Monthly Archives: November 2016

HW for December 5

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Class,

Thanks for your excellent work today.  Keep thinking about the broad guiding questions that have come up as you continue reading: culture as performance, Okonkwo’s relationship to culture, parallels between colonizers and villagers, gender relations, the role of religion, etc.

For Monday, please read chapters 9-13.  Ideally, we’ll finish the book by December 12 and have a couple sessions to do review for the final exam (more on that shortly).  Blog group 2, you’re’ up; please post a Create, Connect or Clue (make sure this is only your 1st or 2nd time doing whichever category you choose) by Sunday at 5.  Looking forward to seeing your posts and your classmates’ responses.

 

Okonkwo never shows weakness

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Okonkwo never shows weakness

While reading these chapters one quote stand out to me, “The harmattan was in the air and seemed to distill a hazy feeling of sleep on the world”. I believe this quote explain the 4 chapters we read, because it says that something dark is coming. You can see it in air. In other words something bad was about to happen. But even in earlier chapters it tells you that okonkwo didn’t like the way that ikemefuma was turning his son into. It was like as he was turning him into a good boy to his mother. But okonkwo only wanted him to be just like him, the man. Because okonkwo was feeling like he’s The man, the strongest, he wasn’t suppose to do anything of soft hearted to anyone. That’s the reason ikemefuma was dead. And it was affecting okonkwo deep side, because after his death he couldn’t eat. Even thought okonkwo tries to show this character of strength, deep inside he had a soft heart for those that he felt some kind of affection. But it was difficult showing this character when all these wars were going on, and he needed to show strength. And anything that was nice to do was a weakness to okonkwo. Probably that’s why the ghost of his father haunted him. We also see that he didn’t really like the special dinner of the year, which was a tradition like thanksgiving. In analyzing this fact is probably because he didn’t want to be a lazy man like his father or weak. Overall okonkwo is not fan of being weak or lazy. He always need to show strength to his village, and it doesn’t matter who has to be beating for that or killed.

The Unforgettable Past

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Since the beginning of the story, I had always had the question of how Okonkwo’s past would affect his future? A man who grew up without a role model and who lived in constant fear of being compared to his father. Also that the fact that he is a man who can’t express any emotion except that of anger. This leads me to think of Okonkwo as a character who would not want to resolve things peacefully, if it was up to him, as well as a man who doesn’t wish to be look down upon by anyone. For example even when it came to the death of Ikemefuna he did not hesitate to kill his “son” who had influenced his family and had already became part of them. He did this even though Ikemefuna pleaded “My father, they have killed me!” due to the fear of being thought of as weak by his people. Looking towards the future this type of characteristic may cause him more problems than there should have originally been.

Earth Goddess Clue

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One aspect of the story that seems to have been reoccurring so far is the mentioning of the earth Goddess and the beliefs they hold in their culture. In the previous chapters, the “week of peace” was mentioned and during that particular week they didn’t do anything, but drink “palm-wine.” Except for when Okonkwo beat his wife merciless, which was unheard of during that scared week because every other individual seems to fear the Goddess and holds a level of respect for such powerful being. This major theme of religion is revealed frequently because they believe that there is a higher power that is responsible for the control of their lives and the determinant of their success, whether it be in achievements or just having a good harvest season. I think Achebe’s purpose for doing so is to try to educate readers a bit about the culture and traditions of the Igbo tribe, as well as inform readers of how important they value higher beings that are believed to have a major impact on their lives. Their religion and belief of the Earth Goddess plays a great role because it has a lot to do with their way of living and survival. The Earth Goddess is important to them because being that they are an agricultural society, they rely heavily on their harvest so they do whatever is necessary in order to please the earth Goddess. According to Achebe, “The Feast of the New Yam was held every year before the harvest began, to honor the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the clan. New yams could not be eaten until some had first been offered to these powers.” By holding this tradition annually, they are believed to have a good harvest in the New Year. The people of the Igbo tribe have many beliefs that they believe determines their life and how they live and by doing what is necessary to please the Gods in order live a good life.

Things Fall Apart

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While Okonkwo and Ikemefuna began to follow the group of elders down the forest I began to notice how constantly the forest setting is brought up in different stories. In Things Fall Apart they are all walking deeper into the woods to a certain destination, “The footway had now become narrow line in the heart of the forest” (59). Then all of a sudden tragic occurs, “As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away” (61). The forest in these stories has been constantly a place of darkness where things unforgettable occur. For Okonkwo to look away a character who is suppose to be strong and fearless this actually beings to show a vulnerable side to him that us readers haven’t seen before. On another hand, Young Goodman Brown experience in the forest wasn’t as pleasant either. He notice after awhile that his wife was being apart of a evil ritual, while it was occurring he tried to regain her attention, “”Faith! Faith!” cried the husband. “Look up to heaven, and resist the Wicked One!”” (25). Both of these characters found their way into the forest that would later on haunt them and make them think of repeatedly. The forest overall has lean its way towards this secret mysteries place that only the ones who walk upon know what actually happens. Both Young Goodman Brown and Okonkwo have experience the devastation and tragedy that lingers inside the forest.