essay 2

Aisling D. Bradley

English 10H

Mrs. Bosch

August 2008
What shapes my life?
People are influenced everyday in their lives by the simplest things. Some people see them as insignificant, but I see each as a chance to learn and grow as a person. These influences help people to shape their lives and become who they are today. The things that have had the biggest impact and shaped me so far, and continue to shape me today are living in a small town, my family’s history, and my memories.
Living in a small town influenced me in more ways than one. I think one of the main things is how any where you go in town, you run into someone you know. These everyday occurrences create a friendly environment that teaches people how, like me, to be friendlier, more positive people. Growing up in a small town also made strive to achieve my goals no matter how far away they seemed. For instance I work my hardest to get into college so I can be a part of something bigger later in life. Being in a small town and growing up around many colorful people has given me a chance to observe others. To learn from their mistakes or to observe the way they handle tough situations, and to watch them grow as people to.
The biggest thing that has shaped my life is my family’s history. I have grown up hearing stories about relative’s achievements. I can’t help but try and live up to try and be as good a person as they all are. When I learn about the hardships they have had to face to make their life and my life good, it teaches me to be to endure through life obstacles with the positive thinking that it would all turn out right in the end. When I first learned that my great grandma had grown up with six brothers and sisters and barely any money to feed them all it made me both proud and humble. Proud to be related to such a strong person as her, and humble not to flaunt what I had because there are people much less fortunate than me and knowing that my family had been through that before made me realize that I have to be thankful for what I have. My family has given me an environment full of love and nurturing and I have great memories of them.
My memories are a big part of who I am. They are my past mistakes, pains, delights, and sorrows. Having them with me all the time is a constant reminder of the kind of person I try to be everyday. The mold and shape me everyday even when I don’t notice it. My mistakes are what I learn from. I try not to repeat them so that I can do better next time in the situation. From my pains I have gained the strength to endure pains to come. With the sorrow I learned that it may hurt at first but there will always be a brighter day. These memories are what keep what I have been shaped to become when I am in hard times I don’t think I can get through.
The smallest things can change who a person is, they shape and mold us to be better people. I have many things that influence me everyday. The most important of those are living in a small town, my family’s history, and my memories. They have taught me to be a god person and endure through tough times. They hold me together when I might when I want to do something I know I will regret later. This is truly what shapes my life and me. I am glad to be able to experience it.

essay 1

Aisling D. Bradley

English 10H

Mrs. Bosch

August 2008

Things Fall Apart

Everyone has things that they are proud of. However most do not have the means to share their

feelings with the world. The author of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, illustrated his pride in

family, heritage, memory, language, and humanity by following the life of Okonkwo, a man who

took pride in all these things and tried to live his life accordingly.

Achebe’s pride in family is affirmed in many ways throughout Okonkwo’s life. His pride in family is showed early on when Unoka is introduced into the novel. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father is a low

life debtor with out a title, of whom Okonkwo is deeply ashamed. Unoka owed many people

money in his life and died without repaying most of it. Unoka when on his deathbed was taken to

the evil forest to die, having all the honor of a proper burial stripped from him and bringing

shame to his whole family. When he died Okonkwo was left with nothing, the shame from his

father’s shadow gave him the drive to make a life for himself and give his sons something to look

up to and try to become. Another instance where the pride Okonkwo had for his family was

apparent was when his son disgraced his family’s name by joining the Christians. He basically

just told his son either stop or get out. His son still wanted to be Christian so Okonkwo just

kicked him out held his head high through the shame of his eldest son. Okonkwo is most

definitely a proud man and these times in his life stung his pride but never the less he

persevered. In order for Okonkwo to take pride in his family he had to be proud of where he

came from.

Achebe used Okonkwo’s story more to portray his pride in heritage in many ways, the leading

example being Okonkwo’s respect for his culture’s rituals and methods. Okonkwo paid homage

regularly to his ancestors and gods. He also knew where he came from and used that to make

him who he was in life. He followed all of his village’s customs, even when sometimes he did not

fully agree. He followed the customs even when it meant bringing shame to his family by

bringing his father to the Evil Forest to die because he had no title, and therefore did not

deserve a proper burial. Okonkwo stuck with his heritage in order to honor the memory of his

ancestors.

