1. The qualities of a good leader is one of the play's important themes. To explore this theme, students can do one or more of the following:
• Discuss the qualities possessed by a good leader. Generate a list of these qualities
• Make a list of the leadership qualities that the class feels are legitimate. Compare and contrast the two lists and compile one list of leadership qualities that the class feels a good leader should have. Prioritize the list.
-Persuasiveness
-Responsibility
-Mental Strength
-loyal
-support common man
-serve others
-just
-trustworthy
-intelligent
-political understanding
-experience
-respect
-foreign policy
-self-confidence
-courageous
-charasmatic
• Examine the effect a leader's domestic relationships, physical condition, and/or athletic ability may have on his or her leadership abilities.
-First of all, everybody grows up to have numerous biases, the respect a leader has can come from his/her appearances. Self-confidence can also be depicted from the way you view yourself. Your whole image can be made or depend on your appearances and abilities. Your relationships can also help you in your leadership abilities because your relations can help you climb social ladders and get you to where you need to be. Your athletic abilities can give you a physical advantage over competitors and give you a head start over other threats.
2. Friendship is another major theme in the play. Explore this theme by answering the following questions:
• How far would you go to stop a friend from harming your country?
-I have a naturally deeper sense of just than some people have and so I would automatically know that I needed to stop my friend in any case necessary. I would have no problem permanently crippling them to ensure that they wouldn’t be able to do it again. I would try to avoid murder so I would have no problem putting them into solitary confinement if it was for the best.
• How far would you go to obtain revenge on someone or some group who destroyed your best friend?
-Knowing me, sometimes I don’t know when to stop so I would probably kill someone who did murder my best friend if they didn’t have a good reason.
• Is there anything for which you would betray a friend?
-I have a problem with disloyalty so of course I am a loyal friend, but there are always exceptions. I would probably betray a friend as long as I knew that I could be forgiven if I had explained my position. More of less with a sense of humor with it, I would not take betrayal far though.
• Which is more important to you, friendship or personal principles? Why?
-Personal principles are definitely more important to be even with my sense of loyalty because without my principles I am nothing and I would have nothing to live by.
3. One of the most sensitive issues in the play is suicide. Research attitudes toward suicide held by the following cultures: ancient Roman, modern Japanese, and modern American. Compare and contrast these attitudes in class presentations or in written essays.
4. The role of fate and superstition is another theme.
• To what extent can we control the future?
-I don’t have a set religion but I do have a sense of God and live with ideals that I feel should be right. When it comes to fate I believe that we think that we are in control and that we are making are decisions but in truth, God already knows what decision we eventually made even if we don’t believe in fate. God is cool and all-knowing like that.
• How superstitious are you? Do you have any good luck rituals that you perform before important occasions?
-in general I don’t take superstition seriously and apply it to life even though I do find it very interesting. I don’t really have good luck rituals that I perform before occasions. Occasionally if I really want things to go well I will pray.
• Do you watch for omens before important events?
-I don’t look for omens because I believe that you set yourself up to have a bad day when you are superstitious like that.
• Do you read your horoscope every day, and do you follow its advice?
-I like reading and following my horoscope but I am not obsessed enough to look at it everyday, maybe if something is coming up I will go and look.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Journals: Things Fall Apart
Pg. 4
“He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father.”
Okonkwo’s past has influenced him to be the way he is now. He was so ashamed of his father that he couldn’t stand anything that has to do with him, positive or negative. This is not an admirable trait and could be both an advantage and disadvantage to Okonkwo. This trait has made Okonkwo a successful man in his village but has also made him intolerant of anything leisurely.
Pg. 8
“Fortunately, among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father. Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things.”
Okonkwo is driven by the shame he feels from his father and is now one of the most successful men in his village. He is apart of many great things and has worked hard to get to where he is. He is lucky that his village does not compare a man to his father because life would have been a lot harder for him than it already was.
Pg. 11
“And in a clear unemotional voice he told Umuofia how their daughter had gone to market at Mbaino and had been killed…..The crowd then shouted with anger and thirst for blood.”
I am surprised that the village would be angered by the death of women simply because of the seeming unimportance of the sex. The village is probably more angered by the idea that another village dare attack a member of their village and simply wants some sort of compensation to further establish their power among the surrounding villages.
