Since the first part of this book is really about Okonkwo and his tribal culture, the topic is a bit different. There is no imperialist yet in his village. Therefore, I am asking that you please post two quotes that support how influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. You must also explain your reasoning as usual underneath the quote.
Correct grammar, spelling and originality are necessary for the full credit of 10 points. Don't forget to take notes too!
Happy posting!
1) "A new cover of thick palm branches and palm leaves was set on the walls to protect them from the next rainy season. Okonkwo worked on the outside of the wall and the boys worked from within. There were little holes from one side to the other in the upper levels of the wall, and through these Okonkwo passed the rope, or tie-tie, to the boys and they passed it round the wooden stays and then back to him; and in this way the cover was strengthened on the wall" (Achebe 55).
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo's village use natural resources to build their homes. They use palm leaves and branches to build roofs and walls. If another country were to come to their village, the village would benefit. The new people would be able to show them how to make houses from strong materials to live in. They could show them how to use wood from the trees to make the houses instead of using the palm leaves and branches. The village benefits because they are able to be more protected from the weather. Therefore, the village would be able to benefit from the arrival of the men.
2) "Okonkwo returned when he felt the medicine had cooked long enough" (Achebe 86).
Okonkwo's village had to make their own remedies to illnesses that they were suffering from. If people from a different country arrived, the village would benefit under its influence. The men would be able to show them how to make a small shelter to use as an infirmary when the people of the village are ill. This way, the people would have the medicine faster and could be kept there until needed. The village would benefit from this because if they have a sick person, they can take them to the infirmary. The people that work there could give the patient the required medicine needed to cure them. Overall, the village would benefit from the influence of the men.
I really liked where you explained how Okonkwo's village can influence others by showing them how to make homes. Also I liked how medicine can help other countries be cured from illness.
DeleteYour explanation of how Okonkwo's village influence others positively was well written, and I understood it completely. Nice Job!
I loved the way you digged in deeper and twisted it around, the way Okonkwo and his village can influence another country based on their natural resources. Also nice job with your reasoning!!!
Delete1) “When a man was afflicted with swelling in the stomach and the limbs he was not allowed to die in the house…The sickness was an abomination to the earth, and so the victim could not be buried in her bowels” (Achebe 18).
ReplyDeleteIn the village, people who were sick were not allowed in the house. The influence of another country would help the village and their people. The culture and dynamics of a different country would help by sharing how they would cure a sickness instead of leaving them to die and rot. If a different country came in with more technological advancements came in, maybe a hospital would be built or doctors would come to help cure the people. Another country’s influence would help if they teach Okonkwo’s village to make and/or gain access to remedies to sicknesses. The influence of a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village immensely.
2) “But although Okonkwo was a great man who prowess was universally acknowledged, he was not a hunter. In fact he had not killed rat with his fun” (Achebe 38).
The influence of another country would help by teaching the people how to defend themselves with advanced weapons and guns. Okonkwo is a great man who is strong but isn’t good with the gun because he can’t aim. A more advanced country that uses guns could teach their village’s people how to build up a stronger strategy when at war and build a functioning military. While hand to hand combat is still acknowledged; the use of guns is the most convenient way when at war with a stronger opponent. The combat and military influence of another country would help Umuofia by leaving the enemies too scared to invade. Okonkwo’s village would benefit by the influence of another country.
I loved your reasoning and your quotes. You explained them really well. However, you should consider thinking about how the setting took place during the late nineteenth century. That means that there weren't any "on-the-go" medicince and any technolgy yet, specifically in Nigeria. It had to be made. So condidering that the people of the village don't want these sick people around only tells the readers that they don't want to get sick. A simple virus or flu can just kill them.
DeleteSamaher, I know what your saying but I didn't mean on-the-go medicine. I meant easier remedies of everyday plants or something that anybody could get access of that Umuofia didn't have. It would be something like trade. An example would be the smallpox's first vaccine, which was a dead powder form of the scabs of a smallpox victim. Also, Samaher, you misspelled a word. I think you meant considering, not condidering.
Deleteoh okay... and thanks for the heads up about the misspelled word, its a typo =)
DeleteNo problem :)
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ReplyDeleteTeresa, from your analysis above, it seemed like you were explaining how the influence of Okonkwo's culture can benefit other countries. But for the assignment, aren't we supposed to explain how influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village? This means that the analysis should be about Okonkwo and his village benefiting from different countries, isn't it?
DeleteOh I misread the directions. I'll repost a new one. Thanks for telling me!
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ReplyDelete1. “He was very good on his flute, and his happiest moments were the two or three moons after the harvest when the village musicians brought down their instruments, hung above the fireplace. Unoka would play with them his face beaming with blessedness and peace. Sometimes another village would ask Unoka’s band and their dancing egwugwu to come and stay with them and teach them their tunes”. (Achebe 4)
ReplyDeleteThe influence of another country here would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Unoka, Okonkwo’s dad, would have an opportunity to play for those people and get a job playing music. With Unoka having a job as a musician getting paid, he would not have got the debts he has now (Achebe 5). Since he was poor with only one wife and children barely enough to eat throughout his adult years he asked many of the villagers for money, but never paying them back causing the debts he had before his passing. After the death of his father, Okonkwo though a very great young man, was haunted by his father’s reputation since he was in loads of debt and hated by the villagers. (Achebe 18) Achebe is saying that if there were opportunities for Unoka to play for other countries, he might have gotten a job doing what he loves and earning pay. By having a successful life, it would therefore make the villagers of his village and Okonkwo proud of him and his son have pride in his father.
2. “In spite of this incident the New Yam Festival was celebrated with great joy in Okonkwo’s household. Early that morning as he offered a sacrifice of a new yam and palm-oil to his ancestors he asked them protect him, his children and their mothers in the new year.” (Achebe 39)
The New Yam Festival is the most anticipated in the Okonkwo’s village. (Achebe 37) With the influence of another country experiencing the New Yam Festival and see if they enjoy it with the villagers, they can spread the holiday. The influence of another country can make the festival bigger, celebrated in other countries besides their village. By doing so, it helps the village have more relations with people to help and support them since they know them for the celebration. In case the villagers are in need of help, they have people to lean on since they are aligned with the other countries.
yo yo, is yo homeboy Rowida
ReplyDelete"...to consult the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves to find out why he had always had a miserable harvest"(Achebe 16).
Okonkwo is having a bad harvest, so he consults the Oracle of the Hill and the Caves, to find out what is causing such a bad harvest. Consulting about problems in the harvest is different than finding solutions, which is something Okonkwo, and most likely anyone with bad harvests are not doing. Influence from other countries could help Okonkwo, and his people find solutions to bad harvests. Other countries farm and harvest, so they most like have the same problems, the difference is that they may have found a solution to their farming and harvesting problems, and the influence could potential give the solutions, instead of just consulting about possible problems.
"...You think you are still a child. I began to own a farm at your age"(32).
Okonkwo is yelling at his eldest son, Nwoye, for cutting Yams the incorrect way. He yells at him so that he can be stronger, and more like a man instead of a child, but as the beginning of the book states, this just makes Nwoye "into a sad-faced youth"(14). If other countries can influence Okwonkwo's people, they could teach him, and his people that, children are children, and their faiths aren't determined on just owning land, but education as well. You can tell that if Okonkwo is putting so much pressure on his son to be a masculine land owner, that he doesn't care about any education he receives. Other countries can teach that value of education, and how much more beneficial it is to land owning, and maybe then, Okonkwo would stop yelling at his son so much over him not being a masculine land owner.
For the first quote, don't you mean Unoka?
DeleteI remember he was the one that consulted an Agbala about his problem.
And I love the second quote! Gorgeous :)!
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DeleteI like your analysis to both quotes! Great job!
Delete"So when the daughter of Umuofia was killed in Mbaino, Ikemefuna came into Okonkwo's household. When Okonkwo brought him home that day, he called his most senior wife and handed him over to her." (Achebe 14)
ReplyDeleteIn this part of the novel, a man from a neighboring village killed a woman from Okonkwo's village, Umuofia. This is considered a serious offense in their village. To compensate for the loss, the Umuofians were able to take the son of the murderer to live in the village and later on be killed for compensation for the death of the woman. Okonkwo's village can benefit from a new cultural influence greatly. Whenever a person in murdered in their village, this seems to be their system of justice. with a new cultural influence, the Umuofians can find another way of dealing with crimes and murders. They can learn to actually prosecute the people responsible instead of punishing people who are innocent.
"He died of the swelling which was an abomination to the earth goddess. When a man was afflicted with swelling in the stomach and the limbs he was not allowed to die in the household." (Achebe 18)
In this part of the novel, Unoka, Okonkwo's father has become ill and is on his death bed. Certain sicknesses and ways of death were not allowed in the village and seen as offense or abomination that offends the gods that watch over them. When they die or become stricken with this illness, they are taken to the Evil Forest and left there to die to prevent any further offense. With a new cultural influence, the Umuofians can learn ways to cure these sicknesses and understand why their people are becoming sick this way. They can learn about medicine and other remedies that cure all the sicknesses they are worried about.
I'm so jealous, you did great! I love the way you explained how it can benefit the villagers!
DeleteLol thank you, Johana.
DeleteDont thank me! I should Thank YOU for putting up such a good post :)
Delete"When your neighbors go out with their ax to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labor to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms, you stay at home and offer sacrifices to a reluctant soil" (Achebe 18).
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows how Unoka was an indolent person who did not do any hard work to help his yams grow. Meanwhile his neighbors would do any hard job as along as their yams come out greatly. If another country would have come to Umuofia, then Unoka could have been helped. He could have been helped because that country might had any materials to make the soil fertile and allow the yams to grow. The other country can benefit Umuofia by giving them materials for their work or better crops to grow. They can also give the village a better view of how to grow their by using machines or animals. For example in England there was a seed drill built to help plant crops and make agriculture easier, just what Unoka and the villagers needed. Seed drills can help the villagers to have a better harvest and an easier way to do their job. Therefore other countries can help Oknokwo's father and many other men with their agriculture.
"And when she returned he beat her very heavily" (Achebe 29).
Oknokwo's youngest wife was suppose to cook for him but she went to plait her hair. When she came back he beat her just because she left the obi. This shows how men were abusive towards women, how women had no rights and were mistreated. If other countries were to come and take over with their culture, women might benefit from it. The countries that might come can have rules such as women's rights and no abuse towards them. This could allow women from the village to be free and not to get abused by their husbands. Overall the influence of other countries can benefit Umuofians positively.
You have good analysis, good job Johana. I love how for your first quote you included specific examples that you know from other countries. I would have never thought of that!
DeleteWell, Thank You Raphaela.
DeleteFor the second one I like how you explained how it benefits the women in Umoufia, but how will that benefit Okonkwo?
DeleteThank you Addel. Sorry for the confusion but I chose one quote for each gender. The first one explains how it benefitted all men, which includes him since he is into growing yams too. The second quote explains how women can benefit, as an example I used his wife. Basically there's a quote for both genders.
Delete"Darkness held a vague terror from these people, even the bravest among them. Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits. Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark" (Achebe 9).
ReplyDeleteThe influence of another country would benefit the village Umofia. The people are afraid of the dark, even the bravest among them were afraid. They were afraid because they had fear of the evil spirits. The influence of the other country will allow for the people not to be afraid no more. They will bring to Umofia new spirits and gods from their country. The influence would change what they believe in. The people of Umofia can act how they act when the moon is shining in the night. The happy voices of the children will be playing in the open fields and old men and women will remember their youth (10). With the new spirits they would not be afraid of the evil spirits they used to know and have peace in the night.
“The first rains were late, and, when they came, lasted only a brief moment. The blazing sun returned, more fierce than it had ever been known, and scorched all the green that had appeared with the rains. The earth burned like hot coals and roasted all the yams that had been sown” (Achebe 23)
The influence of another country would benefit Umofia. The people in the village are going through a hash phase. The weather is not working out for the farmers. The yams and other vegetables are being destroyed by the weather. The influence of another country will benefit Umofia because they could know how to help the plants in the conditions that the village is going through. They could show them what to do so the next time the weather is the same, so they would not go through the same experience. As well the other country could introduce them to new crops. The new crops may support the conditions as well they can bring new flavors to the people of Umofia. This will benefit the people of Umofia because next time they would. Their crops will be growing, they will have good farms and their farms will include new crops
I love your analysis for the second quote ;)
Delete1)‘“Yes, Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there”’ (Achebe 59).
ReplyDeleteIkemefuna was the son of a murderer who killed a woman of Umuofia. As a custom, the Umuofians had taken Ikemefuna to Umuofia. After staying for three years in Umuofia, the villagers finally decided to kill Ikemefuna to punish his father for the murder. If the other countries would have been able to influence Umuofia in this case, both Ikemefuna and Umuofia could benefit from this influence. Other countries could teach the Umuofians a new justice system, which allow the villagers to punish the criminal but not the innocent. If this was the case, the villagers would not have “decided to kill” the murderer’s son, because Ikemefuna was not the one who committed the crime. With a new justice system that was influenced by other countries, the dead could truly be avenged by punishing the actual criminal.
2)“Okonkwo’s gun exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart” (Achebe 124).
During a funeral, the villagers fired their guns as a last salute to the dead. However, when Okonkwo fired his gun, the gun “exploded” and inadvertently killed a boy. In this case, Okonkwo and the Umuofians probably could benefit from other countries’ influence. The other countries could have better technology that could allow the villagers to build better weapons. Such better weapons could be safer and perhaps accidents could be avoided. The other countries’ technology of building weapons could help Okonkwo and the villagers to use weapons safely and no guns would explode as easily.
Your first quote was very convincing. It showed me that the other countries could teach the Umuofians new "justice systems."
DeleteYour second quote tells me that the gun was fragile, so the other countries could influence Okonkwo on how to make better technology.
Your 2 quotes were well done. Excellent Job!
I think you did great job in ana in the quote. Good job! ;]
Delete1) “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61).
