I enjoy harkness table discussions. They started for me last year in Ms. Tally's Craft of Writing class. The class last year was very different as we would read and critique altogether during the class period.
I like to participate in class, in general. I have probably done a bit more listening than speaking for our discussions of Nervous Conditions. Whereas, for Things Fall Apart, I found it easier to express opinions. Perhaps it's because of Tambu.. I find it hard to thoroughly enjoy Nervous Conditions, solely because of her, but nevertheless, I will contribute what I can to the discussion.
I can listen for a while, but I like to voice myself at some point. I think I can work a bit harder on speaking. Sometimes when I do speak, I tend to change the subject of discussion (not necessarily a bad thing). I should probably take more notes in my book and come a bit more prepared to ask questions to the class, but as of now, I am speaking whenever I feel unsure of anything.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
Chimamanda Adichie
Adichie has brought to light the general western misconception of the African people. It seems as though her roommate in college really helped her understand the narrow-minded/single story view most westerners have of Africa. I personally have not visited places like Nigeria in Africa, but in order to gain a full perspective in which I can judge the African societies, I will definitely have to travel there first. I enjoyed the 'TED' clip of Adichie. I can somewhat relate to how an American may have a misconception of a foreign place.. but from both ends of the telescope. I myself (an American kid) am born to immigrant parents from India. I have been to India several times and have encountered many misconceptions from my western friends. The ideas are sprung from stories, movies and news. I can agree with Adichie in saying that it is ignorant to view an entire society based on a novel or youtube video. In accordance with "Things Fall Apart," the same principles apply. Although the African society may seem primitive to a person from New York or Texas or California, this person may not have been fully exposed to such a place as Africa. It is vital to note that assumption is not fact and propaganda cannot always be trusted as a reliable source of valid information.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Things Fall Apart : Pages 83-118
Wow! Lots to talk about!
Ezinma is kidnapped by Chielo against her/her parents' will and brought to the Oracle. Agbala, a god, has called for Ezinma. They are followed by Ekwefi and Okonkwo separately and eventually she is somehow okay... I'm not really sure how or what happened to make her okay (that is, if she is okay). It is a bit unclear to me as to where she stands at this point.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the spirits play a huge role in the novel. A selection opens up with a trial, which is another public gathering. The trial is between a husband-wife and their respective families (almost like a Double-Dare 2000 type of game show if you've ever watched Nickelodeon). A man is made to pay for his crime which is abusing his wife. He must pay her family with wine or another regional commodity. There are spirits attending and one overbearing spirit called the ~Evil Forest~. Basically, a lot of rumble and jumble all about the village.. the elders are praised.. Okonkwo represents his village secretly in the egwugwu, etc etc. My head is going.. wait, 'what the hey' is going on right now?!
Justice or injustice -- we may never know. I spent all of my 2nd semester Junior year with Mr. Potchatek in Early Classical Thought trying to define justice, virtue, good, bad, etc. within the ancient Socratic dialogues. There is no real answer--just perpetual questioning.
It is an eternal search, so my advice to the reader is to just go with it:
Tragedy, heroism, defiance, power, relationships, real vs. surreal, fact vs. fiction, proverbs/saying/stories, beliefs/values/traditions/rituals, male/female, husband/wife, masculinity/femininity, tolerance, murder... These are all applicable words that are written on the board right now having to do with this section.. So much to discuss.
Okonkwo kills a boy inadvertently. It is unfortunate, but perhaps foreshadowing something for later on in the book. I want to take the words murder and exile.
@Okonkwo
Do you want to leave the village? I know that the gods say you must go for committing this big no-no, but seven years is a long time! Do you not have the power to stay? Page 118, it is, "[decreed by Earth] that they (a pair of twins) were an offence on the land and must be destroyed." Who is Earth (the Gods?) to decree this death sentence?
Perhaps I am hindered by my personal anti-religious views.. It is hard for me to get a grip on why no one is allowed to rebel against the gods.
Maybe someone will? A twist? I am adrenalized to see.
-As of now, the spirits continue to determine the events.
Ezinma is kidnapped by Chielo against her/her parents' will and brought to the Oracle. Agbala, a god, has called for Ezinma. They are followed by Ekwefi and Okonkwo separately and eventually she is somehow okay... I'm not really sure how or what happened to make her okay (that is, if she is okay). It is a bit unclear to me as to where she stands at this point.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the spirits play a huge role in the novel. A selection opens up with a trial, which is another public gathering. The trial is between a husband-wife and their respective families (almost like a Double-Dare 2000 type of game show if you've ever watched Nickelodeon). A man is made to pay for his crime which is abusing his wife. He must pay her family with wine or another regional commodity. There are spirits attending and one overbearing spirit called the ~Evil Forest~. Basically, a lot of rumble and jumble all about the village.. the elders are praised.. Okonkwo represents his village secretly in the egwugwu, etc etc. My head is going.. wait, 'what the hey' is going on right now?!
Justice or injustice -- we may never know. I spent all of my 2nd semester Junior year with Mr. Potchatek in Early Classical Thought trying to define justice, virtue, good, bad, etc. within the ancient Socratic dialogues. There is no real answer--just perpetual questioning.
It is an eternal search, so my advice to the reader is to just go with it:
Let the people do what they gotta do,
and do not question,
just eat your foo-foo.
I guess we can go on and on discussing whether their specific justice system is right or wrong, but it is not up to us. Of course, we (in 2011) cannot agree with everything, but these people confide in their gods 110%.
Okonkwo kills a boy inadvertently. It is unfortunate, but perhaps foreshadowing something for later on in the book. I want to take the words murder and exile.
