed.). Remaja Rosdakarya.
8. Muslich, M. (2010). Bum Indonesian in the era of globalization: Position, function, development, and guidance. Bumi Aksara.
9. Nunan, D. (1991). Language teaching methodology: A textbook for teachers. Prentice Hall.
10. Nurhayati, D. A. W. (2016). English speaking skill development through informal interactions among female students at Brawijaya University. Journal of Education: Theory, Research, and Development, *1*(8), 1572-1580.
11. Purba, D. N., Herman, H., & Marpaung, T. I. (2026). Using artificial intelligence (AI) in improving students' writing ability on descriptive text at grade eight of SMP Negeri 1 Siantar. Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Pendidikan, *7*(4), 2303-2309. https://doi.org/10.55583/jkip.v7i4.2422
12. Santoso, B. (2018). Learning motivation and its influence on English speaking skills among female university students in East Java. Journal of Education, *2*(1), 112-127.
13. Sihotang, T., Herman, H., & Sinaga, Y. K. (2026). An analysis on the use of cohesive devices in improving students' ability in writing recount text at the ninth grade of SMP Negeri 1 Siantar. Indonesian Journal Education, *5*(2), 174-180. https://doi.org/10.56495/ije.v5i2.1608
14. Sinaga, Y. K., Aryani, N., Herman, H., Fadhly, F. Z., Rahmawati, R., & Al-Awawdeh, N. (2025). The effect of wordwall media game on vocabulary development: A quasi-experimental study. English Review: Journal of English Education, *13*(3), 1145-1154. https://doi.org/10.25134/psw00p62
15. Sitepu, E., Sari, I., Fatmawati, E., Dhillon, B. P. S., Purba, R., Ngongo, M., Sirait, J., & Herman, H. (2026). Enhancing reading comprehension through the Know-Want-Learn (KWL) strategy: An insight to private junior high school. World Journal of English Language, *16*(5), 120-130. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v16n5p120
16. Suyanto, K. K. E. (2010). English for young learners: Unleashing children's potential through fun, exciting, and engaging English classes. Bumi Aksara.
17. Tarigan, H. G. (2015). Speaking as a language skill (Rev. ed.). Angkasa.
18. Widiati, U., & Cahyono, B. Y. (2006). The teaching of EFL speaking in the Indonesian context: The state of the art. Language and Arts: Journal of Language, Literature, Arts, and Their Teaching, *34*(2), 269-292.

Abstract

This paper examines the idea of New Literature in English and its relationship with post-colonial studies, with special focus on Dalit and Tribal literature in English translation. It explains why these literary traditions are considered forms of new literature and how translation into English creates wider recognition and academic visibility. Translation gives marginalized communities a voice and becomes a means of asserting identity, rights, and existence. It also creates space for these texts beyond their original linguistic and cultural contexts.

Dalit literature represents the experiences of oppression, discrimination, struggle, resistance, and the demand for equality. Writing itself becomes a political act and an important part of Dalit activism. Similarly, Tribal literature reflects tribal history, culture, traditions, exploitation, and struggles for survival and rights. Much of Tribal literature existed for centuries in oral form before being written down. Some tribal communities developed their own scripts, while others adopted scripts from neighboring languages. Therefore, Tribal literature may also be understood as a form of translation from oral to written traditions.

The paper further discusses how Dalit and Tribal literature differs from mainstream literary traditions in language, themes, and aesthetics. Their translation is not merely cultural exchange but also a political and social intervention that challenges dominant systems. In India, Tribal literature should not be viewed as a single homogeneous category; rather, it is an umbrella term that includes diverse Adivasi, indigenous, and native literary traditions across regions and languages.

The concept of New Literature in English overlaps with categories such as Indigenous Literature, Aboriginal Literature, Commonwealth Literature, and Post-Colonial Literature. Literature written in regional languages becomes part of English studies mainly through translation, and today translated works occupy an important place in English literary studies and academic discussions.

Keywords: New Literature in English, Post-Colonial Literature, Dalit Literature, Tribal Literature, Adivasi Literature, Indigenous Literature.

References

1. Devi, M. (1995). Imaginary Maps (G. C. Spivak, Trans.). Routledge.
2. Devy, G. N. (Ed.). (2002). Painted words: An anthology of tribal literature. Purva Prakash.
3. Freud, S. (1950). Totem and taboo. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
4. Lugun, A. (2021, January 15). Bagh Aur Sugna Munda Ki Beti. The Caravan: A Journal of Politics and Culture. https://caravanmagazine.in/books/reading-list-ten-voices-adivasi-literature
5. Maisuangdibou, M. (2022). Tribal literature, theology and methodology. Christian World Imprints.
6. Meena, G. S. (2016, April 15). Tribal literature: Challenges and possibilities. Forward Press. https://www.forwardpress.in/2016/04/tribal-literature-challenges-and-possibilities/