Summer Work: Things Fall Apart
Blog Posts:
Wow… reading the blogs before me was a workout, but I recognize that it’s my fault procrastinating yet again.
Moving on, let me start by commenting on the two topics that everyone else has: animal imagery and gender roles. (Hmm… what’s the opposite of personification, animalification? For our purposes let’s call it animal imagery.)
Anyway, the animal imagery is certainly very prominent in the text but I had never seen it the way most others here have. I assumed as Marrisa did that all of the animal imagery was used simply for the reason of developing the setting and the characters. I strongly disagree (sorry) with Angel, Malsa and others in saying that Achebe uses animal imagery to instill in the reader the sense that the people of Umuofia are uncivilized in anyway. One need only turn to the “about the author” section of the book (located towards the back) to see that a man educated in African cultures and studies would seldom be heard classifying any world-culture as uncivilized.
Personally, I believe Achebe’s purpose in using the animal imagery is two-fold: to symbolize manliness (a quality that is very clearly stressed in this novel) and to stress the richness of the Umuofian and other tribal cultures. Firstly, Okonkwo, the epitome of the stereotypical manly-man, is often described using animal like qualities. He is described as “pouncing” and “roaring” much like a cheetah (as Ashley8 observed) or as a lion (as Taylor did).
Secondly, I believe that the tone and mood created by the animal-ification is used to stress the richness of the tribal culture. A passage that Paul beat me to that struck me as literary genius was when Achebe wrote “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (7) describing the richness of the Umuofian language (and I believe, civilization). Though not directly animal imagery in itself, this passage is enhanced, as are many others, by the animalistic tone.
To move on to gender roles in the novel, I was initially struck by the immense inequalities between men and women in this book. However, I disagree with Marrisa, Matt, Cynthia, Alinne and many others in saying that Okonkwo is a distinctly evil person for his beliefs that women are in some way inferior to men. Though I disagree with Okonkwo’s belief on this topic, I do not hold him at any fault for his belief as it is so prominent in their culture and in many if not most African and other foreign cultures (sadly even today).
Responding to Mario’s question: yes there is a universal appeal to this novel. We are all conflicted by certain things portrayed so far, whether that be issues with a parent or an issue conforming to what society expects of us. I personally do not believe Okonkwo is a bad person but is made to act the way he does (killing what became a son to him just to please a clan) by one of the most ancient and universal of all evils: peer pressure.
To end on a bit of a depressing note, I am afraid that since the novel is titled “Things Fall Apart” it foreshadows a terrible event in the village or a terrible event happening to Okonkwo’s family. What I think this is, for some reason, is Okonkwo’s entire village or just him being taken from their tribe and brought to work as slaves across the Atlantic. I am not sure why I think this, just a feeling I am getting… it feels that things are going a bit too smoothly for the village as a whole.
Thanks Everyone, I loved reading the blogs!
-Dario
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Let me just say that I am taken by surprise by these blogs and am really glad we’re doing them… I did not notice the ironies of this section as apparently everyone else has, but now that they are pointed out, I can clearly see them and I agree.
I liked how ashley8 pointed out the irony by pointing out that Okonkwo was exiled for committing a female crime when he himself sees females lowly and week. However, I think there is a misunderstanding amongst some of us about what Okonkwo actually did (or maybe the misunderstanding is mine alone, which would certainly not be the first time). When it is written that Okonkwo commits a “female” crime, I am pretty sure he did not kill a female (as he killed Ezeudu’s son). I also am pretty sure that the crime is not female because it is commited by females but instead because it is less severe and less malicious. As the clan believed “it was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman,” and that “the crime was of two kidns, male and female. Okonkwo had committeed the female because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years” (124). So basically, this returns to the gender inequalities in the novel. As the clan sees it, a “female” crime is less severe (as it is inadvertent) and in general weaker, whereas a “male” crime would be the intentional murder of a clansman. Does anyone know what the punishment for a male crime would be? I think I have read it before in the novel where it said that it held a life banishment from the clan but I’m not sure.
Anyway, I have to say that the irony I found most noticeable in this section was the fact that Okonkwo, the manly-man, has to return to the land of his mother after committing a female crime. Unlike some of the bloggers (Alinne in particular) I feel bad for Okonkwo, nothing goes his way… hence the title. I still am wondering what the title is referring to in general. Though I think the degration of Okonkwo’s life has certainly begun, I wonder what event will finally do it… Any guesses? I still think it will be the slave-ships to come and take him away just because of the time and place this story is taking place.
I’m also really curious, as most of you are too, as to what happened in the cave with Enzima. It really was a bit of a… dare I say it… random event. I tried to find meaning in it but failed. Now, as I learned last year and I am sure still applies this year: everything a writer does has a purpose, and I am sure Achebe did not waste over 3 pages explaining this event without a purpose. But then, what is that purpose? I would love to hear if anyone thinks they have an idea of what it is! Please share :).
