English 10 Honors Summer Project--Part 1

English 10 Honors Summer Project--Part 1

1. Okonkwo, the protagonist and tragic hero of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a significant tribal leader in Umuofia. Okonkwo is very successful at everything he does, is well-liked by all, a good wrestler, tall with a big bodily build, looks cruel or mean, occasionally stammers when he talks and has little to no patience. Okonkwo highly values manliness causing him to be more productive, wealthy, thrifty, brave, violent, and is constantly against anything that to someone may seem to be "soft" or unmanly such as conversation and showing or sharing of emotion. As an Igbo heroic character, Okonkwo achieved greatness as defined by his art and culture by being a good wrestler and throwing Amalinze the Cat which was important to his people, being a tribal leader whom the people could look up to and idolize, and also by having three wives and being a father to several children. Okonkwo differs from Western heroes whom I am community familiar with because Western heroes kill enemies to become famous whereas Okonkwo simply fights them and respects his religion and family values.

2. Unoka, Okonkwo's father, was an idle, poor, corrupt, apprehensive, gentle man who was interested in the arts. As thought of by the tribes of Umuofia, Unoka was a coward and a man who did not know how to save his money but instead waste it on wine, was in debt with everyone more than he could have paid off and a failure. Unoka never had a title in his lifetime because he was too afraid to become a warrior because he did not like the sight of blood. Although there is much about Unoka that the people of Unoka did not like, he was fairly good at the flute, which many people did enjoy. Okonkwo is ashamed of his father because his father was not liked by many people and everyone said Okonkwo would turn out to be just like his father, but he would not listen to them and strived to be anything but like his father who is why he would not allow himself to show any emotions or engage in conversations. The negative aspect of Okonkwo's father shaped Okonkwo's character and actions because everyone said he would end up like his father, a failure in everything he would do, Okonkwo set his mind to prove everyone wrong and that he would become a hero. The early descriptions of Okonkwo's success and Unoka's failure set up a foil between the father and son. It also showed that Igbo society is harsh on people that fail in life and does not wish them good luck or good chi, but to those who are successful get what they want and are idolized. In cultural context, one succeeds by winning the wrestling match because everyone in all the villages enjoys watching who will become the new champion. We learned that the system of taking titles is very secure and strict with what each titleholder must do and not do.

3. The narrator or "voice" of the story telling us the story in third person seems like he really cares about his culture and values family. The narrator also talks as a wise figure who mostly focuses on Okonkwo but switches from character to character to detail the thoughts and motives of various individuals.

4. The setting of the novel is during the 1890s in an area of the Igbo culture, Lower Nigerian villages, mostly Iguedo and Mbanta. Achebe tells of the details of everyday life in Umuofia by writing about the chores, the responsibilities of the different title holders, responsibilities of children depending on their gender, of the gods and their dwellings and how the people think of them and how they sacrifice to the gods, their rituals like the wrestling matches and the drum sounds signifying what is going to happen or warning the people, the respect the tribal leaders receive along with their families. The social life in the novel is organized by different rankings and each rank holding different responsibility which only the people in that ranking may take part in. The roles or art, war and religion all play a major part in the people's lives because they were raised to respect all because good may come from them all. The role of the individuals in the community of Umuofia are important because without the people, there would be no people living in that area and it would be taken over by the vegetation of the land. The Igbo ways of life, customs, perspectives, beliefs and values are similar to mine because each person in my household has their own responsibilities and their own chores in which they must do each and everyday, we have certain customs in which our family has learned to grow from, our perspectives are all similar because we were raised to treat others how we wish to be treated and that karma will do its job and give you what you deserve so be on your best behavior because God will punish you in one way or another, and we highly value our God whereas Igbo people have multiple gods whom they worship and adore equally.

5. In chapter two, night has a certain effect on the people, which is a vague terror. Children were told not to whistle at night because evil spirits may come, the wild animals did not listen because the devil seemed to have taken over their minds as soon as it became dark. Snakes were feared the most because the people thought that snakes could hear at night so they would not call it a snake, but instead they called them strings.

6. The cause and nature of the conflict with Mbaino was that Okonkwo was only returning to his mainland or homeland because he was forced to flee Igueno for accidentally killing a clansman, which in their culture this was not an accident so he would not be allowed to return for seven years.

7. The important crops in the novel Things Fall Apart are: yams, cocoyams, plantains, kola or kola nut, palm trees, cassava and vegetables of many sorts. In the spring, cassava is usually grown, in the summer and fall yams, cocoyams and plantains are usually grown and harvested, and all throughout the year vegetables are grown along with kola and palm trees. Sharecropping works because you share your crop with someone else and grow different things at the same time, but the main owner of the land who is renting part of it out gets some of the profit from the renter's crops as well. Women mainly pick some of the food in which they grow, but whether they picked it or not, they cook it.

8. Okonkwo's relationship with his wives is pretty much mutual. He is cordial to them and treats them like he treats men because he is afraid to appear to be "soft" and show favoritism of any kind. Okonkwo's relationship with his children is again mutual. He treats them as if they are grown adults and know everything, he does show a little bit of favoritism towards Ezinma because he considers her as the perfect one. Okonkwo respects women because they help to make him who he is. He respects what they do because they are not manly jobs and he would never do anything that is not manly.

9. The crime that caused Okonkwo to be warned in chapter four was by shooting down people's spirits who have no titles and calling them women. Because Okonkwo was warned, this says that the culture values respect for everyone. According to Ezeani, wife beating is considered wrong because beating is an evil sin that can ruin families.

10. My initial reading experience and responses to Things Fall Apart--Part I as a cross-cultural encounter was interesting and confusing, but more so confusing. It was interesting because I had the chance to learn about a culture other than my own, but it was confusing because I spent half the time when I was reading trying to pronounce the names of all the characters and some of the words in their language, I got really confused. I am responding to this exposure to traditional Igbo culture and people with an open mind because it is a good learning experience for me that I know will come in handy later on in my life. I think I am responding as I am because I like to learn about new cultures and their lifestyles, I just wish I could pronounce all of the words which seem different and foreign to me along with the multiple gods. The things that seem most similar to me are the villages and chores because the villages are exactly like towns, and I've done chores my whole life so I know how important they may be in a certain way of life.