Style and setting in “Dina” A short story by Luis Bernardo Honwana

Kwasi, Opoku; Kwaku Duah, Stephen

أطراس
Volume 6, Numéro 2, Pages 263-284
2025-07-15

Style And Setting In “dina” A Short Story By Luis Bernardo Honwana

Authors : Kwasi Opoku . Kwaku Duah Stephen .

Abstract

This paper analyzes the style and setting and the use of linguistic expressions in Luis Bernado Honwana’s short story “DINA” considering the micro and macro setting by students and teachers within and outside the classroom. The choices of linguistic artistry considered by Honwana in terms of different places, different times, different environments, cultures, costumes, movements, etc., are very crucial with causality, but for them, things will not have happened the way they were. It was found that these elements of setting and linguistic expressions revealed some cruel realities in the story. The short story ‘DINA’ portrays various elements of setting such as place (the camp, fields, and barn), time (day and intervals), environment (hot, cold, and chaotic), and cultural aspects (food, dress, and behavior). It was also observed that setting and linguistic expressions played a crucial role in connecting events and characters, driving the plot, and detailing the social, personal, and ethical behaviors of characters, influencing their actions based on prevailing conditions, thereby becoming an indispensable element within the story's milieu. The study concludes that characters convey messages through actions within specific geographical, temporal, environmental, and cultural settings in stories. The study recommends the investigation on how the descriptions of places, times, environments, and cultural elements intersect with historical or societal contexts, highlighting broader themes of colonialism, socio-economic structures, and power dynamics within the narrative.