Abstract
This paper presents an ecocritical analysis of Nnimmo Bassey's poetry collection, "We Thought It Was Oil but It Was Blood" (2002). Focusing on contemporary issues in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, the collection delves into themes of environmental degradation, despoliation, and the abuse of nature, including the landscape, flora, and fauna. Employing ecocriticism as a theoretical framework, this study conducts a contextual analysis of the poetry collection. Additionally, the paper evaluates the literary elements employed in the text, highlighting their significance for literary research. The findings suggest that the ecocritical reading of the text raises pertinent questions about human interactions with nature and enhances readers' awareness of the natural world and its interconnectedness with it.
Keywords: Ecocriticism, human versus nature, contextual analysis, Post-colonial Nigeria
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/tjllc.2023.v02i02.006
