This is the last post of the summer.  You should have finished the novel and should either be finishing your school assignments or working on them.  For this last one, I want your final summation of Okonkwo.  Is he admirable? Is he unsympathetic?  It's your call.  You just need to be sure and back up anything you say with concrete details, direct quotes and the corresponding page numbers.  Haave fun and I will see you on the 19th.

Violence in Things Fall Apart

For this entry, I want you to find five instances of an act of violence in the novel.  Please include a direct quotation regarding the violence as well as the page number from the book where it can be found.  Briefly discuss the consequences of these acts directly after your description.  Also, you may want to give your classmates that have not posted anything a heads up.  The assignments listed in the handout are required and not simply a suggestion.

Discussion #3

These were supposed to post automatically.  That's why you have had an almost three week lag. I trusted the system I set up and I shouldn't have. Mea Culpa. 

In the novel, a major theme is that culture is always changing and people must adapt with it or be left behind. Find evidence of this in the text and discuss how characters are affected by either adapting or remaining static. Please include page numbers to support your evidence from the text. 

Integrity.

A person without integrity is a traitor to all the good that has come before and will come after. 

Cyril Cusack reading William Butler Yeats

Things Fall Apart #2

Good job, you scholars who have commented thus far.  I thought that several of you gave me some vary thoughtful answers.  I'll be responding to each in turn.  It make take me a bit to get to everyone, but I will.  Let me encourage you to look beyond just the facts.  Facts in this forum are to support your thoughts.  When school starts, the writing and testing will provide the evidence of your close reading.  Here you are free to discuss and debate elements of the novel such as theme.  To do it well and intelligently, reading is a must.  Basically, don't get so hung up on names. Seek the humanity that Achebe has embedded in the novel.

To this end I have several things I want you to discuss.

First, read the poem "The Second Coming" and discuss what you think this poem by a British poet has to do with an African novel.

What are Okonkwo's virtues and vices?

What do you think of a society that has a ritualistic form of suicide? What other societies can you think of that have one?

What  is the difference between spirituality and religion? Can you have one without the other?

It goes without saying that I want concrete details to support arguments, but I said it anyway.

If your comments haven't shown up, I receive emails with them and I will figure out the bug.
RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!

China Achebe: Bullet Point Biography

*. Nigerian 

* most of literary work meant for an African audience. That's why he doesn't always take the time to explain certain customs that would be well known to his audience. 

* published a well regarded piece decrying author Joseph Conrad as a racist. 

* was paralyzed in a car accident in the early 90's

* His full first name means "May God fight on my side".

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