SALIENCE AND ERASURE AS ECOSTYLISTIC DEVICES IN HELON HABILA'S OIL ON WATER

Abstract

In Nigeria's Niger Delta, where oil drilling has caused significant harm to the environment and communities, Helon Habila's 2010 novel Oil on Water stands out as an important response. This study examines the book through the lens of ecolinguistics, specifically using Arran Stibbe's (2015) ideas of salience (what is highlighted) and erasure (what is hidden). The goal is to understand how Habila’s writing highlights the severe environmental damage happening in the Niger Delta, alongside the suffering of people affected by oil extraction. The analysis focuses on Habila’s use of vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and broken narrative styles to illustrate the impact of this exploitation and the silences created by companies and the government. By examining ten excerpts, this paper demonstrates how the novel expresses the hidden realities of those harmed by oil extraction, transforming overlooked victims into central elements of the urgent ecological narrative. Ultimately, this research positions Oil on Water as a significant voice against harmful practices and supports the idea that literature can challenge damaging ideologies, striving for justice and sustainability.