ReplyDeleteIn Okonkwo’s village, there was an Oracle that Umuofians followed. The Oracle said since Ikemefuna’s father killed a daughter in the market, Ikemefuna must be killed. Okonkwo loved Ikemefuna since he was the reason why Nwoye’s was being more like Okonkwo. But unfortunately, Okonkwo didn’t want to be seen as “weak,” so he decided to kill Ikemefuna. If another country enters Umuofia, they could benefit Okonkwo’s village. Foreigners could teach Umuofia that taking revenge on Ikemefuna for his father’s action isn’t the right way to handle situations. The new comers can influence Okonkwo’s village positively by showing them a new set of policies. They can teach Umuofia that there are nonviolent ways to handle a crime. Instead of slaughtering Ikemefuna, Okonkwo’s village can teach Ikemefuna’s father a lesson on what’s right and wrong. This is how different countries can benefit Okonkwo’s village.
2) “Okonkwo knew she was not speaking the truth. He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily” (Achebe 29).
In Umuofia, there is a week where everyone is peaceful. Okonkwo, the main character broke this law. He was beating his wife which was not being peaceful. He beat his wife, Ojiugo because she came home late from plaiting her hair. If other countries came to Umuofia, they could teach Okonkwo how to be peaceful. Instead of just announcing that this week was peace week, Umuofia can post up signs and poster to remind Umuofians that this week is where everyone should respect one another. Foreigners can influence Umuofia by giving advice on how to be peaceful. That way everyone has the word peace memorized in their heads. Another way that different countries can influence positively on Okonkwo’s village is by giving a speech that if you break the peace week, there would be a major punishment for disobeying the Goddess, Ani. This can benefit Okonkwo’s village because they wouldn’t want to be in a situation where it deals with a goddess. Therefore, if a different country came over to Umuofia, they can give positive advice to Umuofians.
I see the changes here Teresa. Well done!
DeleteI truly love both of your quotes and analysis for each. You have explained very well on how it is bad to use violence on solving things and how other countries could teach them whats right from wrong. I also love how you used "foreigners" instead of "other countries". Good word choice! Well done, Teresa. :)
DeleteI really loved how you wrote about two violently quotes, and your explaining was awesome. Nice job!!!
Deletei think Terase, you did a great job at breaking down the ana. However I think you put two ideas for your second quote. You should connect the two ideas to support your quote because I felt like I get lost understanding your second idea of how the "Another way that different countries can influence positively on Okonkwo’s village is by giving a speech that if you break the peace week, there would be a major punishment for disobeying the Goddess, Ani." (line 9) connect to the statement "Foreigners can influence Umuofia by giving advice on how to be peaceful."
Delete"Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man" (Achebe 33)
ReplyDeleteEuropean involvement could have benefitted Okonkwo's village. Okonkwo was one of the "great" men of the village. He was respected by 9 villages for his warrior qualities and manliness. A part of him being a "real man" was being a yam farmer. In Okonkwo's village, farming was the main occupation of the population. All kinds of people farmed. Also, yam farming was a man's job in the village. Yam farming demanded much attention and strength, and usually men had the physical strength for it. Farming was just one of the few opportunities people had in the village. If europeans came to Okonkwo's village, they would have brought many new jobs, such as engineer,miner,etc. Imperialism may have brought new opportunities for the people of Umuofia.
"Ezinma is dying" (Achebe 76)
Okonkwo's daughter Ezinma was dying from an unknown illness. Okonkwo made iba, a type of medicine, for Ezinma. However, the iba had no effect on her. Ezinma was dying and nobody could find a sure way to heal her. If somebody knew what Ezinma was sick with, then it may have been much easier to find a way to heal her. If europeans had come to Umuofia, they would have brought their medicines with them. The europeans, arguably, had more knowledge of illnesses than the villagers. The europeans' medicines could have brought more hope to Ezinma's case and maybe would have healed her more quickly.
Your analysis are satisfactory. Something that you should clarify is maybe give some sort of background on the Europeans since you brought them up. What makes you think that Europeans and not Asians or Africans could benefit Okonkwo and his village better?
DeleteYou did a good job. However, what makes you think that Okonkwo and his village would come into the Europeans and take advice from them? Just like what Veronica said, how come its not the Asiansa or the other Africans? You should dig into it deeper, and research some info about the book and that might help you to explain your reasoning to the fully. However, I really loved your first quote and your analysis. Nice job!!!
DeleteI agree with both veronica and Samaher on being more specific and detailed to explain your ana.
DeleteVeronica asked a good question: Should we make assumptions since the topic merits hypothesis? Since you are simply identifying what good an imperialist could do, you do need to make assumptions However, the suggestions on how an imperialist could help would have to be realistic for the time period. It has to be something they could that imperialists like Britain COULD do at that time. You can not say something about cars or the internet since they were not part of life back then. Research.
ReplyDelete1) "And so when neigboring clans who naturally knew of these things feared Umoufia, and would not go to war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement...And so when Okonkwo of Umuofia arrived at Mbaino as the proud and imperious emissary of war, he was treated with great honor and respect" (Achabe 12).
ReplyDeleteIn this quote Okonkwo is going to the village of Mbaino to get a young boy and a virgin. The village of Mbaino gave them the young boy and the virgin without hesitating because the village didn't want any conflict with Umoufia. This has a positive impact on Okonkwo and his village. Since neighboring villages were to scared of Umoufia, Okonkwo and the village were safe from war from any of the villages. Also it made them feel more confident and superior.
2) "He was not a hunter. In fact he had not killed a rat with his gun"(Achabe 38)
A different country would benefit okonkwo and his village. This quote is saying that although Okonkwo can do many things he could not hunt. Another village or country may consist of many people who know how to hunt and could teach Okonkwo too. This would benefit Okonkwo because he then will have another thing he can do to support his family. This would benefit the village because if every one knew how to hunt then the main food source in the village would change from yams to meat.
For your first analysis, I don't understand how can other countries introduce new ideas or technology to Okonkwo's village that would benefit them. Neighboring villages were already scared of them, so it's nothing new.
DeleteI like your second analysis but for what I have read women cannot hunt or work so thats not benefitting them. And for the first analysis, it is confusing because you are not stating how Umoufia can benefit from other countries. Instead you are explaining the impact Okonkwo had with other villages, I think does not count because a village is not a country. Overall I like your evidence ;)
Deletei feel like you did not really connect how other country would influence umoufia in the first quote. And for the second quote I agree with Johana that you should be more specific on explaining who you are talking about when you said "if every one knew how to hunt". But overall I think you did a great at trying to connect and ofcourse there is always room for improvement.
Delete“Old men and children would then sit round log fires, warming their bodies.” (Achebe 5)
ReplyDeleteThe influence of another country would help Okonkwo`s village. When Okonkwo`s dad, Unoka was younger and many others from his village would hover around the fire place. The villagers would try to keep warm by hanging around the fire place when “the cold and dry harmattan wind was blowing down from the north.” (Achebe 5) If another country came those people would have shown the village people another way to keep warm. The people of the village wouldn’t have to all hover around the fire place to keep warm. They would learn how to keep warm in their homes, to have a fireplace. This would benefit the village because they could stay in their home with their family instead of sitting on round logs with old men and other children.
“Okonkwo had just blown out the palm-oil lamp and stretched himself on his bamboo bed when he heard the ogene of the town crier piercing the still night air.” (Achebe 9)
The influence of another country would help Okonkwo and Okonkwo`s village. Okonkwo would sleep on bamboo as his bed. The villagers would make their beds out of bamboo, resources that would be available around the village. If the villagers trade with another country new material to build beds would be introduced. This would benefit the village because the people of the village would have new material to build their beds. Not only the beds could be built out of better material but also many other things, like their houses. Also, the lamps can be made out of different material beside palm-oil. The resources in the village can be more diverse.
This is perfect! I love how you analyzed it, I understood everything. Great Job!
Delete"The year that Okonkwo took eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie was the worst year in living memory. Nothing happened at its proper time; it was either too early or too late... The first rains were late, when they came, lasted only a brief moment" (Achebe 23).
ReplyDeleteThis quote is saying that when Okonkwo got the seed-yams he went through droughts that ruined his year. A different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. The village, Umuofia, mostly grows yams; they depend on it. So every time it rains hard or it doesn’t rain enough everyone in Umuofia suffers through a difficult time. If another country were to come along maybe they could show them how to grow better plants they could last through a drought or a lasting rain storm. This way the people of Umuofia don’t all have to lose everything they’ve grown and Okonkwo won’t go through a bad year again. This is how another country could benefit Okonkwo and his village.
“A few moments later he went behind the hut and began to vomit painfully… He was ill for three market weeks…” (Achebe 28).
Ikemefuna had just finished eating yams when he started to vomit behind the hut. This is an example of how a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. If another country went to Umuofia they may be able to introduce medicine that the village does not have. This way people, like Ikemefuna, won’t have to be sick for weeks instead they will be healthy and even death rates could lower. This could really benefit Okonkwo and his village.
Your analysis is great, but for the first analysis, take out the word "maybe", because it would seem like you're not sure about what you're trying to say. For your second one, try breaking down the evidence and identify who is "he" in the evidence.
DeleteI loved your first quote, and the way you explained it was really neat. Nice job!!!
DeleteI like your ana breakdown. Good job in that ana for two quotes. ;}
DeleteThanks for the advice Amy and thank you Samaher and Abdullah for the comments. I hope this is better.
DeleteSecond analysis:
“A few moments later he went behind the hut and began to vomit painfully… He was ill for three market weeks…” (Achebe 28).
This quote is about Ikemefuna, a young boy who was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia by their neighbors for the murder of a daughter of Umuofia (Achebe 9). Ikemefuna hadn’t eaten for weeks but that changed when Okonkwo found out. Okonkwo made sure that Ikemefuna eat his yam by standing over him with a stick. A few moments later he started to vomit behind the hut (Achebe 27-28). A different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. If a new country came to Umuofia they would introduce medicine that they do not have. With these new medicines the village people won’t have to be sick for weeks instead they could be strong and healthy. This is how a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village
The second one is nice, you seemed to change the way you worded things, and I can see that you added context, so nice job. Also you might want to add how people in different countries, like America, don't stand on top of someone's shoulders watching them eating, especially with a stick in their hand ready to hit them if they argue back.
Delete***Nice job!!!
Thank you Samaher and i will remember that advice when writing about other things.
Deleteyou're welcome =)
Delete1)"An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation." (Achebe 11)
ReplyDeleteIn Okonkwo's village, Ogbuefi Udo's wife was murdered. As payment for the murder two options are given to the village Mbaino. One being to have a war or offer a young man and a virgin as compensation. Influence from a different country could benefit Okonkwo and his village since they could show them how to use a court system. The court system could show them how to handle situations like murder and other serious problems with justice and the use of making laws to punish those who commit crimes.
2)"Ekwefi had suffered a good deal in her life. She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy, usually before the age of three." (Achebe 77)
The influence of a different country could help Okonkwo and his village. They could help Okonkwo and his village with medicial care. Ekwefi, one of Okonkwo's wives, had lost nine of the ten children she had borne. A different country could give Okonkwo and his village medicial attention to save their people if they become extremely sick and help Ekwefi with keeping her children alive and well. It would help make Okonkwo's village become stronger and populated.
1)" Her eyes were useless in the darkness" (Achebe 103).
ReplyDeleteEkwefi was searching for her daughter in the darkness and the moon hadn't risen in to the sky yet. She couldn't see with eyes and she relied on her ears to listen to the chanting of the priestess. If another country had entered Umuofia they could have benefited them ,because they can put street lamps that were lit by fire in the streets, so that the villagers could easily see without any difficulty. It could have made Okonkwo and his villager's lives more easier instead of holding lanterns which wouldn't be as comfortable as having a street that was already lit for you.
2)"He had sown four hundred seeds when the rains dried up and the heat returned" (Achabe 23).
Okonkwo had to sow four hundred seeds into his land, which is no easy task. He had asked one of the wealthiest people to lend him seeds for crops, and when he was done planting and had gather the crops, he could only keep one-third of the portion. It will take a lot of labor to be wealthy if he only took one-third of the harvest every season. Therefore if a country had entered his village, he could be benefited by having a invention that will help him out with the labor. An invention such as the seed drill can help improve his life with less labor. It wouldn't take much sweat to use the seed drill, because oxen pulled the seed drill. Okonkwo and his village would benefit by no longer having hard labor to do.
I see what you did there ;) I like your evidence but how would that benefit the women from the village?
DeleteYour first quote was well written. Street lights would be good advice for the Umuofians, since it was difficult to see at night. Well done!
DeleteI really love your analysis for first quote. I also love how you made it sound so ancient by saying "... because they can put street lamps that were lit by fire in the streets...". The word "fire" makes it sound ancient since back then the streetlamps were lit with fire and didn't have lamps in them like today. Well done!
Delete1)"She went on fanning it until it burst into flame." (Achebe 42).
ReplyDeleteInfluence from different country can benefit Okonkwo and his village. "She" in this quote is referred to Ezinma, Ekwefi's daughter. Ekwefi is Okonkwo's second wife (Achebe 39). Ezinma offered to help Nwoywe's mother, Okonkwo's first wife, make fire. Ezinma had to make fire by fanning the firewood. If Ezinma had to use a fan to make fire all the time, that would cause a lot of stress for her, because she would have to constantly use strength to fan the fan. Different countries would be able to benefit Okonkwo's village by creating a new technology that would be easier for a person to make fire. Therefore, other countries are able to benefit Okonkwo's village by creating new technology, to replace old ones, to make life much easier for villagers.
2)"'Obiageli broke her pot today,' Ezinma said" (Achebe 44)
Foreigners are able to benefit Okonkwo's village. Obiageli is Nwoye's sister. Obiageli broke her new pot that was recently given to her by her mother, Okonkwo's first wife. Obiageli broke the pot by simply dropping it by accident on the floor (Achebe 44). Foreigners are able to benefit Okonkwo's village. Different countries are able to introduce new materials, or new ways, to create a pot that is more durable and more firm than the one people of Okonkwo's village already have. To sum it all up, foreigners are able to benefit Okonkwo's village by introducing new materials to them.
