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.
