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This is yet another surefire tutorial from CegastAcademy.com on Frank Ogodo Ogbeche’s play, Harvest of Corruption. You are about to discover all you need to know to answer properly a test question regarding the character and role of Ogeyi in Harvest of Corruption.
So fasten your seatbelt and let’s go!
Introduction
Like ACP Yakubu, Ogeyi Ogar represents the moral conscience in a society in desperate need of moral rebirth. She is one of the few characters in Harvest of Corruption whose reputation is without blemish.
The character of Ogeyi
Let’s now take a quick look at the character traits that define Ogeyi in Frank Ogodo Ogbeche’s play, Harvest of Corruption. We shall then go on to discuss Ogeyi’s role in the development of the major themes and of the plot of the play.
- Ogeyi is slim, fair in complexion and of average height.
- Ogeyi is a born-again Christian. We hear her constantly reminding Aloho of their shared Christian values.
- Like Aloho and Ochuole, Ogeyi is a graduate of the University of Azuka. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
- She lives and works in Jabu, the capital of Jacassa. Ogeyi shares a room with Aloho at Number 2 Gbossa Street, Pannya.
- Unlike Aloho, Ogeyi is gainfully employed. She works as a receptionist at ABC Company, Ayokolo.
- Ogeyi is kindhearted
She gives free accommodation to Aloho and feeds her free of charge.
Ogeyi is not in a hurry to see the back of Aloho. She tells Aloho that she is prepared to continue taking care of her till the day she is able to get a decent, problem-free job.
- Ogeyi is a supportive and dependable friend
This is seen in the way she stands by her friend through thick and thin. Even after Aloho’s death, she keeps supporting her posthumously. Her successful mission to avenge the death of Aloho by making sure that Chief and his accomplices are dealt with according to the law attests to Ogeyi’s undying loyalty to her friendship with Aloho.
- Ogeyi is a devout Christian with a high sense of morality
She shows this character trait right from the beginning of the drama to the end. Here are a few examples of Ogeyi’s high moral standards
She sounds the alarm bells very loudly as soon as Aloho tells her about her meeting with the immoral Ochuole. Ogeyi has lived much longer in Jabu than Aloho so she has more experience of life there. She has seen more and heard more of the immoral escapades of their former schoolmate, Ochuole in the capital.
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She, therefore, makes it clear to Aloho that Ochuole is like a deadly virus. She quickly contaminates and destroys anyone who comes close to her.
“… But let me inform you, if you don’t know, that those who relate with her are either dead or useless now. They have met their doom one way or the other while she remains alive and looking for more prey.”
These prophetic words from Ogeyi foreshadow the fate that is waiting to befall Aloho as she stubbornly refuses to heed the good counsel coming from her friend.
Again, like the dutiful friend that she is, Ogeyi preaches patience to Aloho. She constantly reminds her of their shared Christian principles. Ogeyi is so desperate to make Aloho see reason and desist from associating with Ochuole that she gets frustrated when Aloho shows no sign of listening to her advice.
“Do not say I did not warn you. God is my witness. I have done my duty. … I think like a dog which is going astray, you are deaf to all advice.”
Ogeyi has a heart of gold. She will never give up on her recalcitrant friend, Aloho. She cries with her when Aloho tells her about her ill-fated pregnancy for Chief Haladu Ade-Amaka. Her undying love and care for her friend are summarized in these moving words by Aloho herself:
“I was seeking shelter, you gave me a house; hungry, you fed me; anxious, you calmed my fears; imprisoned, you visited me. Oh! Ogeyi, my love will remain with you forever.
The role of Ogeyi
- Ogeyi’s role in the development of the themes of corruption and immorality
As a foil to Ochuole and possibly Aloho, Ogeyi is the character used by the playwright to satirize the social evils plaguing Jacassa. Like ACP Yakubu, she represents the moral voice in the play. Ogeyi is used to showcase what is desirable in any normal society. Her attitudes and beliefs contrast sharply with what has become normal in the Jacassan society – unacceptably high levels of corruption in both high and low places.
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Through Ogeyi, we see, more glaringly, the extent of moral degeneracy in the play, Harvest of Corruption. Ogeyi’s impeccable born again Christian morality, her uncompromising attachment to her high moral values, her sense of modesty, her patience and tolerance, her loyalty to those she cares about – even in the most difficult moments – are the very traits that are lacking in the diseased Jacassan society.
- Ogeyi’s role in the development of the plot of Harvest of Corruption
Ogeyi represents the moral force that is in conflict with all the evil in Jacassan society. She is the protagonist that is locked up in battle against such bad characters as Chief, Ochuole, Justice Odili, Madam Hoha and the Commissioner of Police.
Ogeyi’s persistent pleas with her friend to tread with caution provide an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue throughout the play.
The reader is on tenterhooks, much of the time, just hoping that, somehow, Aloho will come to her senses; listen to good advice from her friend before she lands herself in trouble.
As she cries with her fallen friend, we cannot help but share in the atmosphere of pain and sorrow generated.
Also, as we have already noted, Ogeyi’s prophetic remarks foreshadow the fate that awaits Aloho at the closing stages of the drama.
But the question remains if Ogeyi could probably have done more to save her obstinate friend, Aloho, who has been blinded by the flashy lifestyle of Ochuole and driven by a genuine but desperate desire to find a job and live a decent independent life just like her friend.
Maybe Ogeyi’s visit to ACP Yakubu’s office in a desperate move to save her friend from an abortion-related death and to report the nefarious activities of Chief and his gang is one attempt too late.
Couldn’t Ogeyi have taken such a step much earlier? This is an open-ended question whose answer is anybody’s guess.
What we cannot take away from Ogeyi, however, is her exemplary high moral standards. As a patriot, she does the right thing by assisting the police to bring Chief and the others to book. The Wasa High Court case in which she features as the star prosecution witness marks the resolution of all the conflicts in this moving drama.
Thank you.