Things Fall Apart Chapter 17

In Chapter 17, Achebe puts the focus on Nwoye, Okonkwo's oldest son. We learn that Nwoye is slightly drawn to the idea of Christianity because it confirms his doubts about the Igbo religion. Nwoye personally feels exiled from his from society because of his disbelief in its laws and traditions. Nwoye was at first curious and perhaps tentative when first began talking with the Christians. But when his cousin Amikwu told Okonkwo of their encounter, Okonkwo in a fiery rage beat Nwoye, and would have most likely killed him if it were not for Uchendu's interference. Nwoye feels as though he can take refuge with the Christians, who seem to be more accepting. Nwoye appreciates the church's value system for they for example would allow twins to live. Another appealing value that speaks out to Nwoye about Christianity is how those who have been ostracized are considered equals among other members in the church. All of this causes Okonkwo to wonder if he were somehow "cursed" with a son like Nwoye. Why of all people would Okonkwo be cursed?

1) How do missionaries try and "recruit" natives to accept their religion?

2) How does Okonkwo think Nwoye and Unoka are similar?

Thing Fall Apart: Part 11

In this chapter, Ekwefi tells Ezinma about a story about a tortoise, and how he tricks all of the birds at the feast while subsequently eating the best parts of the meal. The birds retaliate by taking away his feathers and making is so he could not fly home. The tortoise persuades the parrot to rely this message to his wife: cover the compound with their soft things so that he may jump from the sky without danger. With a malicious intent, Parrot tells his wife to cover the ground with hard things, and when he jumps, his shell breaks this explains why tortoise's shell is not smooth.

Later in the story Chielo informs Ekwefi that Agbala, the oracle of the Hills and Caves wishes to see Enzinma. At first, Okonkwo wanted Ezinma to wait until morning, and tried to convince to Chielo to wait. Angrily, Chielo reminds Okonkwo that he must not define the God's will. Overcoming the fear of divine punishment, Ekwefi follows them to the caves. When she arrives, she is started to see Okonkwo at the caves with a machete. Okonkwo calms are worried Ekwefi, which makes her think of the time she ran away from her first husband to be with Okonkwo.

1) What was the main point for telling the story about the tortoise and the birds?

2) Why kind of relationship do Ezinma and Ekwefi have?

One Day In The Life of Matthew

The is just creeping over the horizon, and the light peers into Matthew's room. He does not want to begin his day at 4:30 in the morning, but he as no choice. He grabs an old pair of overalls and his cracked boots that have sun dried mud on them from yesterdays work in the rain. Matthew has a quick piece of whole wheat toast and a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice. The sun now is fully over horizon, and has painted the sky with blazing aurora of orange. "Another beautiful day", Matthew whispers to himself. However he cannot appreciate Mother's beauty until morning work is completed. 

Crops need harvesting, ground needs plowing, and seeds need to be laid into the ground. It is like any other harvest. The ground is still soft from last nights rain, and Matthew's gloves do not smell like dirt and dust today. A refreshing thought. What wasn't refreshing was remembering how the harvester was out of gas, which meant ten times the amount of labor required on today's field. Normally, Matthew would go into town to buy gasoline refills, but he was saving his cash for something special. It was his twenty year anniversary, so doing all of the work by hand was well worth it. It must have taken him hours to harvest all of his crops. This particular season, Matthew decided to sell sunflower seeds to the general store in the town. Many other farmers sold their crops to the General Store, but Matthew wanted to maximize profit, so he tried to be unique in the crops he sold. Last year it was sweet potatoes, and the year before that was a combination of grapes and pumpkins. Matthew knew someday, his farm would be prestigious, and one day he would no longer need to wake up in the early dawn to perform these laborious tasks. "Someday", he mumbled to himself, and he continued on working.

After finishing the harvest, he came back inside the cottage. It was about 1:30, and it was time for a big meal before finishing up the day's work. While Matthew enjoyed the rest, he knew there was still much to be done. The trees had all blossomed, and the animals needed to be tended to. Plus, he had promised his neighbor Joe he would help him get rid of some weeds on his farm. First thing was first, Matthew needed to plow and seed his farm. Plowing his farm by hand was by far the most laborious task of the day. How Matthew longed to purchase his own John Deere tractor, so he could finally put his hoe in the fire and forget he ever had to use it. But that had not yet come, so the hoe it was. Matthew's hands were rough, like any farmer, and had huge calices that covered his palms. Plowing today was slightly easier, the rain made the ground soft and easy to turn the dirt. However, his ten acre farm would take hours. As the sun danced across the sky from one resting place to another, Matthew was seen working from one end of the field to the other. After each square was plowed, he gently rested his sunflower seeds into the ground, like a father wishing his child goodnight at day's end. Finally, as the day morphed into dusk, Matthew had finished his days work. All tasks were accounted for, and Matthew still held on to a sense of pride he once started with three years ago. 