Interesting analysis, but it makes more sense if you said oil to produce fire. Either way, great job on analyzing the text :)
Deletei like your first analysis, but for the second one nothing tells us that the pot was not strong enough.
DeleteMina, the pot was not strong because it was recently given by Obiageli's mother, and it broke with in one drop.
DeleteYour ANA is really good. :) What would have been better for your first quote is if you added Industrialization. Industrialization was all about technology and transportation. Since you were talking about the creation of new technology, it would have sounded smart to use that term. :) Overall, you did a good job!<3
Delete“That is very true. Do you hear that, Ezinma? You are older than Obiageli but she has more sense” (Achebe 45).
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo, the main character, has three wives and a lot of children. Ezinma is one of the oldest daughters, and Obiageli is one of the youngest daughters. People in Umuofia are being oppressed by a lot of things, and age is one of them. The influence of another country will benefit Umuofia, because people in Umuofia should learn that age does not have anything to do with knowledge. A younger person can know more things than an older person, because it’s not about age it’s about experience.
“Can I bring your chair for you?” “No, that is a boy’s job.” (Achebe 44).
There is a big difference between men and women in Umuofia. A man is the head of the family; he is the one who does jobs that involve strength. A woman cannot do a man’s job, she has to follow orders. The influence of another country will benefit Umuofia, because people in Umuofia should know that there shouldn’t be any difference between men and women. A woman should be equal to a man in society; a woman should be able to do any work she wants. Most failure societies do not believe that women should be equal to men, and women have a lot to bring to the table.
You showed that different countries influence positively on Okonkwo's village but I wasn't totally convinced that "age" was a problem.
DeleteMina, I see what you are trying to say, but racism/stereotypes are all around the world.Today, many people still do stereotyping for men and women, based on their strengths/weaknesses and more. Therefore, other cultures can't influence Umuofia that oppression caused by gender is a problem
DeleteI agree with Teresa. Age isn't really a problem. However, I like how you put some context and show who is Ezinma and who is Obiageli.
Deletefor the first quote, how would the influence of another country teach that age does not have anything to do with knowledge.What actions would they take? I believe age is an oppression but you could say something where age has been a problem in Ibo society. For example, you have to be a certain age to vote.
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ReplyDelete1)"That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams"(Achebe 24).
ReplyDeleteWhen it was time to harvest their produce, it was very devastating. The method that they use to plant their produce didn't have a good outcome. The influence of another country could show Okonkwo a new method to grow their crops which can lead a better harvest.
2) "It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week"(Achebe 30).
Okonkwo was beating his wife during a sacred week which is disrespectful. The influence of another country could show Okonkwo how to control his anger with the use of therapy. Achebe the author also said that Okonkwa was not the type of man to stop beating somebody half-way through. Okonkwo's country can also set up a new law where every men has no right to abuse anyone.
Cindy, I like your ideas very well. For your first paragraph I suggest you add context because a random audience would not know who " their" refers to. I also think it would be a great if you put in more details. You are being too vague. Why didn't their crops succeed? What method would allow their crops to succeed?
DeleteI agree with Nehad. For your first quote, you didn't really expand your analysis and didn't go on beyond the rocks. You just stated the rocks by saying that their crops didn't succeed (who is "their"?) and that other foreign countries could help by creating a new method. As for your second quote, I liked your analysis but with a little more explanation, it would sound better. :)
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ReplyDelete“He died of the swelling which was an abomination to the earth goddess. When a man was afflicted with swelling in the stomach and the limbs he was not allowed to die in the house. He was carried to the Evil Forest and left there to die” (Achebe 18).
ReplyDeleteImperialism would be beneficial to Okonkwo’s village. The European countries had a more advance medicine than the Africans. The advance medicine will be helpful to Okonkwo’s village because if people get sick, they don’t need to be carried to the Evil Forest and die alone, but instead they can be cured. The Africans does not know what the disease is or how to cure it, but the European have a more advance medicine so the Europeans may be able to cure diseases the Africans can’t, this will help save more lives in the village.
“The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there” (Achebe 57).
Imperialism will benefit Okonkwo, Ikemefuna, and the village with their new justice system. The he in the quote refers to Ikemefuna. If the village were to be imperialized, Ikemefuna would not be killed just because the Oracle said so. It is unjust to kill with a silly reason, like the Oracle said so; the Oracle is another human itself. Okonkwo will have his adopted son alive if a new system was to influence the African village. Okonkwo was deeply fond of Ikemefuna and it would benefit him because the new law system or belief system will prevent Ikemefuna, Okonkwo’s favorite son, from being killed. It will bestow a more ethical belief system on the African village.
You did a great job in your first analysis, the way you mentioned the European and African life style really helped prove your claim. For the second analysis you should add background information on how Ikemefuna got in this situation.
Deletei loved how you stated the word IMPERIALISM. But,I also think you had too little context.Also, good word choice.
Delete" That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams" (Achebe 24).
ReplyDeleteForeigners can benefit Okonkwo and the village. Villagers do not always succeed when farming because of harsh weather conditions. In this case, it would rain heavily and sunlight would be scarce or droughts occurred with blazing sunshine. If foreigners were to come into the village, they can provide advances in technology to make crops, like yam, succeed. Advances in technology, such as green houses, can allow needed sunshine to sustain crops and limit excessive rain. Also, foreigners can create water wells to use during droughts. These advances in technology would benefit the villagers by creating successful crops. Thus, foreigners would benefit villagers by providing technology.
'He was poor and his wife and children had barley enough to eat" (Achebe 5).
Influence from an outside country can benefit Okonkwo's village. Unoka, which is Okonquo's father, depended on crops as a source of food. Sadly, his crops failed and his family barley ate ( Achebe 5). Foreign influences can benefit the village by donating food. This positive act, can aid those who do not have enough to eat.Those who " barley" eat would reach health, making it beneficial to the villagers. Foreigners donating food to Okonquo's village would benefit the people.
I love the way you think, and your analysis was really nice!!! However, you should consider thinking that greenhouses weren't Umuofia's big thing. That's because the villagers usually build items out of natural resources, such as leaves, mud, etc. Overall, your explaining was great!
DeleteBecareful in the setting of the story. I don't think green house was really introduced at that time. However I agree with Samaher that your explaining was good. SO keep up the good work.
DeleteBrilliant ideas and predictions!And yea like Abdullah said just remeber what time period it was :)
DeleteAbdullah greenhouses were introduced around the 13th century in Italy, and this book was referring to the 19th century. Maybe at that time in Nigeria, Umuofia didn't know about greenhouses? Or maybe the author just wanted to put it that way for some specific reason.
Delete"Who killed this tree? Or are you all deaf and dumber?" "As a matter of fact the tree was very much alive. Okonkwo's second wife had merely cut a few leaves off it to wrap some food, and she said so" (Achebe 38).
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo made it seem like if the New Year Festival was the most important event coming up. He was making sure everything was in place but then Okonkwo had noticed that the banana tree was not alive because his second wife had used the leaves to put together the food. Okonkwo was so angrey that he beat his second wife for what she had done. If a person from another country saw this out-rage they can try to stop Okonkwo. This person cn help Okonkwo by talking to him and help realize that he needs help and he should see someone. The person from the other country can talk to Okonkwo since none of his wives will do so because their scared of him. This person speaking to Okonkwo about his actions can influence him by even telling him laws that he has in his own country. These laws that the person tells Okonkwo about can help spread into Okonkwo country and maybe help make laws about beating woman and futher more issues in the village.
"He had tried to protect them from the smoldering earth by making rings of thick sisal leaves around them" (Achebe 23).
Okonkwo was trying to protect his crops from the bad weather because they where all getting damaged with the rain and sun. Another country can influence Okonkwo. Another country can bring crops of their own and even bring seeds or anything else that helps grow crops in a farm. The other country will benefit Okonkwo because then he doesn't have to struggle to start growing new crops instead he will have some for the meantime until he can start his fresh crops again.
The second analysis was good but the first one was confusing. I didn't see any connection with the analysis and the quote. Also the background info was confusing, it didn't seem to flow.
Delete"His mother and sisters worked hard enough, but they grew women crops, like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam, the king of crops, was a man's crop" (Achebe 22-23).
ReplyDeleteThe influence from other counties can benefit Okonkwo and his village. Women only had the ability to grow "coco-yams, beans and cassava" while yam was what men grow. These people worked very "hard enough" to make only crops that aren't even considered important and valuable. Yam was considered the only best crop they ever grew. However, if another country took over, they can have a variety of crops. There wouldn't be just only a few crops. People in other countries can teach Okonkwo's village how to grow other crops. They can even give them advice in making their crops grow faster. Another country's influence can improve farming in Okonkwo's village. They don't need to rely on just a few crops for food. Okonkwo's village would definitely benefit from the influence of another country.
"Each group represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries"(Achebe 7).
The influence from other countries can also benefit Umuofia, the village Okonkwo lives in. Okonkwo's father Unoka was a debtor. He owe money to "every neighbor some money" (Achebe 4). Even though he is a flute player, earning money, it is still not enough for him. His debt isn't just a few cowries but "one hundred cowries". One hundred cowries is a lot of money and he would never be able to pay off all of that with just his ability to play the flute well. If another country took over, there would be many job opportunities for him to look for. He would have money to pay off all his debts. He wouldn't be poor and "his wife and children" would be able to have "enough to eat"(Achebe 5). There are many people like him who are probably poor and unable to support themselves or their family. Umuofia would definitely benefit from other countries.
I really loved the way how at the beginning of your analysis, you sarted writing about how women weren't condidered valuable, or important. Overall, both of your quotes were nice. Nice job!!!
DeleteThank you Samaher!
Delete=) you're welcome!!!
Delete1)"Rain fell as it has never fallen before. For days and nights together it poured down in violent torrents, and washed away the yam heaps. Trees were uprooted and deep gorges appeared everywhere" (Achebe 24)
ReplyDeleteInfluence from another country can benefit Okonkwo and his village. As a storm came in, it left a destructive trail in Okonkwo's village. As a result, the land and Okonkwo's yam heap was destroyed. The influence from another country will benefit Okonkwo and his village because foreign countries can give them materials to build better structures and also farms to protect their crops. Due to a storm, their "yam heaps" were destroyed which are the only valuable crop they have. With the influence of another country, they can have better structured farms to protect the crops.
2)"Okonkwo's gun exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart" (Achebe 124)
Influence from another country can benefit Okonkwo and his village. Due to Okonkwo's old gun, it has killed someone inadvertently. The influence from another country can benefit Okonkwo by using and creating better materials for the gun. Because Okonkwo had a old,rusty gun, it killed someone. With the help of another country, they can improved the weapons they have and have a better built gun that won't explode.
You did a good job, but in my opinion, I think your second quote could use a little more context.
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ReplyDelete1. "And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace" (Achebe 29).
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo decided to beat his wife, Ojiugo, during the Week the Peace. The Week of Peace is a tradition in Umuofia that forbids violence for a week. This shows that Okonkwo lets his anger cloud his judgment. Other countries could teach Okonkwo to control his emotions. For example, Nathan from "Nectar in a Sieve" could teach Okonkwo how to settle disputes with words, instead of physical violence. Since Nathan is a very kind character who loves his wife, Okonkwo could learn how to love his wife the way Nathan does. Nathan can also teach Okonkwo how to express his feelings to those that he loves through kindness and encouragement. This will allow Okonkwo to communicate his true feelings to those that he loves. Similarly, Okonkwo could learn the same things from anyone in a different country, who loves their wife unconditionally. Influence from a different country could help Okonkwo learn how to control his anger and speak with his knowledge.
2. "She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infantry, usually before the age of three. As she buried one child after another her sorrow gave way to despair..." (Achebe 77).
Ekwefi, one of Okonkwo's wives, had not been able to produce a successful child. Every time a new child was born, "it would die in infantry before the age of three" (77). Since this has happened many times to Ekwefi, the village that she lives in, Umuofia, obviously could not do anything to help her. This shows Umuofia's lack of science and medicine. A new country could have the medicine to treat Ekwefi and help her have a successful child. For example, Kenny from "Nectar in a Sieve" could help Ekwefi. Because Kenny is a British doctor, he would have foreign medicines from Britain. Kenny could treat Ekwefi with his medicine and Ekwefi would be able to produce a healthy child for Okonkwo. This will heal Ekwefi's sorrow and despair. Influence from a different country could help Ekwefi produce a successful child for her husband.
You did a great job explaining the quotes while answering the prompt. However, a few points could be improved with a different word choice. For example, when you stated "Okonkwo decided to beat his wife, Ojiugo, during the Week the Peace". The word "decided" implies that Okonkwo contemplated that he would beat his wife when, in actuallity, Okonkwo was rash and beat his wife out of anger.
DeleteIn your second explanation, you said "Influence from a different country could help Ekwefi produce a successful child for her husband". The word "successful" is a little misleading so instead you could replace it with healthy or thriving. To make this clearer you could be more detailed and restate that advancements in science and medicine from a different country could save Ekwelfi's children.
By the way, I think you meant to say "infancy" not "infantry"...XD
Hope this helps!
Your quotes are strong and your analysis is phenomenon. I really love how you brought up "Nectar in a Sieve" (sorry, I can't underline) and compared/ contrast characters from both books. Overall , you did an amazing job!
DeleteThank you, Josephine. I will pay more attention to my word choice next time. :)
DeleteAnd thanks Veronica :D. I couldn't underline too, so i just put it in quotes.
REVISION:
Delete1. "And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace" (Achebe 29).
