MUST defend any view you present. Agreeing with another commenter is fine, but you must add original thoughts that meet the criteria.
This question is for the beginning of the novel.
How difficult do you find it to relate to the culture that acts as a backdrop for the novel?
What aspects are difficult to understand ? Conversely, what aspects are universal?
Release the hounds!
I find it somewhat challenging to relate to the culture that acts as a backdrop in the novel. Some of the aspects I find hard to understand about their culture would simply be the concept of multiple wives. I was brought up in a Christian household and the traditional roles of husband and wife differ quite a lot from those of other cultures, such as the one used in this novel.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the universal aspects go, the "traditional" roles of husband and wives in most cultures are that the mother is the caretaker of the children and the household. The husband is normally the provider and or "breadwinner".
In some ways, it is difficult to relate to the culture presented in this novel. In others, it isn't very difficult at all. For starters, I have to read each name about ten times before I can say them correctly, so that would fall under the difficult category. Another aspect of their culture that was unclear to me was the whole breaking-of-the-Kola incident in the first chapter. I have no idea why they did that, but it was obviously a ritual of social importance. One aspect that I did relate to was their devotion to religion, or their equivalent to religion. Whereas they pray to their ancestors for life, health, and protection, we pray to God, but their value of this practice is quite clear.
ReplyDelete-Noah
Personally, I find it very hard to relate. The names come out as mumbles and I'm pretty sure I say them a different way each time. Their culture is very different from ours so I have a tough time understanding it. When Okoye visits, the rituals are something that I have never heard of before. From the goatskin that Unoka unrolled when the visitor arrived to the "kola" that they drink. It's all foreign.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that I find easily relatable is that if you're in debt, then you probably aren't successful. Okonkwo seeing his father as a failure is universal. I don't think owing someone money is a good thing in any society.
Since I haven't done any research or anything on the culture in the novel, I feel like I am going to have a pretty hard time relating to the culture. So far, this has proven true. The rituals that they perform are completely unknown to me, and as are the importance of these rituals and traditions. One thing I found that I did not understand was the breaking of the kola. I also thought that the way they highly regard the art of conversion was peculiar.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I did understand was the fact that even though Okonkwo's father was considered a failure, Okonkwo set out and made a positive name for himself in the villages. He rose above his father's poor reputation and made his own. That, to me, is universal and important to keep in mind.
To me the culture in the book isn't difficult, just different. I agree that the names are hard to pronounce, but I found something online that has most of them and the pronunciations. I suppose the fact that Okonkwo appreciates Nwoye more when he stops listening to his mother's stories is universal. Fathers want their sons to be manly, not childish.
ReplyDeleteIf you have the hardcover from school, there is a glossary immediately following the novel.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite difficult for me to relate to this novel for many reasons. One in particular is the belief of different gods such as your 'chi', which I do not get how that determines why you make certain decisions. Another aspect is how do the priestesses know what to say in regard of the Oracle? Not only that, but the way twins are an abomination and are to be thrown out into the Evil Forest is hard to grasp. We consider that as child abuse, on the major platform.
ReplyDeleteMateralistic ideals are pretty universal. Just as Okonkwo's postition in the village is based off of how much he has, the same goes for society. You are also considered great if you rise from poverty in all aspects of the world.
My understanding of the Chi is that iris roughly equal to the concept of the guardian angel in many Western belief systems. However, it's interesting that one cannot rise above the level of one's Chi. One's happiness and success can also be determined by one's spiritual connection to the Chi. This would be somewhat similar to a person of another faith having a rich spiritual life that included fasting, quiet time and tithing. China Achebe is considered a great African novelist because he embraced telling the story of the Igbo without softening the edges of the culture or even making concessions to Western readers. It's challenging precisely because it exists outside our quotidian existence; however, universal truths are called universal for a reason.
ReplyDeleteAt first the culture of the people in this novel seem very foreign and difficult to understand. However, if you think about it, most aspects of their culture can be seen in other ancient and modern cultures worldwide. For instance, Okoye's visit with Unoka and the certain rituals they took part in such as the unrolling of the goat skin reminded me of how in some Asian cultures visitors take off their shoes before entering a person's house. Also, a lot of cultures treat visitors with the most gracious hospitality, like how Unoka offered the kola. And of course, when the Ibo go to war they first go to the Oracle to make sure it was an acceptable cause, just like the ancient Greeks. Also, many cultures allow men to marry more than once.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate how the Ibo judge a man by his worth and not the worth of his father. It shows how wise they can be. However, in some instances in the book they seem very barbaric, like when Okonkwo drinks from his first human head. That part of their culture is hard to grasp.
I found it rather difficult to relate to the culture of the novel. The names of characters, such as Okonkwo, are completely foreign from our culture. The belief in praying to ancestors for good will and the polygamy seen in the novel are also confusing to me. However, Okonkwo's desire to rise above his father's failures is easy to understand. Okonkwo's need to bear a strong family, albeit his methods are abusive, is also understandable.
ReplyDeletePersonally, it is fairly difficult to understand. The religion and culture of the Ibo people are not the same as I am used to; which makes it challenging to comprehend. For instance, the names of the tribe members are hard to pronounce. I think this is only because I am not used to their culture. As far as religion goes, I think I can relate to that. Not necessarily because it is the same as ours, but because they too are devoted and very loyal to their religion. We believe there is one God whereas they believe they should pray to their ancestors. One thing that I feel is universal is the practice of Polygamy; where men can have multiple wives.