Okonkwo achieved many things in his lifetime. His first great achievement was throwing

Amalize the Cat when he was a young man and becoming known as the greatest wrestler in all

the surrounding villages. Throughout Okonkwo’s life he achieved many things he could

remember and take pride in what he had done. “Age was respected among his people, but

achievement was revered.” (P.g.8) Okonkwo achieved great things in life. He had three wives,

many healthy children, and had taken on three titles. He was also a fierce warrior who had killed

many in battle, and was revered among his people for all his feats. Okonkwo took pride in the

memory of all he had and in knowing that he would be remembered as a great man when he

died.

Another subject of Achebe’s pride was that in language. Based on the way he wrote Things Fall

Apart you can tell that the he uses words is sort of an art form. He takes pride in the way he

writes just as most authors do. Another example of his pride in language is the way he writes the

villagers to speak. “Among Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are

like the palm oil with which words are eaten.” (p.g.7) Although Okonkwo himself was not a man

of many words many of his people were. A person in his village took pride in the fact that they

were good speakers because it was an achievement that was regarded very highly in their

village. The characters circumlocutory way of speaking was indeed not an easy feat. Achebe

strove to prove that people like Joseph Conrad were wrong, and that Africa was not a country

full of uneducated savages by emphasizing the way this culture used circumlocutory yet formal

speech.

The most important topic of Chinua Achebe’s pride shown through Okonkwo was his pride in

humanity. Achebe showed through Okonkwo’s life the way the world worked for these people.

By showing some of there customs he showed how much these people valued life and the life of

others. One of these customs was that if someone committed suicide that he could not be buried

regularly, because he was tainted. This shows how life was of the utmost importance to them

and that for one to take there own life was one of the greatest crimes to commit. Achebe mainly

wrote this novel to get rid of the stereo typical view people had of Africans, in doing so he

preserved humanity by not stereotyping the white settlers. He provided different kinds of

people like Mr. Brown and Reverend Smith. His pride in humanity showed in many instances of

the story. For instance when Okonkwo gets terribly worried about his daughter Enzima after

she had been taken by Cheilo, and so as not to seem womanly he had acted like he didn’t care

but when he could no longer take it he walked back and forth all night looking for his wife and

daughter. Another time humanity shines through in this story is when Okonkwo’s uncle

Uchendu let Okonkwo into his home when he was exiled, even though Okonkwo had never

visited or sought a relationship with his uncle before, out of the kindness of his heart. Achebe’s

pride in humanity is probably a part of the reason why he wrote this book. He wanted to show

the world that the Africans were good people, but not try to make them look like better people

than everyone else by not stereotyping the antagonists of the story.

Chinua Achebe was a proud man. He took pride in honorable things like family, heritage,

memory, language, and humanity. He used the story of Okonkwo and his family to illustrate the

many values in life that he took pride in. Okonkwo preserved through shame and tough times to

keep his family in good standing, and stuck by his customs and heritage even when new ideas

threatened to take the place of old ones. He kept so strong by the pride he got from the memory

of his achievements. Achebe used language of the natives such as Okonkwo to show that the

people of these villages were imaginative and smart. His pride in humanity shone through at

many instances in the book, such as Okonkwo’s fear for his daughter’s well being. These are

important things to be proud of and Achebe used Okonkwo’s story very well to illustrate his

pride.

entry 36

"Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling, and they stopped dead." p.g.207

I think the that the fact that Okonkwo hung himself really emphasizes the pain he was in. He took away all of his honor just to end the pain. This does not really fit Okonkwo's character. I would have expect him to go out fighting for something he though was right, like attacking the church compound or something. This is so unlike him it's like he was so desperate that he didn't know what else to do. I feel bad for his family because he just left them all alone in these hard times. He took the cowards way out.

entry 35

"Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women." p.g. 183

Okonkwo's people are kind of stuck were they are, because losing friends and family to this new religion. Even though they would like to attack they can't, because if they attack they wouldn't stand a chance against the white people because. They also can't attack because they can't kill clansmen, which are all the converts. So when he says they had unaccountably become soft like women, he means because they can't do anything without causing more pain to their village.

entry 34

"That is not so. We make sacrifices to the little gods, but when they fail and there is no one else to turn to we go to Chukwu. It is right to do so. We approach a great man through his servants. But when his servants fail to help us, then we go to the last source of hope."p.g 180