Pg. 20
“Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her, and so they stood waiting.”
I think this is interesting that the women had ranks within the family and the later wives would have to wait for the first one before something such as drinking.
Pg. 28
“A few minutes later he went behind the hut and began to vomit painfully”
Ikemefuna was so sad after leaving his family in his home village he couldn’t stomach any food, after being forced to eat by Okonkwo he had vomited and continued to be sick for another three weeks, but after his sickness he had been ok. He had been so sad that he had been mentally ill and affected his body physically.
Pg. 30
“It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week.”
Okonkwo beat his third wife for being thoughtless and going to get her hair done. She left her kids with another wife and she didn’t cook for them or for Okonkwo. Okonkwo was punished for punishing her.
Pg. 35
“…Nnadi must live in that land of Ikemefuna’s favorite story where the ant holds his court in splendor and the sands dance forever.”
Nwoye was curious like a normal boy would be and decided to put Nnadi in another fairytale that he thought he would fit in to.
Pg. 40
“she ran way from her husband and came to live with Okonkwo.”
Ekwefi loved wrestling and she loved it so much that she also loved Okonkwo who was the best in all the surrounding villages. I wonder if her old husband ever went to look for her after she ran off, or maybe he feared Okonkwo and didn’t want to challenge him over Ekwefi.
Pg. 45
“Do you hear that, Ezinma? You are older than Obiageli but she has more sense.”
I think that the way Okonkwo is talking to his daughters shows another more gentle side. He talks to them and they enjoy simple conversation and no anger is expressed in any way to them. I think this helps show us that Okonkwo is a harsh man but even the harshest cannot be so all the time. I think that this is a nice time for the daughters to spend time with their father.
Pg. 46
“Spirits of good children lived in that tree waiting to be born. On ordinary days young women who desired children came to sit under its shade.”
Many different cultures have certain rituals or sacred objects that help fertility in a woman. I think that having a tree is very unique. I like the whole idea of the tree with the awaiting spirits of good children.
Pg. 50
“The crowd had surrounded and swallowed up the drummers, whose frantic rhythm was no longer a mere disembodied sound but the very heartbeat of the people.”
I like relating to this because I am in band and I have experienced this feeling while listening to the music being played before me. When I read this I imagine the village dancing lively to the beat of the drum. Everyone in the village becoming one within the music and coming together for celebration.
Pg. 58
“Later, Nwoye went to his mother’s hut and told her that Ikemefuna was going home.”
Nwoye knows about Ikemefuna and is already grieving him. It is sad because the family got used to him and he was starting to blend in and be apart of the family. The worst part is Okonkwo being apart of the group who murdered him. He felt like he had to because he had to act like a man.
Pg. 59
“He could hardly imagine that Okonkwo was not his real father”
This makes me die a little bit inside everytime I read it because I hate the idea of Okonkwo going on with killing Ikemefuna after everything they had been through. Okonkwo even thought of Ikemefuna as another son and liked him. I just don’t think Ikemefuna should have died but it had to happen to help create the African atmosphere.
Pg. 60
“If the song ended on his right foot, his mother was alive….” This is interesting because to this day we have similar songs or superstitions to help reassure us of the things we aren’t sure of.
Pg. 61
“My father, they have killed me!”
I just died a little more. I hate this. Ikemefuna referred and looked at Okonkwo has a father figure and Okonkwo BETRAYED Ikemfuna, just so he could keep the strong image he had created among the villagers.
Pg. 79
“The medicine man then ordered there should be no mourning for the dead child.”
This is sad because these children are dying from common diseases and they are mistaken for evil. This child was mutilated and dragged because is was mistaken as evil, but once again this is there custom and we must understand that that was the way it was and that is what they believed was going on.
Pg. 79
“Her husband’s wife took this for malevolence, as husband’s wives were wont to.”
Nwoye’s mother thought that Ekwefi was wishing harm on her because she had already had three sons and Ekwefi had no children at all because they were ogbanje. Wives also had to be patient and caring so it was rude and not an admirable quality to be malevolent.
Pg. 86
“don’t allow it to boil over. If it does its power will be gone.”
They believed that the froth carried the healing part of the medicinal mixture so if it boiled over than the medicine wouldn’t work anymore. Ezinma had to lean over the pot into the heat and steam which probably would help her as a traditional cure for probably a common fever.