Okonkwo's rage made him beat his wife, Ojiugo, during the Week the Peace. The Week of Peace is a tradition in Umuofia that forbids violence for a week. This shows that Okonkwo lets his anger cloud his judgment. Other countries could teach Okonkwo to control his emotions. For example, Nathan from "Nectar in a Sieve" could teach Okonkwo how to settle disputes with words, instead of physical violence. Since Nathan is a very kind character who loves his wife, Okonkwo could learn how to love his wife the way Nathan does. Nathan can also teach Okonkwo how to express his feelings to those that he loves through kindness and encouragement. This will allow Okonkwo to communicate his true feelings to those that he loves. Similarly, Okonkwo could learn the same things from anyone in a different country, who loves their wife unconditionally. Influence from a different country could help Okonkwo learn how to control his anger and speak with his knowledge.
2. "She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy, usually before the age of three. As she buried one child after another her sorrow gave way to despair..." (Achebe 77).
Ekwefi, one of Okonkwo's wives, had not been able to produce a successful child. Every time a new child was born, "it would die in infancy before the age of three" (77). Since this has happened many times to Ekwefi, the village that she lives in, Umuofia, obviously could not do anything to help her. This shows Umuofia's need of advancements in science and medicine. A new country could have the medicine to treat Ekwefi and help her have a successful child. For example, Kenny from "Nectar in a Sieve" could help Ekwefi. Because Kenny is a British doctor, he would have foreign medicines from Britain. Kenny could treat Ekwefi with his medicine and Ekwefi would be able to produce a healthy child for Okonkwo. This will heal Ekwefi's sorrow and despair. Influence from a different country could help Ekwefi produce a healthy child for her husband.
1. "So when the daughter of Umufoia was killed in Mbaino, Ikemefuna came into Okonkwo's household... 'My father, they have killed me!' Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak. (Achebe 14, 61)
ReplyDelete-During these two related scenes, Ikemefuna was a young boy whose father had killed a women of Umuofia. He had to then be punished for what his father had done. Sooner or later, he knew that he was going to die. However, that is when the time came and Ikemefuna had to die. Even though Okonkwo loved him, he didn't want to be thought weak and killed Ikemefuna. This is where influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Maybe Umuofia would change their traditions based on the different countries. Maybe this is where men and women could be thought as equal because we are all one, and because none of us can be thought weaker than the other. Okonkwo at this point was afraid of being thought weak, just like his father, who was never respected because he was lazy and never showed his strength. Nevertheless, if the people of Umuofia were influenced by another country, then they will sure change all of their traditions because they are violent and hurt others.
2. "And so when he called Ikemefuna to fetch his gun, the wife who had just been beaten murmured something about guns that never shot...He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wails of his wife and children. He threw the gun down and jumped into the barn, and there lay the women, very much shaken and frightened, but quite unhurt." (Achebe 38,39)
-In this scene, Okonkwo had almost killed his wife just because she murmured something behind his back. At this point, Okonkwo had lost his mind because he is loosing control. Okonkwo has anger issues because he can't stand anyone talking behind his back. However, influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. They can take a look at what to do if anger issues come in their way. For example, nowadays, if men and women fight, it eventually leads into an argument or a divorce. However, no one touches another. Okonkwo can see from the different countries how people don't carry machetes and guns when their around their children and wives. However, in this case Okonkwo is different than the others in umuofia because he wants to be known as the strongest, just becaus he had won in a wrestling match once back then. Okonkwo and specifically the other men in the village need to learn how to not carry machetes and guns around all day because they can somewhat lose control.
I absolutely loved how you included great context and made everything flow together by connecting to the evidence and transcending your limits of thinking what influence can change the village positively. Your predictions are great :)
DeleteThanks Nawal!!! ;)
DeleteI agree with Nawal. Samaher you did a fabolous job in your analysis and I loved how you connected everything together. It flowed together nicely! Well done!
Delete1. "Some farmers had not planted their yams yet. They were the lazy easy-going ones who always put off cleaning their farms as long as they could." (Achebe 23)
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo and the village did not do any planting yet. How are the people going to eat and earn money when they sell the products. If another country would have come to Okonkwo's village, Umuofia, there would be more people and the village would do more planting. The village would do more of the planting because when there is a country of people and a village of people, they would need food. Since, the village did not plant yet, they would start planting to get that crop. Therefore, another country would benefit Umuofia.
2. "He was reclining on the mud bed in his but playing on the flute. (Achebe 5)
Okonkwo and the village sleep in mud beds. The village do not sleep in a nice bed, but they sleep in mud beds. If another country would have come to Okonkwo's village, Umuofia, there would not be mud beds. There would not be mud beds because the new country people would teach the people how to make a bed out of wood, not mud. Therefore, another country would benefit Umuofia.
In the first quote, i like how you were using questioning, but i would also suggest you state that other countries might introduce technology such as technology for planting faster or easier or using the seed mill. It would make your analysis stronger.
DeleteYou also need more context.
1) "An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation"(Achebe 11)
ReplyDeleteAnother country's influence could have impacted this village in a great way. Ogbuefi Udo's wife was murdered in a market. The people decide that a war or offering a young man and a virgin as compensation is a solution. The way a difficult situation is handled is not proper. Another country might have a system of rules that deals fairly with certain situations such as this. They can influence a better law system to help the people deal with these kinds of issues.
2) "At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad faced youth"(Achebe 14)
Another country's influence could have impacted this village in a great way. Nowye is Okonowo's son. Okonkowo would beat his son when he was being lazy. This is wrong because it is considered to be child abuse. Okonkwo thinks that it is justified. Another country might influence Okonkwo by letting him understand that it's wrong to abuse his son because it can cause his son to develop a "sad faced youth". This can make Okonkwo change his ideas. This can also teach him that there are other ways in handling hard situations rather than being violent. They can talk about their problems instead. Other countries forbid people to abuse their children and this can influence the village in a great way.
1. “Yes Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there” (Achebe 57).
ReplyDeleteUmuofia can benefit from different country. Ikemefuna, a murderer’s son, was ordered to live with Okonkwo’s clan. Ikemefuna was from a different tribe and did not know why he was sent to Umuofia. Over time, Ikemefuna thought of them as his family and even called Okonkwo “father”. However, after three years the elders decided to kill Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna was killed because his father killed a woman from Umuofia. This is unfair because Ikemefuna did nothing and had no intention to harm Umuofia. He was punished for a crime his father committed. Umuofia can benefit from the British because they have courts and judge cases in order to make decisions (194). This would benefit Umuofia because people would have a chance to explain what occurred and if they were guilty, they would be imprisoned rather than having their child taken away. Umuofia can benefit from the fairness of the British court system.
2. “Nwoye had heard that twins were put in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest, but he had never yet come across them” (Achebe 62).
Umuofia can benefit from the influence of another country. Nwoye, Okonkwo’s eldest son, heard crying from the Evil Forest. Nwoye questions the twins being thrown away and the death of his brother, Ikemefuna. The Evil Forest is known to kill a person within a day. Twins are left to die in the forest because they are believed to be evil. The mother discards them and they are left to starve. Another country can benefit Umuofia by enforcing laws to prevent this. Although it is in their religion to abandon the twins, it does not automatically make it right. Umuofia could benefit from another country educating them about twins. Perhaps those who have been frustrated because they constantly have twins can have hope that they are not evil. A different country’s influence can benefit Umuofia because Nwoye is most likely not the only one who questions their customs. Umuofia can benefit from another country’s religion and decide if they want to follow them.
I like how you make the ana for the first very resonable and correct. However I had to break it to you that your second ana confuses me why would umuofia will follow another country's religion. I think you mean to say the superstitious of twins could be corrected by other countries education not basically the religion.
DeleteYour analysis have influence my thinking, however, for your first quote, you have brought up the courts which were not mentioned in part one yet. This post is only about part one, so you need to use evidence from part one to explain your reasoning.
DeleteThank you both for your comments.
DeleteAbdullah- I can see how the second part of my analysis is confusing. I had more difficulty writing it. I will revise the analysis with your suggestion.
Veronica- I didn't try to use the courts as evidence or a main quote, but to support how Umuofia can benefit from Britain. I already read more of the book in english class and I thought it could show a specific way Umuofia can benefit. I didn't know if I could still use it because it's not the main quote...
I understand, I have Adelizzi as well. However, many kids who never read this book before don't really know what you are talking about. They are confused since they never read that part, but overall it was good.
DeleteI agree with Veronica because the part you explained about the court was not from part one. Therefore, I believe you should explain a little more on that. Overall, you did a pretty good job!
DeleteThanks : ). I suppose I should edit the first paragraph, as well. I'll make the British part more vague because it hasn't occurred yet and other countries might a similar system.
Delete1. Umuofia can benefit from different country. Ikemefuna, a murderer’s son, was ordered to live with Okonkwo’s clan. Ikemefuna was from a different tribe and did not know why he was sent to Umuofia. Over time, Ikemefuna thought of them as his family and even called Okonkwo “father”. However, after three years the elders decided to kill Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna was killed because his father killed a woman from Umuofia. This is unfair because Ikemefuna did nothing and had no intention to harm Umuofia. He was punished for a crime his father committed. Umuofia can benefit from a country with a court system that allows the accused person to defend themselves before the punishment is carried out. This would benefit Umuofia because people would have a chance to explain what occurred and if they were guilty, they would be imprisoned rather than having their child taken away. Umuofia can benefit from the fairness of a court system that another country introduces.
Delete2. Umuofia can benefit from the influence of another country. Nwoye, Okonkwo’s eldest son, heard crying from the Evil Forest. Nwoye questions the twins being thrown away and the death of his brother, Ikemefuna. The Evil Forest is known to kill a person within a day. Twins are left to die in the forest because they are believed to be evil. The mother discards them and the two are left to starve. Another country can benefit Umuofia by enforcing laws to prevent this. It is a superstition in the village that twins mean bad luck for the parents. Umuofia could benefit from another country educating them about twins. Perhaps those who have been frustrated because they constantly have twins can have hope that they are not evil. A different country’s influence can benefit Umuofia because Nwoye is most likely not the only one who questions their customs. The superstition of twins being bad luck for the parents could be corrected by a different country’s education.
Sometimes another village would ask Unoka’s band and their dancing egwugwu to come and stay with them and teach them their tunes…That was years ago, when he was young. Unoka, the grown-up was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely anything to eat.” (Achebe 4-5)
ReplyDeleteThe influence from different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Unoka, the father of Okonkwo was always borrowing and losing money from neighbors around him. Even though he had a family to care for, Unoka frequently borrowed money and then squandered it on palm-wine and merrymaking with his neighbors, thus neglecting his family who barely had enough to eat. (Achebe 5) Unoka was, however, a skilled flute player and had a gift for, and love of, language when he was young. (Achebe 4) The influence from different country would benefit Unoka at young age when he could get famous for being a skilled flute player in different country. Unoka as explained took many debts and never returned them so it affects his family’s fortune. As the son, Okonkwo felt burden of his father’s debt and disgrace his father for his doing.(Achebe 13) If the Unoka continued to play his flute he would be known to different countries and thus would not borrow money from the neighbors and everybody would respect him.
“That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams. One man tied his cloath to a tree branch and tied himself.” (Achebe 24)
The influence from different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo built his fortune alone as a sharecropper because Unoka was never able to have a successful harvest.(Achebe 16) The growing season that followed was disastrous for Okonkwo as well as for most other farmers of the village. The land suffered first a great drought and then unending rain and floods — a combination ruinous to the season's harvest. The influence of different country would exposed the village to many different kind of crops and other fruit so therefore being able to excess to many crops and fruits would bring a resilient to the village in their unsuccessful harvest. During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost.(Achebe 13) Okonkwo was deeply discouraged, but he knew that he would survive because of his determination to succeed. If the village were exposed to different crops and agriculture from the country then Okonkwo would be able to fulfill another harvest due to his hard-work after the ruinous season’s harvest.
For the first quote, I was a little confused about the oranization because you went from Unoka knowing how to play a flute to Unoka taking many debts and never paying them back. I see where you were going, but you have to make the reader understand where you were trying to lead them to.You stated that at the end but you just had to make the reader know what your point was instead of making them get confused right in the middle of your analysis.
DeleteI was trying to put context and then explaining the ana with the context but I guess I should be more careful about the organiztion if the reader is confused.
DeleteThe analysis for the first quote, your two ideas: "Unoka at a young age could get famous" and "Unoka taking many debts and never paying them back" if you switched them around I think it would sounded better and less confusing (at least for me).
DeleteI think you should have first started off with something like: "Unoka took many debts and was unable to pay them back. If Unoka could had become famous for being a skilled flute player, then he would not have to take on so much debt and become a more respected man." To me that sounds a little better and more clearer
“She was Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi, whom he nearly shot” (Achebe 39)
ReplyDeleteThe influence of another country would have benefited Okonkwo and his village in a positive way. Okonkwo beats his wife and children, and in this quote he almost shot her. Being able to own a gun and shoot whoever you want is not the right thing to do. If Okonkwo’s life wasn’t in danger, then their was no reason to use the gun. The influence of another country, like the British, could have set up a new government system. The new government system would have benefited them, because the village of Umuofia and Okonkwo’s household would have been safer.
“Ezinma is dying,” camer her voice, and all the tragedy and sorrow of her life were packed in those words” (Achebe 76)
The influence of another country could have helped Ezinma recover from her sickness. Another country could have established hospitals and more advanced medicine to cure her. When Okonkwo found out his daughter was very ill he immediately “went into the bush to collect the leaves and grasses and went into making the medicine”(Achebe 76). During that time period Okonkwo’s village only had access to herbs, and had to make remedies to cure themselves. With the help of another country, the technology would have been more advanced and Ezinma would have been healed faster. The probability of Ezinma dying would have been lower with the influence of another country.
I think you did great at trying to go beyond rocks. However for the first quote I believe you could be more specific when you said that "The new government system would have benefited them" and what would the new government would do in more detail way. And otherwise I liked how you explain the ana for the second quote.