ReplyDeleteI found it hard to relate to the culture of this novel. I don't understand why they do some of the things they do. Some of their practices confused me. I did not understand the breaking of the koala. I did understand Okonkwo having to prove himself to the village through his wealth. His father was in debt and couldn't pay the people back. It is the same way now, people prove themselves by buying things.
ReplyDeleteI find it very difficult to relate to the culture of the novel. For one, I was not raised to believe how they do and I don't fully understand why they do some of the things that they do. As far as saying the names, I'm pretty sure that I'm saying them all wrong. Even though Okonkwo's father was pretty much a failure, Okonkwo went apart from his father and did his own thing, so he would be remembered for how his life was and not how his father lived his life. Okonkwo built up his reputation, while his father's reputation was terrible and he had an enormous amount of debt.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to understand this novel. I don't know how to pronounce any of the names, which makes it even more difficult to understand. I don't recognize many things in the book, one being the breaking of the Kola. Another thing that is hard for me to grasp is the act of one man having many wives. I do not agree with this concept, but then again it is not my religion and culture. The roles of the family are universal to those of American families, where the men work, and the women take care of the household. One thing that is very different from our religion is how they pray to their ancestors, instead of a God like we do. I do not understand how that works.
ReplyDeleteI, personally, find it rather difficult to relate to the culture of this novel. I don't understand why they practice polygamy. I don't believe that it is right, no matter what the circumstances may be. There are also several other things that I don't understand in this novel, such as the breaking of the Kola. The one thing that I am actually able to relate to is religion. Although are religions and practices aren't the same, we both have very strong beliefs. I don't quiet understand why the people pray to their ancestors and not to God, but I do understand that not all religious beliefs are the same, such as many of beliefs that differ between our two cultures.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the culture is very different from ours, I don't find it difficult to connect with. I grew up in a very diverse area, so I'm used to seeing different aspects of many cultures, including religion. I'm personally not a religious person; however, I know much about a variety of religions. That's one of the easiest parts for me to grasp. The only problem I've run into is having to look up a few words, which is not a big issue for me.
ReplyDeleteUniversally speaking, I believe the concept of being judged based on individual worth, rather than the worth of one's parents, is very much a part of many if not all cultures. In all honesty, I love the idea of a child washing his hands of his parent's faults and mistakes to find his own path.
I find it difficult to relate to the culture of this novel as well. My beliefs are so different from theirs and I don't understand why they do some of the things they do.. One thing I really didn't understand was the breaking of the Kola.. Even though they have different beliefs than us as far as religion goes but at the same time I can relate to them because they take their religion very seriously, just like my family and myself. Also, I completely agree with Lacy. I also love the idea of a child washing his hands of his parents faults and mistakes to find his own path. I believe it helps the child see their path more clearly.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this book is difficult to understand. Honestly, this culture is about as far away from ours as possible. Our morals and beliefs are vastly different in some ways but similar in others. The Ogbo people pray to their ancestors not to God. Okonkwo, is a respected leader in the community, his father Unoka has a shameful reputation. In their culture the son is not judged by the father. In today's society many are judged by their parents, but can change opinions with different actions. Unoka died deeply in debt, which was not common in their village but is very common in today's culture. Becoming an independent adult and standing on your own is similar in both time periods. Okonkwo is asked to look after Ikemefuna, the ill-fated lad, that was sacrificed to their village to avoid war. In today's world that would be outrageous.
ReplyDeleteIf you stretch your Google muscles a bit, there are several detailed scholarly articles on the importance of breaking the kola nut in the Igbo culture.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading this book, I found it hard to relate to them. Their religious views are extremely different from any I've ever heard of. Most tribes have a god or idol they pray to, but I've never heard of praying to ancestors. The names of these people are insanely hard to pronounce; however, the financial problems that Unoka had are easy to relate to. One of the main universal problems is debt. I also like that the people judge a man by his worth and not his fathers. This shows they have some sense.
ReplyDeleteI do somewhat find this novel difficult to relate to. One thing I don't quite understand about their religion is how they pray to their ancestors and not to an actual God. Another thing that I can't relate to is how the tribe judges a man by his worth and not his fathers. In our culture, we don't do that. We even have sayings such as "like father, like son", and "chip off the old block." Some things of the Ibo culture I find universal. No matter who you are or what you believe in you believe in that so strongly that it would take a dump truck running you over to get you to change to another religion. I also find the respect given to a guest who comes into your house to be universal. If a person comes to visit you, you are going to get up to greet them.
ReplyDeleteI thought the novel was difficult to relate to because I didn't understand the breaking of the Kola. I also had a hard time pronouncing all of the names so I had to constantly go back and reread so I wouldn't get everyone mixed up. I did however understand that the women were the caretakers and the men were the providers, but that's only because so many cultures are like that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as religion goes, I don't really find it too hard to relate. The only part of their religion that I find it hard to relate to is the fact that they pray to their ancestors. But like our own religion, they do pray. We can relate to praying and worshiping, but as far as their way of life, I find it hard to relate. Our culture and our religion (Christianity) doesn't believe in beating wives and also having multiple wives where that is all common in the Ibo culture.
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