Also, I am very surprised like Kris10 that the new religion (Christianity) gains as much influence in the society as it does, especially when the new religion’s entire premice for joining is that all the native gods are “false idols” and that their God is “the true God” (150). Does this kind of conversion- merely stating “I’m right, you’re wrong, come join me” -actually work?
Also, I wonder if this is where the downfall lies in the society, from these outsiders. This reminds me of 100 Years of Solitude and the corruption that came to the peaceful community of Macondo from the outside world. Same story here?
We’ll find out soon I suppose,
Hope everyone enjoys the book :)
--------------------------
As Angel said, things have finally fallen apart. I must admit my original prediction as to what the new religion would bring (see last blog) was off… but not entirely.
I had suspicions about the new religion from the start because, as those of us that have taken any form of history know, imperialism tends not to be the best policy for those being imperialized. Though Mr. Brown was at first very calm about the situation and did not try fanatically to recruit and convert, his successor did. Again, like Angel said, this is fairly similar to 100 Years of Solitude with the outsiders coming into a society to ruin an otherwise stable community. In 100 Years of Solitude I believe it was the government that brought the downfall of the society and led it on its path. In Things Fall Apart, I believe it is going to be Christianity that does that (Kris10 pointed out a good passage in the novel that says this almost explicitly: “[the white man] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart."(176)). As we have seen, the officials of the Christian church are corrupt, and arrest and beat the natives (Okonkwo included). The religion also lead to Okonkwo’s “forced” suicide and I believe would lead to the entire downfall of all the Nigerian tribes if the storyline were continued (as already happened to one village and has begun to happen to Umuofia).
I must say I felt a good deal of remorse and pity for Okonkwo and his family after the unfortunate series of events that took place that led to him falling apart. Clearly Okonkwo is a sexist war hound (“Worth men are no more… Isike will never forget how we slaughtered them in that war... Before the end of the fourth market week they were suing for peace. Those were the days when men were men” (200)) but I still believe that it is due to the circumstances and society he has grown up in, and not his own beliefs.
I liked gypsyloo’s analysis of Okonkwo as a Christ figure. To add to it, Okonkwo died as a martyr for his religion and I would like to prupose this question: does anyone think that (if the story were to be extended) Okonkwo’s death and his reputation as a great man would bring Umuofia to the point of expelling the intruding religion?
It was a nice voyage with you all, and if I were to give advise from all three summer reading books it would be this:
Don’t miss opportunities. Dislike the Government and Religion. (Just kidding :P)
Bye!
-Dario
Wow… reading the blogs before me was a workout, but I recognize that it’s my fault procrastinating yet again.
Moving on, let me start by commenting on the two topics that everyone else has: animal imagery and gender roles. (Hmm… what’s the opposite of personification, animalification? For our purposes let’s call it animal imagery.)
Anyway, the animal imagery is certainly very prominent in the text but I had never seen it the way most others here have. I assumed as Marrisa did that all of the animal imagery was used simply for the reason of developing the setting and the characters. I strongly disagree (sorry) with Angel, Malsa and others in saying that Achebe uses animal imagery to instill in the reader the sense that the people of Umuofia are uncivilized in anyway. One need only turn to the “about the author” section of the book (located towards the back) to see that a man educated in African cultures and studies would seldom be heard classifying any world-culture as uncivilized.
Personally, I believe Achebe’s purpose in using the animal imagery is two-fold: to symbolize manliness (a quality that is very clearly stressed in this novel) and to stress the richness of the Umuofian and other tribal cultures. Firstly, Okonkwo, the epitome of the stereotypical manly-man, is often described using animal like qualities. He is described as “pouncing” and “roaring” much like a cheetah (as Ashley8 observed) or as a lion (as Taylor did).
Secondly, I believe that the tone and mood created by the animal-ification is used to stress the richness of the tribal culture. A passage that Paul beat me to that struck me as literary genius was when Achebe wrote “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (7) describing the richness of the Umuofian language (and I believe, civilization). Though not directly animal imagery in itself, this passage is enhanced, as are many others, by the animalistic tone.
To move on to gender roles in the novel, I was initially struck by the immense inequalities between men and women in this book. However, I disagree with Marrisa, Matt, Cynthia, Alinne and many others in saying that Okonkwo is a distinctly evil person for his beliefs that women are in some way inferior to men. Though I disagree with Okonkwo’s belief on this topic, I do not hold him at any fault for his belief as it is so prominent in their culture and in many if not most African and other foreign cultures (sadly even today).
Responding to Mario’s question: yes there is a universal appeal to this novel. We are all conflicted by certain things portrayed so far, whether that be issues with a parent or an issue conforming to what society expects of us. I personally do not believe Okonkwo is a bad person but is made to act the way he does (killing what became a son to him just to please a clan) by one of the most ancient and universal of all evils: peer pressure.
