This was my first time reading, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. This novel was very moving and present issues from other cultures I have never learned about before. I found this book to be facinating with all the diversity and different views on life.
This novel addressed many things that I wrote about in my second blog about mythology and the passing on of stories through different villages and timelines. After doing research on this topic I found it intersting to see different views this novel presented that were condridictory to what I already learned. In my research I found that twins were suppossed to be seen as sacred and to be a twin was a great honor. In this novel being a twin was not so "sacred." To be a twin was a death sentance not a gift.
My favorite part of this novel was all the different stories these characters told to one another. Be it for a young child to learn a lesson or for older people to explain something from the past. I find these stories to be a great was to keep morals present in the lives of our offsprings and a great sence of history.
Along with the theme of storytelling this novel presented a new lifestyle I have not yet come across in another readings. I never seen the lives of African people present in such vicious and murderous ways before. I understand that the killings that occured in this novel we a way of life and a part of "religion" but it was just so shocking to actually find the reasoning behind them.
The end of this novel brought about a shocking relization for me about ones beliefs and lifestyles and what can happen to someone if their way of like is comprimised. Okonkwo has strong faith and believed in the teachings of his ancestors that he couldn't bring himself to convert to the ways of the white man. He would much rather take his own life and be cursed than to follow in something he didn't believe. Okonkwo is a strong character full of a strength we rarely see. I admire his faith.
2 comments:
I agree, even though Okonkwo was sometimes a horrible person he was strong. What doesn't make sense to me Pollard is why he killed himself, that seems like he finally resolved that his life went to hell and it was the only way out. Suicide seemed like his first weak act. It made me sad that maybe he felt that he was no better than his dad.
Of course remember the great diversity of African groups -- no wonder some revere twins while others fear them. Good comments and powerful image of the knife!
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