Pg. 87
“It was clear from the way the crowd stood or sat that the ceremony was for men. There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders.”
Women weren’t allowed so they looked in on the meeting through the sides. The men would get the good seats or spots since the meeting was more for them. I am surprised that the women were allowed to look in on the meeting if it was for men. I guess it was just more relevant for the men, not for men only.
Pg. 89
“Okonkwo’s wives, and perhaps other women as well, might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy walk of Okonkwo.”
Men from the village played as egwugwu and you could tell who was Okonkwo because he wasn’t sitting in the crowd and he had a certain way of carrying his body that you noticed through his costume who he was. He walks lightly and has a springy step.
Pg. 92
“….to beg his wife in return she will do so on the understanding that if he ever beats her again we shall cut off his genitals for him”
If the man beats his wife again he will “de-man” him. I think this is more for the amusement of the council over punishment for wrong. I do think he will think more than twice the next time he wants to beat his wife ever again.
Pg. 93
“I am Evil Forest. I kill a man on the day that his life is sweetest to him.”
Evil Forest plays the role of Karma in the society. This shows that the spirits are merciless and they do not pity the man who thinks he is better than the spirits. They will not hesitate ruining a man’s moment in life. They do what they feel should be done.
Pg. 108
“Ekwefi did not answer. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes. She knew her daughter was safe.”
After following her daughter literally all night Ekwefi was already really tired and scared. After realizing Okonkwo had gone for her too Ekwefi was consoled and was relieved to not be alone in the darkness anymore. She remember back when she had run away from her first husband to go to Okonkwo whom she wished to marry in the first place.
“He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father.”
Okonkwo’s past has influenced him to be the way he is now. He was so ashamed of his father that he couldn’t stand anything that has to do with him, positive or negative. This is not an admirable trait and could be both an advantage and disadvantage to Okonkwo. This trait has made Okonkwo a successful man in his village but has also made him intolerant of anything leisurely.
Pg. 8
“Fortunately, among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father. Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things.”
Okonkwo is driven by the shame he feels from his father and is now one of the most successful men in his village. He is apart of many great things and has worked hard to get to where he is. He is lucky that his village does not compare a man to his father because life would have been a lot harder for him than it already was.
Pg. 11
“And in a clear unemotional voice he told Umuofia how their daughter had gone to market at Mbaino and had been killed…..The crowd then shouted with anger and thirst for blood.”
I am surprised that the village would be angered by the death of women simply because of the seeming unimportance of the sex. The village is probably more angered by the idea that another village dare attack a member of their village and simply wants some sort of compensation to further establish their power among the surrounding villages.
Pg. 20
“Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her, and so they stood waiting.”
I think this is interesting that the women had ranks within the family and the later wives would have to wait for the first one before something such as drinking.
Pg. 28
“A few minutes later he went behind the hut and began to vomit painfully”
Ikemefuna was so sad after leaving his family in his home village he couldn’t stomach any food, after being forced to eat by Okonkwo he had vomited and continued to be sick for another three weeks, but after his sickness he had been ok. He had been so sad that he had been mentally ill and affected his body physically.
Pg. 30
“It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week.”
Okonkwo beat his third wife for being thoughtless and going to get her hair done. She left her kids with another wife and she didn’t cook for them or for Okonkwo. Okonkwo was punished for punishing her.
Pg. 35
“…Nnadi must live in that land of Ikemefuna’s favorite story where the ant holds his court in splendor and the sands dance forever.”
Nwoye was curious like a normal boy would be and decided to put Nnadi in another fairytale that he thought he would fit in to.
Pg. 40
“she ran way from her husband and came to live with Okonkwo.”
Ekwefi loved wrestling and she loved it so much that she also loved Okonkwo who was the best in all the surrounding villages. I wonder if her old husband ever went to look for her after she ran off, or maybe he feared Okonkwo and didn’t want to challenge him over Ekwefi.
Pg. 45
“Do you hear that, Ezinma? You are older than Obiageli but she has more sense.”
I think that the way Okonkwo is talking to his daughters shows another more gentle side. He talks to them and they enjoy simple conversation and no anger is expressed in any way to them. I think this helps show us that Okonkwo is a harsh man but even the harshest cannot be so all the time. I think that this is a nice time for the daughters to spend time with their father.
