Things F a l l Apart Entry #5
The Evil Forest and the Norm of SocietyAfter reading chapters 16-18 of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the society at which Okonkwo lives in is very expectant. Whether it is in Iguedo or Mbanta, one can notice how being "different" can affect how one lives or how people think of you. When the white men arrive at Mbanta, Mr.Kiaga opens up a new church. He proposes a portion of land to the main rulers of Mbanta, and they allow him the "Evil Forest." The Evil Forest is basically the worst part of land in the village. It contains many diseases, and many evil spirits that should not be encountered. It's a place for the different. In
Things Fall Apart, what I commonly noticed was how being "different" was such a bad thing. For example, Nneka in chapter 17 decided to be a convert, because she wasn't being excepted for who she was, but by her actions. She produced twins which were not accepted in the society. Sooner or later, many came to the Christian church because they appreciated the different. When Nwoye wants to join Christianity, Okonkwo is incited into utter anger. He can't stand it when people are different. I think this well represents contemporary society. We accept people for being the same as everyone else. When we see someone different, we tend to disparage them, or treat them as insubordinates. In society, we will always have an Evil Forest, because all of us are different.The following chapters in Things Fall Apart,
made me realize the significance of the things we are or do. Many will not appreciate you if you cannot meet their expectations. As in Nneka and in Nwoye they wanted to be different and be accepted for who they were. These people are not only different, but in my opinion, I believe for them to be brave.
Nwoye knew that he was different, ever since he was a child. He pretended to be something he was not. He enjoyed folklore instead of tales of gore and violence. He wanted his father to accept him for who he was. And so he went, into the Evil Forest, as a different person. He knew he would be reprimanded and hated, but he couldn't deny something that was his truth, his identity. Nwoye leaving probably gave Okonkwo a new understanding. This understanding probably told that people can be different, and that nothing can change it and it is irrevocable and inevitable.
Would you rather remain a face in the crowd or who you truly are?
Chinua Achebe--Things F a l l Apart Entry # 4
Ekwefi and the Perception of DeathIn
Things Fall Apart, mainly in Chapter 9, I realized and came upon a new character in this book that I found idiosyncratic. This character is Ekwefi. She is the 3rd wife of Okonkwo. I find her interesting because she's a strong character. She had 10 children and 9 of them had died. She remained bitter throughout her life until Ezinma was born. Ezinma basically restored the mother's anxiety and depression. If you think about it, it would be hard dealing with so many deaths.
Ekwefi went through so much, that she lost hope whenever a new child was born. In fact, she grew hopeless because much of her children died before the age of 3. Losing children not only brought depression to Ekwefi, but it made her feel proud. Basically in Umuofia, gaining children was a woman's "crowning glory," an acheivement made that a woman should feel proud about.
When she lost hope she named her children Onwumbiko--"Death, I implore you," Ozoemena--"Mayit not happen again," and Onwuma--"Death may please himself. Can you imagine how much she dealt with throughout her life? She tried eveyrthing she could, and all she had was 1 child and 9 children that had died. She was a bitter person, but mainly I like her, because she isn't like the other wives. She's stronger, and she knows more about death and even life, that the other 2 wives wouldn't know.
This makes me think about Death and why people die. Death is such a powerful thing. It's something that we must face, and we suffer from. Where do we go? Is the question most people ask. Mainly, I've always wondered why death has to occur. Ekwefi must wonder about this, because I think she's learned a lot about life. I think she can realize that life is too short, and that sometimes we have to let go of things. Ekwefi's spirit reminds me of a rose. She is sharp, but deep inside lies a beautiful spirit. As she loses her petals (emotions), she may wilt at times, but she will blossom again with sun and water. This sun and water is Ezinma, in my opinion, and her love for fighting. I guess that is why she loves fighting so much, because she has seen pain, and tries to look at it with an optimistic view.
Chinua Achebe-- Things F a l l Apart Entry # 3
Conformity + PrejudiceAfter reading up to chapter 9, I noticed many important things throughout the text. Mainly, Okonkwo wants what is best for his children. He can't seem to relate to them, because they share different characteristics than him, and it causes him to be anxious. While Ikemefuna was present, Nwoye was becoming more "manly." Yet deep inside, Nwoye was interested in the folklore that women told children. This brings about an interesting point in Unmuofia.