This is when Mr. Brown and Akunna are trying to describe their religions to each other. I like the way Akunna explained his religion. He basically said that we have one supreme ruler but we do not bother him with our everyday problems and only go to him in times of great need. He says that the people that they go to for lesser problems are the servants of their supreme god, which if you think about it is a lot like religion. Christians see priests, saints, prophets, an Jesus as servants of God just the same as the villagers see the lesser gods as servants to the supreme god Chukwu. So even though they are debating about which is the true religion they are both saying the same thing.

entry 33

"They guarded the prison, which was full of men who offended against the white man's law. Some of these prisoners had thrown away their twins and some had molested the Christians. They were beaten in the prison by the kotma and made to work every morning clearing the government compound and fetching wood for the white commissioner and the court messengers." p.g. 175

This part was kind of annoying because the Christians just come in, take land, and the tribes let them stay there even though they don't want them there. Then on top of all that they decide to force the villagers under there laws. That is not fair because they have different customs so the villagers are being punished for following their own laws. There will definitely be blood in the end for this. You can't just treat people like dirt and expect them to except it quietly.

entry 32

"Let us give them a portion of evil forest. They boast about their victory over death. Let us give them a real battlefield in which to show their victory."p.g. 149

It's funny how based on their customs they think they are basically condeming the christians to death, but the christians just think they are being generous and kind. I bet that the christians are going to get a lot more converts when nothing happens to them, because it will make the natives think their gods can be overcome. I don't think this is going to end well. With all these people going to join the christians the tribe may get mad and there could be some dire consequences.

entry 31

"The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul-the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed. He felt relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul.''p.g.147

Nyowe is going to end up becoming Christian, because these events that stuck in his mind through his life make him question his faith and the goodness of his religion. He is right though what kind of religion allows the killing of innocent children. I wonder what will happen between Nyowe and Okonkwo when Okonkwo finds out he is going to join the new religion. I think one of two things will happen, first Okonkwo will beat Nyowe and force him to forget about the new religion but Nyowe will run away and join anyway. Or Okonkwo will find out and disown Nyowe and not speak of him again.

entry 30

"The missionaries had come to Umofia. They built their church there, won a handful of converts and were already sending evangelists to the surrounding towns and villages. That was a source of great sorrow to the leaders of the clan, but many of them believed that the strange faith and the white man's God would not last." p.g. 142

I don't exactly approve of Okonkwo and his people's religion but i don't think that what the white people are doing is right. They are choosing to force their way into these people's life but who are they to say what religion they should have or how they live their lives. I think they should just leave before a bunch of problems arise due to the church. The main thing though is whether or not there will be blood between the two groups.

entry 29

"The three white men and a very large number of other men surrounded the market. They must have used powerful medicine to make themselves invisible until the market was full. And they began to shoot. Everybody was killed, except the old and the sick who were home and a handful of men and women whose chi were wide awake and brought them out of the market." p.g. 140

I wonder why the white men were there in the first place. Maybe they were like settlers or slave traders or something. Anyway even if they lost one men it doesn't justify the slaughter of an entire village of people. I hope it doesn't happen to any of the other villages. But man I bet those few people were thinking, boy am i lucky. Another thing is i don't really understand the way they use the word medicine, is it supposed to be like magic, or potions or something, because the way they use it is weird.

entry 28

" It's true that a child belongs to its father. But when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother's hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect." p.g. 134

Uchendu, Okonkwo's uncle, is the one who said this. There is a lot of truth in his words. Every time a child is hurt they go to their mother for her to console them. I think he is right and it makes sense when he goes on to say later in his speech that it is wrong for Okonkwo to go to the place of his mother and refuse to be consoled, because then there is no point on him being there at all, and he will upset his mother. It is just like real life, it really makes sense.

entry 27

"why should a man suffer for an offense he had committed inadvertently? But although he thought for a long time he found no answer. He was merely led into greater complexities. He remembered his wife's twin children, whom he had thrown away. What crime had they committed?" pg. 125

This is the right after Onkonkwo went into exile and his friend Obierika was wondering how a man such as Onkonkwo could be exiled. I am glad someone is finally questioning this village's belief system because it these crazy customs don't seem to bother anyone at all. Obierika is right though they didn't really deserve the severity of their crimes. I mean look at the twins just born and already condemned to death that just isn't fair. I don't think i would be able to live with those customs at all.