DeleteElizabeth G. Colon
ReplyDelete“Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping.” (Achebe 38)
In the culture of Umofia it is permitted for a man, in his own understanding to beat his wife when he finds her at fault, except in the Week of Peace. Because of this practice women are abused and are depicted as unequal to their husband, since they are the ones who have to take a beating and yet not defend themselves. Influences from another country will certainly benefit Okonkwo and his village by giving equality to the husband and wife. If the influences another country were to eliminate this practice the wives of Okonkwo and the village will feel much safer around their husband. Okonkwo has three wives; other two wives did not dare to interfere when Okonkwo was beating his second wife (Achebe 38). Okonkwo wives did not fear him out of reverence; however, they feared him out of believing he would beat them if he got even more upset (Achebe 38). If another country were to be able to eliminate this practice there will be a small change in the equality between a husband and wife. Just like if Okonkwo did not have the authority to beat his wives and neither did they. Then the husband and wives will be reduced to having the same boundaries, making them equal.
“And such was the deep fear that their enemies had for Umuofia that they treated Okonkwo like a king and brought him a virgin who was given to Udo as a wife, and the lad Ikemefuna.” (Achebe 27)
The influences of another country on Okonkwo, the main character, and on his village, Umoufia could benefit them in a positive way. Citizens of Mbaino, a place near Umoufia murdered the wife of Ogbuefi Udo, a citizen if Umoufia. In retaliation some Umoufia citizens went to Mbaino to offer them a choice to either go to war with Umoufia or to hand over a young man and a virgin as compensation (Achebe 11). The Mbaino chose the compensation and as a result they handed over a virgin and a young man named Ikemefuna (Achebe 12). When the virgin was handed over to the man who wife was murdered, Udo, it was not a justice for the virgin, who did nothing wrong and now, has to live with a stranger from another land. Same for Ikemefuna, he was forced way from his family in order to go to the family of Okonkwo. This form of consumption does not benefit Umoufia since they did not justify the murder of the wife from her murderers. Instead completely different people had to pay for a murder they did not commit. The influence of another country could show the Umoufia a more beneficial way of justice, instead of just condemning people for faults they did not commit.
"But I can trust you. I know it as i look at you. As our fathers said, you can tell a ripe corn by its look. I shall give you twice four hundred yams. Go ahead and prepare your farm". (Achebe 22)
ReplyDeleteHere you can see that Nwakibie is loaning Okonkwo yams. The quote is also showing that the village is starting to build trade and use yams as their source of capitol (money). If another country would come to Okonkwo village, they would benefit by using the common resource (yams) to increase their wealth. Also they would use that resource to trade over seas with other countries.
" And so the neighboring clans who naturally knew of these things feared Umuofia, and would not go to war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement." (Achebe 12)
What the quote shows is that the villages can solve problems without war. Other countries would benefit from this by learning how to settle peaceful on voids with other countries. Basically other countries would know how to settle conflicts without violence.
I think you should explain more on how "If another country would come to Okonkwo village, they would benefit by using the common resource (yams) to increase their wealth." connect to influence from the other countries. I also think for your second quote you should be more detailed and specific on how in ana. You are missing the how in second quote ana and you are repeting same theme over.
DeleteI agree with Abdullah when it comes to the first analysis. You should explain further and add more details to it. For your second analysis it doesn't show how the influence from another country would benefit Okonkwo and his village instead you did the opposite.
DeleteI agree with Abdullah and Mariam. You should add more context and expand on your analysis.
DeleteI agree with Abdullah, Mariam and Sally. Your analysis was kind of weak to show how influence from different country could benefit Okonkwo and his village. Like Sally said, you should include more context so that readers will understand your point and it will make your argument stronger.
Delete1) "In fact he recovered from his illness only a few days before the Week of Peace began" (Achebe 28-29).
ReplyDeleteThe influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. The word "he" refers to Ikemefuna, an innocent child from a different tribe, who was taken away from his clan or family into Okonkwo's household. At first, Ikemefuna was really anxious and frightened. He didn't know what was going on and had shed many tears. Once, he began to "vomit painfully...and was ill for three market weeks..."(Achebe 28). An influence from a different country, like Britain, could benefit Okonkwo and his village,Umuofia, by introducing them to medicine. Medicine is a type of drug which helps to cure people twice as faster. Breaking this term down would give Umuofia a better hint of what medicine is, since they didn't have that yet in their clan and village. If Umuofia had medicine, there would be a high chance that Ikemefuna would not be sick for so long. Also, the population would not decrease since there would be less death rates. Overall, medicine could really help the Umuofians.
2) "They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you his father" (Achebe 57).
The influence of another foreign country would have benefited Okonkwo and his village in a positive way. Once again, the words such as "he","him","his" refers to Ikemefuna. Because Ikemefuna's father had killed a woman from Umuofia, the people of Umuofia want to seek revenge, by choosing to kill the murderer's son. Okonkwo was shocked to hear that and seemed to be depressed, since Ikemefuna called Okonkwo "father". Even though Okonkwo had a choice to not be a part of it, he had made a complacent decision to go with them. Okonkwo only thinks about himself and doesn't put others before him, since "he was afraid of being thought weak" (61). Foreigners could benefit Okonkwo and his village by telling them that Ikemefuna has a long life ahead of him and that it is injustice for him to suffer from his fathers wrongdoing. Different countries would introduce those evil people to jail, which would really frighten them. Hearing about jails, this would probably have been a different outcome for Ikemefuna; living a long and content life with his wonderful family.
You did an amazing job in your analysis! I loved how you not only gave a WHY another country could benefit Okonkwo and his village but also a HOW it can (medicine and jail). Good Job !
DeleteThank you, Jennifer. :) I appreciate your compliment.
DeleteGreat job, I wasn't confused at all! :) Very thorough and precise on your explanation which is great <3
DeleteAwesome Job, Veronicaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
I really loved how you specified the pronouns on your analysis from your quotes!Your anaylsis was very detailed explaining how Okonkwo and his village was benefiting from different country. Overall, good job!
DeleteI loved how everything flowed together. And I liked how you used context to allow your analysis to flow. I agree with Janice and Joshua, you did a fantastic job!
Delete1) "Sometimes another village would ask Unoka's band and their dancing egwugwu to come and stay with them and teach them their tunes..."(Achebe 4).
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows that a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo was an inpatient man, especially with unsuccessful men like his father. His father, Unoka could've made his music into a career and earned money. Unoka already had other villages asking for him to play in their village so there's a demand in his music. Other villagers even asked for Unoka to teach them the tunes. If a different country had help made that happen, Unoka would've been a very successful man teaching and playing with his band.
2) " He walked back to his obi to awai Ojiugo's return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily.." (Achebe 29).
This shows that another country can benefit Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo was a very famous man because he had brought great honor into his village(Achebe 3). His actions are reflected and looked upon by the villagers. Okonkwo solves his problems by using a heavy hand. He beats his children and wives because he thinks showing affection is a sign of weakness(Achebe 28). His village allows Okonkwo to beat his wives and children because they never stopped him before. Another country can benefit this because they can set up rules and laws that prevents the beating from happening. Having shown that violence isn't the only way to solve issues and conflicts from other countries can benefit Okonkwo and his village with the violence that happens in the huts.
"As for the boy himself, he was terribly afraid. He could not understand what was happening to him or what he had done. How could he know his father had taken a hand in killing a daughter of Umuofia? All he knew was that a few men had arrived at their house, conversing with his father in low tones, and at the end he had been taken out and handed over to a stranger. His mother wept bitterly, but he had been too surprised to weep. And so the stranger had brought him, and a girl, a long, long way from home, through lonely forest paths" (Achebe 15).
ReplyDeleteThe wife of the main character, Okonkwo, had gotten murdered by a man when visiting the market of a village called Mbaino. Okonkwo and the village of which he comes from, Umuofia had come to the conclusion of taking away the son of the man who murdered Okonkwo's wife, and a young virgin girl from the village of Mbaino. How was the man's son supposed to know what as going on? The young virgin girl was given to Okonkwo to replace his wife who was now dead, against her will. Here, influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo, his village, and neighboring villages as well. It is possible that new ways of handling situations of injustice like the one presented here, can be introduced to the village Umuofia and it's neighboring villages through a new system of government. The injustice of killing Okonkwo's wife can not be solved by the injustice of taking away the innocent son of the man who had committed the murder along with giving away an innocent virgin girl. Through the influence from a different country, new and rational ideas of resolutions can be introduced to the village of Umuofia and it's neighboring villages as well.
"When a man was afflicted with swelling in the stomach and the limbs he was not allowed to die in the house. He was carried to the Evil Forest and left there to die" (Achebe 18).
Swelling in the stomach and the limbs were considered an "abomination to the earth, and so the victim could not be buried in her bowels" (Achebe 18). Again, influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo his village by the introduction of new remedies or cures of certain sicknesses. In this case, the swelling in the stomach and the limbs were simply ignored and considered an abomination to the earth, thus, having the person who carries the sickness merely ignored and left to die in a forest. It is possible for this sickness to be cured with new medicines and remedies from the influence of a different country. With the influence of another country, instead of the man merely being left there to die, the illness will not go about being ignored, rather it is possible for it to be cured, and the man to be healthy again.
I really loved your ANA, especially the way you explained. However, it wasn't Okonkwo's wife that was murdered. It was Ogbuefi Udo's wife because on page 12 it states that the other young girl that was with the boy now belonged to Ogbuefi Udo to replace his wife, and that was against her will.
DeleteOverall, nice job!!!
My fault! I guess I got the names messed up. Thanks for correcting me :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Near the barn was a small house, the "medicine house" or shrine where Okonkwo kept the wooden symbols of his personal god and of his ancestral spirits"(Achebe 14).
ReplyDeleteA different country can benefit this village in an effective way.Okonkwo,a great wrestler and warrior in the village of Umuofia,is oppressed by fear of failure and weakness. He wanted to hate everything that his father had loved:gentleness and idleness. In this attempt,he worked hard to keep his family prosperous.In Okonkwo's shrine, he worships the wooden symbols and ancestral spirits with sacrifices of kola nut,food and palm wine.However,a foreign country would find it unconventional for people to worship wood.So,they would attempt to enter the village to convert the Ibo people to a religion that might be more customary.A new customary religion would make an influence to benefit the people of Umuofia to open their minds of other religions as well.Therefore,an introduction of a new religion would benefit Okonkwo and his village.
"The crime was of two kinds,male and female.Okonkwo had committed the female,because it had been inadvertent"(Achebe 124).
Drums and cannons sound signaling the death of Ezedu,the oldest man in the village.However,Ezudu's funeral is a major concern because he was one of the heads of the honchos in Umuofia.So,when the guns and cannons are fired during the last salute,an accident occurs.Okonkwo's bullet pierced Ezudu's sons heart.Okonkwo's crime had been a female because he killed the boy inadvertently or accidentally.In this case,a different country can influence Okonkwo and his village in a beneficial way to end the oppression of gender.This shows that even crimes are gendered in Ibo society. The male crimes would be more harsh and severe than female crimes.It also indicates that women have no form of power because they are the weaker sex, and this oppression connects to female crimes because the language they use it in is a language of humiliation and disgrace.Therefore,an influence of a different country to Okonkwo's village can benefit them to break this oppression of gender.
I really loved the way you thought of a new religion that could impact the people of Umuofia. Your ANA/explaining was neat. Nice job!!!
DeleteI agree with Samaher. There was no confusion at all !!! Great job !!!
DeleteI agree with both Samaher and Asma. Your analysis was great and I loved how everything was flowing. Overall, you did a good job.
DeleteThank you Samaher, Asma, and Diana. I really appreciate it :)
Delete1) “Okonkwo's first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad faced youth," (Achebe 13-14).
ReplyDeleteInfluence from another country would greatly influence Okonkwo and his village. Here, Okonkwo beats his son in order to “correct him”. This is a wrong thing to do because child abuse will never come up to be a good thing. The children will grow up scared, hating their lives and parents. If another country would take control, they would explain this theory to the people of Umuofia. They will explain that they are just children and not to expect a lot out of them yet. Okonkwo will then realize that he is making Nwoye hate him as mush as he hated his own father, Unoka. This is how the influence of another country will help benefit Okonkwo and his village.
2) “No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man,” (Achebe 53).
In this quote, what is trying to be acknowledged is that a man is not a man if he doesn’t have complete power and control over his children and wives, even if he is successful. That is the way their culture is. The influence of another country would be beneficial to Okonkwo and his village because they would spread around equality. The women and children will then have a say on the matter and will not be treated like slaves. This is how the influence of another country on Okonkwo and his village would be beneficial.
I loved your first quote and your reasoning, it was great! I loved how you thought about the topic of child abuse. It was also nice how you included WHY would the people of Umuofia, or specifically Okonkwo, would want to take that advice. Nice job!!!
DeleteI agree with Samaher. I loved your analysis for your first quote. I agree with Samaher your reasoning was great. Great job!
Delete“So Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi, and he told them stories of the land masculine stories of violence and bloodshed.” (Achebe 53)
ReplyDeleteInfluence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. In this quote, the “boys” refer to Nwoye and Ikemefuna. They are Okonkwo’s beloved sons. He was teaching his sons how to become a real man by telling them stories that contain violence in his obi, or hut. However, Okonkwo’s ways of teachings will affect them negatively in the future. He is teaching them to become a more violent man when they grow up. When the boys are all grown up, their personality would shift to a man who likes to kill or do violent things. Foreigners from another country would teach Okonkwo and his village to be generous and kind. He will soon realize what he taught his sons are harmful when they grow up. This influence from a different country will benefit Okonkwo and his village.
“Unfortunately for her, Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again and aimed at her as she clambered over the dwarf wall of the barn.” (Achebe 39)
Influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. In this quote, “her” refers to Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi. He had aimed the gun at her with rage inside him. Ekwefi whispered that guns never shot (Achebe 38-39). Okonkwo wants to display that his gun will shot and so he did. He loaded the gun and pressed on the trigger and a loud noise flew out. The noise came from the barn where chaos began. However, Okonkwo did not kill his wife. Instead, she was terrified. Foreigners from another country would teach Okonkwo and his village to treat others respectfully and the way they want to be treated. Okonkwo disrespects his wife in a violent way. He will soon realize that he had done wrong to treat his wife violently. This influence from a different country will benefits Okonkwo and his village.