In Umuofia, I noticed many have to conform in order to be great. For instance, Okokwo is not happy with the fact that Nwoye is not as "manly" as his daughetr Ezinma is. He believes that once Nwoye does not have this "manliness," he will not be successful in life. All Okonkwo wishes for is his family to conform and acheive greatness. But children are greatly influenced by how parents set their expectations on them. Truthfully, Nwyoe pretends to be intrigued by stories of gore, but he more is satisfied by the stories women tell. He hides the fact that he enjoys these things in order to look good in front of his father.
I also noticed how men were prejudiced against women. Women are disparaged as always such as in
Julius Caesar, The Odyssey, and Nectar in a Sieve. Why has society perceived that certain people are different or even smarter than others? Why should gender matter in determining strength or how smart you are? Also, they refer to the white men as lepers. It's such a harsh statement for people that are new or discovered. What causes this hate? Why should it matter if one is a different color than another? I'm also wondering why these books all go against certain things such as stereotypes on men and women.
Things F a l l Apart Entry #2
Characterization Based upon the first chapter, I made a basic outline of the main character, Okonkwo in
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.Okonkwo: Okonkwo is the main character in this story. He is well known throughout several villages, for his strength. His most proud accomplishment, is defeating Amalinze the Cat. He is prominent in his skill of fighting, and lacks skills of conversation that the Ibo highly value. He is as "slippery as a fish in water." Okonkow is tall, huge, with bushy eyebrows, and a wide nose. These charactertistics set him off as a severe character. He has 3 wvies and several children. He is described in the text as intimidating. For instance when he is walking, it is described to be that he is "walking on springs," and almost looking as if he is ready to pounce on someone. HE used his fists to finish his topic, and is known for impatience with unsuccessful men, such as his father Unoka. His acheivements are always revered.
Based on Okonkwo, I'm predicting that he thinks too hard when he deciding upon his actions. In many moments, he always seems to stop and think, "what will happen to me based upon this action?" He is careful in what he does and how he does it. He knows what is right and what is wrong, by comparing his actions to those of his father's. His father Unoka, had an infamous reputation for not giving back things to others, when he had borrowed them. He also was a heavy drinker with less thoughts on the future, and more on the present. Influencing how his father's actions led him to his rise and fall, Okonkwo has decided that he wants to live a live that his father never had. He wants his children to live the life he never had, of having an equally great father.
Chinua Achebe--Things F a l l Apart-- Entry #1
In Ms.Faughey's class we've been starting to interpret a new book,
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Before reading the text, Ms.Faughey wanted us to wonder how to analyze or depict the book with basic information. With basic facts about the book, we were asked to created our own cover for
Things Fall Apart.
After viewing many interpretations in our class, some were similar. What I seemed to notice is that the main character was always some type of shadow, with no face, but just a dark figure. Maybe it's just how people can perceive things. When we were provided with this information, we really didn't know who this character was based on this small type of information. Yet, we all assumed it was a character looking distraught. Some people interpreted the book literally, as things falling apart.
This analyzing opened me up to a new perception of how society or people interpret books. We can judge books a certain way, and that's how we end up portraying them in our minds. Although I had to disagree with many of the covers, I realized that people can have different views on things.
After doing some research, I found different covers on
Things fall apart, and decided to interpret them.
This image shows a deep meaning to
Things Fall Apart. It shows both the literal and deep meaning of the text. It shows a mask that is broken, and yet it is of African heritage, and is quite clearly of a man. It shows how the man "shattered" up into pieces, because of a tragic event.
This image shows an African man hiding his face in either fear, loss, or anger. He looks like he is in a dark place and has been deeply affected by some sort of tragedy.
In this image, the one that we are using, shows a man looking out in the distance, as if deep in thought. Behind him are cracked pieces of his life. I thought this most clearly represented the plot of the book in many ways. it wasn't too deep and wasn't too simple. It was sufficient enough to express the main theme of the story. Although I think both images above best catch the reader's eye, this is the best in literary terms.
