Activism and Character Formation: Analysis of Flight of the Hummingbird and Unbowed by Wangari Maathai.

Literary activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society towards a perceived greater good. The study gained inspiration from the conviction that the art of imagination and the creative concerns, such as the creative depiction of environmental degradation, can be communicated and understood through metaphorical representations. Meta activism encompasses these forms and places activism as a multi-faceted championing of causes. This study posits that literature and activism are intertwined and that, as such, activism could in a number of ways, inform the development of character in individuals. The objective of the study is to analyse activism as informing character formation in Flight of the Hummingbird and Unbowed by Wangari Maathai. This study, therefore, investigates Wangari Maathai’s Unbowed and Flight of the Hummingbird as literary sites where explicit admirable traits are developed in individuals who took part in activist-oriented activities. This interrogation has been carried out through the lenses of eco-criticism and eco-feminism theories. The study has used an analytical research design, which facilitates an in-depth analysis of the trends in character acquisition among the champions of courses in the selected texts. The two literary texts were purposively sampled. Both primary and secondary data for this study were analysed and interrogated in response to the study objectives. This study concludes that activism – social, political and environmental – shape the character of protagonists in the two literary texts. The experiences of the protagonists in advocating for the rights women, social and environmental justice shape their identities. This study enriches the growing body of literary scholarship on activism, especially gender and environmental activism. The results of this study will be significant because they will serve as a key reference point for literary scholars who wish to explore activism as a literary virtue that goes beyond the much-publicised tirade that is commonly associated with activists and champions of causes.