For the first quote, I don't think Okonkwo's intention was to have his two beloved sons become violent men. Maybe you should have broke the quote down more in your analysis as to why you believe that was his intention?
DeleteYes, i agree with Kemin. Just because Okonkwo was telling his sons violent stories does not mean he wants them to become like that and if you think the British will influence them beneficially by teaching them how to be generous and kind, how so?maybe you can elaborate more. And for the second quote you should also elaborate more. Like explain how they can teach men to be respectful such as making good laws. You should go beyond the rocks.
Delete"Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbor some money, from a few cowries to quite substantial amounts" (Achebe 4).
ReplyDeleteThe influence of another country would help Unoka with his debts. Unoka was a "failure" and he and his family have barely anything to eat (Achebe 5). In order to have food and other necessities for his family to survive, he has to borrow money from his neighbors. This causes him to be in debt because if he doesn't have money to begin with, how will he pay his neighbors back? If another country was to come into the village Umuofia, they could help by providing job opportunities. This would allow Unoka to pay back all of his debts and still provide for his family.
"One man tied his cloth to a tree branch and hanged himself" (Achebe 24).
The influence of another country could benefit Okonkwo's village by providing trade or markets. The village is experiencing a terrible harvesting season, and many crops are dying from too much water, as it has been raining everyday. Because these crops are dying, the village is losing its main source of food- yams. People are killing themselves because they are ashamed of the harvest and do not want to die of starvation. If another country was to set up a trade with Umuofia, the villagers would benefit by having a variety of foods and would not have to worry about harvesting so much.
For your 1st quote and ANA, it doesn't show the influence of what the other countries had on Okonkwo and his village. I suggest maybe adding more and introducing Okonkwo and the village too. But this does not mean your ANA was bad, it was very well done! :)
Delete1) “How could he know that his father had taken a hand in killing a daughter of Umuofia? All he knew was that a few men had arrived at their house, conversing with his father in low tones, and at the end he had been taken out and handed over to a stranger” (Achebe 15).
ReplyDeleteThe wife of Ogbuefi Udo had gone to the market at Mbaino, and had been killed. The way the villagers of Umuofia react is quite shocking. In Africa ones actions are not his own and could possibly affect the entire village. Ikemefuna’s father acted on his behalf and killed a woman of a neighboring village, and in doing so the village of Umuofia declared war on the entire village unless justice was done. Ikemefuna had done nothing to deserve the fate of parting with his family; it was his father that was at fault, yet Ikemefuna atones for his father’s mistakes instead of his father atoning for his own. The influence of other countries would be able to establish a fair system of government in which the guilty are punished for their sins, instead of forcing innocent villagers to atone for their mistakes. Laws will be created so each individual will have to follow it to keep a stable and organized way of living. If anyone strays from the line of law the individual will be dealt by officers and will be judged as an individual and not as an entire community. This will allow for people like Ikemefuna’s father to be punished for what they have done. Ikemefuna will not have to leave his family for something he did not do; therefore people will be given an equal amount of justice at the fault of someone’s actions.
2) “If a man dies at this time he is not buried but cast into the Evil Forest. It is a bad custom which these people observe because they lack understanding. They throw away large numbers of men and women without burial. And what is the result? Their clan is full of the evil spirits of these unburied dead, hungry to do harm to the living” (Achebe 32).
These villagers are primitive, and only see life in one way instead of factoring out many other variables. Their logic and understanding is limited due to their way of life. They still dwell upon old traditions such as Oracles to explain what is happening around them instead of actually finding out what the true source of their problems are. These villages are founded upon traditions. The influence of other countries will help to teach many of these people about ethics, and to educate people. It will help villagers to see the world not in one aspect but in many, and it will help to find logical solutions for many events. It will help to explain reasons for naturally occurring phenomena’s, such as droughts in logically way instead of looking at it from a religious perspective. The influence of countries will ultimately help shape, and further advance the thinking of these people.
I liked your ana for the quotes. You did a excellent job at explaining the quotes and great job at breaking down the ana and going beyond the rocks. I am speechless (well not really) keep up the good work ;)
DeleteYour first quote has some really great and detailed context. Not to mention they all tied up with your analysis. Great job! :D
DeleteWOW great philosophy Mohamed. I loved how you put so much thought into this, by extension, you had magnificent analysis. It flowed entirely and you didnt show it from one perspective, but many. GREAT JOB!
Delete1.“Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent” (Achebe 53).
ReplyDeleteIn Okonkwo’s society they believe that women are the weaker gender and because there are many stereotypes that show that women are loving, kind, and likes to fix problems in a peaceful way. They expect men to act violent to show that they are strong. If they don’t act with violence then they get point out really badly just like Okonkwo’s dad, who was a failure in life according to their culture. Okonkwo’s son Nwoye doesn’t like acting with violence but he has to do it so that Okonkwo could feel proud of him, otherwise he gets hit really badly. This shows that the influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village so that they can change the way they think about women and men. For example by changing their religion so that they can learn the right way to treat their wives, because men in Okonkwo’s society have more than one wife and they beat them up really badly whenever they are mad. Also if a different country changes their religion they will be proud and love their children just the way they are. This would benefit everyone in Okonkwo’s village because there would be more respect, and men would stop picturing women as the weaker gender and they would be able to have equal rights as men.
2.“Akueke’s bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries” (Achebe 73).
In Okonkwo’s culture for a women to get merry the man who wants get merry, has to speak to the girl’s father and they do a small business. They pretty much sell their daughters. This is not fair because this means that they don’t get merry for real love they only get merry for what is the best for their dad especially because the women don’t have power. This shows that the influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village because then Okonkwo’s children and other people in his village can be able to get merry with who ever they want for love. This would be able to happen because each country has its own culture and some cultures don’t allow what Okonkwo’s people do.
"He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing his flute" (Achebe 4).
ReplyDeleteThe influence of a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Unoka, Okonkwo's father, was a failure as a grown man. He was successful in borrowing money but always failed to return the money that he borrowed. He had many collective debts (Achebe 4). Even though he failed at returning the money, he was very good at playing the flute (Achebe 4). In this quote, "he" referred to Unoka. The quote is telling us that Unoka always had a unwell looked except when he was drinking or playing his flute. This shows that when Uknoka playing his flute, it is something that makes him happy and well. A different country would benefit from Okonkwo and his village because Uknoka was very good at playing the flute. Playing a instrument is a talent. Ukonka could had made money playing his flute for a living. He could had money to provide to his family. His family was very poor and barely had anything to eat (Achebe 5). If Uknoka made money from playing the flute, he could provide for his family and also pay his debts. If it wasn't for the debts his own people, his son, Okonkwo would not be excluded from certain things others did in the village. Therefore a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village.
"His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children (Achebe 13).
The influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo was a man who had no patience for unsuccessful man like his father. In the quote, "his" is referring to Okonkwo's wives and his children. They are living in unchangeable fear of his temper. Okonkwo's way of correcting his son's laziness is nagging and beating him (Achebe 14). This was the fear that his children needed to suffer. His wives also suffered because of his temper that he had with them. The influence of another country would change Okonkwo's fear that he gave to his family. If another country influenced Okonkwo and his village, Okonkwo would probably learn that giving fear to his family will not make his family become more obedient to him. The fear that he gives to his family would just make them hate him more. The influence of another country would benefit Okonkwo and his village because he would learn to how to be more patience and give less fear to people.
“I have cleared a farm but have no yams to sow. I know what it is to ask a man to trust another with his yams, especially these days when young men are afraid of hard work” (Achebe 21).
ReplyDeleteInfluence from different country can benefit Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo was having difficulties with yams even though his farm was cleaned, so he went to his friend, Nwakibie for help. Nwakibie was a wealthy man in Umuofia who owns three gigantic barns which would definitely be the right person for Okonkwo to go to. However, many young men were lazy which would not farm and wait till the last minute, this could cause problems because Nwakibie might not lend his yams to Okonkwo if the young man are being too lazy. New comers from other countries can help Okonkwo and his people to develope an efficient way of farming since people are lazy, like they can create machines to help make Okonkwo and his people’s life easier. This way, Nwakibie would be more comfortable with people taking his yams for working but not wasting. As a result, influence from different country can benefit Okonkwo and his people in the village’s farming life.
“Okonkwo was provoked to justifiable anger by his youngest wife, who went to plait her hair at her friend’s house and did not return early enough to cook the afternoon meal” (Achebe 29).
Influence from different countries are able to benefit Okonkwo and his village. In Umuofia, there is a week called the “Week of Peace” where everyone in the village live peacefully for the whole week. People were forbidden to use harsh words and cruel actions. However, Okonkwo broke the peace because he beat his wife, Ojiugo heavily. Okonkwo’s action led to a punishment because since he is not a stranger to Umuofia, he should be familiar with the this rule during the “Week of Peace.” Foreigners can benefit Okonkwo and his village by demonstrating how to be a peaceful person because just by saying this is a peaceful week doesn’t help people much. Demonstrating can bring people together to learn how to be peaceful during this week. Different country could also help Umuofia to make laws that prevent harm coming to others to show that beatings of any kind are wrong. So whoever broke the law can get into serious consequences. Therefore, foreigners’ arrival to Umuofia can benefit Umuofians with a safer and peaceful life.
Great context and analysis for both quotes. You did a splendid job! :)
DeleteJanice, this is perfect. Your analysis is well explained. Keep up the great work.
Delete1) “That was years ago, when he was young. Unoka, the grown-up, was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. People laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back. But Unoka was such a man that he always succeeded in borrowing more, and piling up his debts.”(Achebe 5)
ReplyDeleteWhen Unoka grew up and had a family, he was still irresponsible and constantly borrowed money. Even though he said he would pay the villagers back, he was never able to. This troubled him and his family since they were considered failures and had to support themselves on loans. Since Unoka kept borrowing money and the villagers continued to give him money despite knowing he wouldn’t pay them back, the village of Iguedo had poor financing methods. Because the village isn’t good at managing their finances, influence from a different country would benefit the village. The village of Iguedo would benefit since the other country could teach the village how to manage its finances better. For example, since the French had a revolution and learned how to get out of a financial crisis approximately a hundred years before, the French could have imperialized Okonkwo’s village. This would benefit the village since the French would share their knowledge of finance to the villagers improving the village’s economy and financial methods.
2) “You, Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When neighbors go out with their ax to cut sown virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labor to clear.” (Achebe 17)
As “the village loafer” (someone not employed or busy), Unoka was not skilled in farming. Even though the other villagers knew how to farm, they depended solely on it, using out-of-date farming tools and methods. If another country imperialized Niger, the village would benefit from the foreign country’s influence. This is because the other country would share its information about farming with the villagers making farming much more efficient. For example, the British had their Industrial Revolution in 1760-1840 and improved their farming techniques which led to even more advancements. If they imperialized Iguedo at that time, the villagers would be better off since the British would teach the villagers the efficient British farming methods. This would also bring Iguedo new farming tools like the seed drill and fertilizer which would improve the village’s farming. Since the village’s farming would improve, the villagers would have eventually developed newer, more efficient advancements, like the British had. Therefore, the influence from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village.
"Unoka, the grown-up, was a fuilire. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. People laughed at him because je was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back... One day a neighbor called Okeye came to see him. He was reclining on a mud bed in his hut playing on the flute"(Achebe 5).
ReplyDeleteInfluence from another country would benefit Okonkwo's village economically. Okonkwo's father Unoka was a very poor man when he grew up. Not having much for his family to eat affected him very much. Unoka had to ask neighbors for money, but there came a time when his neighbors didnt lend him money because he never paid them back. Additionaly they laughed at him because he was a loafer, lazy person. Although he was lazy he had a passion for playing the flute, which he was pretty good at. The influence of another country would benefit him because he would be able to have a job by playing the flute for others and make money to support his family. Although it wont change him from being lazy he would have support from the money he makes from playing the flute, he would also become famous if he is an amazing musician. Thus showing that influence from another country would benefit Okonkwo's village economically.
"Many young men have come to me to ask for yams but I have refused because I knew they would just dump them in the earth and leave them to be choked by the weeds. When I say no to them they think I am hard hearted"(Achebe 22).
The influence from other countries would benefit Okonkwo and his village agriculturally. When Okonkwo cleared the fields he went to ask Nwakibie for yam seeds so he can sow them, scatter them to plant. Nwakibie rejected his suggestion because he already knows that young men like Okonkwo would just plant the seeds and leave them there. So the influence from other countries would benefit Okonkwo and his village by having to plant a variety of plants, other than just planting yams. The village would benefit agriculturally because there would be more food resources like corn, beans, and squash. In addition there would also be more jobs to sow seeds and harvest the plants. Thus clearly showing how the influence from other countries would benefit Okonkwo's village agriculturally.
1) "Some years the harmattan was very severe and dense haze hung on the atmosphere. Old men and children would then sit around log fires, warming their bodies. Unoka loved it all, and he loved the first kites that returned with the dry season, and the children who sang songs of welcome to them" (Achebe 5)
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows that during the winter season, before the imperialists, villagers would gather around campfires to stay warm. During the time period, Okonkwo and his village were not technologically advanced. Sure enough if a imperialist country were to invade, they will have no problem taking over Okonkwo's village. Once taken over, imperialists would influence villagers by changing their lifestyle. The imperialists would start building homes in these villages, and since these homes are more technologically advanced. This would help Okonkwo and his village because then people would not have to gather at campfires to stay warm. They could just stay in their homes and stay warm at the same time. This improved lifestyle under imperialists would be beneficial to Okonkwo and his village.
2) "Okonkwo on his bamboo bed tried to figure out the nature of the emergency--war with a neighboring clan? That seemed the most likely reason, and he was not afraid of war. He was a man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father he could stand the look of blood" (Achebe 10)
This quote shows that before the imperialists, Okonkwo and his village would often go to war with a neighboring clan. For Okonkwo to say "war with a neighboring clan is most likely the reason" means that violence would occur on a regular basis since it does not surprise him. If an imperialist nation were to take over, they could remove this system of war by claiming control and superiority over the clans. It would then unify the clans under one control, the imperialists, and wars between villages would cease. The villages would have to life under the rules of imperialists, but there will not be anymore wars between clans. This would help Okonkwo and his village because if wars between neighboring clan were to stop, then there will be less bloodshed. Stopping violence would be beneficial to Okonkwo and his village.