@Okonkwo
Do you want to leave the village? I know that the gods say you must go for committing this big no-no, but seven years is a long time! Do you not have the power to stay? Page 118, it is, "[decreed by Earth] that they (a pair of twins) were an offence on the land and must be destroyed." Who is Earth (the Gods?) to decree this death sentence?
Perhaps I am hindered by my personal anti-religious views.. It is hard for me to get a grip on why no one is allowed to rebel against the gods.
Maybe someone will? A twist? I am adrenalized to see.
-As of now, the spirits continue to determine the events.
Monday, 5 September 2011
Things Fall Apart : Pages 3-82 : Parents & Children
Last class, we discussed whether the narrator speaks with a bias towards Okonkwo or against him. In my personal opinion, the (all-knowing/omniscient) narrator is at a neutral standpoint. Okonkwo is almost revered and certainly obeyed within the villages. There is an evident hierarchy within the society. It is obvisouly a male-dominant society and very hard for a modern-day westerner to understand.
Religion (gods and spirits) play a big part in the chapters we have read, thus far. Every person, thing and occurance is somehow tied to a certain supernatural force. The Oracle serves as the prophecy in almost all situations.
Within each individual family, there is a hierarchy. The male, in our specific case, Okonkwo, absolutely dominates. Whatever Okonkwo says must be obeyed and is very rarely challenged. There are many instances in Things Fall Apart when Okonkwo threatens to beat or harm a family member as a result of just a simple misdemeanor. Specifically on page 31, Okonkwo scolds his eldest son, Nwoye, for cutting up yams either too big or too small. He then alludes to how much better of a tapper he was when he was Nwoye's age.
Achebe (author) states, "Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man. He would stamp out any disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him."
This is an underlying theme throughout the whole novel. In the very beginning, it is understood that Okonkwo's father, Unoka, was an unsuccessful man. He not only failed in keeping control of society completely, but he was weak and afraid of bloodshed. In consequence, Okonkwo turned out to be the opposite. He wanted order in society and he gained much respect from the people of the villages.
As we've mentioned today in class, there is somewhat of a balance between male and female jobs -- the male dominates and takes precedence at home and with the physical labor / farming, and the women cook, tend to the needs of the children, and basically are used as wives to reproduce (as unethical as it may seem to a modern reader.)
There are similar relationships as that of Okonkwo and Nwoye as well as different. A man and his son, a suitor, come to ask Obierika for his daughter's (Akueke's) hand in marriage. The two men have a seemingly more relaxed relationship than that of Okonkwo and Nwoye's.
As for Ikemefuna: Okonkwo had developed an attachment to him, but having to sustain his dominant status, he kills Ikemefuna when it is deemed he must die.
Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi. She is the only one of Ekwefi’s ten children to survive past infancy and means everything to her. Ezinma calls her mother 'Ekwefi' and is treated by her as an equal. She is beautiful as her mother (the village beauty) is, and is favored by Okonkwo. He does not normally display any affection (fear of seeming too weak), although cares a lot for Ezinma. He often wishes and says that Ezinma was a boy, as he admires her personality, which is very clear when she becomes ill. He shows that he will do anything in his power to save her life.
Overall, parents are obeyed in this patriarchal society and it is the job of the parents to pass on skills and characteristic to the subsequent generation.
Religion (gods and spirits) play a big part in the chapters we have read, thus far. Every person, thing and occurance is somehow tied to a certain supernatural force. The Oracle serves as the prophecy in almost all situations.
Within each individual family, there is a hierarchy. The male, in our specific case, Okonkwo, absolutely dominates. Whatever Okonkwo says must be obeyed and is very rarely challenged. There are many instances in Things Fall Apart when Okonkwo threatens to beat or harm a family member as a result of just a simple misdemeanor. Specifically on page 31, Okonkwo scolds his eldest son, Nwoye, for cutting up yams either too big or too small. He then alludes to how much better of a tapper he was when he was Nwoye's age.
Achebe (author) states, "Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man. He would stamp out any disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him."
This is an underlying theme throughout the whole novel. In the very beginning, it is understood that Okonkwo's father, Unoka, was an unsuccessful man. He not only failed in keeping control of society completely, but he was weak and afraid of bloodshed. In consequence, Okonkwo turned out to be the opposite. He wanted order in society and he gained much respect from the people of the villages.
As we've mentioned today in class, there is somewhat of a balance between male and female jobs -- the male dominates and takes precedence at home and with the physical labor / farming, and the women cook, tend to the needs of the children, and basically are used as wives to reproduce (as unethical as it may seem to a modern reader.)
There are similar relationships as that of Okonkwo and Nwoye as well as different. A man and his son, a suitor, come to ask Obierika for his daughter's (Akueke's) hand in marriage. The two men have a seemingly more relaxed relationship than that of Okonkwo and Nwoye's.
As for Ikemefuna: Okonkwo had developed an attachment to him, but having to sustain his dominant status, he kills Ikemefuna when it is deemed he must die.
Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi. She is the only one of Ekwefi’s ten children to survive past infancy and means everything to her. Ezinma calls her mother 'Ekwefi' and is treated by her as an equal. She is beautiful as her mother (the village beauty) is, and is favored by Okonkwo. He does not normally display any affection (fear of seeming too weak), although cares a lot for Ezinma. He often wishes and says that Ezinma was a boy, as he admires her personality, which is very clear when she becomes ill. He shows that he will do anything in his power to save her life.
Overall, parents are obeyed in this patriarchal society and it is the job of the parents to pass on skills and characteristic to the subsequent generation.
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