Pg. 46
“Spirits of good children lived in that tree waiting to be born. On ordinary days young women who desired children came to sit under its shade.”
Many different cultures have certain rituals or sacred objects that help fertility in a woman. I think that having a tree is very unique. I like the whole idea of the tree with the awaiting spirits of good children.
Pg. 50
“The crowd had surrounded and swallowed up the drummers, whose frantic rhythm was no longer a mere disembodied sound but the very heartbeat of the people.”
I like relating to this because I am in band and I have experienced this feeling while listening to the music being played before me. When I read this I imagine the village dancing lively to the beat of the drum. Everyone in the village becoming one within the music and coming together for celebration.
Pg. 58
“Later, Nwoye went to his mother’s hut and told her that Ikemefuna was going home.”
Nwoye knows about Ikemefuna and is already grieving him. It is sad because the family got used to him and he was starting to blend in and be apart of the family. The worst part is Okonkwo being apart of the group who murdered him. He felt like he had to because he had to act like a man.
Pg. 59
“He could hardly imagine that Okonkwo was not his real father”
This makes me die a little bit inside everytime I read it because I hate the idea of Okonkwo going on with killing Ikemefuna after everything they had been through. Okonkwo even thought of Ikemefuna as another son and liked him. I just don’t think Ikemefuna should have died but it had to happen to help create the African atmosphere.
Pg. 60
“If the song ended on his right foot, his mother was alive….” This is interesting because to this day we have similar songs or superstitions to help reassure us of the things we aren’t sure of.
Pg. 61
“My father, they have killed me!”
I just died a little more. I hate this. Ikemefuna referred and looked at Okonkwo has a father figure and Okonkwo BETRAYED Ikemfuna, just so he could keep the strong image he had created among the villagers.
Pg. 79
“The medicine man then ordered there should be no mourning for the dead child.”
This is sad because these children are dying from common diseases and they are mistaken for evil. This child was mutilated and dragged because is was mistaken as evil, but once again this is there custom and we must understand that that was the way it was and that is what they believed was going on.
Pg. 79
“Her husband’s wife took this for malevolence, as husband’s wives were wont to.”
Nwoye’s mother thought that Ekwefi was wishing harm on her because she had already had three sons and Ekwefi had no children at all because they were ogbanje. Wives also had to be patient and caring so it was rude and not an admirable quality to be malevolent.
Pg. 86
“don’t allow it to boil over. If it does its power will be gone.”
They believed that the froth carried the healing part of the medicinal mixture so if it boiled over than the medicine wouldn’t work anymore. Ezinma had to lean over the pot into the heat and steam which probably would help her as a traditional cure for probably a common fever.
Pg. 87
“It was clear from the way the crowd stood or sat that the ceremony was for men. There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders.”
Women weren’t allowed so they looked in on the meeting through the sides. The men would get the good seats or spots since the meeting was more for them. I am surprised that the women were allowed to look in on the meeting if it was for men. I guess it was just more relevant for the men, not for men only.
Pg. 89
“Okonkwo’s wives, and perhaps other women as well, might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy walk of Okonkwo.”
Men from the village played as egwugwu and you could tell who was Okonkwo because he wasn’t sitting in the crowd and he had a certain way of carrying his body that you noticed through his costume who he was. He walks lightly and has a springy step.
Pg. 92
“….to beg his wife in return she will do so on the understanding that if he ever beats her again we shall cut off his genitals for him”
If the man beats his wife again he will “de-man” him. I think this is more for the amusement of the council over punishment for wrong. I do think he will think more than twice the next time he wants to beat his wife ever again.
Pg. 93
“I am Evil Forest. I kill a man on the day that his life is sweetest to him.”
Evil Forest plays the role of Karma in the society. This shows that the spirits are merciless and they do not pity the man who thinks he is better than the spirits. They will not hesitate ruining a man’s moment in life. They do what they feel should be done.
Pg. 108
“Ekwefi did not answer. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes. She knew her daughter was safe.”
After following her daughter literally all night Ekwefi was already really tired and scared. After realizing Okonkwo had gone for her too Ekwefi was consoled and was relieved to not be alone in the darkness anymore. She remember back when she had run away from her first husband to go to Okonkwo whom she wished to marry in the first place.
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