To end on a bit of a depressing note, I am afraid that since the novel is titled “Things Fall Apart” it foreshadows a terrible event in the village or a terrible event happening to Okonkwo’s family. What I think this is, for some reason, is Okonkwo’s entire village or just him being taken from their tribe and brought to work as slaves across the Atlantic. I am not sure why I think this, just a feeling I am getting… it feels that things are going a bit too smoothly for the village as a whole.
Thanks Everyone, I loved reading the blogs!
-Dario
-----------------
Let me just say that I am taken by surprise by these blogs and am really glad we’re doing them… I did not notice the ironies of this section as apparently everyone else has, but now that they are pointed out, I can clearly see them and I agree.
I liked how ashley8 pointed out the irony by pointing out that Okonkwo was exiled for committing a female crime when he himself sees females lowly and week. However, I think there is a misunderstanding amongst some of us about what Okonkwo actually did (or maybe the misunderstanding is mine alone, which would certainly not be the first time). When it is written that Okonkwo commits a “female” crime, I am pretty sure he did not kill a female (as he killed Ezeudu’s son). I also am pretty sure that the crime is not female because it is commited by females but instead because it is less severe and less malicious. As the clan believed “it was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman,” and that “the crime was of two kidns, male and female. Okonkwo had committeed the female because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years” (124). So basically, this returns to the gender inequalities in the novel. As the clan sees it, a “female” crime is less severe (as it is inadvertent) and in general weaker, whereas a “male” crime would be the intentional murder of a clansman. Does anyone know what the punishment for a male crime would be? I think I have read it before in the novel where it said that it held a life banishment from the clan but I’m not sure.
Anyway, I have to say that the irony I found most noticeable in this section was the fact that Okonkwo, the manly-man, has to return to the land of his mother after committing a female crime. Unlike some of the bloggers (Alinne in particular) I feel bad for Okonkwo, nothing goes his way… hence the title. I still am wondering what the title is referring to in general. Though I think the degration of Okonkwo’s life has certainly begun, I wonder what event will finally do it… Any guesses? I still think it will be the slave-ships to come and take him away just because of the time and place this story is taking place.
I’m also really curious, as most of you are too, as to what happened in the cave with Enzima. It really was a bit of a… dare I say it… random event. I tried to find meaning in it but failed. Now, as I learned last year and I am sure still applies this year: everything a writer does has a purpose, and I am sure Achebe did not waste over 3 pages explaining this event without a purpose. But then, what is that purpose? I would love to hear if anyone thinks they have an idea of what it is! Please share :).
Also, I am very surprised like Kris10 that the new religion (Christianity) gains as much influence in the society as it does, especially when the new religion’s entire premice for joining is that all the native gods are “false idols” and that their God is “the true God” (150). Does this kind of conversion- merely stating “I’m right, you’re wrong, come join me” -actually work?
Also, I wonder if this is where the downfall lies in the society, from these outsiders. This reminds me of 100 Years of Solitude and the corruption that came to the peaceful community of Macondo from the outside world. Same story here?
We’ll find out soon I suppose,
Hope everyone enjoys the book :)
--------------------------
As Angel said, things have finally fallen apart. I must admit my original prediction as to what the new religion would bring (see last blog) was off… but not entirely.
I had suspicions about the new religion from the start because, as those of us that have taken any form of history know, imperialism tends not to be the best policy for those being imperialized. Though Mr. Brown was at first very calm about the situation and did not try fanatically to recruit and convert, his successor did. Again, like Angel said, this is fairly similar to 100 Years of Solitude with the outsiders coming into a society to ruin an otherwise stable community. In 100 Years of Solitude I believe it was the government that brought the downfall of the society and led it on its path. In Things Fall Apart, I believe it is going to be Christianity that does that (Kris10 pointed out a good passage in the novel that says this almost explicitly: “[the white man] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart."(176)). As we have seen, the officials of the Christian church are corrupt, and arrest and beat the natives (Okonkwo included). The religion also lead to Okonkwo’s “forced” suicide and I believe would lead to the entire downfall of all the Nigerian tribes if the storyline were continued (as already happened to one village and has begun to happen to Umuofia).
I must say I felt a good deal of remorse and pity for Okonkwo and his family after the unfortunate series of events that took place that led to him falling apart. Clearly Okonkwo is a sexist war hound (“Worth men are no more… Isike will never forget how we slaughtered them in that war... Before the end of the fourth market week they were suing for peace. Those were the days when men were men” (200)) but I still believe that it is due to the circumstances and society he has grown up in, and not his own beliefs.
I liked gypsyloo’s analysis of Okonkwo as a Christ figure. To add to it, Okonkwo died as a martyr for his religion and I would like to prupose this question: does anyone think that (if the story were to be extended) Okonkwo’s death and his reputation as a great man would bring Umuofia to the point of expelling the intruding religion?
It was a nice voyage with you all, and if I were to give advise from all three summer reading books it would be this:
Don’t miss opportunities. Dislike the Government and Religion. (Just kidding :P)
Bye!
-Dario
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