entry 26

"Reflection page 124"

This page is about how Okonkwo killed a boy accidentally. His gun had exploded and a piece hit the boy in the heart. I was confused though because even though it was an accident Okonkwo was forced to flee his village with a few of his possessions and his family. This doesn't seem right to make a man suffer for something he didn't do on purpose. Not only that his family has to go through the same thing. The plus side though is that it isn't permanent, but when he does come back his entire compound will be destroyed. I think that he should be allowed to stay and do sacrifices or something for penance instead of having to run.

entry 25

"Reflection page 112"

Okonkwo just keeps coming off as a better person. I was literally shocked to find out that he had been up all night worrying about his wife and daughter. I liked the fact that he kept walking back and forth trying to see if he could find them. It sucks that know one else knows, but he probably wouldn't want them to know because it would hurt his reputation of being fierce. I think though that this kind of stuff makes him seem like a stronger person than the other stuff he does.

entry 24

"Ekwefi did not answer. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes. She knew her daughter was safe. "go home and sleep," said Okonkwo. "I shall wait here." "I shall wait too. It is almost dawn. The first cock has crowed." p.g 108

I knew Okonkwo would decide to follow them in the end. He is showing how he can really be a caring person. He doesn't seem like a bad person just sort of mislead in his belief system. Not that I am saying that his religion is completely wrong it's just some of the beliefs are a little warped. For instance the way they dispose of twins when they are born because they are bad luck, or killing Ikemefuna. This quote also explains what his wife saw in him, because ever since it mentioned that she ran away to him i have always wondered why.

entry 23

"I am following Cheilo," she replied and disappeared in the darkness. Okonkwo cleared his throat, and brought out his snuff-bottle from the goatskin by his side."P.G.103

I like the fact that Ekwefi is going after her daughter to try and protect her. It is kind of weird though that Okonkwo is acting like he does not care. I mean he is trying to protect his daughter then she gets carried off and he is acting like he doesn't care. I think inside he really does care and is debating whether or not to follow her and disobey the gods or stay or stay and keep his peace with the gods. I think in the end he will end up going after them.

entry 22

"A strange and sudden weakness descended on Ekwefi as she stood gazing in the direction of the voices like a hen whose only chick had been carried away by a kite."pg. 102

Ekwefi is like freaking out she fears the loss of Enzima and it is going to end up making her go against her God's wishes. She is a good mother to risk a great deal for her child. In a way though it can be conceived as kind of selfish because she knows that if Enzima leaves her she will go insane from the grief and not be able to control it.

entry 21

"The priestess had now reached Okonkwo's compound and was talking with him outside his hut. She was saying again and again that Agbala wanted to see his daughter, Enzima.Okonkwo pleaded her to come back in the morning because Enzima was now asleep. But Cheilo ignored what he was trying to say and went on shouting that Agbala needed to see his daughter. Her voice was as clear as metal, and Okonkwo's women and children heard from their huts all that she said. Okonkwo was still pleading that the girl had been ill of late and was asleep."pg. 100

I wonder what the priestess wants with Enzima. If i were Enzima i would be afraid to go with the crazy possessed lady. I am glad Okonkwo tries to spare his daughter some pain. It is hard to decide whether or not i think he is a good guy because he keeps mixing it up one day he will murder someone and the next he will be all caring and concerned for his daughter it makes it kind of hard to tell what kind of character she is.

entry 20

"she broke off because right at that very moment a loud high-pitched voice broke the outer silence of the night. It was Cheilo, the priestess of Agbala, prophesying. There was nothing new in that. Once in a while Cheilo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy." pg.100

They have a strange religion. There seems to be a lot of gods but they also seem to worship ancestors it makes me picture them as a cross between ancient Greek religion and ancient Chinese religion. It is weird that their gods posses people though it seems kind of demonic.

entry 19

"No," replied Ekwefi. "His shell was broken into pieces. But there was a great medicine man in the neighborhood. Tortoise's wife sent for him and he gathered all the bits of shell and stuck them together. That is why a tortoise's shell is not smooth." p.g.99

I think it is cool how different cultures have different stories or legends of how things in the world came to be . This story for instance is Okonkwo's culture's way of explaining why a tortoise's shell is not smooth. It is people's way of explaining things they do not understand like different civilizations creations stories and stuff like that.

