Achebe and Harris

I really saw the stark contrast between Part 1 and Parts 2 and 3 of “Things Fall Apart.” In Parts 2 and 3 Okonkwo had to ‘pay’ for his actions, but I felt that he did not do as much damage a he had to pay for. The end of the book really caught me off guard, and then the way the European guy reacted to it with such indifference made me sort of angry. I felt the same basic sort of anger in Achebe’s essay. He was disgusted that Conrad would believe an African to be inhuman, but also that schools, universities, and scholars consider Conrad’s book to be a classic. Achebe states that Europeans like to use Africans as a foil to make themselves look better. I found a strange connection between this and Harris using himself as an example in “Taking an Approach.” The Europeans believed that they were right in colonizing the more ‘primitive’ Africans, and Harris felt entitled enough to use his own work as an example. That made me wonder if it is acceptable for people to use their own previous work as an example. It also does not seem to add any more validity to their argument in doing so.

Things Fall Apart

Like others in the class I was also surprised by the outcome and that Okonkwo decided to commit suicide. In book, Obierika and Okonkwo have an exchange of words about the colonialists and Obierika brings up Achebe's thoughts about colonialism. Obierika states that he is upset with the way in which the white men have come and completely disregarded the Igbo's way of life. He also points out the impossibility of the colonialist to fully understand his people because they can't speak their language. The idea of colonization being brought up in the story became more prominent to me after Monday's class and our discussion about colonization as well as looking at the contradictory ideas brought up in both "Things Fall Apart" and "Heart of Darkness." In the end I found the book to be a nice departure from our previous readings and it got me interested in what we will be delving into later in the course.

After reading the second part of "Things Fall Apart," I was left very surprised. I would have never thought that Okonkwo was going to commit suicide. One thing I really enjoyed about class on Monday and then while reading the remains of the book, was that colonization was described throughout the book. I don't think I would have noticed to the point I did without focusing on it in class. I enjoyed reading this book merely because I was able to learn more about cultures and how they differ or relate to today's cultures.

Things Fall Apart

I have to say I expected how this book ended. I had a feeling that Okonkwo was going to somehow die in the end. I guess I didn't really expect him to commit suicide. You couldn't put it past him though, he was a very impulsive and irrational person. For some reason I thought that he would have a horrible time while he was at his motherland but the sense of family and kinship seems to run high in these clans. I thought that the role of gender throughout the story was interesting. It was so drastic and seemed so alien compared to what we're use to. It was also interesting to see how the missionaries came to the clan in peace but then shook their whole world. Overall it was an alright book.

Things Fall Apart

So far I have enjoyed "Things Fall Apart". While it can get confusing at times since so many names are similar, I for the most part like the tone and dialect the author uses. After getting into groups in class today, I could see how Achebe incorporated colonization in the book. On page 74, a few men joke about "the white skin" people and compares it to leprosy. At first, I didn't get the reference to colonization but after discussing it in class I saw the correlation. I also love how Achebe didn't make the entirety of the novel about colonization, but just gave his reader subtle hints. Well at least so far in part 1.

Things Fall Apart, Part 2

Today, we had to finish “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. It didn’t really answer my question (from my previous post) if Okonkwo was going to change with the way his culture traditions are changing or if he was going to fit against it and keep their old traditions. It was interesting to read about his return to his homeland from his motherland and to see how both of these villages are different. After reading this novel, I found the connection between how culture traditions change a lot which is what literature is also doing all of the time. I liked reading this book because I was able to see how the different cultures differed from each other within the book and compare them to how those cultures are different or similar today.

Things Fall Apart and An Image of Africa

Upon reading Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” it is difficult to connect oneself to some of the discussed events that occurred. The culture and practices in Africa are obviously much different than the European traditions that most children learn in school. Achebe defends his heritage in his essay “An Image of Africa” in which he speaks directly of Joseph Conrad’s bigoted description of people and practices. After having read both of Achebe’s work as well as an excerpt from Conrad’s writing, it is evident that Achebe’s labeling on Conrad to be a “bloody racist” is legitimate and well founded.