As Matthew rested his weary bones back into bed, he couldn't help but smile. He knew that his hard work would eventually pay off, and this life that he possessed would not be permanent. As his wife slid into bed next to him, just as tired and weary as he was, she did not know how her life was about to change. For Matthew was not honest about when he said he sold his crops to the general store. Instead, he sold them to major corporate companies in the big city. And after one more harvest, his wife and him would leave the black cottage for the luxury of a villa. "Thank you God for keeping me safe the day", Matthew whispered. As he smiled, his mind began to dream of what life will be like soon.

Spwider Mwan?

What an incredibly strange poem Jim Hall has presented before an audience. Here is the famously known "spiderman" who sounds like he is from south Jersey. However the accent upon our narrator is not the main tool Hall uses in creating an uncharacteristic poem. He portrays Spiderman as the average man who is tired of his job and is sick of doing the same thing over and over again.

Spiderman makes his case over and over again that being a superhero is quite all it turns out it be. Everyday is the same thing. He gets a call from the "Gubbener" and ha to take somebody down to the police. He has to wake up and put on the same "fwame resistant" suit every day. The narrator that being Spiderman is boring and monotonously repetitive. I like this perspective Jim Hall is showing us. The idea that being a superhero really isn't that "super" at all is something that is hardly seen. It is a parody on being fictional. However, the most intriguing part of the entire poem I believe is the ending, where our superhero tries to leave his audience with a new philosophical insight on life. "Maybe dat's da whole pwoblem wif evwytin. Nobody can buin der suits, dey all fwame wesistent.

Who knows?"

Nobody can burn there suits eh? What does this mean? Are we all the same people till the day we die. Does fate have anything to do with this idea? Does this mean something more common? Maybe the point is that we are who we are, and there is no need to try and be someone else. Spiderman will always be spiderman no matter what. And I will always me, until the end of time

I loved this poem. It was funny, entertaining, and new. I didn't have to decipher whether or not this was Shakespearean or Italian, and where the stressed and unstressed syllables were. Thank you Mr. Hall for shaking up poetry.

How Words Have Changed Me

How have words affected my life? How has reading done more than just educate me? That part is hard to explain. But growing up, like any child, there have been books that have been my favorites for many different reasons. Here are some of those books listed below:

#8 Stuart Little-This is a childhood classic. One of the customary bedtime stories to read with mom and dad.

#7 The Lord of The Rings-A Trilogy that helped to broaden my imagination in more ways than one.

#6 Holes-The First book I ever wanted to read again after I finished it.

#5 Ender's Game- A child's dream to travel into space and who ever knew he would control an army?

#4 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-An American classic that would never be forgotten. A brilliant work by the genius Mark Twain.

#3 Goodnight Moon-Need I say more?

#2 The Most Dangerous Game-The most interesting short story I have ever read.

#1 Harry Potter Series-The most popular book of my generation.

The Adventure of Yann Martel's Pi

Upon reading Yann Martel's The Life of Pi, I was taken on the complex adventure that really takes place on the boat itself. I wasn't sure what to think at first glance. Here is a boat that is sinking, and the only survivors include a child, an orangutang, a hyena, a zebra, and a tiger who happens to be named Richard Parker. One would naturally think that the life of Mr. Pi would not last very long in a hostile group of animals. However, we see not only Pi develop but his relationship with Richard Parker. Martel demonstrates the process of Darwin's idea in the survival of the fittest by having all of the other except for Richard Parker die out. The development of their relationship is enhanced while they drift in the open sea. Martel's usage of flashback in the narrative was difficult at times to keep up with. However, I was intrigued with Pi's relationship with God; in particular, his practice in the different religions. I find it fascinating that a boy, brought up as a Hindu, studies Christianity and Islam, and decides to practice all three different faiths. It's interesting how a young boy lost at sea, probably realizing he could be killed at any point in time has three different sets of beliefs to help ease his mind in a very troubling situation. Perhaps Pi was able to subsidize his fear by relying on religion to establish a relationship with Richard Parker. As Pi continued to drift into the sea, I could only sympathize with his helplessness. When his blindness struck him, I felt his life was coming to an end. However as the read, I felt as though Richard Parker would almost serve as a protector. Though Pi was helpless, so long as Richard was there, he had a chance at life. When Pi reached Mexico, it seemed as though he had entered into a new life. I felt like some of the attributes Richard Parker possessed were not passed onto Pi. He had to fight for life even when the odds of survival were at the lowest point. Pi gave up is vegetarianism in order to survive. Even the animals on the boat demonstrated their struggle to fight for life. I think Martel's main theme was the struggle just to simply survive, even when it seemed impossible. As the reader, I just had to determine whether or not Pi went to far with his fight in his life-or-death crisis. Was I ok with watching Pi develop into the beast of a character? Partially, yes. There is just a small part of me as the reader that is upset with Pi. Again, I acknowledge the life-and-death circumstances, but was it all appropriate? I'm just not sure. As I look back at the title The Life of Pi, I can only think about Pi's life. It has been weighed, measured, and tested. I truly believe that the life of Piscine Patel is a fascinating one.