entry 18

"Ekwefi believed deep inside her that Enzima had come to stay. She believed because it was that faith alone that gave her own life any kind of meaning."pg. 80

This explains why Ekwefi has the strength to endure because she realizes that she has been given a gift which is Enzima and that gives her all her faith in the world and in herself. That explains why she was so freaked out a few pages ago when Enzima got sick. I wonder what would happen to Ekwefi if Enzima was taken from her. I am not positive but I think it might be somewhere along the lines of suicide.

entry 17

"Ekwefi had suffered a good deal in her life. She had borne ten children and nine had died in infancy, usually before the age of three."p.g.77

At first i was not going to use this quote but then the severity of it hit me. Poor Ekwefi she had lost nine children it must hurt to loose one, but nine in a row. I do not think i know anyone who would be able to live with that. This makes me realize how strong of a character Ekwefi is to live with that loss and endure.

entry 16

"For the first time in three nights, Okonkwo slept. He woke up once in the middle of the night and his mind went back to the past three days without making him feel uneasy. He began to wonder why he had felt uneasy at all."p.g.75

I can not believe that he got over killing his son in three days. It was more humane for him to be remorseful, but now three days have past and he is wandering why he had felt bad at all. I have decided i do not like Okonkwo he seems to be a horrible person. The part of this that makes me feel bad for Okonkwo is that the only reason he got like this is because he was trying so hard not to become his father.

entry 15

"She was about sixteen and just ripe for marriage. Her suitor and his relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe" p.g. 71

It is kind of hard to read a book where women have no rights and are treated like possessions. This culture is very odd, they buy women and they use multiple wives as a sign of wealth. It is just sick were there no feminists in the time. You would think that women would have enough self worth not to be treated like this. I guess though if that was all they knew they would know the way they deserve to be treated like women are today, and by that i mean having rights.

entry 14

"It was always said that Ndulue and Ozoemena had one mind," said Obiekra. "I remember when i was a young boy there was a song about them. He could not do anything without telling her." "I did not know that," said Okonwo."I thought he had been a strong man in his youth." "He was indeed," said Ofoedu. Okonkwo shook his head doubtfully. p.g. 68

In a way Okonkwo is kind of pathetic. He thinks all signs of affection or love are weak, which in the end he will be empty because he clearly does not know how to love. It is frustrating how he dismissed a man that he had once had respect for as weak just because he talked to his wife about things. Okonkwo is very narrow minded he does not except anything to be true if it is not something he already believes.

entry 13

"Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna. He drank palm wine from morning till night, and his eyes were red and fierce like the eyes of a rat when it was caught by the tail and dashed against the floor." p.g. 63

Truthfully I did not expect Okonkwo to show any sign of remorse at all, and just to keep all his feelings in so as not to seem weak, but I'm glad he feels bad it makes him seem more like a person and less of a robot trying to fit into society.
Also in this quote i did not like how the author wrote "the death of Ikemefuna" because it just seems like he is trying to sugarcoat what happened. Like he is trying to make it seem like it was accidental or that Ikemefuna died of natural causes when in reality it wasn't a death it was murder.

entry 12

" As soon as his father walked in that night, Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seem to give way inside him, like a snapping of a tightened bow. He did not cry. He just hung limp." pg. 61

Poor Nwoye, he lost his best friend for no reason. Ikemefuna did not deserve to die and Nwoye knew that. He is probably so confused about his people and his village. If it were me i think i would hate my father for letting it happen. The worst part though is that no one tries to comfort or reassure him that what happened was supposed to happen, no saying that it was, he is kinda like all alone and that would really suck.

entry 11

" He heard Ikemefuna cry, " My father, they have killed me!" as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak." p.g.61

This whole book i have had mixed feelings about Okonkwo, but now I just do not like him. He has no soul or something, he just killed someone he regarded as a son in cold blood just so as not to seem weak. That last part is what irks me so much, why does Okonkwo care so much about his reputation that he would do such a horrible thing. I would understand if it had happened a different way, because his beliefs is all he knows, but to just kill Ikemefuna as he runs towards him seeking the protection of a father is just horrible.

entry 10

"Later in the day he called Ikemefuna and told him that he was to be taken home the next day. Nwoye overheard it and burst into tears, whereupon his father beat him heavily. As for Ikemefuna, he was at a loss. His own home had gradually become very faint and distant. He still missed his mother and his sister and would be very glad to see them. But somehow he knew he was not going to see them." p.g 57