1) " He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife"(Achebe 8).
ReplyDeleteInfluence from another country would help the people of Umuofia. Here, the "he" represents Okonkwo the main character of "Things Fall Apart". He has three wives and it is okay because of the beliefs of the Umuofians. If another country were to take over and give them a new form of religion, then the husbands would be forced to be faithful to only one wife. Having more than one wife shows that Okonkwo does not respect any of them. Women are not given respect and a new religion may give them equality towards men.
2) "Umuofia was feared by all its neighbors"(Achebe 11).
Influence from another county could harm Umuofia. Umuofia is a strong clan and they are "feared" by the other clans because of their violent warriors. If a new country were to convince them to change the way they fight, and get rid of their vicious ways they would no longer be feared. That could possibly lead to another clan trying to take over Umuofia in order to gain land and power. That is how influence could be harmful to Umuofia.
Your analysis for the first paragraph is interestingly written although if you added some context of when Okonkwo abused his first wife into your analysis part it would've created your pargraph a little stronger.
DeleteFor your second paragraph, the assignment was to find two quote that will benefit Okonkwa and the village not harm
“Many others spoke, and at the end it was decided to follow the normal course of action. An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation” ( Achebe 11).
ReplyDeleteInfluences from other countries can benefit Okonkwo's village. Once morning rose, Okonkwo arrived at a marketplace located in Umuofia. All nine villages of Umuofia was present in the marketplace because the town crier gave a warning of a gathering. This was not an ordinary gathering, but more of a “village dispute.” Ogbuefi Ezuego, a powerful orator, stood up at last and bellowed phrases to the crowd. Ezuego believes Mbaino committed the murder of Ogbuefi Udo's wife (11). Basically to sum it all up, Ezuego gathered all nine villages of Umuofia to compensate on how to handle the issue. This reveals a influence that many villages compensate on a specific issue before taking the initiative. It will prevent controversial events from happening, and keep the village(s) safe as it is. If a small group within a village decided to take action and destroy Mbaino, it will affect the other villages severely. To add on to what I have said before, by having a “village dispute,” it will prevent many controversies to happen and it will unite the village(s). Thus, proving influences from other countries is benefiting Okonkwo's village as a whole.
“He had a large compound enclosed by a thick wall of red earth” ( Achebe 14).
Influences from other countries can benefit Okonkwo's village. Okonkwo as a individual was considered a strong – willed man and he had no fear. But many did not know that he actually feared something, which was becoming like his father. Okonkwo even resented his father's failure and weakness as a child ( 13). Although, none of us know exactly where Okonkwo's father, Unoka, has lived in the past, many can infer that he might have lived in another village or country. Okonkwo was motivated to not be like his father by remembering fragments of his past which led to him being a strict dad and husband for both of his children and wives. He began to think ahead and prevent any struggles that can happen in the future of his own life. By not knowing where his father originally lived, we can predict that Okonkwo has been influenced by someone from another country. Therefore, revealing the true influence by Okonkwo's father, Unoka.
Your analysis is really interesting and the inferences that you made are smart. :)<3 Great job, Joshy<3
ReplyDeleteAwww Veronica! Thanks so much <3 :)
DeleteAnytime ! <3<3 :)
Delete1)“Perhaps Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13)
ReplyDeleteInfluence from another country would benefit Okonkwo and his village by helping them to see vulnerability in a more positive way. Whenever Okonkwo grows angry he lets it out in cruel ways such as beating his family when he feels that no words can express how he feels. The influence of another country can help him, and possibly other men, to see that being vulnerable is not necessarily a sign of weakness. The men might gain other perspectives on what it means to be a successful man versus their sometimes violent and cruel ways. Okonkwo needs to learn to control his anger and understand that violence isn’t always necessary especially when it comes to gaining the respect of others. The enlightenment of another country will help Okonkwo to realize there are other ways to be considered a successful man. It would allow him to be more vulnerable and not seen as so cruel. When one goes deeper into the novel we are able to see that Okonkwo is fearful of being seen as a woman as he tries to muffle his emotions over the death of Ikemefuma, whom he considered a son. Okonkwo needs to learn that it is ok to display his emotions without being considered any less of a man and the influence of another country may help him and the men in his village to realize this.
2)“No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (especially his women) he was not really a man” (Achebe 53)
Influence from another country would benefit Okonkwo and his village in that it would allow Okonkwo to gain an enlightened perspective when it comes to gender roles. In this quote, Okonkwo is stating that in a household, the husband should be the dominate one and if he is not the one in control he is no better than a woman. Another country might allow Okonkwo to see that being a man has nothing to do with overpowering others, especially the opposite sex, but to be the one to provide for his family in a more nurturing and loving way. The enlightenment of another country could help Okonkwo to see women as equals and help him gain respect in a positive way. Okonkwo needs to see that being a man is not only defined by ruling over a woman, but is rather much more complex.
" He was poor and his wife and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. People laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him anymore money..." ( Achebe 5).
ReplyDeleteA different country's influence would have really helped. Although Unoka was lazy, his family didn't really have anything. Unoka had to pay debts to people. If another countries influence was there, there would be resources, trades, and profits. If that happened, Unoka's family would have enough resources to eat and farm and Unoka would be able to pay the debts of the people he owes because of the resources. If that happened, Okonkwo and his families life would've been easier but that didn't happen as Oko had to work really hard as the years past. That's why another countries influence would benefit the people in Oko's village.
" Yes, Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside of Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there" ( Achebe 57).
Influence from another country would really help Okonkwo. His adopted son is about to get killed because of Umuofia traditions and the oracle. Culture and customs from a different country would be able to resolve this situation differently. It all comes down to this. Ike had to be killed because of what the Umuofia has decided. Ike was a good influence to Oko's son Nwoye because he helped him become a man. If another country's influence was there, there would be change of cultures and the situation could have been handled differently and not violently. Culture and Customs is a real important inluence for Oko's village.
Marufil, for your explanation(s) you must explain who Unoka and Okonkwo is. A reader who has no idea about this book would have even less of an idea on who you are talking about. However, you have made great connections that made it really easy for someone who has read the book to know what you are saying.Good job.
DeleteI like your second analysis and how it connects to cultures from another country influencing the village. I think it was very creative and unique.
Delete(1)"At the end they decided, as everybody knew they would, that the girl should go to Ogbuefi Udo to replaced his murdered wife. As for the boy, he belonged to the clan as a whole, and there was no hurry to decide his fate. Okonkwo was, therefore, asked on behalf of the clan to look after him in the interim." (12)
ReplyDeleteInfluence from another country would help Umuofia have peace with Mbaino. A woman from Umuofia had gone to a market in the tribe of Mbaino and had gotten killed (11). The crier ( a town official who makes public announcements), gathered around the men of Umuofia and decided that they will retaliate by taking a young man and a virgin. However, this is not a right way to handle the situation. A lot of times, an outside influence is the solution to bring people together. In this case, another country would give a solution to Umuofia and Mbaino that would benefit both lands. Neither village would make a fair compromise and strive to only make their own village happy. Taking a young man and a virgin from their hometown does not solve the problem. The two youngsters are stolen from their country and the murdered woman is not avenged in a proper way.
(2)"That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams. One man tied his cloth to a tree branch and hanged himself." (24)
Involvement from another country would solve the harvesting problems in Umuofia. The weather conditions of Umuofia have been disastrous for the harvesting season. There was a drought that lasted for eight weeks that killed the yams (23). Afterwards, rain had fallen violently and washed away the yams. Sunshine did not appear and what was left of the yams did not grow. The harvest was so bad that a farmer actually hung himself. Other countries can trade their crops and goods with Umuofia, and that way Umuofia will have full grown crops to feed their families. Other countries may have better luck with their harvest based on their location. In this scenario, both lands would benefit from the influence of another country. Umuofia would have loads of crops and the other country will get something out of the trade too. Umuofia would give the country money or another type of good the country is lacking. It is a win-win situation.
Maram I loved your analysis for both of your quotes. Everything was nicely put in and flowed nicely. You did a great job!
DeleteThanks Diana! :)
Delete"He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fist. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father." (Achebe 4)
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo and his village would benefit from influences from a different country. Okonkwo would benefit from influences from other countries because other countries could show him different forms of patience. In this country, men have the power to beat their kids and wives. With the influences of other countries, these men would be able to learn to keep their patience and not use their fist all the times. With this type of control, the women married to men like this wouldn't have to feel pain whenever their husband feels anger. This is how Okonkwo and his village would benefit from the influence of another country.
"She put back the empty pot on the circular pad in the corner, and looked at her palms, which were black with soot. Ezinma was always suprised that her mother could lift a pot from the fire with her bare hands." (Achebe 40)
This quote also shows that influences from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. Ekwefi, Okonkwo's second wife, seems to always hurt her hands when she takes the pot off the fire. Her hands seem to turn black because they had been burned from the heat of metal against fire. But with the help of other countries, they could show the women who cook in their hut new materials. These new material would help the women not get hurt whenever their cooking or cleaning. This would also help Okonkwo himself because he wouldn't have to see his wife in pain anymore. This is another reason why influences from other countries would benefit Okonkwo and his village.
1)“At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating…Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (Achebe 13-14).
ReplyDeleteInfluences from a different county would benefit Okonkwo and his Village. Nwoye is Okonkwo’s first son who he would beat because it looked like Nwoye was being lazy. (Achebe 13). Okonkwo thought he was correctly his son’s ways but he was just making him sad. Another country’s influenced would then help Okonkwo see that what he was doing to his son was not okay. Okonkwo was basically abusing his son, and so the foreigners could then create a law/government system that would protect his son and other children. This would then help Okonkwo change his ways and force him to think of a better way to disciple his son and/or to communicate with him in a better way.
2)”As for the boy…he could not understand what was happening to him…all he knew was that a few man had arrived at their house…at the end he had been taken out and handed over to a stranger…he didn’t know who the girl was and he never saw her again” (Achebe 15).
Influences from a different country would benefit Okonkwo and his villager. Ogbuefi Udo’s wife was murdered when going to the market of the village Mbanio. After the incident Okonkwo along with his Village had come to the conclusion that the best way to replace the wife was by taking away the son of the man who had murdered the wife along with a young virgin girl of the village (Achebe 12). Another county’s influences would then help to see that what they are doing is wrong, that there could be a better way to solve this situation. Perhaps the foreigners would then help the village come up with a type of justice system so they could place the man that killed Ogbuefi Udo’s wife, in jail or give him some other type of punishment. Instead of taking away his son and a young virgin girl who have no right being involved because it’s not their fault. It’s just not right and it’s unfair to them, who are just innocent children.
"That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams. One man tied his cloth to a tree branch and hanged himself "(Achebe 24).
ReplyDeleteIn this quote, Onkonkwo, a native in Afica and his village had experienced a huge storm. Okonkwo's village was dependant on their harvests so much that some man hung himself once the harvest had failed. Influence from another country would therefore benefit Okonkwo's village, because already industrialized nations like Great Britain or Germany who would eventually imperialize Africa can provide secondary sources of income from jobs that come from factories. This can help the Africans because they won't have to become entirely dependant on farming. This would lead to the Africans being industrialized and not having to resort to death (Achebe 24) and benefit Okonkwo's village.
"That was why Okonkwo had been chosen by the nine villages to carry a message of war to their enemies" (Achebe 27)...
A foreign country's influence would benefit Okonkwo, a native in Africa and who lived when Africa was imperialized by foreign powers and his village. Okonkwo's village was going to start war with their enemy tribes with Okonkwo as the messenger. This shows that this part of Africa where Okonkwo lives is divided into many different tribes who most likely despise each other. If a different country were to influence Okonkwo's village, they would unite more larger parts of Africa. Great Britain, a nation that has imperialized large parts of Afirca in history, connected the seperate parts of Africa together. This would benefit Okonkwo's village because they would have less conficts with other tribes.
“But he was struck, as most people were, by Okonkwo’s brusqueness in dealing with less successful men” (Achebe 26).
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo is known in the village of Umuofia as a person who was in poverty into one of the lords of the clan. Okonkwo was very successful, but he does not give any respect to the people who are less successful. Those men who are less successful don’t have a title. Once a man without title contradicted Okonkwo in a meeting, but Okonkwo tells everyone, “this meeting is for men” (Achebe 26). Okonkwo had given no chance or respect for the man who was less successful. If the imperialist had come, the imperialist would had given a chance to the people who are less successful. People would have opportunites to have a job and become successful. Unlike having to go through a lot of hard work, like Okonkwo from being in poverty into one of the lords of the clan, the less successful people would be given opportunities by the imperialists by the jobs they give.
“He heard Ikemefuna cry, ‘My father, they have killed me!’ as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down.” (Achebe 61).
Okonkwo had to kill his son Ikefuma during the execution. Okonkwo was not the biological father of Ikefuma, but he loved him as a real son. Ikefuma had to be executed because his father was a murder, so the Umuofia’s revenge was to take the murder’s son and execute them later in front of their family. If the imperialist was to come and spread their influences, then Ikefuma didn’t have to die. The other countries could have showed them that killing the murder’s son is not the solution, because the son had nothing to do with his father’s actions. They will show that they should put the murder to jail or execute the father instead of killing his son who is innocent.
Your choice of quotes are good but your connection to the question wasn't very good. You should elaborate more on the idea of how imperialists would spread their influences to help save Ikefuma. What is the spread of influences you are speaking of in the second paragraph?
Delete“The night was very quiet. It was always quiet except on moonlight nights. Darkness held a vague terror for these people, even the bravest among them. Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits. Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark. A snake was never called by its name at night, because it would hear” (Achebe 9).
