Monday, March 21, 2011
TFA Threaded Discussion: Mariah, Sammi, Sam
Select and cite one criticial quotation or passage from Things Fall Apart. Next, respond to your peers (identify whose passage you are responding to) with insight regarding why each passage is critical. Once everyone has responded to your passage, you have the last word; add an additional comment stating why you chose the quotation you did. We'll review some in class.
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"Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned fright in that tumult. He heard voices asking: 'Why did he do it?'" (205)
ReplyDelete“Does the white man understand our custom about land?” “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (176)
ReplyDeleteIn response to Mariah,
ReplyDeleteThat passage is critical because it shows Okonkwo's harsh character, the disintegration of the tribe and it gives insight to the theme of the inevitability of change, good or bad. It also shows that when change is not accepted, it can lead to destruction.
In response to Sammi,
ReplyDeleteThis passage is important because it shows how the white people's negligence for the Igbo culture results in "things falling apart." However, the white man is not entirely blamed because the people that converted to Christianity have also turned against them. Their religion and customs were the things that held the clan together and when they were changed, the clan fell apart. The universal theme shown in this passage is "disregard for culture can result in the downfall of a community."
"His anger thus satisfied, Okonkwo decided to go out hunting. He had an old rusty gun made by a clever blacksmith who had come to live in Umuofia long ago. But although Okonkwo was a great man whose prowess was universally acknowledged, he was not a hunter. In fact he had not killed a rat with his gun. and so when he called Ikemefuna to fetch his gun, the wife who had just been beaten murmured something about guns that never show. 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. He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children. He threw down the gun and jumped into the barn,and there lay the woman, very much shaken and frightened but quite unhurt. He heaved a heavy sigh and went away with the gun." (38-39)
ReplyDeleteIn response to Mariah,
ReplyDeleteBy cutting down the messanger, Okonkwo cuts himself off from a clan that he now views as effeminate. This passage ultimately shows the reason for his suicide, and the theme of the danger of letting a community become divided.
In response to Sammi,
ReplyDeleteThis conversation reveals the true motives of the missionaries, and the danger of lowering one's guard to foes thought harmless. By allowing the missionaries to build their house of worship and defy the Ibo religion, the clan has severed itself in two and lost its right to have their own culture. As in Mariah's passage, there is a message of the danger of division.
In response to Sam,
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo wasn't a hunter and when he asked for his guns, his wives were surprised. This angered Okonkwo and gave him the need to redeem his manliness. He did this by shooting at his wife proving to them that he was a man and had the ability to kill. This passage shows how Okonkwo is reliant on being a man and lives in fear of being weak. Okonkwo's fear of being seen as weak shows a theme of how fear can drive a person into destruction.
The reason I think my power passage is significant is because it has to do with Okonkow and his realization that he is alone and can do nothing to act on the changes that have occurred. His incapability to accept the new changes within his clan eventually lead to his death showing us how failure to welcome change is followed by destruction.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sam,
ReplyDeleteThis passage shows that how others perceive Okonkwo is very important to him. When his wife questions his manhood, he feels that he needs to prove that his a strong man. As Mariah said, this shows that Okonkwo lives in fear of being considered weak. This relates to the theme of fear of failure ultimately holding a person back from their full potential.
Why I chose my power passage:
ReplyDeleteThis passage touches on a couple of the major themes in the novel.
It shows the persuasive power of language and how it is perceived by different cultures.
The contrast between the culture and religion of the white men and the Igbo people, as Mariah and Sam both mentioned, shows the danger of division among the members of the clan.
I chose my passage because it shows one of the times in the book where Okonkwo's anger drives him to do something that his clan would consider outrageous. Having his manhood questioned drove him to threaten his wife more severely than he ever had before, emphasizing the idea of Okonkwo being a paradox: while his fear of weakness is what truly drives his accomplishments, it also drives him to do things out of his nature, which can be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
ReplyDelete