I wonder what was going through Okonkwo's head when he told him he was going home. If it were me i would have told Ikemefuna to run away so that he could live. I felt bad for Nwoye because he had just found out his best friend was leaving forever and he got emotional so his dad beat him. Okonkwo just beat him as a way of expressing his hurt at having to get rid of Ikemefuna. AS for Ikemefuna it sucks that he doesn't remember his family and stuff, but it is worse that his new family is just going to let him die. If he knows he is not going to see his family i wonder what it must feel like knowing that you will never see your mother again.

entry 9

"Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son's development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna"pg.52

I thought that it was a little messed up that he gives the credit for the person his son has grown to be to Ikemefuna. It seems to me that Okonkwo is the kind of person who would not tell his son when he is proud of him or that he loves him. Also i think that Okonkwo thinks Ikemefuna is a better son than his actual son and wishes that Ike was his son. I wonder how he will feel when the elders remeber Ike.

entry 8

"For three years Ikemefuna lived in Okonkwo's household and the elders of Umofia seemed to forget him........He became wholly absorbed in his new family"pg.52

I was shocked Ikemefuna just excepted the fact that he wasn't going to see his family again. If it were me I would give the people i live with hell. In a way though I am glad he is coping well with the circumstances because i have a feeling it would have been painful for him if he had acted horrible in Okonkwo's house. I think he might be starting to forget about his family because he is acting like this is his new family.

entry 7

"And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten it was the week of peace."pg.29

This made me think a lot less of Okonkwo. He should not have beat her, she did not even do anything that bad. I mean come on he missed one meal it will not kill him. He also broke the rule of peace in peace week. The part that truly bugged me the most was when he went to the priest to ask forgiveness he said that his reason to beat her was just. How can someone being slightly forgetful be a just reason to beat them.

entry 6

"Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father." pg.16

This shows you how strong a will Okonkwo has. He built up a great life from nothing. He had the strength to endure through the shame his father left him with and through all the bad seasons. I think it is really admirable what he did because most people would have given in under the pressure he had to deal with just to live a life free of his father's shadow. I still do not think it is right for him to have multiple wives though.

entry 5

"As for the boy himself, he was terribly afraid. He could not understand what was happening to him or what he had done." pg.15

I feel bad for Ikemefuna he didn't even do anything to deserve to be ripped from his family. It is just as bad that no one is explaining why he is there or what happened to cause him to be taken. This part is really frustrating me because he is being punished for something his father did. In a way it does kind of punish the father because his son gets taken but I think the son gets it worse than his father. This culture has an odd way of punishing wrongdoers.

entry 4

"Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father" pg13

This really gives me a good picture of what Okonkwo is like as a character. I see him as determined and proud. This fear strove him above and beyond what his father had in order to create a better life for himself and his son. But as for the not being external thing, I think it is external. You can tell he fears being like his father by how hard he works and the effort he puts into becoming a wealthy man who can provide for his family.

entry 3

"Umuofia was feared by all its neighbors. It was powerful in war and magic, and its priests and medicine men were feared in all the surrounding country." pg.11

This explains a lot about there culture, like how strength is regarded so highly. It was sort of strange to find that they feared magic so much because our culture does not trust in magic it trusts in science for healing. When i read this quote i could not help thinking what an advantage it would be to have neighboring villages fear you, then you would have to go to war only if it was completely necessary because no one would be willing to attack you.

entry 2

"An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other to offer a young man and virgin as compensation" pg.11

Umuofia's decision on how to handle the situation at hand, I feel was to rash. The decision to either kill many in war or give up the right to a life of two young people are both, in my opinion, a horrible way to get justice. Why punish the village or two young people, when you can get revenge on the true murders. It is not fair for a whole village to be punished for the wrong doings of a few men. This is where a constitution would really come in handy.

entry 1

" He had a large barn full of yams and he had three wives" pg. 6

Finding something our society sees as scum favored so highly in Okonkwo's somewhat surprised me. The fact that a man having multiple wives as a sign of wealth is an outrage to the fairer sex. Using women as a sign of wealth is treating them like a possession. So far my impression of this society is not turning out well. This book is so far oppressive to women and I have not finished the first chapter.