ReplyDeleteUmuofians believe that dark quiet nights are dangerous. If a country were to conquer them and offer them different beliefs they would benefit. The fact that the Umuofians believe that saying a snakes name at night is dangerous is ridiculous because there’s no difference between saying a snakes name in saying a snakes name throughout the day. If a country were to conquer Umuofia they would make them realize that their beliefs aren’t true and this would greatly benefit Umuofians because they would no longer be terrified of the dark.
“An Ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other an offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation” (Achebe 11).
Umuofia would greatly benefit if they were to be conquered by another country. Ogbuefi Udu’s wife had gone to a market in Mbaino and was killed. In order to make justice Umuofia sent this ultimatum to Mbaino. This ultimatum shows that the way that Umuofia makes Justice is ridiculous, one of their women was killed and they have begun thinking about going to war with the village from which the murderer was from. It was either war or having Mbaino hand them over a man and a virgin which is ridiculous because you can’t just hand over two people to make peace and prevent war. If a country were to conquer Umuofia it would benefit the Umuofians as well as the people from Mbaino. This country would bring to them a new system of justice that would be helpful to situations like this. The new system of justice would punish the murderer instead of others that had nothing to do with it. Umuofia would greatly benefit if another country were to conquer them and offer a new system of justice.
Okonkwo and his village were extremely undeveloped in terms of medicinal practices. With the help of a mother country guiding them and expanding the medical knowledge, the Nigerian village would no doubt benefit. Ezinma was once an ogbanje child, so when she became sick her father took immediate action: "'It is iba,' said Okonkwo as he took his machete and went into the bush to collect leaves and grasses and barks of tree that went into making the medicine for iba"(Achebe 78). An ogbange child was a child that brought misfortune to the family by "coming and going", basically dying and haunting the family. This meant that the child, Ezinma was extremely weak. She fell prey to even iba, which was any illness with a fever. She was extremely vulnerable, yet instead of lookig for professional help, her father, Okonkwo, just went out to get "leaves and grasses and barks of tree". The mention of a medicine man came only in a flashback, when Ezinma was nine. Instead of collecting herbs and deeming what was wrong with the girl he asked about her iyi-uwa (Achebe 80). An iyi-uwa was a cursed stone that lead the ogbanje child to death and back to the mother's womb. The medicine man and the rest of the family relied on the iyi-uwa, something that was merely spiritual to heal her and keep her in this world. Even though Okonkwo's village had the concept of medicine, it was clear that they were not as advanced. Many countries that were capable of having a colony had developed pharmacies in the early 1900s. This would help them immensely by organizing the medicine. They also had pills which were more concentration selective. Okonkwo and his village would benefit of the medical aspects.
ReplyDeleteThe Nigerian villages were often lacking authoritative figures that enforced the law. This was shown present when a man warned,"And so everyone comes...honest men and thieves. They can steal your cloth from off your waist in that market"(Achebe 113). "That market" was referring to Umuike market which was a large and growing market. The man is saying that anyone who passes can be easily be robbed. Afterwards, another man named Obierika responded with an anecdote of a man who was walking around in the market trying to sell a goat. The goat was tied by a rope which was wrapped around his waist, and as he walked he began to notice people pointing at him. He then turned around and noticed he was lugging a log and not his goat(114-115). The short story and warning shows that there were no authoritative figures, like a guard or a policeman, that stopped this man to notify him something was off. There was noone that tried to stop the theft either. Mother countries usually provide guards or policemen, especially in large crowded markets to prevent smuggling since the mother countries usually placed high taxes on certain things and only allowed much of the raw material to be sold to them. If there was a guard or a policeman present there would most likely be less theft. The mother country would be able to provide the village with a certain amount of protection from crime.
"Sometimes I wish I had not taken the ozo title," said Obierika. " It wound my heart to see those young men killing palm trees in the name of tapping." (Achebe 69).
ReplyDeleteUmuofians would greatly benefit if they were to be conquered by another country. Umofians have this law that only allows young men to tap tall trees. The older men are only allowed to tap the short trees that are standing on the ground (69). Obierika, who is speaking in this quote, is sad that the young men are killing trees and he is forbidden to. If the Umuofians would be conquered they would have this law removed. They would have this law removed because it is ridiculous. The Umuofians can benefit greatly from this tree. The Umuofians can benefit by getting food from these palm trees, such as coconuts. If they (the Umuofians) were conquered they could be taught that the palm tree comes in handy and should not be cut and also that it could be used to make medicine.
" Okonkwo said yes, and only then realized for the first time that the child had died on the same market-day as it had been born." (Achebe 78).
The Umuofians would greatly benefit if they were conquered by another country. Okonkwo's second wife has problems when she has babies, they all die without them reaching three years. Ekwefi, Okonkwo's second wife, born ten children and nine of them had died in infancy ( 77). Okonkwo had gone to a medicine man, to inquire what was amiss. (77). When the medicine man went to Okonkwo, he really did not help. The medicine man thought that there was something wrong with the babies and after examining he noticies that the babies are ogbanje. This means that they are children who repeatedly dies and return to its mother to be reborn. If the Umuofians were conquered many would benefit. They would benefit by actually giving Ekwefi actual medicine and not ridiculous thoughts. Whenever the medicine man told Okonkwo advice in what to do the babies Ekwefi will still die. If they were conquered they would be taight that there is no such thing as a child being ogbanje for that is non sense. If they were conquered the medicine will prove that the baby is an ogbanje, and the baby will not die because the medicine will help the baby live longer.
"Each group there represents a debt to someone, and each stroke is one hundred cowries. You see, i owe that man a thousand cowries....I shall pay you, but not today," (Achebe 7).
ReplyDeleteChinua Achebe goes back into the past and introduces readers the character of Unoka, who's known as the father of Okonkwa. Unoka was known as a failure who was poor and a man who was in debt to so many people that it piled as he succeeded in borrowing more and more money from others (5). A neighbor of Unoka who was also his friend, called Okoye had came to visit Unoka one day and as he tried to beat around the bush, talking plainly and not bluntly, with Unoka he finally came to his conclusion. Okoye asked Unoka for the two hundred cowries that he had lend to Unoka. Unoka responded with a long laugh and he proceeded to show his visitors and Okoye the wall of his where he listed groups of people he had borrowed money from. The state of being in such poverty and filled with so many debts is a time a different country can potentially take part in helping Unoka and his son Okonkwa. A different country can help Unoka by maybe giving him job opportunities to earn money or they can even try to pay off some of Unoka's debts. By giving Unoka job opportunities it can encourage him with more hope to earn money to support his family, his son Okonkwa. The act of paying off Unoka's debts can also encourage Unoka to strive for more hope and maybe turn a lot more appreciative towards people in general and this can potentially lead Unoka into changing for the better by working harder to earn money or stop borrowing money. The different countries that would do this can give Unoka more hope into thinking that there are still people out there that doesn't view him as worthless and tries to help him. The potential positive result in Unoka's reactions to the countries' help can in change Okonkwa's life. Okonkwa might not have to work so diligently in fields to grow crops if his dad began working from other people's help. If the different countries helped change Unoka it would change Okonkwa's view of his dad, therefore changing his personality as well. Okonkwa wouldn't always think that showing affection is weak and he wouldn't hate what his dad liked which was being lazy and idle.
"Where is Ojiugo?" he asked his second wife, who came out of her hut to draw water from a gigantic pot in the shade of a small tree in the middle of the compound,"(Achebe 29).
Okonkwa has accepted his adopted child name Ikemefuna and grew very fond of him because of his abilities to set up clever traps of rodents and many other things a typical kid cannot do. Okonkwa's happiness didn't last much long when he found out that his first wife hadn't served him food for quite awhile. Okonkwa's act of walking over to her hut and finding out that his first wife's presence was nowhere to be found and the fireplace was cold sparked up anger within himself. Okonkwa walked over to his second wife's hut which was where she had walked out from outside to bring upon water in a pot. The way of drawing water from outside in a pot is where different countries can help Okonkwa and the village. Other countries might be customed to other ways of obtaining wate that may be better than getting it outside with a pot. Since this book was taken place during the 1890s, according to wikipedia, it was sure that plumbing was invented then because plumbing was invented during 1837. Different countries might be accustomed with retrieving water from faucets and they can help Okonkwa by introducing it to their village and this will help many villagers as well as Okonkwa to live better. Okonkwa can use water from pipes for his crops and this will bring him more money and his wives more easier work. It'll help advance the village itself to a more industrialized environment.
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ReplyDeleteQuotes:
ReplyDelete1)"She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy, usually before the age of three."(Achebe 77)
2)"Okonkwo's gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart." (Achebe 124).
Okonkwo and his village would have benefited from influences from other countries. Okonkwo and his family goes through many hardship in the book "Things Fall Apart". His second wife, Ekwefi had suffered a lot in her life. "She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy, usually before the age of three."(Achebe 77). The people in the village considered it a spiritual cause. However the main reason may have been her body and her disability to bear children. The presence of a doctor from a different country may have saved her the pain she had to dealt. If so, then Okonkwo and his wife would have benefited by not only making her fertile again, but also being able to have more children. Not only did Okonkwo's wife suffer, he did as well. Okonkwo was known throughout all the villages and he was looked at with respect. After one incident, it all went "down hill" for him. During a funeral for his friend, "Okonkwo's gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart." (Achebe 124). It was considered a sin to kill a clan member. Okonkwo and his family were banished fore seven years and were frowned upon. Other countries may have had the technology to repair the gun and prevent the incident. Okonkwo and his family wouldn't have been banished if that was the case. If there were influences from another country in Okonkwo's village, they would have benefited from them.
1)“The crowd the shouted with anger and thirst for blood. Many others spoke, and at the end it was decided to follow the normal course of action” (Achebe 11).
ReplyDeleteThe influence from a different country will benefit Okonkwo and his village. The town crier had informed the men of Umuofia with his ogene, a hollow metal, to be present at the market place the following morning. When they were there, Ogbuefi Ezeugo, a powerful orator, spoke and said that a woman of Umuofia had gone to the market in Mbaino and had been killed. As the quote tells us, they then shouted ways to avenge the death. This shows us that the people of Umuofia have no central leader among the villages to make choices for them. The influence of a different country can make them central leader. This will be a benefit because the villages would be more organized when it comes to making choices.
2)“But you ought to ask why the drum has not beaten to tell Umuofia of his death” (Achebe 68).
The influence from a different country will benefit Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo went to visit his friend, Obierika. It was then when Obierika informed Okonkwo that Ogbeufi Ndule of the Ire village had died. This quote tells us that for people of Umuofia to be informed about a death drum is beaten. The influence of a different country can bring a form of communication that is more effective and fast. By having a better form of communication, the people of the villages can get information quicker, rather than by drums, or in this case, by having to wait to be informed by someone else.
“And such was the deep fear that their enemies had for Umuofia that they treated Okonkwo like a king and brought him a virgin who was given to Udo as wife, and the lad Ikemefuna. “ (Achebe 27)
ReplyDeleteDuring chapter two of Things Fall Apart, it has been acknowledged that a wife of an Umuofia tribesman was murdered while in Mbaino. The villagers of Umuofia felt it was only fair that Okonkwo, who represents Umuofia, go to Mbaino and demand both a virgin and a boy to bring back to their village, or declare war. Since Umuofia is well known for its skill in war, Mbaino, with no hesitation, provided Okonkwo with a young man and a virgin. The girl was given to Udo, whose wife was murdered. Ikemefuna was placed in the home of Okonkwo, whose first wife looked after the child (Achebe 11-12). However, the children who were the sacrifices, who prevented the two villages to declare war, did nothing to deserve the circumstances they were forced into. On the other hand, the two children who were handed to Umuofia stood as a boundary between war and peace. This is because as a result of Okonkwo obtaining the two children, Umuofia did not have to carry out threats to start a war. The decision of Mbaino benefitted the Umuofia society because their decision did not have to result in future violence, in which many people would have been killed, and territories destroyed.
“She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy, usually before the age of three.” (Achebe 77)
The character being spoken of is Ekwefi, who is the second wife of Okonkwo. Of the ten times she got pregnant, only one child survived to live past the age of ten. However, the one child that did survive, is now ill, and has a fever. Although the child survives, she still on occasion becomes sick, which brings anxiety to her mother. The influence of another country would benefit Okonkwo and his village. For example, the influence of a different country can introduce education into the village. More specifically, accurate medical answers and real doctors will now have a part in society. Previously, medical answers people searched for were associated with religion. For instance, after the death of another child, Ekwefi and Okonkwo found a medicine man that they were determined to get an answer from. However, he said that their child was an “ogbanje” (77). This means that when the child died, it would enter their mother’s womb only to be born again. This, in no way, is the case to why Ekwefi’s children cannot maintain survival. The medical man’s solution for the problem also does not change the outcome of the future pregnancies. Therefore, as a result of influence from another country, the new educators and doctors within the village can provide accurate medical answers. This overall benefits society because lives are saved as a result of medical tests aside from myths and thoughts associated with religion.
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ReplyDelete"But apart from the church, the white men had also brought a government. They had built a court where the District Commissioner judged cases in ignorance. He had court messengers who brought men to him for trial" (Achebe 174).
ReplyDeleteThis showed a positive effect on Umuofia. The reason why is because the imperialist brought government to Umuofia to establish power within the government. What this shows is that before the imperialist came there was no organization with power in Umuofia. But when the imperialist took over they organized a government with a judicial system. Overall this quote shows a positive effect because of a government being formed.
"The six men ate nothing throughout that day and the next. They were not even giving any water to drink, and they could not go out to urinate or go into the bush when they were pressed. At night the messengers came in to taunt them and to knock their shaven heads together" (Achebe 195).
This quote shows a negative impact on Umuofia. The quote shows that the six leaders were being abused by not getting any water, or not being able to urinate. Also Umuofia is being impacted in a negative way. Just like their leaders the natives are being abused because the imperialist think they are superior enough to mistreat them. Overall because of this abuse it is impacting Umuofia in a negative way.